Amazon plans drone delivery expansion to about 500 US locales

For example, at a planning and zoning meeting in Nampa, Idaho, in May, Amazon executive Sam Bailey was questioned about noise, safety and drone logistics for about an hour and listened to residents who opposed the service for a variety of reasons, including bird safety. Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to approve the service's rollout.

Bailey said the drones would be audible for about 20 seconds while descending and then flying away at a noise level lower than that of a lawnmower. "It's a brief experience," he said. "Albeit it's a new innovation so it's going to seem different but not any different than a delivery truck coming down your street."

He said drone delivery is useful for older adults, parents whose kids "popped a fever" and people who forgot ingredients for their home-cooked meals.

Videos of successful drone deliveries posted on social media sites indicate that the drop-offs are equivalent in noise to a leaf blower, though not as sustained. Amazon has said that community concerns over privacy are unfounded, as the embedded cameras are used only for navigation.