[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                FAA REAUTHORIZATION: HARNESSING THE EVO-
                 LUTION OF FLIGHT TO DELIVER FOR THE 
                 AMERICAN PEOPLE

=======================================================================

                                (118-10)

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                            SUBCOMMITTEE ON
                                AVIATION

                                 OF THE

                              COMMITTEE ON
                   TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                             MARCH 30, 2023

                               __________

                       Printed for the use of the
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
             
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]             


     Available online at: https://www.govinfo.gov/committee/house-
     transportation?path=/browsecommittee/chamber/house/committee/
                             transportation
                             
                                __________

                                
                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
53-305 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2023                    
          
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             COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

  Sam Graves, Missouri, Chairman
Rick Larsen, Washington,             Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford, 
  Ranking Member                     Arkansas
Eleanor Holmes Norton,               Daniel Webster, Florida
  District of Columbia               Thomas Massie, Kentucky
Grace F. Napolitano, California      Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Steve Cohen, Tennessee               Brian Babin, Texas
John Garamendi, California           Garret Graves, Louisiana
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr.,      Georgiavid Rouzer, North Carolina
Andre Carson, Indiana                Mike Bost, Illinois
Dina Titus, Nevada                   Doug LaMalfa, California
Jared Huffman, California            Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Julia Brownley, California           Brian J. Mast, Florida
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida         Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey       Puerto Rico
Mark DeSaulnier, California          Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Salud O. Carbajal, California        Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Greg Stanton, Arizona,               Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
  Vice Ranking Member                Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey,
Colin Z. Allred, Texas                 Vice Chairman
Sharice Davids, Kansas               Troy E. Nehls, Texas
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois   Lance Gooden, Texas
Chris Pappas, New Hampshire          Tracey Mann, Kansas
Seth Moulton, Massachusetts          Burgess Owens, Utah
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts      Rudy Yakym III, Indiana
Marilyn Strickland, Washington       Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Troy A. Carter, Louisiana            Chuck Edwards, North Carolina
Patrick Ryan, New York               Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska         Anthony D'Esposito, New York
Robert Menendez, New Jersey          Eric Burlison, Missouri
Val T. Hoyle, Oregon                 John James, Michigan
Emilia Strong Sykes, Ohio            Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin
Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan        Brandon Williams, New York
Valerie P. Foushee, North Carolina   Marcus J. Molinaro, New York
                                     Mike Collins, Georgia
                                     Mike Ezell, Mississippi
                                     John S. Duarte, California
                                     Aaron Bean, Florida

                        Subcommittee on Aviation

Garret Graves, Louisiana, Chairman
Steve Cohen, Tennessee, Ranking Memberric A. ``Rick'' Crawford, 
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Georgiakansas
Andre Carson, Indiana                Thomas Massie, Kentucky
Julia Brownley, California           Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Mark DeSaulnier, California          Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Greg Stanton, Arizona                Brian J. Mast, Florida
Colin Z. Allred, Texas               Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Sharice Davids, Kansas               Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois   Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts      Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska,        Lance Gooden, Texas
  Vice Ranking Member                Tracey Mann, Kansas
Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan        Burgess Owens, Utah
Dina Titus, Nevada                   Rudy Yakym III, Indiana, Vice 
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey     Chairman
Salud O. Carbajal, California        Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Robert Menendez, New Jersey          Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
Eleanor Holmes Norton,               Anthony D'Esposito, New York
  District of Columbia               John James, Michigan
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida         Marcus J. Molinaro, New York
Rick Larsen, Washington (Ex Officio) Mike Collins, Georgia
                                     Aaron Bean, Florida
                                     Sam Graves, Missouri (Ex Officio)

                             CONTENTS

                                                                   Page

Summary of Subject Matter........................................   vii

                 STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Hon. Garret Graves, a Representative in Congress from the State 
  of Louisiana, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Aviation, opening 
  statement......................................................     1
    Prepared statement...........................................     3
Hon. Rick Larsen, a Representative in Congress from the State of 
  Washington, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and 
  Infrastructure, opening statement..............................     4
    Prepared statement...........................................     6
Hon. Steve Cohen, a Representative in Congress from the State of 
  Tennessee, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Aviation, 
  opening statement..............................................     7
    Prepared statement...........................................     9

                               WITNESSES
                               
                                Panel 1

Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing Aviation LLC, oral 
  statement......................................................    11
    Prepared statement...........................................    13
Catherine F. Cahill, Ph.D., Director, Alaska Center for Unmanned 
  Aircraft Systems Integration, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 
  oral statement.................................................    18
    Prepared statement...........................................    19
Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, Chula Vista Police Department, 
  oral statement.................................................    26
    Prepared statement...........................................    27
Stuart Ginn, M.D., Medical Director, WakeMed Innovations, WakeMed 
  Health and Hospitals, oral statement...........................    36
    Prepared statement...........................................    38

                                Panel 2

Kyle Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BETA 
  Technologies, oral statement...................................    62
    Prepared statement...........................................    64
JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Joby 
  Aviation, oral statement.......................................    72
    Prepared statement...........................................    74
Christopher Bradshaw, President and Chief Executive Officer, 
  Bristow Group Inc., on behalf of the Helicopter Association 
  International, oral statement..................................    76
    Prepared statement...........................................    78
Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility Expert and Community 
  Advocate, oral statement.......................................    83
    Prepared statement...........................................    85

                       SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD

Submissions for the Record by Hon. Rudy Yakym III:
    Letter of March 30, 2023, to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, and 
      Hon. Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, Committee on 
      Transportation and Infrastructure, from Supernal, LLC......    91
    Report, ``Roadmap of Advanced Air Mobility Operations,'' 
      Helicopter Association International, February 2023........    93
    Statement of Robert Rose, Co-founder and Chief Executive 
      Officer, Reliable Robotics Corporation.....................    93
    Letter and attached 2023 FAA Reauthorization Bill Priorities 
      and Proposals to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, and Hon. Rick 
      Larsen, Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and 
      Infrastructure, and Hon. Garret Graves, Chairman, and Hon. 
      Steve Cohen, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Aviation, from 
      Michael Robbins, Chief Advocacy Officer, Association for 
      Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International.....................   111

