Historic DRU Drone By Flirtey Accepted to MOTAT

Historic DRU Drone By Flirtey Accepted to Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology

Flirtey and Domino’s announce plans to expand operations and increase availability of pizza-by-drone deliveries in New Zealand (Wednesday 7 June) — Flirtey and Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (Domino’s) announced today that the DRU Drone by Flirtey used to make the first-ever, fully autonomous, Civil Aviation Authority-approved drone delivery has been accepted into the Aviation collection at Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology.

In addition to the donation to MOTAT, Flirtey and Domino’s today announced plans to expand operations and increase availability of DRU Drone by Flirtey pizza delivery in New Zealand later this year.

The historic Flirtey drone delivery of a hot Domino’s pizza made headlines around the world and took place in Auckland, New Zealand on 25 August 2016. It was attended by both the CAA and the Minister of Transport, The Honourable Simon Bridges. The delivery, which showcased the scalable drone delivery technology and safety systems developed by Flirtey, was conducted under Civil Aviation Rules Part 101 and marked a final step in Flirtey's approval process.

Domino’s and Flirtey’s partnership expanded in November with world-first deliveries to customer homes from a Domino’s in Whangaparaoa.

“Flirtey is proud to be a part of New Zealand’s aviation history and join MOTAT’s unequaled collection today. We are honoured that MOTAT has accepted this ground-breaking Flirtey delivery drone, and it is my hope it will inspire future generations,” said Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny. “We look forward to continuing to drive this industry forward when we expand drone deliveries to customer homes in New Zealand later this year.”

Beyond demonstrating DRU Drone by Flirtey’s industry-leading delivery and safety technology, the delivery also utilized state-of-the-art packaging that retained the temperature and taste of the freshly cooked Domino’s pizza during the flight.

“Launching the first commercial drone delivery service in the world was a landmark achievement for aviation – and we’re proud to have this take place in our New Zealand market,” said Domino's Group CEO and Managing Director Don Meij. “We’ll continue to partner with Flirtey and see drone delivery as an essential component of our pizza deliveries in the future.”

MOTAT intends to develop a public exhibit showcasing the DRU Drone by Flirtey amongst its existing aviation collection, and will also display the aircraft in an upcoming interactive drone event. Starting later this year, select customers in the Auckland area will be able to order their own DRU Drone by Flirtey pizza delivery, with service areas continuing to expand across the country.

“This aircraft has a unique and fascinating background which fits our vision perfectly as we seek to use stories of transport and technology ingenuity to inspire our visitors,” said MOTAT CEO Michael Frawley. “Drones are a symbol of modern times; they represent the future and it’s important that we recognise their place in history, preserve their stories and include them in our museum collections. We are delighted to be appointed as custodians of this contemporary unmanned aircraft.”

This is the second Flirtey drone accepted into a renowned museum. In 2016, the Flirtey drone used to make the first FAA-approved delivery in the U.S. was accepted into the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, alongside the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Wright Flyer.

The DRU Drone by Flirtey is constructed of carbon fibre, aluminium and 3D printed components.

It is a lightweight, autonomous and electrically driven unmanned aerial vehicle. It lowers its cargo via tether and has built-in safety features such as low battery return to safe location and auto-return home in case of low GPS signal or communication loss.

About Flirtey :

Flirtey is the world's leading drone delivery service, with a mission to save lives and change lifestyles by making delivery instant. The startup has worked with NASA and top universities to create the technology and logistics systems for a mass-market drone delivery network. Flirtey is actively hiring drone operators and engineers in New Zealand to help the company reinvent the food delivery, medicine delivery, and online retail delivery industries.

Learn more at www.flirtey.com

About Domino’s:

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited is the master franchisor for the Domino’s Pizza brand in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany. Across these seven markets, DPE and its franchisees operate over 2,000 stores.

Learn more at www.dominos.co.nz

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