Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology and the Aeronautics Committee of the New York City Bar Association are hosting a panel on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Thursday, April 23 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The House of the New York City Bar Association. The event is free to the public.

Unmanned aircraft are seeing increased use in a variety of fields. Regulations about the use of drones are being developed that will shape the aviation industry’s future. The panel will be discussing a variety of issues including safety and technology challenges for unmanned aircraft, the latest on unmanned aircraft regulation, insurance and liability considerations and privacy and property rights related to drone use.

“This discussion is timely as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to solicit feedback on the regulations that will govern UAVs, and the FAA has recently approved an Amazon drone-delivery research project,” said Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo, president of Vaughn College. For nearly a decade Vaughn has offered a course on UAVs and is in the planning stages for a certificate program in this area. “Curriculum development at Vaughn always includes expert voices and we will use this discussion to help guide the critical outcomes that students will need in this growing field,” DeVivo added.

The expert panel is comprised of drone users, aerospace safety engineers, experts in drone law and privacy advocates:

•   Brendan Schulman:  Special Counsel – Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP
•   Keith Hagy:  Director – Engineering and Air Safety – Air Line Pilots Association
•   Jay Stanley: Senior Policy Analyst – ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project
•   Loretta Alkalay:  Former Regional Counsel at Federal Aviation Administration
•   Douglas McQueen (Moderator):  Aviation Attorney at LeClair Ryan

Vaughn students who are interested in attending can sign up with Devore McIntosh, assistant director of student activities in the lower level student lounge, or via email at . Transportation to and from the event will be provided.