Part 108 NPRM and the Two Camps of the Drone Industry: Lessons from Commercial UAV Expo 2025 By DRONELIFE Contributing Editor Paul Rossi Last week, I attended my fourth straight Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, NV. This year’s event was especially notable, not only for the conversations happening on the show floor, but also […]
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Ann Arbor drone policy focuses on citizens’ privacy rights By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill The city of Ann Arbor Michigan recently adopted a policy regulating the city’s use of drones, which emphasizes individuals’ privacy rights and the strict control of data collected during UAV missions. Ann Arbor’s City Council voted unanimously Aug. 7 to […]
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Industry leaders urge swift progress on drone rulemaking and integration The AUVSI Drone and AAM Policy Symposium, held July 29–30 in Washington, D.C., brought together policymakers and industry leaders to discuss the future of drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) integration in the national airspace. The event, hosted by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems […]
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Congress Questions FAA Staffing and AI Use Amid Growing Airspace Complexity July 2025 — As the landscape of aviation continues to evolve, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finds itself under growing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers. Recent concerns focus on FAA workforce reductions and the agency’s increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, especially as these […]
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The “Leading Innovation in Flight Technology (LIFT) Act,” introduced by Rep.Jen Kiggans (R-VA) on July 24, 2025, aims to accelerate U.S. rules for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The measure would compel the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to set clear performance standards, use artificial intelligence to speed […]
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Senate Confirms Aviation Industry Pick The U.S. Senate today confirmed Bryan Bedford as the next Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, ending a contentious nomination process that largely divided along party lines. Bedford, the longtime CEO of Republic Airways, will lead the agency at a critical moment for American aviation safety and modernization. The final […]
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New OIG Report Highlights Achievements and Persistent Challenges in Beyond Visual Line of Sight Drone Integration The Federal Aviation Administration has made substantial progress in advancing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, with approvals increasing from 1,229 in 2020 to 26,870 in 2023, according to a newly released report from the Department of […]
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The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted this morning to advance Bryan Bedford’s nomination as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with a narrow margin of 15 ayes to 13 nos. Bedford, the longtime CEO of Republic Airways, now moves one step closer to leading the agency at a time of heightened […]
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Bryan Bedford, the longtime CEO of Republic Airways, is set to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee on June 11 as President Donald Trump’s nominee for Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The hearing comes at a pivotal moment for U.S. aviation, following the deadliest domestic air disaster in over two decades and amid […]
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News and Commentary. The Drone Integration and Zoning Act (S.1249), currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate, is raising significant concerns across the commercial drone industry. The bill – another reboot of the Drone Federalism Act first introduced in 2017, and the bill of the same name first introduced in 2019 – would fundamentally shift […]
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