                                APPENDIX

Questions to Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing 
  Aviation LLC, from:
    Hon. Marcus J. Molinaro......................................   129
    Hon. Greg Stanton............................................   130
Questions to Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, Chula Vista Police 
  Department, from:
    Hon. Anthony D'Esposito......................................   131
    Hon. Greg Stanton............................................   132
Questions to Stuart Ginn, M.D., Medical Director, WakeMed 
  Innovations, WakeMed Health and Hospitals, from:
    Hon. Marcus J. Molinaro......................................   133
    Hon. Greg Stanton............................................   134
Questions from Hon. Sharice Davids to Kyle Clark, Founder and 
  Chief Executive Officer, BETA Technologies.....................   135
Questions to JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, 
  Joby Aviation, from:
    Hon. Mike Collins............................................   135
    Hon. Sharice Davids..........................................   136
Questions to Christopher Bradshaw, President and Chief Executive 
  Officer, Bristow Group Inc., on behalf of the Helicopter 
  Association International, from:
    Hon. Sharice Davids..........................................   137
    Hon. Dina Titus..............................................   138
Questions to Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility Expert and 
  Community Advocate, from:
    Hon. Sharice Davids..........................................   139
    Hon. Dina Titus..............................................   140

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


                             March 27, 2023

    SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER

    TO:      LMembers, Subcommittee on Aviation
    FROM:  LStaff, Subcommittee on Aviation
    RE:      LAviation Subcommittee Hearing on ``FAA 
Reauthorization: Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver 
for the American People''
_______________________________________________________________________


                               I. PURPOSE

    The Subcommittee on Aviation will meet on Thursday, March 
30, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. ET in 2167 of the Rayburn House Office 
Building for a hearing titled, ``FAA Reauthorization: 
Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver for the American 
People.'' The hearing will focus on the certification, 
operations and safe integration of new entrants into the 
National Airspace System (NAS). This hearing is in advance of 
Congress acting to reauthorize the Federal Aviation 
Administration's (FAA) statutory authorities that expire on 
October 1, 2023. Members will receive testimony from two panels 
of witnesses. The first panel will include representatives from 
the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) sector: Wing; the Alaska 
Center for UAS Integration at the University of Alaska 
Fairbanks; the Chula Vista Police Department; and WakeMed 
Health and Hospitals. The second panel will include 
representatives of the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector 
developing manned electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) 
and powered-lift aircraft: BETA Technologies; Joby Aviation; 
Bristow Group Inc. on behalf of the Helicopter Association 
International (HAI); and an AAM expert and community advocate.

                             II. BACKGROUND

    The primary mission of the FAA is to ensure civil aviation 
safety.\1\ The agency's key mission activities include the 
development and promulgation of aviation regulations and 
guidance to ensure safety; certification of aviation products; 
development and operation of air traffic control and navigation 
procedures to ensure reasonable access to the NAS; research on 
new aviation technologies; and implementation of various 
programs to reduce disruptions to the aviation system and 
maintain the safety of all aerospace users and the general 
public.\2\ The FAA has the responsibility to certify, oversee 
and regulate the safety and operations of the civil aviation 
sector, including integrating new entrants like UAS and AAM 
aircraft into the NAS.\3\
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    \1\ FAA, Mission, available at https://www.faa.gov/about/mission.
    \2\ FAA, What we do, available at https://www.faa.gov/about/
mission/activities.
    \3\ 49 U.S.C. Sec.  106(g).
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    Congress periodically reauthorizes the FAA and Federal 
civil aviation programs through an FAA reauthorization bill. 
The FAA was last reauthorized in October 2018 in the FAA 
Reauthorization Act of 2018 (FAARA 2018), which expires on 
October 1, 2023.\4\ Enactment of the 2018 law followed a series 
of short-term extensions after the last long-term FAA 
reauthorization bill expired on September 30, 2015.\5\ FAARA 
2018 included a subtitle intended to foster the safe, efficient 
and timely integration of UAS into the NAS.\6\ Since the 
passage of FAARA 2018, Congress also enacted bills focused on 
the development and future deployment of AAM concepts, 
including the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization 
(AAIM) Act (Division Q of P.L. 117-73) and the Advanced Air 
Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (P.L. 117-203).\7\
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    \4\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-254, 132 Stat. 
3186 [hereinafter FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018].
    \5\ FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, Pub. L. No. 
114-190, 130 Stat. 615.
    \6\ Id. at Subtitle B--Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
    \7\ Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization (AAIM) Act, Pub. 
L. No. 117-328, Division Q; Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and 
Leadership Act, Pub. L. No. 117-203, 136 Stat. 2227.
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    Like many other innovations of flight, UAS, also known as 
drones, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) 
powered-lift aircraft, commonly referred to as AAM vehicles or 
air taxis, have the potential to change the way we travel and 
transport goods and services. In the upcoming FAA 
reauthorization bill, Congress has an opportunity to ensure the 
FAA is properly positioned to support the safe integration of 
these new entrant technologies into United States airspace and 
support American innovation. Several new entrant stakeholders 
support the FAA building upon current research initiatives to 
advance the potential benefits of these new technologies for 
consumers and the travelling public.

A. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

    By statute, an unmanned aircraft (UA) is defined as ``an 
aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human 
intervention from within or on the aircraft,'' while a UAS is 
defined as a ``[UA] and associated elements (including 
communication links and the components that control the [UA]) 
required for the operator to operate safely and efficiently in 
the [NAS].'' \8\
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    \8\ 49 U.S.C. Sec.  44801(11)-(12).
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    The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA) tasked 
the FAA with establishing a regulatory framework that would 
allow for the safe integration of UAS into the NAS, including:
     LDeveloping a comprehensive plan to safely 
accelerate the integration of civil UAS into the NAS;
     LPublishing a final rule on small UAS for civil 
operations in the NAS; and
     LEstablishing six UAS test sites to support the 
research and evaluation of UAS into the NAS, among other 
mandates.\9\
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    \9\ FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-95, 
126 Stat. 11, Subtitle B--Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

    Pursuant to FMRA, the FAA initiated a five-year program to 
establish these UAS test sites, which became operational in 
April 2014.\10\ The test sites are located at Griffiss 
International Airport, NY; New Mexico State University, NM; 
Northern Plains, ND; University of Nevada, Reno; Texas A&M 
University Corpus Christi, TX; University of Alaska Fairbanks, 
AK; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 
VA.\11\
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    \10\ FAA, UAS Test Site Program, available at https://www.faa.gov/
uas/programs_partnerships/test_sites.
    \11\ Id.
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    In June 2016, the FAA issued a final rule on the operation 
of small UAS (weighing less than 55 pounds)--under 14 C.F.R. 
Part 107 (also known as Part 107)--which significantly expanded 
and standardized the ability for small UAS operators to conduct 
commercial activities.\12\ To date, Part 107 serves as the sole 
operating rules exclusive to UAS. Apart from its weight 
limitation, Part 107 imposes several operational limitations on 
UAS pilots, such as:
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    \12\ Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft 
Systems, 81 Fed. Reg. 42,064 (June 28, 2016).
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     Lrestricting flights to no higher than 400 feet 
above ground level;
     Lrequiring the UA remain within the visual line of 
sight of the remote pilot; and
     Lprohibiting a remote pilot from operating 
multiple UAS simultaneously.\13\
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    \13\ 14 C.F.R. Part 107 (2023).

    Accordingly, UAS weighing 55 pounds and heavier, as well as 
operations outside of the above defined limitations, must abide 
by conventional manned aviation regulatory rules or otherwise 
receive an FAA waiver or exemption.\14\ The FAARA 2018 also 
includes safety requirements for hobby and recreational UAS 
operations; supporting the testing of new UAS technologies; and 
directing the agency to safely enable more advanced UAS 
operations, such as package delivery and emergency response 
services.\15\
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    \14\ 14 C.F.R. Sec.  11.63 (2023).
    \15\ See FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, supra note 4.
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    In January 2021, the FAA finalized two additional UAS rules 
to further enable advanced UAS operations: (1) Remote 
Identification of UAS (Remote ID); and (2) Operation of Small 
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Over People (Ops. Over People).\16\ 
The Remote ID rule requires UAS to broadcast certain 
identification, location and performance information that can 
be received by other entities, including the FAA and law 
enforcement.\17\ This is akin to a digital license plate, 
whereby anyone with a cellphone will be able to see a drone's 
Remote ID number, but only authorized individuals will be able 
to access the drone owner's personal information. All drone 
pilots required to register their UAS must comply with the 
rule's requirements beginning September 16, 2023.\18\ The 
remote ID rule is a necessary foundational element for more 
complex and routine commercial UAS operations and the FAA's 
overall UAS integration efforts.\19\ The Ops. Over People rule 
created requirements for the routine operation of small UAS at 
night, over people, and over moving vehicles, under certain 
circumstances, without the need to obtain a waiver or exemption 
from the FAA, addressing a challenge posed by Part 107's 
original limitations.\20\ The rule also amends the recurrent 
training framework for remote pilots, allowing them to remain 
current through online training rather than in-person testing, 
among other changes.\21\
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    \16\ Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Rule, 86 Fed. Reg. 
4,390 (Jan. 15, 2021); Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems 
Over People Rule, 86 Fed. Reg. 4,314 (Jan. 15, 2021).
    \17\ Id.
    \18\ FAA, UAS Remote Identification, available at https://
www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id/.
    \19\ See Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Rule, supra 
note 16.
    \20\ See Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Over People 
Rule, supra note 16.
    \21\ FAA, Operations Over People General Overview, available at 
https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/operations_over_people.
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    Despite the FAA promulgating rules for small UAS 
operations, more advanced commercial UAS operations have yet to 
be achieved in the NAS at scale.\22\ Currently, there are more 
than 338,000 commercial UAS registered along with over 308,000 
commercial UAS pilots.\23\ The UAS industry believes that `` . 
. . current [FAA] regulations do not enable the domestic UA 
beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) industry to scale and 
achieve meaningful results. . . . The current rules also do not 
reflect the competencies needed to safely operate highly 
automated UAS, which hinders the ability to expand UAS BVLOS.'' 
\24\
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    \22\ See generally Harrison Wolf, Where Will The Drone Industry Be 
In 2023, Forbes (Dec. 20, 2022), available at https://www.forbes.com/
sites/harrisonwolf/2022/12/20/where-will-the-drone-industry-be-in-2023/
?sh=7fc526e21f1e.
    \23\ See FAA, Drones by the Numbers, available at https://
www.faa.gov/uas.
    \24\ See FAA, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight 
Aviation Rulemaking Committee, Final Report 8, (Mar. 10, 2022), 
available at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/
committees/documents/media/UAS_BVLOS_ARC_FINAL_
REPORT_03102022.pdf [hereinafter UAS BVLOS ARC, Final Report].
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    While the FAA has made some progress in approving BVLOS 
operations over the past several years, two of the primary 
barriers to scaling remain: safety standards for a UAS to avoid 
other air traffic, and a process to determine the airworthiness 
of a UAS.

