Amazon has been talking about delivery drones since 2013. It was clear this wouldn't be a quick hop, skip, and jump from the launching pad to the customer's front door to drop a package. There are practical and regulatory issues.

But things are flying forward, literally. According to Amazon, the FAA has permitted the company to expand its drone deliveries and scale operations by allowing its drone operations to extend beyond visual line of sight.

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that all commercial drone operators are able to maintain a line of sight to their drones until it approves a technology that can safely enable drones to fly beyond visual line of sight," Amazon wrote. "Beyond Visual Line of Sight, known as BVLOS, is a term used in aviation to describe flying a drone where the remote pilot can't see it directly with their own eyes. Instead, a remote pilot would rely on instruments or technology to monitor and control the drone at all times."