Today, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) announced the launch of Drone Prepared—an advocacy campaign designed to support lawmakers in preparing their communities for the benefits that uncrewed and autonomous aircraft will bring. (Photo: AUVSI)
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) launched a multi-state advocacy campaign this week called “Drone Prepared.” The initiative aims to support lawmakers as they prepare their state or locality for uncrewed and autonomous aircraft operations.
To explain the importance of the new campaign, AUVSI’s announcement noted the expanding drone industry and cited the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent estimate that there are 869,000 registered drones. It is expected that there will be 2.49 million operational drones by the year 2025.
“The Drone Prepared campaign provides critical resources for communities to understand the complex, evolving industry and begin preparing in ways that will welcome the industry, and its benefits, to their geographies,” commented Michael Healander, President and CEO at Airspace Link, in the AUVSI announcement.
AUVSI will engage with its network of chapters and local advocates in order to educate lawmakers about preparing for increasing numbers of drones in the airspace and taking advantage of the associated economic and environmental benefits. The Drone Prepared initiative also includes plans to establish coalitions with various partners, publish research, and make recommendations for solutions.
Some of the partners of the new advocacy campaign include Airspace Link, Echodyne, and Aura Network Systems, which are all members of AUVSI’s Air Advocacy Committee.
The Association’s Director of Government Affairs, Michael Smitsky, remarked that commercial drone operations offer tremendous growth potential. “We welcome opportunities to share with lawmakers how they can unlock scalable, secure and sustainable commercial drone operations that will benefit their communities—while maintaining the highest levels of airspace safety and regulatory compliance,” he remarked in response to the announcement about Drone Prepared.
The Drone Prepared Flight Plan is a document created by AUVSI that outlines the strategies behind its legislative proposals for next year. The four steps of the flight plan are:
- Look for Opportunities to Promote Drone Use for Public Benefit
- Leave Air Navigation and Aviation Safety to the FAA
- Leverage Existing Law
- Use Caution When Adopting Drone-Specific Laws or Requirements
Read the full Drone Prepared Flight Plan and learn more about the advocacy campaign here.