Dive Brief:

• Amazon has confirmed the hire of Sean Cassidy, an Alaska Air Group pilot and an executive at the Air Line Pilots Association to head its Prime Air drone program.

• The hire comes as the Federal Aviation Administration banned commercial drone use and allowed limited testing of commercial drones, including a permission for Amazon that the retailer says is already outmoded.

• Meanwhile, Jason Del Rey at Re/code uncovered a patent application filed by Amazon that shows it’s continuing to refine its idea of having brick-and-mortar stores that would use RFID technology to allow customers to pick up orders and leave without having to stop to pay.

Dive Insight:

Amazon lives and breathes innovation, and it appears to be moving these two ideas — delivery drones and nonstop payments — forward. The retailer seems quite dedicated to its drones, and seems frustrated by the slow-moving FAA, which it says could lead the company to move its drone program overseas. Certainly, Cassidy brings significant expertise and credibility to Amazon’s program.

The company has indeed had better luck testing drones in Europe and Australia. But governments everywhere are grappling with safety and privacy implications of commercial drones, and it’s unlikely to be smooth sailing anywhere. Anywhere that there are the right number and mix of customers to be served by Prime Air drones, anyway.