As a result of the 2022 Utah State Legislative Session, the future of advanced air mobility (AAM) in Utah is brighter than ever before. State Senator Mike Kennedy and State Representative Adam Robertson co-sponsored Senate Bill (SB) 122 Unmanned Aircraft Amendments. SB122 concerns the use and study of an advanced air mobility system. The law requires the Utah Department of Transportation to assemble a working group to identify what existing AAM-related regulations need to be adjusted and/or what future regulations may need to be considered. It also makes significant technical and conforming changes to regulatory policy.

This step is a natural evolution from last year's SB 218 Aviation Amendments, which identified current state assets for the implementation of AAM infrastructure moving forward. Now that the ground work has quite literally been laid, advances in regulatory policy will make the future of transportation possible. Learn more about the legislation below.

The Aeronautics Division of the Utah Department of Transportation is hosting the state’s first-ever Aeronautics Conference. As the only event of its kind in Utah, this premier conference will bring together over 500 aviation professionals, state and local officials, mechanics, engineers, planners, and industry leaders to improve safety networks, share best practices and foster collaboration. Continuing education credits and certifications will be available.

The Utah Aeronautics Conference comes with many benefits, including opportunities to hear from nationally renowned keynote speakers, obtain cutting-edge training that offers continuing education credits, attend breakout sessions with subject-matter experts across the state, engage in networking during conference receptions, interact with new industry technologies, experience static displays at the Provo Airport, and much more. Registration includes all meals during the conference.
 

The Utah Aeronautics Conference will feature a variety of training sessions on Monday, May 9 from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. The drone pilots track provides training on sUAS safety practices and risk mitigation techniques. This course is a $495 value but is included at no additional cost in the registration fee.

Attendees will learn best practices for sUAS operations including normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures, maintenance checks, battery management, safe launch / land procedures, crew communication, and understanding potential flight issues. Training includes pre- and post-testing and attendees will receive a Certificate of Completion for Safety & Risk Management. More information on training tracks can be found at utahaero.com/training.

Fortem Technologies is an innovative leader in AI-enabled airspace security and safety. The company provides real-time intrusion detection and detect-and-avoid solutions. Fortem delivers a military-tested, commercially available solution that alerts, identifies and classifies drones and other unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs).