Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta told the FAA Drone Advisory Committee that he is unclear what aspects of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) local and state governments will want to regulate.
Huerta said he was, however, clear on existing FAA regulations and how to enforce them.
The FAA will keep an open dialogue with state and local governments.
This admission troubles the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) which fears the FAA is ceding some of its control. The NBAA wants the FAA to maintain full control.
“It is unclear how a manned or unmanned aircraft operator would keep track of jurisdictional boundaries or the unlimited number of rules if local or regional entities are permitted to develop their own aircraft regulations,” Heidi Williams, NBAA director of air traffic services and infrastructure, said. “Requiring operators to understand and operate under a broad array of new policies or regulations is asking the impossible.”
Federal law regulates all aviation and aerospace safety. In recent years, local and state governments have sought to control low-altitude UAS operations.
These regulations are not known outside local areas until they are added to aeronautical charts. Pilots who violate the regulations are considered guilty until proven innocent, the NBAA said.