• stakeholders. The UAS steering committee should serve as a central advisory body that can strategize, plan, and recommend policies and practices related to UAS operations within the state DOT. Additional coordination with external partners and stakeholders can also be accomplished using a committee framework. The research highlights the importance of regular coordination with executive leadership to earn and maintain the needed support for UAS operations.
• State DOT coordination with other state DOTs regarding UAS operations has proven effective. FHWA peer exchanges, regional workshops, and webinars have engaged 2,400 people. These efforts provided individuals the opportunity to discuss relevant issues and concerns and share best practices. FHWA-facilitated coordination has had a positive effect, and the research suggests an ongoing need for these engagements.
• AAM coordination and outreach will be critical to the overall implementation of the technologies into regional and local transportation systems. The committee framework with internal and external stakeholders can be used to form an AAM implementation roadmap. Transparent, frequent, and two-way engagement with the public is key to short- and long-term AAM success. The Guide offers coordination, outreach, and collaboration strategies for AAM at the federal, state, local, and industry levels.
• This research identified challenges around securing initial and ongoing funding to support UAS operations. The key finding here was the importance of properly communicating to executive leadership with verifiable data on how UAS help the state DOT save money, improve safety, and justify funding requests. Additional funding strategies and potential funding sources for UAS and AAM were also identified.
• Retaining a trained workforce continues to be challenging for many state DOTs; turnover of UAS pilots and UAS program managers presents difficulties in maintaining UAS operations. Mitigation strategies emerged in the research, such as comprehensive internal UAS training, cross-training, healthy UAS on-call services, and overall diverse workforce composition. There are three main approaches to training personnel to use UAS: (1) developing an internal training program, (2) hiring external training services, or (3) a hybrid between the two. Each training model has advantages and disadvantages to consider. One of the key findings of this research is the importance of providing (in addition to certification exam preparation) practical training at a beginner, intermediate, and expert level, and considering use-case-specific training. Workforce development and recruitment strategies were identified, and the ways state DOTs can partner with academia and industry were discussed.
• The federal government has played a pivotal role in providing UAS grants and peer exchange opportunities. Federal support in the advancement of UAS operational capabilities could be helpful. State DOTs are seeking greater clarification and guidance from the federal government regarding country-of-origin bans on specific UAS equipment. There are concerns and a potential need for federal standards for professional UAS pilots from a practical qualifications perspective. The federal government has various AAM roles to play, including continuing to develop and refine frameworks, UTM, and continual coordination.
• The number one state DOT role regarding UAS operations is safety, which can be facilitated through training and robust operating policies and procedures. Another role is to efficiently and proactively manage UAS data from collection to storage to advanced analytics. The roles and responsibilities of a state DOT concerning AAM adoption are, in many ways, still to be determined; however, coordination, collaboration, and development of an AAM implementation roadmap should be considered.

The limitations of this study relate to three main issues: the fast-evolving nature of UAS and AAM technology, the uncertainty of the regulatory environment, and the unique differences between state DOTs.

• Fast-Evolving UAS and AAM Technology: The swift pace of advancement in UAS and AAM technology presents a significant challenge for any study attempting to capture the current

• state of the industry and provide guidance for future implementation. By the time the study is initiated, conducted, and published, the technology might have already progressed significantly, rendering some of the findings outdated or incomplete. New capabilities, features, and applications may have emerged throughout the course of this study, limiting its ability to address every change.
• Evolving Regulatory Environment: Another limitation stems from the fact that UAS and AAM regulations are still under development, resulting in uncertainty on potential applications. For example, BVLOS regulations or the certification of eVTOL aircraft have yet to be seen. Regulations at the federal, state, and local levels are subject to revisions as authorities strive to keep pace with technological advancements and the implementation of these emerging technologies. This uncertainty surrounding the regulations adds complexity to defining things such as the roles and responsibilities of state DOTs, as the division of authority between federal and state entities may change over time.
• Unique Differences Between State DOTs: The study’s effectiveness may be constrained by the unique differences between state DOTs. Each state operates within its own political, economic, and social context, leading to variations in priorities, resources, and approaches to UAS and AAM integration. These differences can affect the implementation of policies, investment decisions, and the overall trajectory of UAS and AAM development within each state. As a result, findings and proposals from this study may not be universally applicable or directly transferable across all states.

This comprehensive Guide provides numerous considerations, tools, and resources to the reader and has laid the foundation for additional research. Future research topics that can complement this Guide include:

• UAS data standardization and data governance.
• The relationship between UAS technology and the trends toward greater digital delivery.
• A deeper analysis of the overlap of UAS and AAM technology and the traditional role of surface transportation to better understand opportunities for collaboration and multimodal integration.
• Identification of current state licensing standards and requirements and the associated gaps for aviation infrastructure and exploration of how these can be improved or augmented for AAM.
• Further evaluation of government and private funding structures and mechanisms to identify additional funding strategies for UAS and AAM implementation.
• Actual and future UAS and AAM workforce needs and training needs given the advancement of autonomy.