28-8242. Powers and duties

A. The department:

1. Shall cooperate with all state, local and federal organizations to encourage and advance the safe and orderly development of aviation in this state.

2. May:

(a) Assemble and distribute to the public information relating to aviation, landing fields, navigational aids and other matters pertaining to aviation.

(b) Accept, in the name of this state, federal monies made available for the advancement of aviation.

(c) Represent this state on issues of routing structures and rate schedules concerning commercial airline traffic.

(d) Accept and receive federal and other public or private monies for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment or operation of airports and other air navigation facilities and sites for air navigation facilities or for any other purpose authorized by this section. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, these monies in the state aviation fund.

(e) Facilitate the development of a regional airport.

(f) Loan monies from the state aviation fund to an airport authority that enters into an agreement with the United States for an airport development project if the airport authority designates in its agreement with the United States that payment of federal participating monies shall be made to the department acting as the agent of the airport authority and enters into an agreement with the department appointing the department as agent of the airport authority to receive all federal participating monies. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, all monies received pursuant to this subdivision in the state aviation fund. For the purposes of this subdivision, " airport authority" means the governing body of a public airport operating pursuant to sections 28-8423 and 28-8424 or a joint powers airport authority.

B. Notwithstanding section 38-623, the director may authorize personnel of the department to use rental aircraft in the performance of their duties at the prevailing hourly rate. The rental fee is a charge against monies appropriated for in-state and out-of-state travel.

C. The director shall:

1. Contract for the operation of state owned airports.

2. In conjunction with local authorities, plan, build and develop airports, airport terminals and other related navigational facilities.

3. Operate and maintain the Grand Canyon national park airport located in the Kaibab national forest, Coconino county.

4. Provide on the department's website information on resources for operating a model aircraft, including safety guidelines established by a nationwide aeronautics community-based organization.

5. Provide on the department's website pictures that show examples of critical facilities, as defined in section 13-3729, to provide unmanned aircraft operators with information on what is considered a critical facility. A picture or any written description on the website may not identify the owner or operator of the critical facility or the location of the critical facility.