RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of
Transportation’s Division of Aviation will be playing a leading role in a new
group set up to improve and standardize the nationwide drone industry.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
has appointed NCDOT to the steering committee that will help develop a new
Trusted Operator Program (TOP) for drone pilots and training organizations.
“This gives us a unique opportunity to be a lead in creating
training standards for the nation,” said Darshan Divakaran, UAS Program Engineer
with NCDOT. “Exciting times ahead.”
The TOP was established in November 2017 to unite the unmanned
aircraft systems (UAS) community and develop consistent best practices, codes of
conduct and professionalism for drone operators and service providers.
NCDOT is the only state government agency in the country to be
named to the program.
More information about the TOP can be found on AUVSI’s website.
Contact: James Pearce
(919) 812-1685
jpearce2@ncdot.gov