1. AVOIDING OTHER AIR TRAFFIC

    UAS operating beyond a remote pilot's visual line of sight 
(commonly referred to as BVLOS) present unique challenges to 
the FAA's existing regulatory framework.\25\ Aside from Part 
107, most current aviation regulations that would apply to UAS 
operations assume an aircraft has an onboard pilot responsible 
for avoiding other aircraft.\26\ UAS lack an onboard pilot and 
are either remotely piloted or fly pre-programmed routes 
autonomously.\27\ A UAS's capability to be operated remotely 
and conduct BVLOS operations can offer economic and societal 
benefits.\28\ Today, there are several UAS applications that 
the aviation industry, local communities and industrial sectors 
have expressed interest in and invested resources to develop 
and deploy UAS technologies.\29\ Industry stakeholders argue 
that the FAA's existing regulatory framework should better 
support this evolving aviation sector.\30\
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    \25\ See generally UAS BVLOS ARC, Final Report.
    \26\ Id.
    \27\ Id.
    \28\ Id.
    \29\ Michael, Healander, Cities' role to play in America's growing 
drone economy, Nat'l League of Cities (2023), available at https://
www.nlc.org/article/2023/02/17/cities-role-to-play-in-americas-growing-
drone-economy/.
    \30\ See UAS BVLOS ARC, Final Report, supra note 24.
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2. AIRWORTHINESS DETERMINATIONS

    Typically, an aircraft requires an FAA-issued airworthiness 
certificate to operate in United States airspace.\31\ In order 
to receive an airworthiness certificate, the manufacturer must 
have their designs certified by the FAA--this is called a type 
certificate--and prove that they can repeatedly build an 
aircraft that conforms to the design--this is called a 
production certificate.\32\ The FAA establishes airworthiness 
criteria and can issue type certificates for aircraft, aircraft 
engines, propellers, parts, or appliances.\33\ In 2020, the FAA 
amended 14 C.F.R. Part 21 to add procedural requirements for 
the issuance of type certificates for special classes of 
aircraft.\34\ In the final rule, the FAA explained that it 
intended the special class category to include, in part, those 
aircraft that would be eligible for a standard airworthiness 
certificate but for which certification standards do not exist 
due to their unique, novel, or unusual design features.\35\ The 
BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) recommended the FAA 
consider alternative means to providing airworthiness 
certification that does not require type and production 
certification.\36\
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    \31\ 49 U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  44702(a) & 44704(d) (2023).
    \32\ 14 C.F.R. Part 21 Subpart B (2023); 14 C.F.R. Part 21 Subpart 
G (2023).
    \33\ 14 C.F.R. Part 21 (2023).
    \34\ Id.
    \35\ Id.
    \36\ See UAS BVLOS ARC, Final Report, supra note 24.
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    Because UAS can be remotely piloted, unique configurations 
and applications of airframes, powerplants, fuels, and 
materials are possible and can result in flight characteristics 
different from those of conventional aircraft.\37\ Further, 
while some UAS components are essential for safe operation, 
they are not permanent features of the UA.\38\ Accordingly, 
these features are the unique, novel, and/or unusual features 
the special class category was designed to accommodate.\39\
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    \37\ See supra note 33.
    \38\ Id.
    \39\ Id.
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3. FAA'S ROLE

    Several offices within the FAA are responsible for various 
approvals for the integration of UAS. However, the complexity 
of the issues and the agency's current organizational structure 
remains a challenge for many applicants. While the FAA's UAS 
Integration Office (AUS) is responsible for leading the FAA's 
efforts to safely integrate UAS operations into the NAS, it 
does not have any authority to act on the certification or 
operational approvals of UAS or their operations.\40\
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    \40\ FAA, UAS Integration Office, available at https://www.faa.gov/
about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aus.
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    Since Congress's 2012 directive to integrate UAS into the 
NAS, the FAA has only granted five Part 135 air carrier 
certificates for UAS and type certificated only a single UAS 
model.\41\ The UAS industry's consensus is that current FAA 
regulations do not enable UAS operations to scale in an 
economically viable and effective manner.\42\ To date, the FAA 
has only type certified one UAS, the Matternet M2--a 29-pound 
UAS--which took more than four-and-a-half-years for FAA to 
certify using special class criteria.\43\ This raises the 
question from some stakeholders as to whether it is appropriate 
for a small UAS with limited operations should need to go 
through the same safety approval processes (Part 21) as a 
larger transport category aircraft that will be in service for 
several decades.
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    \41\ See FAA, FAA-certificated Aircraft Operators (Legal Part 135 
holders), (last updated Mar. 13, 2023), available at Paul Brinkmann, 
Armed with an FAA type certificate, this drone company plans its next 
moves, Am. Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Nov. 3, 2022), 
available at https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/armed-with-an-faa-type-
certificate-this-drone-company-plans-its-next-moves/.
    \42\ See generally UAS BVLOS ARC, Final Report, supra note 24.
    \43\ See Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness 
Criteria for the Matternet, Inc. M2, 85 Fed. Reg. 74,294 (Nov. 20, 
2020) (showing that Matternet applied to the FAA in 2018 for a type 
certificate); see also Paul Brinkmann, supra note 41.
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B. ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY_EVTOL & POWERED-LIFT AIRCRAFT

