US Regulations Seek To Expand AAM, Restrict Drones

Here’s a breakdown of key drone, UAS, and AAM regulations from the past month.

Jack Daleo

Monday, May 15, 2023 at 07:26 PM ET

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DJI’s Mavic 2 Enterprise (pictured) is one of several drone models facing an FCC blackout. [Photo: DJI]

Key Takeaways:

The emergence of new aviation technologies like drones, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), and eVTOLs is prompting a significant wave of regulatory efforts across federal, state, and international levels.
U.S. federal and state lawmakers are actively proposing legislation to ban or restrict foreign-manufactured drones, particularly from China and Russia, for government use due to national security concerns.
The FAA is making progress on AAM integration, with an implementation plan expected soon and a goal to certify the first eVTOL aircraft for commercial operations by the end of 2024.
Internationally, India and the EU are collaborating on drone and AAM regulations, and EASA has published the first global proposal for assessing air taxi noise, potentially setting new industry standards.

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As federal officials, state lawmakers, and agencies such as the FAA tackle the massive aviation industry, they now must also contend with regulating an entirely new sphere of companies, technologies, safety protocols, and more.

A new era of aviation—encompassing drones, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), advanced air mobility (AAM), electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), and other new ways to fly— is coming. Now, around the country, federal and state lawmakers are trying to figure out how to manage it.