Commercial Drone Alliance

Our Executive Director, Lisa Ellman, cleared the air (so to speak) on why it is so critical for CUAS drone legislation to move forward in the wake of the recent drone sightings. Legitimate commercial drone operations (of which there are many) are utilizing a digital drone license plate and following the rules. But when drone operators are not complying with the law, legal gaps leave communities vulnerable. Lisa explained: "There is technology out there that can solve these problems. Much of [the use of this technology] is currently illegal under the law and that's why there is bipartisan consensus legislation pending in Congress, that has been pending for years now, that needs to be passed...This will do a lot in terms of closing some of these legal gaps that our towns and communities are feeling right now."   Ellman also stated "It's incredibly important for the drone community to build public trust… of course we want to enable the good while preventing the bad, and that's why this legislation is so key."   CNN's Kate Bolduan wrapped up stating what Congress needs to hear: "This episode seems to expose that this bipartisan legislation - [Congress needs] to be taking another really close look at this right now."   Click the link to watch: https://f.io/S0sThTDB Gretchen West Emily Kimball

We are so excited to welcome NUAIR as a Founding Member of CDA's ElevateHER: Women in Advanced Aviation Leadership initiative. Ken Stewart, CDA Board President said “as a Founding Member of ElevateHER, NUAIR recognizes the importance of championing diversity and supporting women leaders in aviation. This initiative aligns perfectly with our values, and we’re excited to contribute to this initiative. The program isn’t just about empowering women; it’s about transforming aviation leadership for the better. Together, we can create a stronger, more innovative industry by fostering leadership and allyship at all levels.” "As a leader in advanced aviation, we believe in empowering women and creating pathways for leadership in advanced aviation." said NUAIR CFO EMILY DEMARCHE, CPA, "The ElevateHER program is a vital step toward building a more inclusive industry, and we’re thrilled to support its mission of mentorship, growth, and collaboration.” Thank you to NUAIR for your support of this exciting and important initiative! We appreciate the support of your team! Lisa Ellman Gretchen West Emily Kimball Megan Crout

Calling ALL women in the Advanced Aviation Industry: We are thrilled to announce a new program that we are launching in January: ElevateHER: Women in Advanced Aviation Leadership Program   A year ago, we put together the Women’s Leadership Development Taskforce to build a program to empower women leaders across the advanced aviation industry through targeted education, mentorship and networking opportunities. And now we’re ready to bring the program to the women in our industry. By developing and implementing initiatives that support women’s professional growth and leadership development, ElevateHER will help identify barriers to women’s advancement within the advanced aviation industry and create strategies to address them. Stay tuned for our January launch, where you will learn more about our mentorship program, networking events, professional development curriculum, team coaching, our male ally program (can’t leave out the great men in our industry) and much more. We will be offering corporate and individual memberships, so be ready to join our fantastic new effort! Lisa Ellman Emily Kimball Gretchen West

🚨 Important Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) draft safety rule update for the #drone industry: The The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has accepted the draft rule from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The OMB Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) will now appraise the rule and run an interagency review process. Commercial Drone Alliance and AUVSI — Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International will be meeting with OIRA in the immediate future to stress the importance of the draft safety rule moving forward — which we all know is critical for the U.S. to retain global leadership in drones and advanced aviation. A streamlined OIRA review process is key. As evidenced by the recent FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the draft safety rule is supported overwhelmingly by bipartisan consensus in both houses of Congress. The many benefits of this safety rule, including economic growth, job creation, national security, enhanced safety and more, depend on the draft safety rule progressing in a timely way. That's why our organizations respectfully ask that individual member companies stand down from scheduling individual meetings with OIRA on the draft safety rule so that OIRA can move with speed through their process, with a goal of publishing the draft safety rule for review in early January. AUVSI and CDA will strongly represent the views of our industry in these White House meetings. More information can be found in a joint AUVSI & CDA op-ed here: https://lnkd.in/eBHnB83B Lisa Ellman Emily Kimball Gretchen West Michael Robbins Scott Shtofman Chelsie "CJ" Jeppson Max Rosen

Congratulations to CDA Board Member Amazon Prime Air on launching its new drone delivery service in Arizona. Lots of firsts! First time for integration with Amazon’s delivery network. First time with their new, quieter, longer endurance drone. And a first-of-its-kind approval to fly a new operation BVLOS with no visual observers. #drones #winning #dronedelivery #progress Matt McCardle Amanda Armistead Lisa Ellman Emily Kimball Gretchen West https://lnkd.in/ez_AZ-_q

Are you a domestic or allied drone manufacturer? If so, and if you are interested in helping the federal government learn about the drone marketplace, please reach out to us at membership@commercialdronealliance.org or DM. The federal government is interested to hear from you about any supply chain challenges you may be experiencing, particularly as it relates to sourcing of batteries and other components. Please reach out by October 31. Thank you for your support! Lisa Ellman Emily Kimball Gretchen West Allisa Newman

Our Executive Director, Lisa Ellman joined Michael Robbins with AUVSI to co-author this op-ed discussing the importance of moving BVLOS rulemaking forward. Read more below and here: https://lnkd.in/eBHnB83B Emily Kimball Gretchen West Arjun Garg Matthew Clark Allisa Newman Michael Bell Max Rosen Scott Shtofman Michael Smitsky, Esq. Anna Dietrich Chelsie "CJ" Jeppson

We heard loud and clear from attendees that they wanted more from this "refreshing" panel, so we are excited to continue the discussion next week. Thank you to Commercial UAV News for hosting and to our amazing participating members, NUAIR Ondas Holdings uAvionix Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric. Lisa Ellman Emily Kimball Gretchen West

Next Thursday, October 17, join our co-founder and membership director, Gretchen West, as she moderates a stellar panel of business-minded drone experts in a continuation of the keynote panel at #CUAV last month. The “Accelerating Commercial Viability and Market Demand” webinar will take a deeper dive into strategies for building a drone business that can be scalable and successful in a post-regulations era. Join Eric Brock from Ondas Autonomous Systems, Erik Mintz from Mitsubishi Electric, uAvionix Corporation’s Jon Damush, and Ken Stewart from NUAIR and learn how you can position your drone business for success. https://lnkd.in/g3Gr2Px2 #drones #uav #uas #uncrewed #droneindustry #dronetechnolgy

What a great panel with our executive director, Lisa Ellman, representing the commercial drone industry and highlighting the vast benefits of UAS! #drones #icao