US green lights further drone innovation

The Trump Administration has announced a new pilot programme which it says will “accelerate drone integration into the national airspace system”. Under the grand title “President Donald J. Trump is Making American Aviation Great Again”, the White House issued a statement yesterday which said that through this pilot programme, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will “enter into agreements with State, local, and tribal governments to establish innovation zones for testing complex Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations and to attempt different models for integrating drones into local airspace”.

Importantly, the programme will look to “accelerate testing of currently restricted UAS operations – such as beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights and flights over people”.

Furthermore, the White House said the programme will “open the skies for the delivery of life-saving medicines and commercial packages”.