{{Short description|American UAV manufacturer}} {{Infobox company | name = Flirtey | logo = Flirtey logo.jpg | type = Private | industry = Transportation, Delivery | fate = | predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = --> | successor = SkyDrop | founded = {{Start date and age|2013}} in Australia | founders = Matt Sweeny (CEO), Ahmed Haider, Tom Bass | defunct = {{End date|2024|02|26}} | hq_location_city = Reno, Nevada | hq_location_country = | area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = --> | key_people = | products = | owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | num_employees = | num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) --> | parent = | website = {{URL|http://flirtey.com/}} }}
'''Flirtey''' (later rebranded '''SkyDrop''') was a Reno, Nevada-based drone delivery company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2016/06/25/flirtey-ship-shore-drone-delivery/|title=Flirtey Executes First Ship-to-Shore Drone Delivery|last=Morris|first=David|date=June 25, 2016|publisher=Fortune}}</ref> The company completed the first Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved drone delivery in the United States in 2015, the first FAA-approved urban delivery in March 2016 and the first FAA-approved commercial drone delivery to a customer home in July 2016.<ref name="fortune">{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2016/03/25/flirtey-drone-legal-delivery-urban/|title=This Drone Startup Just Achieved A Milestone in Doorstep Delivery|last=Vanian|first=Jonathan|date=March 25, 2016|publisher=Fortune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2016/06/24/use-drones-disaster-missions-put-test/86359486/|title=Use of Drones For Disaster Missions Put to the Test|last2=Kang|first2=Dake|date=June 24, 2016|publisher=The Detroit News|first1=Bruce|last1=Shipkowski}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/12/21/flirtey-7-eleven-completes-77-drone-deliveries-reno-technobubble/95714592/|title=Flirty, 7-Eleven Complete 77 On-demand Drone Deliveries in Reno|last=Hidalgo|first=Jason|date=December 22, 2016|publisher=USA Today}}</ref> Flirtey is also developing air traffic control computer software for drones in a collaboration with NASA.<ref name="abc">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-17/australian-startup-flirtey-takes-on-google-in-drone-race/7416004|title=Drone Delivery Start-up Flirtey Taking on Google, Amazon in Race to Satisfy Safety Regulators|last=Daniel|first=Zoe|date=May 16, 2016|publisher=ABC}}</ref> One of the company's drones is in the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.<ref name="tc">{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/18/drone-delivery-startup-flirtey-raises-16-million-to-become-a-next-gen-ups/|title=Drone Delivery Startup Flirtey Raises $16 Million to Become a Next-Gen UPS|last2=Lawler|first2=Ryan|date=January 18, 2017|publisher=TechCrunch|first1=Lora|last1=Kolodny}}</ref>
== History == [[File:Flirtey's Kitty Hawk Moment.jpg|thumb|Flirtey drone used to make the first FAA-approved delivery in the U.S., which was later accepted into the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum]]
The company was founded in Australia in 2013 by Matt Sweeny, Ahmed Haider and Tom Bass.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2015/s4464064.htm |title=Game of Drones |publisher=Foreign Correspondent |date=17 May 2016 |access-date=28 July 2022 |author=Daniel, Zoe |author-link=Zoe Daniel}}</ref> The company relocated to the Reno, Nevada area in 2014 after partnering with the University of Nevada, Reno.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2014/university-flirtey-partnership|title=Flirtey Flies to the US For High-Tech Testing and Market Development|last=Wolterbeek|first=Mike|date=September 2, 2014|publisher=NevadaToday}}</ref> Flirtey completed the first FAA-approved drone delivery in July 2015, when it delivered medical supplies to a health clinic in Wise, Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jlim/2015/07/23/flirtey-demos-worlds-first-drone-delivery-tech-in-u-s/#5c39d8612af7|title=Flirtey Demos World's First Drone Delivery Tech In U.S.|last=Lim|first=Jason|date=July 23, 2015|work=Forbes}}</ref> In August 2015, Flirtey graduated from the Silicon Valley seed accelerator, Y Combinator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/08/19/11-startups-you-should-know-from-y-combinators-summer-2015-demo-day/|title=11 Startups You Should Know From Y Combinator's Summer 2015 Demo Day|last=Yeung|first=Ken|date=August 19, 2015|publisher=VentureBeat}}</ref> In March 2016, the company flew the first federally sanctioned drone delivery in an urban area without the assistance of a human operator when it carried emergency supplies to a house in Hawthorne, Nevada.<ref name="fortune" />
Researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine collaborated with Flirtey<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/flirtey-conducts-first-ship-to-shore-drone-delivery/|title=Flirtey Conducts First Ship-to-Shore Drone Delivery|last=Nichols|first=Greg|date=June 14, 2016|publisher=ZDNet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/16860-drone-company-flirtey-wants-to-deliver-medicine-to-isolated-disaster-zones|title=Drone Company Flirtey Wants to Deliver Medicine to Isolated Disaster Zones|last=Hoffman|first=William|date=June 11, 2016|publisher=Inverse}}</ref> to complete the first ship to shore drone delivery in the United States in June 2016. The FAA-approved flight consisted of two parts. First, the drone delivering medical samples flew from land to a barge floating in New Jersey's Delaware Bay. Then, the drone was loaded with medical supplies and delivered its cargo to the Cape May–Lewes Ferry terminal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/23/flirtey-delivers-drugs-by-drone-from-ship-to-shore-in-new-jersey/|title=Flirtey Delivers Drubs by Drone From Ship to Shore in New Jersey|last=Kolodny|first=Lara|date=June 23, 2016|publisher=TechCrunch}}</ref> In July 2016, Flirtey partnered with 7-Eleven to complete its first fully autonomous FAA-approved home delivery to a residence in Reno, Nevada. This was the first time a U.S. customer has been delivered a package by a drone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gpsworld.com/7-eleven-flirtey-make-first-faa-approved-drone-delivery-to-home/|title=7-Eleven, Flirtey Make First FAA-approved Drone Delivery to Home|date=August 2, 2016|publisher=GPS World}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afr.com/technology/australian-drone-startup-flirtey-beats-amazon-and-google-in-home-delivery-race-20161005-grvwux|title=Australian Drone Startup Flirtey Beats Amazon and Google in Home Delivery Race|last=Soper|first=Spencer|date=October 6, 2016|publisher=Australian Financial Review}}</ref> In January 2017, Flirtey raised $16 million in Series A funding led by Menlo Ventures.<ref name="tc" />
In May 2018, the FAA announced 10 drone programs, including Flirtey, for its Integration Pilot Program that expands permissions to included programs that would typically need specific FAA permits due to airspace regulations. Five of the 10 selected projects involve package delivery. Flirtey is working with four of the winning applicants selected by the program and will use drones as a first response to 911 calls in Reno, Nevada by delivering defibrillators in heart attack cases before an ambulance arrives to allow bystanders to deliver first aid.<ref>{{cite magazine| url= https://www.wired.com/story/faa-relaxes-drone-restrictions-with-10-new-programs/| title=FAA Relaxes Drone Restrictions With 10 New Programs| author=Jack Stewart| magazine=Wired}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-companies/us-drone-program-taps-apple-passes-over-amazon-chinas-dji-idUSKBN1IA2WC| title=U.S. drone program taps Apple, passes over Amazon, China's DJI| author1=David, Shepardson | author2=Jeffrey Dastin| date=9 May 2018| work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2018/0604/Explained-A-US-pilot-program-for-unmanned-aircraft| title=Explained: A US pilot program for unmanned aircraft| author=Eoin O'Carroll| journal=The Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> Flirtey was also included on CNBC's Disrupter 50 list in 2018.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/flirtey-2018-disruptor-50.html| title=29. Flirtey| date=22 May 2018| publisher=CNBC}}</ref>
In October 2021, the company announced a partnership with Mesa Air Group involving an order of four drones with an option for 50 more.<ref name="Flying21Oct21">{{cite news |last1=Patterson |first1=Thom |title=First Scheduled U.S. Airline Launches Drone Delivery Business |url=https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/mesa-drone-delivery/ |access-date=22 October 2021 |work=Flying |date=21 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Mesa plans to use Flirtey Eagle drones to begin conducting food and beverage deliveries.<ref name="MesaPressRelease">{{cite press release |title=Mesa Air Group Becomes First Scheduled Airline to Launch Drone Delivery Business in the U.S. in Partnership with Flirtey |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mesa-air-group-becomes-first-scheduled-airline-to-launch-drone-delivery-business-in-the-us-in-partnership-with-flirtey-301405400.html |website=www.prnewswire.com |access-date=22 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
On 26 February 2024, Sweeney announced on LinkedIn that the company was shutting down.<ref name="bankruptcy">{{cite web |last1=Crumley |first1=Bruce |title=SkyDrop ends historic drone delivery work as funding runs out |url=https://dronedj.com/2024/02/26/skydrop-ends-historic-drone-delivery-work-as-funding-runs-out/ |website=Drone DJ |publisher=9to5mac |access-date=9 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503025704/https://dronedj.com/2024/02/26/skydrop-ends-historic-drone-delivery-work-as-funding-runs-out/ |archive-date=3 May 2024 |date=26 February 2024}}</ref>
== References == {{commons category|Flirtey drones}} {{reflist|2}} Category:American companies established in 2015 Category:Companies based in Reno, Nevada Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers Category:2013 establishments in Australia Category:Australian companies established in 2013 Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers of the United States