    Advances in technology, such as increased battery density 
and distributed electric propulsion, are allowing for the 
development of novel aircraft with the potential to be quieter, 
safe, and sustainable.\44\ These improvements have led to the 
emergence of new aircraft designs that use advanced propulsion 
systems to generate lift and thrust including all-electric, 
hybrid-electric, hydrogen, and hydrogen-electric.\45\ Designs 
for these aircraft are diverse, but can largely be classified 
as vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), short takeoff and 
landing (STOL), or conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) 
aircraft.
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    \44\ See FAA, Next Gen, Concept of Operations, V1.0, UAM, 2-4, 
(June 26, 2020), available at https://wordpress-387766-
2876614.cloudwaysapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/
UAM_ConOps_v1.0.pdf.
    \45\ Vertical Flight Society, eVTOL Aircraft Directory (2023), 
available at https://www.evtol.news/aircraft.
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    New operational and commercial concepts for eVTOLs first 
received widespread attention in the late 2010s following the 
publication of an industry white paper discussing on-demand 
urban air transportation and additional follow-on papers, 
roadmaps, and research from the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA).\46\ This work led to the development of 
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and regional air mobility (RAM) 
concepts--collectively referred to as advanced air mobility 
(AAM)--that involve moving people and/or property intracity or 
intercity by air. A recent industry report projects AAM growth 
of up to hundreds or even thousands of simultaneous operations 
within a region at altitudes reaching nearly 5,000 feet.\47\
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    \46\ Uber Elevate, Fast-Forwarding to a Future of On-Demand Urban 
Air Transportation (Oct. 27, 2016), available at https://evtol.news/
__media/PDFs/UberElevateWhitePaperOct2016.pdf; NASA, Advanced Air 
Mobility, available at https://www.nasa.gov/aam.
    \47\ Brock Lascara, Urban Air Mobility Airspace Integration 
Concepts, The MITRE Corp. (June 2019), available at https://
www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/publications/pr-19-00667-9-urban-air-
mobility-airspace-integration.pdf.
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    It is estimated that the AAM industry has the potential to 
add 234,000 jobs and $115 billion annually to the United States 
economy by 2035.\48\ Furthermore, it is estimated the UAM 
market in the United States is projected to see dramatic and 
sustained growth for decades to come, reaching a projected $255 
billion by 2040, $1 trillion by 2045, and over $2.4 trillion by 
2050.\49\
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    \48\ Aijaz Hussain & David Silver, Advanced Air Mobility--Can the 
United States afford to lose the race?, Deloitte (Jan. 26, 2021), 
available at https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/
aerospace-defense/advanced-air-mobility.html.
    \49\ Morgan Stanley Research, eVTOL/Urban Air Mobility TAM Update: 
A Slow Take-Off, But Sky's The Limit, (May 6, 2021), available at 
https://assets.verticalmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Morgan-
Stanley-URBAN_20210506_0000.pdf.
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1. CERTIFICATION & PRODUCTION

    Currently, several eVTOL manufacturers are in discussions 
with the FAA regarding type certification of their aircraft 
under Part 21. Most of these manufacturers are in the pre-
project familiarization or certification plan stages.\50\ To 
date, the FAA has published proposed airworthiness criteria for 
two aircraft in the Federal Register for public comment.\51\ 
Following receipt of airworthiness criteria, an applicant and 
the FAA must agree on a means of compliance, determine testing 
and validation plans, and execute those plans. The FAA then 
issues a Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), the applicant 
completes their final flight tests and undergoes conformity 
inspections, and the FAA reviews the manuals associated with 
the aircraft before certificated operations can occur.\52\ In 
most cases, this process takes years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \50\ Type Certification, FAA Order No. 8110.4C (Mar. 6, 2017) 
available at https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/
FAA_Order_8110_4C_Chg_6.pdf.
    \51\ Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria 
for the Joby Aero, Inc. Model JAS4-1 Powered-Lift, 87 Fed. Reg. 67,399 
(Nov. 8, 2022); Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness 
Criteria for Archer Aviation Inc. Model M001 Powered-Lift, 87 Fed. Reg. 
77,749 (Dec. 20, 2022).
    \52\ Order 8110.4, supra note 52.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    a. FAA's Certification Basis Shift to Part 21.17(b)

    In 2011, the FAA chartered an ARC to review and rewrite 14 
C.F.R. Part 23 (Part 23), the airworthiness requirements for 
normal category aircraft, or small aircraft.\53\ In August 
2017, a new set of performance-based rules went into 
effect.\54\ Several eVTOL aircraft manufacturers going through 
pre-project and certification planning phases with the FAA 
expressed a preference to use the industry consensus standards 
previously accepted under these Part 23 rules to comply with 
the applicable certification requirements.\55\ However, the FAA 
determined that Part 23 may not adequately account for many of 
these designs.\56\ Instead, applicants were told the FAA would 
require a special class airworthiness certificate under Part 
21.17(b) and would consider the aircraft as powered-lift 
aircraft.\57\ Under the procedures in Part 21.17(b), the 
airworthiness requirements for special class aircraft can be 
comprised of portions of the requirements in various FAA 
regulations, including but not exclusively Part 23.\58\ Some 
stakeholders received this change in approach with 
consternation, and are concerned the FAA will be challenged to 
establish criteria and determine a means of compliance for a 
special airworthiness certificated powered-lift aircraft in a 
reasonable amount of time.\59\ Based on public statements, it 
appears the FAA has minimized the disruption for some 
manufacturers; however, some stakeholders may remain 
concerned.\60\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \53\ 14 C.F.R. Sec.  23 (2023).
    \54\ Id.
    \55\ U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-22-105020, Transforming 
Aviation: Stakeholders Identify Issues To Address for `Advanced Air 
Mobility' (2022) available at https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-
105020.pdf.
    \56\ Id.
    \57\ Jessica Reed, The FAA confirms Changes to Regulatory Approach 
for powered-Lift Certification, Aviation Today, (May 26, 2022), 
available at https://www.aviationtoday.com/2022/05/26/powered-lift-
faa/.
    \58\ Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria 
for the Joby Aero, Inc. Model JAS4-1 Powered-Lift, 87 Fed. Reg. 67,400 
(Nov. 8, 2022).
    \59\ Thom Patterson, GAMA Has Questions for the FAA About eVTOL 
Certification, Flying Magazine, (June 22, 2022), available at https://
www.flyingmag.com/gama-has-questions-for-the-faa-about-evtol-
certification/.
    \60\ Press Release, Joby, Joby Completes Second Stage of 
certification Process, (Feb. 9, 2023), available at https://
www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-completes-second-stage-certification-
process/.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    b. International Validation

