FAA Encourages Industry to Think Safety on First Drone Awareness Week

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is encouraging the drone community to help spread the word on drone safety with the first National Drone Safety Awareness Week, taking place, Nov. 4-10, 2019. The FAA’s highest priority is to ensure the safety of the National Airspace System (NAS), and during National Drone Safety Awareness Week, the FAA reminds drone pilots and stakeholders that airspace safety is everyone’s responsibility.

During this weeklong campaign, key sectors of the drone community – local governments, municipalities and recreational flyers – will highlight their work on drones, engage the public in activities related to drones, and kick off new safety initiatives. As the FAA integrates drones into the NAS, they want to do all they can to ensure that these new operators are familiar with and adhere to the safety culture. Leading up to National Drone Safety Awareness Week, the FAA will provide leadership and support with downloadable materials from the FAA website.

Stakeholders will do their part by holding events that engage and educate the general community about drones.

Key sectors have a specific day of the week to focus on their area of interest or expertise:

Monday: Public Safety and Security

Tuesday: Business – Photography, Real Estate, Insurance

Wednesday: Business – Infrastructure and Agriculture

Thursday: Business – Commercial and Medical Package Delivery

Friday: Education and STEM

Saturday and Sunday: Recreational Flyers

The FAA has provided guidance in the form of a Stakeholder Playbook for participants of National Drone Safety Awareness Week and graphics designed for each key sector:

Check out the Stakeholder Playbook for ideas and inspiration.

Download the National Drone Safety Awareness Week graphics and apply them to your event materials.

Tag your social media stories with #DroneWeek to let us know you’re participating in National Drone Safety Awareness Week.

National Drone Safety Awareness Week Participants are encouraged to share their planned events with the entire community using the Unmanned Safety Team’s National Drone Safety Week Voluntary Tracking Tool at http://unmannedaircraftsafetyteam.org/safetyweek/.

For additional information, visit faa.gov/go/DroneWeek or email DroneSafetyWeek@faa.gov.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.