Jason Day is the Director of Unmanned Aircraft at the Texas Department of Public Safety, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his 27-year tenure military, civilian, and public safety aviation. Widely recognized as a subject matter expert in the UAS community, Jason specializes in public safety UAS operations and administration.

In his role as Director, Jason oversees the largest public safety UAS program in the nation with over 370 remote pilots and unmanned aircraft. His primary responsibilities include ensuring compliance with FAA regulations, developing training standards and maintaining the highest levels of safety. Texas DPS stands out as the most active UAS program in the United States conducting 50,000 flights in 2024 and a remarkable 13,000 flight hours.

Operating within the Aircraft Operations Division of Texas DPS, Jason has actively participated in high-profile UAS missions, including disaster response, tactical operations, overwatch missions, and border operations. Recognized for his expertise in joint manned/unmanned aircraft operations, Jason holds a crucial seat in the Texas Air Operations Center, coordinating UAS operations during declared disasters in the state.

Jason plays a pivotal role in developing policies, procedures, and training standards for UAS use by public safety agencies during disasters and contributes as a voting member of the Texas Advanced Air Mobility Committee, shaping recommendations for the implementation of AAM and UAM in the State of Texas.

Jason developed and implemented the UAS Remote Pilot in Command training program for the department, earning recognition in Air Beat Magazine and serving as a template for various federal, state, and local public safety agencies. He has assisted countless public safety agencies across the world in establishing their UAS programs, emphasizing safety, compliance, and transparency.

Actively engaged in the UAS community, Jason is a member of numerous UAS and cUAS working groups and servers on multiple boards. He founded of the Texas Public Safety UAS Working Group, comprising over 100 public safety agencies across Texas. Additionally, Jason serves as an instructor for the Airborne Public Safety Association and is a sought-after guest speaker for organizations such as DRONERESPONDERS, AXON, NIST, and the FirstNet Alliance. With a strong rapport with the Federal Aviation Administration, Jason was appointed as a member of the FAA’s UAS Detection and Mitigation Aviation Rulemaking Committee. As a valuable member of the Texas DPS cUAS committee, he authored a white paper on the Threat of Weaponized Drones and is recognized as a subject matter expert on drone detection. Jason orchestrated the deployment of multiple UAS detection sensors across the state, enhancing airspace situational awareness for both public safety manned and unmanned aviators.