    In 2011, the United States and European Union entered into 
a bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA).\61\ This 
bilateral agreement facilitated cooperation on airworthiness 
certification of civil aviation products imported and exported 
between the two regions.\62\ More specifically, it was intended 
to (1) promote reciprocal acceptance of safety findings and 
approvals and (2) leverage the resources and expertise of each 
certification system.\63\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \61\ Agreement Between the United States of America and the 
European Community on Cooperation in the Regulation of Civil Aviation 
Safety, U.S.-E.U., (Dec. 6, 2013), available at https://www.faa.gov/
aircraft/air_cert/international/bilateral_agreements/baa_basa_listing/
media/EU-US-agreement-R0A5.pdf.
    \62\ Id.
    \63\ FAA, The Aviation Safety Agreement Between the US and the EU, 
(2011), available at https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/repair/media/
EASA_EU_roadshows.pdf [hereinafter Aviation Safety Slides].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Like the FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency 
(EASA) is using an atypical process to certify eVTOL aircraft 
called Special Condition VTOL (SC-VTOL).\64\ The novel nature 
of these aircraft and processes, which were not envisioned in 
the BASA, among other issues, have raised questions about the 
feasibility of international validation of eVTOL aircraft in 
the near-term while maintaining the FAA's approach to 
certification.\65\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \64\ EASA, Third Publication of Means of Compliance With the 
Special Condition VTOL-MOC-3 SC-VTOL Issue 1 (June 29, 2022), available 
at https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/document-library/product-
certification-consultations/special-condition-vtol.
    \65\ Cathy Buyck, EASA To Strengthen Safety Reviews of U.S.-
certified Aircraft, AINOnline, (Jan. 25, 2021), available at https://
www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-01-25/easa-
strengthen-safety-reviews-us-certified-aircraft; The Standards 
Management Team, Air, The Safety Continuum--A Doctrine for Application, 
(Sept. 2014), available at https://downloads.regulations.gov/FAA-2015-
1621-0018/attachment_1.pdf; Elan Head, Special Report: The number at 
the center of an eVTOL safety debate, The Air Current, (Jan. 9, 2023), 
available at https://theaircurrent.com/industry-strategy/special-
report-evtol-safety-continuum-10-9/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. ENTRY INTO SERVICE

    Most eVTOLs are expected to enter service with a pilot on 
board, flying under visual flight rules (VFR), predominantly 
using existing infrastructure, communicating with air traffic, 
fully equipped with automatic dependent surveillance broadcast 
(ADS-B), and using established flight paths.\66\ Through at 
least the end of the decade, eVTOL aircraft operators plan to 
use existing operating procedures and concepts similar to 
traditional aviation. Doing so will either require an eVTOL 
aircraft to be added to an existing air carrier operating 
certificate under Part 135 or the establishment of a new 
licensed air carrier. Some manufacturers intend to operate the 
aircraft themselves, others plan to both operate and sell 
aircraft, and others may just sell their aircraft and offer 
maintenance services.\67\ Several traditional operators plan to 
purchase these aircraft and bring them onto their existing 
operating certificate.\68\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \66\ HAI, Roadmap Of Advanced Air Mobility Operations, (Feb. 2023), 
available at https://rotor.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/
HAI_Advanced_Air_Mobility_Report_
03072023_pages.pdf.
    \67\ Press Release, Joby, Joby Receives Part 135 Certification from 
the FAA (May 26, 2022), available at https://ir.jobyaviation.com/news-
events/press-releases/detail/40/joby-receives-part-135-certification-
from-the-faa; Charles Alcock, Archer Tells Shareholders it is on track 
with eVTOL Aircraft Development Plans, Future Flight (Mar. 15, 2022), 
available at https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-03-15/
archer-tells-shareholders-it-track-evtol-aircraft-development-plans; 
Press Release, Archer, Archer Receives $10 Million Pre-Delivery Payment 
From United Airlines For 100 EVTOL Aircraft (Aug. 10, 2022), available 
at https://www.archer.com/news/archer-receives-10-million-pre-delivery-
payment-from-united-airlines-for-100-evtol-aircraft-advances-path-to-
commercialization; Press Release, Eve Air Mobility, United Invests 
Another $15 Million in Electric Flying Taxi Market with Eve, (Sept. 8, 
2022), available at https://eveairmobility.com/united-invests-another-
15-million-in-electric-flying-taxi-market-with-eve/.
    \68\ Bristow Group, Elevated for the Future (last visited Mar. 1, 
2023), available at https://www.bristowgroup.com/services/advanced-air-
mobility.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    a. Regulatory Environment

    In order to leverage existing aviation rules for a new 
class of aircraft, the FAA needs to update its regulations and 
provide clarity around pilot privileges--including the use of 
type ratings, privileges of rotorcraft and airplane pilot 
certificates, instructor qualifications, and establishment of a 
powered-lift category--around air traffic procedures--including 
VFR, instrument flight rules (IFR), right-of-way and altitude 
rules, crew responsibilities, and clearances--and other 
requirements where powered-lift aircraft are not listed as an 
allowable user or where regulations are not applicable as 
written.\69\ In order to meet the target service dates of many 
eVTOL manufacturers and operators, the FAA has stated it will 
publish a final Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) by 
``the fourth quarter of 2024''.\70\ Additionally, the 
Department of Transportation (DOT) is in the process of 
updating its air carrier definitions to include powered-
lift.\71\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \69\ Letter from Jens Hennig, Vice Pres., Operations, Gen'l 
Aviation Mfrs. Assoc'n (GAMA) and Walter Desrosier, Vice President, 
Engineering & Maintenance, GAMA to Mr. David Boulter, Assoc. Adm'r, 
Aviation Safety, FAA, Ms. Lirio Liu, Exec. Dir., Aircraft Certification 
Service, FAA, & Mr. Larry Fields, Exec. Dir., Flight Standards Serv., 
FAA (July 21, 2022), available at https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/wp-
content/uploads/2022/09/GAMA22-28-Recommendations-Powered-Lift-SFAR-
220721.pdf.
    \70\ Revise Airplane Definition to Incorporate Powered-lift 
Operations, RIN 2120-AL72, Unified Agenda, Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs; FAA Reauthorization: Enhancing America's Gold 
Standard in Aviation Safety, Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Aviation of 
the H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure, 118th Cong. (Feb. 7, 2023) 
(statement of David Boulter, Acting Assoc. Admin. for Aviation Safety, 
FAA).
    \71\ Update to Air Carrier Definitions, 87 Fed. Reg. 74,995 (Dec. 
7, 2022).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    AAM manufacturers and future operators will have to create 
pilot training programs, recruit instructors and pilots, 
develop and implement maintenance manuals, and procure 
insurance, among other requirements.\72\ Most of these 
activities require continued FAA involvement and approvals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \72\ 14 C.F.R. Sec.  135 (2023).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    b. Physical Infrastructure

