Trump Executive Order Introduces Pilot Program
As part of its mission to make America Great Again, President Trump has signed an executive order under which “our nation will move faster, fly higher, and soar proudly toward the next great chapter of American aviation.” In fact, the executive order aims to establish a pilot program that could have significant effects on the current state of drone regulation. While the pilot program describes the lofty goals of “promoting innovation” and “balancing national and local interests,” it seems to me that the biggest possible practical impact could be a loosening of the current prohibition against operating beyond the line-of-sight of the drone operator. This is a key restriction that presents an impediment to using drones to deliver goods. No surprise that the drone industry welcomed the executive order. Here is a link to the executive order and related materials. Here is a link to an article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle about the executive order that includes an interview with yours truly.
This cynical observer wonders, in the current political climate, when, and even whether, the concepts embedded in the executive order will become reality. It also is possible that if any relaxation of current rules implicates safety or —perhaps more important—privacy concerns, States, Municipalities, or citizen groups could take legal action to seek to block any such rules. I emphasize privacy because the FAA’s jurisdiction over drone regulations is focused on the safety of the national airspace and does not extend to privacy concerns that are outside its purview.