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AMA Drone Report 04.19.18: AMA Leadership, FAA Reauthorization, Coachella


Also: New French Regs, Drone Boot Camp, Public Safety Drone Standards, DroneShield Protects NASCAR It’s a little bit sad and yet a bit cool to see AMA make an exciting change in leadership as hard-working executive Director Dave Mathewson, passes the baton to long-time AMA’s Public Relations and Government Affairs guru, Chad Budreau. AMA Boss, Rich Hansen tells us that, Dave Mathewson’s announcement that he planned to resign as AMA’s Executive Director (ED), the Executive Council (EC) has launched a nationwide search to fill this extremely important position. The process will consider candidates from both inside and outside of the organization in an effort to find the most qualified and experienced individual to serve as ED and Chief Operating Officer. This process will likely take several months. Leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last Friday introduced the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4), a five-year bill to reauthorize the programs of the FAA. Drone attorney Jonathan Rupprecht has done a deep dive into the reauthorization bill. He notes that the legislation "Tells the Comptroller General of the United States to do a study on appropriate fee mechanisms to recover the costs of “the regulation and safety oversight of unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems” and “the provision of air navigation services to unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems.” The 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival took fans into the future when 300 synchronized Shooting Star drones illuminated the night sky. A crowd of more than 100,000 Coachella concertgoers saw 300 Intel Shooting Star drones take the shape of a ferris wheel, then a rotating windmill, palm trees and other colorful 3D animated objects. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of the AMA Drone Report!!!


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