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 balancing industry pressure to embrace "more risk" for uncrewed drone integration, particularly for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, against its fundamental safety-first culture and concerns from traditional aviation pilots.
A central point of contention is the long-awaited Part 108 rule for BVLOS operations, which faces ongoing challenges and was reopened for public comment due to differing demands from the drone industry seeking regulatory certainty and pilot groups raising safety concerns.
To support future aviation innovation, the FAA is undertaking a major air traffic control (ATC) modernization effort, including digitizing systems and utilizing AI, which is considered crucial for safely integrating drones and other advanced air mobility aircraft into the national airspace.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.