The second largest professional auditor in the world, PwC, has estimated the the drone industry is worth close to $127 billion.  With commercial drone use in infrastructure and agriculture totaling around $45.2 billion and $34.2 billion, the drone industry is literally taking flight.  Which is why it more important that ever for proper guidelines to be in place to protect anyone involved with drones as well as the general communities in which they operate.  Under the leadership of Elaine Chao, the US Secretary of Transportation, the FAA is revising their current drone policies.  Earlier this week President Trump appointed a new individual to oversee a committee to aid Secretary Chao, Michael Chasen.

Michael Chasen is the CEO of PrecisionHawk, one of the largest drone and data companies worldwide.  PrecisionHawk was founded in in 2010 by Christopher Dean and Ernest Earon.  In January of 2017 Chasen took over leadership duties.  Under Chasen’s helm the company has raised over $100 million to further the development of commercial drones and data collection.  According to the company’s mission statement, their goal is “To extract the true commercial value of drones, we must continue to advance a multifaceted technology that includes advanced robotics, robust software, and rich data.”

PrecisionHawk utilizes some of the most advanced drones in the market, the DJI series.  Their drones are being used to problem solve in countless sectors including agriculture, construction, solar, wind and oil and gas infrastructures.  They employ elite drone pilots and data collection specialists to meet whatever drone needs may arise.  They are clearly paving the way in commercial drone advancement, and rightly know a thing or two about drone safety.

It makes sense that someone who is in expert in commercial drones be a part of the committee to oversee a country wide drone safety program.  Clearly Michael Chasen is such a person.  But is he the right person to be leading this committee?  Many people fear that giving the CEO of a drone company freedom to shape drone regulations is a conflict of interest.  Chasen is being given the opportunity to help create laws that will directly benefit his company, possibly making him a biased committee leader.

Chao and Chasen hope together to create a near future in which the drone market cap can continue to grow.  They hope to create regulations that will allow, as Chasen puts it, everyday consumers to “look out the window and see drones,” as companies like Amazon and Walmart make home drone deliveries a reality.  They agree that safety concerns will be at the forefront of the process.  But some groups feel that they are putting the glory of making billions of dollars before the safety of people.

Lizzy Price, a spokesperson for Restore Public Trust, is one of those who feel that putting this issue into the hands of Chao and Chasen is not the best idea.  She released a statement in which she said, “Enough is enough. Chao is allowing corporations to run roughshod over American safety.  First, Chao let Boeing bulldoze FAA on 737 Max regulations. Now, she is paving the way for a commercial drone CEO to make his own rules. Michael Chasen has a clear conflict of interest as both a CEO of a drone company and the top advisor on the FAA drone committee. How does Chao think she can wear both hats and neutrally advise on drone rules? Chao’s top concern should be overseeing public safety, but she is repeatedly failing at her oversight responsibilities.”

As with anything that involves public safety, there are a lot of opinions involved.  What is not under question is that there is a clear need for a new program to oversee the ramifications of commercial drones.  As drones, their technology, and applications continue to advance, so do their regulations need to be advanced.  Some of these regulations have already been changed much to the delight of droners, such as the restrictions on night flights and operations over crowds.  The revisions to these regulations were done with much consideration and care.  Hopefully, Chao and Chasen will continue this trend.

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