Similar to my idea of using guided smart bombs to deliver air mail parcels.
Why not use Rail guns (or conventional artillery) to deliver regional packaging.
Modern guided and even dumb munition can guide a round up to 35 miles away with pinpoint accuracy. The problem being the round is meant to impact with a high velocity and has a very high impulse at launch.
this can be overcome by using a toroidal rail gun loop that allows the part to come up to speed under G-forces that won't mush your grandma's fruit cake. Once the parcel casing has sufficient speed and coordinates locked in. It would be launched. In flight guidance by way of fins would allow accurate guidance to a perhaps 1-2 sq M target easily. Since it's just using electricity not propellant the launch speed can be adjusted easily and the costs will be less than the gas to drive the package to your house.
A net system placed in an area with sufficient clearance would be used to retrieve the parcel. Parcel distribution centers built near cities could use them to send packages instead of costly ground shipping. The casings would be picked up and reused by normal ground trucks.
If accuracy is great enough Net Flix would be able to get the dvd to land right in the tray... Now that is customer service-- metarinka, Jan 21 2010 Guided Air shiping Guided_20air_20shipping [metarinka, Jan 21 2010] Linear motor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_motorsame principal [metarinka, Jan 21 2010] Rail guns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_gunnavy proposed system could travel over 80 miles [metarinka, Jan 21 2010] BDS Ballistic_20Delivery_20ServicePreviously done here [bungston, Jan 21 2010] Peaple Shooter The_20Denver_20Inte..._20Peaple_20Shootermore [bungston, Jan 21 2010] random, halfbakery