Richardson residents protest loud, low-flying Amazon delivery drones

Residents in a Richardson neighborhood say Amazon has stolen their peace and quiet after the company opened its Prime Air facility in December.

Neighbors say they’ve learned to recognize the humming of drones flying overhead.

Richardson residents raise concerns over Amazon drone noise

What we know:

Neighbors have already protested outside of Amazon and want the flights to slow down while Amazon addresses their concerns.

Amazon told FOX 4 it has met with the mayor, City Council and city manager to address the concerns.

The company also said noise reduction has been a priority in designing its drone, and that what people hear on the ground during a delivery is brief and comparable to a passing car, but neighbors say they hear the drones all day.

Neighbors describe constant overhead traffic

Local perspective:

During an interview with Nikki Anderson, who lives in the neighborhood, she spotted one of the drones. She’s not the only neighbor who has an issue with them.

"We’ve been having an issue with drones going back and forth. There goes one now, and so we’re in the highway of the drones," said Anderson.

"So see, there’s one right there. It’ll be back in about four or five minutes," said Scott Bratcher, another neighbor. Bratcher said he’s concerned about the noise and how low he says the drones are flying.

Anderson said the drones are constantly flying over the neighborhood.

The City of Richardson and the FAA address flight authority limits

Dig deeper:

Neighbors say they’ve asked Amazon, the city and the Federal Aviation Administration for help. They say all they’re asking is for the drones to fly higher.

"They’re low, and they’re loud, and they’re big, and they’re just intrusive, invasive," Anderson said. "We have nowhere else to turn, not unless we, you know, try a lawsuit. But who’s going to fight Amazon?"

"You can just kind of see all the flights coming out across us. This is about a half a mile from us, right here, and then we’re right here in this neighborhood," Bratcher said.

FOX 4 also reached out to the city of Richardson. The city said it has no authority to set drone flight patterns and referred to the FAA. The FAA told FOX 4 that Amazon operates under an exemption with specific conditions and limitations, but that it is Amazon’s responsibility to make sure the drones operate safely in U.S. airspace.

Amazon’s altitude guidelines and noise reduction efforts

The backstory:

In July, the FAA issued a nationwide finding that drone package delivery would have no significant environmental impact.

"Amazon, please raise the altitude at least to 300 feet, and it probably wouldn’t even bother us," Anderson said.

"They’re not being very good neighbors at the moment, and I hope that they can change that," she said.

Amazon said less than 1% of complaints it receives about its drones are about noise.

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