U.S. Department of Transportation

Subscribe to U.S. Department of Transportation via RSS

In a letter submitted last month to the chairmen and ranking members of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its aviation subcommittee, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and other aviation industry groups urged the panels to oppose the Drone Integration and Zoning Act, S.2607. This Act “proposes enabling thousands…

At test sites in 10 states –Alaska, California, Florida, Nevada, North Dakota, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Virginia and Tennessee – the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) granted local-backed drone projects special licenses to test new ways of flying. At these test sites, drone package delivery and nighttime flights will be conducted, which are typically prohibited…

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will now fund double the number of unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) integration projects as it previously has, due to a strong response from organizations and companies wishing to participate. The DOT’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) was set to launch five projects in the initial round, but…

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it will use its existing exemption authority to grant economic authority to unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) operators who wish to use UAS for package delivery. According to the Federal Register “Notification to UAS Operators Proposing to Engage in Air Transportation,” the DOT aims to create…

This week, a new group of unmanned aerial system (UAS or drone) industry leaders announced the creation of the Alliance for Drone Innovation (ADI),  a policy-oriented coalition of manufacturers, suppliers, and software developers of hobbyist and commercial drones meant to help represent the interests of individuals, businesses, governments, scientists, academics and others who fly drones…

Over the past decade, since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first permitted the use of drones for commercial and hobbyist purposes, after the 2012 directive of Congress for the FAA to come up with a “comprehensive plan” for integrating drones into the National Airspace, drone use has grown substantially. However, with that growth has come…

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) “approval and oversight processes” for Part 107 waivers for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations. The audit will begin before month’s end and will assess the FAA’s processes for granting waivers and…

“Registering unmanned aircrafts will help build a culture of accountability and responsibility, especially with new users who have no experience operating in the U.S. aviation system. It will help protect public safety in the air and on the ground.” These remarks were made by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx earlier this week…