Transportation Department taps state, local governments for new aviation pilot

State and local governments are being tapped for a bigger role in a new federal push to bring futuristic air travel, such as flying taxis and cargo drones, into everyday use.

The Department of Transportation last Friday launched the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, aimed at accelerating the safe deployment of “advanced air mobility” technologies by creating partnerships between state and local governments and private companies.

The initiative builds on the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to reduce regulatory barriers for drones and electric vertical takeoff technologies, which could someday include flying passenger or cargo cars. The initiative’s goals are increasing broadband connectivity in rural areas, reducing road traffic congestion and improving emergency response or medical transport services.

“The next great technological revolution in aviation is here, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a press release. “By safely testing the deployment of these futuristic air taxis and other AAM vehicles, we can fundamentally improve how the traveling public and products move.”

According to the release, the program will include at least five pilot projects over three years, testing piloted and unmanned aircraft, including those capable of carrying passengers and cargo, and exploring how to safely fit them into the existing airspace rules. In August, the FAA proposed a new rule that would allow drones to fly beyond operators’ visual line of sight without needing individual waivers.

To participate in the new program, state and local governments must partner with private-sector firms, and the projects must incorporate safe operational, automation and regulatory frameworks, ensuring advanced air mobility vehicles can fly without compromising public safety. Cities and counties could be early adopters of the emerging technology, help shape local regulations and integrate more of these vehicles into local emergency and medical systems.

Some groups are concerned by the increased development and use of drones. The American Civil Liberties Union warned in a 2024 report that the combination of the FAA’s proposed new rule and increasing use of drones by law enforcement to monitor public gatherings — such as parades, concerts, festivals, and political marches and rallies — should renew concern about government privacy and surveillance. The organization called for more limits on how law enforcement can use unmanned aircraft flown beyond the visual-line-of-sight to monitor public gatherings.