Departing FAA Leader Says Agency Is Being ‘Nudged’ to Embrace Risk

Chris Rocheleau became acting administrator in January 2025 and is expected to leave the agency this week.

Jack Daleo

Monday, August 03, 2026 at 01:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Deputy FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau is soon expected to depart the agency and return to his role as chief operating officer of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). [Credit: NBAA]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is being "nudged" to accept more risk for integrating uncrewed drones, creating a "healthy tension" with its safety-first culture, particularly regarding the delayed Part 108 rule for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
Departing Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau highlighted the challenge of balancing industry demands for regulatory certainty with pilot safety concerns during drone integration, while also overseeing significant post-accident safety reforms.
The agency is undertaking a major modernization of its air traffic control (ATC) system, including digitalization and AI-powered systems, which is deemed critical for safely accommodating the growing scale of drone and advanced air mobility operations.

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The FAA’s departing deputy administrator said Friday that the agency is being “nudged” to embrace “more risk” when it comes to the integration of uncrewed drones.

Chris Rocheleau, who is expected to rejoin the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) this week after serving as FAA deputy administrator since July 2025, was speaking at the Commercial Drone Alliance’s (CDA) American Drone Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., before a crowd of drone industry stakeholders.