Drone Policy Making

DRONE POLICYMAKING

Ensure Your State/City Is Ready for the Future of Advanced Aviation

By following this plan, lawmakers from around the country can ensure that their state or city is Drone Prepared — in other words, ready for the future of advanced aviation and the numerous benefits that Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), and eventually Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), will bring to their communities.

 

Best Practice 1

Look for Opportunities to Promote Drone Use for Public Benefit

  • Ensure laws/programs promoting tech advancement apply to UAS
  • Ensure that relevant incentive programs apply to UAS
  • Participate in pilot programs (e.g. FAA BEYOND)
  • Incorporate UAS into government activities/contracts
  • DON’T — Miss the opportunity to bring the benefits of UAS to your community
Best Practice 2

Leave Air Navigation and Aviation Safety to the FAA

  • Adopt laws that acknowledge federal authority and the right to fly UAS
  • Adopt preemptive laws that preclude inconsistent local UAS regulation
  • Carefully consider policies on operations from public spaces
  • Harmonize terminology with federal law
  • DON’T — Regulate air navigation or aviation safety
Best Practice 3

Leverage Existing Law

  • Adopt “extension of self” laws
  • Consider law expressly applying the doctrine of aerial trespass
  • Clarify application of privacy laws
  • DON’T — Adopt unnecessary drone-specific laws and requirements
Best Practice 4

Use Caution in Adopting Drone-Specific Laws

  • Promote technological neutrality
  • Use clear, consistent language
  • Harmonize terminology with federal law
  • DON’T — Place disproportionate burdens on the UAS industry

 

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