    In addition to existing aviation infrastructure, some AAM 
concepts are expected to lift off from existing physical 
infrastructure (e.g., modified parking garage rooftops or 
retrofitted heliports).\73\ In September 2022, the FAA 
published Engineering Brief (EB) 105, guidance for airport 
sponsors, heliport owners, developers of new infrastructure, 
states and communities for the design of vertiports.\74\ This 
guidance was largely based on FAA's Heliport Design Advisory 
Circular and was published for industry input.\75\ The FAA 
maintains that this is an initial step, and they intend to 
update their guidance after receiving additional operational 
data from aircraft manufacturers.\76\ This guidance is meant to 
help relevant entities plan for and design infrastructure to 
support AAM.\77\ It includes information about required 
airspace safeguards, touchdown and lift-off area designs, 
charging capabilities and utility connections, and fire 
protection systems.\78\ Unlike certified airports, the designs 
of many general aviation facilities are not regulated by the 
Federal government.\79\ Instead, they are overseen by state and 
local regulations that manage land-use and permitting.\80\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \73\ See Gideon Lichfield, When Will We Have Flying Cars? Maybe 
Sooner Than You Think, Mit Tech. Rev. (Feb. 13, 2019), available at 
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612891/when-will-we-have-flying-
cars-maybe-sooner-than-you-think/.
    \74\ Memorandum, from Mr. Michael A.P. Meyers, Manager, Airport 
Engineering Division, FAA, to All Airports Regional Division Managers 
(Sept. 21, 2022), available at https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/
eb-105-vertiports.pdf.
    \75\ See FAA, Vertiport Design Engineering Brief Industry Day 
(Discusses Draft Guidance), YouTube (Oct. 11, 2022) available at 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WwJD6XPyQE.
    \76\ Presentation, FAA, Vertiport Design Standards for eVTOL/UAM 
Vehicles (Mar. 2, 2021), available at https://www.faa.gov/about/
office_org/headquarters_offices/ang/redac/media/airports/2021/march/
airports-mar2021-VertiportDesignStandardsforeVTOLUAMVehicles.pdf.
    \77\ See Memorandum, supra note 74.
    \78\ Id.
    \79\ 14 C.F.R. Sec.  139 (2023).
    \80\ Heliport Design, FAA, Advisory Circular 150/5390-2D, (Jan. 5, 
2023), available at https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/
Advisory_Circular/AC_150_5390_2D_Heliports.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    To support this effort, several AAM operators have released 
various vertiport designs and are working with Federal agencies 
and local governments to design, develop, and deploy these 
concepts.\81\ In December 2022, as part of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328), Congress passed the 
Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure Pilot Program, which 
authorized $25 million for eligible entities at the state, 
local, and tribal levels to begin planning for the integration 
of AAM infrastructure into communities and transportation 
systems.\82\ Over time, if AAM proliferates as predicted, the 
FAA's processes and technology, as well as the physical 
infrastructure supporting these operations, will need to grow 
and adapt.\83\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \81\ See e.g., Lilium, Designing a Scalable Vertiport, available at 
https://lilium.com/newsroom-detail/designing-a-scalable-vertiport; see 
also, Urban Movement Labs, The Urban Air Mobility Partnership, 
available at https://www.urbanmovementlabs.com/programs-projects.
    \82\ See supra note 7.
    \83\ UAM Airspace Research Roadmap, NASA (Sept. 2021), available at 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210019876/downloads/NASA-TM-
20210019876Final.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             III. WITNESSES

PANEL I

     LMr. Adam Woodworth, CEO, Wing
     LDr. Catherine Cahill, Ph.D., Director, The Alaska 
Center of UAS Integration, University of Alaska Fairbanks
     LChief Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, Chula 
Vista Police Department
     LDr. Stuart Ginn, M.D., Medical Director for 
WakeMed Innovations, WakeMed Health and Hospitals

PANEL II

     LMr. Kyle Clark, Founder and CEO, BETA 
Technologies
     LMr. JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO, Joby Aviation
     LMr. Christopher Bradshaw, President and CEO, 
Bristow Group Inc., on behalf of the Helicopter Association 
International
     LMr. Clint Harper, AAM Expert and Community 
Advocate

 
FAA REAUTHORIZATION: HARNESSING THE EVOLUTION OF FLIGHT TO DELIVER FOR 
                          THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

                              ----------                              


                        THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2023

                  House of Representatives,
                          Subcommittee on Aviation,
            Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room 
2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Garret Graves 
(Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. The Subcommittee on Aviation will 
come to order.
    I ask unanimous consent the chairman be authorized to 
declare a recess at any time during today's hearing.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    I also ask unanimous consent that Members not on the 
subcommittee be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at 
today's hearing and ask questions.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    As a reminder, if Members wish to insert a document into 
the record, please also email it to [email protected].
    I now recognize myself for the purpose of an opening 
statement for 5 minutes.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GARRET GRAVES OF LOUISIANA, CHAIRMAN, 
                    SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION

