Federal Judge Strikes Down City Drone Ordinance on Preemption Grounds

A federal judge struck down a Newton, Massachusetts, ordinance regulating drone operations in the city, holding that the ordinance was preempted based on Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) regulations and federal statutes. Saying the ordinance “essentially constitutes a wholesale ban on drone use” and was an “interven[tion] in the FAA’s careful regulation of aircraft safety,” District Judge William G. Young reaffirmed the FAA’s broad jurisdiction over drones (also known as unmanned aircraft systems or “UAS”) in national airspace. Continue reading →

The Drone World Expo 2017 Interviews – Gretchen West

In the last of a series of interviews with key figures involved in the success of Drone World Expo, we talked to Gretchen West, Drone World Expo Advisory Board Chair; Senior Advisor, Hogan Lovells; Co-Executive Director, Commercial Drone Alliance.

Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, for over a decade, Gretchen served as AUVSI’s Executive Vice President, overseeing AUVSI’s global business development initiatives, international growth strategy, government relations and advocacy efforts for the unmanned systems and robotics industry.

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