    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. I want to thank all of the 
witnesses for being here today.
    How would you feel if you prepared yourself for a marathon 
over months and months of training, working out really hard, 
and you get in that race, and you are at mile 26, and all of a 
sudden, the course just ends? No more arrows pointing you in 
any direction, no finish line, no ability to actually finish 
the race and achieve your accomplishment.
    I am afraid that is kind of the scenario that we are in 
today, in that you represent innovators, you represent users of 
new technology, and you have spent years and years, you have 
invested extraordinary amounts of dollars, time, and effort, 
and you haven't actually been able to get to the finish line 
because we have a Government that doesn't have a process that 
actually reflects the urgency, we don't have a Government that 
has a process that is capable of delivering, capable of 
certifying, capable of approving, capable of integrating into 
the airspace new technologies that you and the next panel have 
created. Products like drones, UAS, products like urban air 
mobility, these technologies are thwarted now because of the 
inability of Government to move forward.
    Over the past century of flight, the aviation industry has 
repeatedly proven it can safely introduce advancements that 
elevate the industry to new heights. Today, we find ourselves 
at the next transformative point in aviation history. We are 
seeing the autonomy, alternative sources of power, and new 
manufacturing processes being applied to aircraft in ways never 
done before.
    This isn't a research project; this isn't ``The Jetsons.'' 
These capabilities are here today. Again, unmanned aircraft 
systems (or drones) and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, 
have the potential to revolutionize our transportation systems 
and directly improve our daily lives.
    Ninety percent of Americans today live within 10 miles, for 
example, of a Walmart. Today, there are 7 States--36 stores--
that are delivering, via drone, products that you can buy 
online and have it literally delivered to your house within 30 
minutes.
    As one example of an application where drones can be 
helpful, during the 2016 floods and Hurricane Laura in 2020 in 
my home State of Louisiana, drones were used to help do 
reconnaissance missions, to help do preliminary assessments of 
damage, and to help identify if people were in need of rescue. 
This technology was able to be deployed earlier, faster, and 
safer than alternative platforms. In many cases, the roads were 
unable to be driven; they were flooded or unpassable. And, in 
other cases, the weather conditions were still such that 
putting up aircraft that were piloted was still too dangerous.
    Again, drones can solve those issues. And we have some 
drone users here today that have launched these styles of 
services that support communities.
    Imagine a future where you can travel across town, from 
city to city, to an airport that is normally out of reach, in 
just a matter of minutes--bypassing traffic, flying over rivers 
or other obstacles while flying on a quiet AAM electric 
aircraft.
    Our second panel is transforming what it means to be a 
small aircraft, taking passenger and cargo flights to the next 
level, and we will discuss what Congress can do to expedite 
their commercial operations.
    Despite the value provided to the public by both drones and 
AAM, both of them, as noted, have experienced significant 
obstacles or hurdles as a result of the lack of predictability 
and certainty in the regulatory process of the FAA. The FAA's 
inability to make quick and sound decisions, and stick by those 
decisions, has resulted in a lack of clarity for new entrants 
in the market. After over 5 years of trying, the FAA has 
succeeded in certifying a grand total of one drone.
    We are going to hear from Wing today about their efforts to 
certify a 10-pound drone made of Styrofoam and enumerable 
roadblocks that have stood in their way. We cannot allow the 
opportunities these technologies provide to our constituents to 
be stifled by endless redtape and requests for more data and 
studies.
    And I think, importantly, keeping in mind, look, these 
technologies aren't going to stop. Just because the United 
States may not be capable of having a predictable regulatory 
process in place to facilitate these technologies, it doesn't 
mean the innovators are going to stop. These people have 
overcome obstacles their entire lives, and all that's going to 
happen is that we are going to cede our leadership in aviation 
technology to other countries, as we are seeing today.
    The last thing we need is FAA's lack of leadership and 
unwillingness to accept new ideas to drive the next great age 
of aviation out of America. The FAA can be a gatekeeper to the 
National Airspace System and safely facilitate innovation. The 
two are not mutually exclusive.
    As we hear from today's witnesses, I urge my colleagues to 
think about how we can provide direction to the FAA, convince 
the agency to use the flexibilities it has been afforded, and 
allow for the commercialization of drones and the variety of 
AAM platforms on the cusp of certification.
    While there are complex issue surrounding these 
technologies, I believe we can find solutions to unlock the 
full potential of drones and AAM to flourish in America.
    [Mr. Graves of Louisiana's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
   Prepared Statement of Hon. Garret Graves of Louisiana, Chairman, 
                        Subcommittee on Aviation
    I want to thank all of the witnesses for being here today.
    How would you feel if you prepared yourself for a 26.2-mile 
marathon, training months and months, working out really hard, and you 
get in that race, you're at mile 26, and all of the sudden, the course 
just ends? Forget that last .2 miles--you're on your own. No more 
arrows pointing you in any direction, no finish line, no ability to 
actually finish the race and achieve your goal.
    I'm afraid that's the scenario new entrants into aviation find 
themselves in--our witnesses today represent innovators, users of new 
technology, and have spent years investing extraordinary amounts of 
money, time, and effort, and they haven't actually been able to get to 
the finish line because we have a government that doesn't have a 
process and doesn't reflect any urgency in developing one.
    We don't have a process that's capable of delivering, capable of 
certifying, capable of approving, or capable of integrating new 
technologies into the airspace.
    Products like drones and Advanced Air Mobility are technologies 
which are thwarted because of the inability of government to move 
forward.
    Over the past century of flight, the aviation industry has 
repeatedly proven it can safely introduce advancements that elevate the 
industry to new heights. Today we find ourselves at the next 
transformative point in aviation history.
    We are seeing the autonomy, alternative sources of power, and new 
manufacturing processes being applied to aircraft in ways never done 
before. This isn't a research project. This isn't ``The Jetsons.'' 
These capabilities are here today.
    Again, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS, or more commonly referred to 
as ``drones'') and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft have the 
potential to revolutionize our transportation systems and directly 
improve our daily lives.
    Ninety percent of Americans today live within 10 miles, for 
example, of a Walmart. And today, there are seven states--36 stores--
that are delivering Walmart products via drone. But why aren't there 
more?
    As one example of an application of where drones can be helpful--
during the 2016 floods and Hurricane Laura in 2020 in my home state of 
Louisiana, drones were used to help do reconnaissance missions, to help 
do preliminary assessments of damage and to help identify if people 
were in need of rescue.
    This technology was able to be deployed earlier, faster, and safer 
than alternative platforms. In many cases, the roads were unable to be 
driven--they were flooded or unpassable. And in other cases, the 
weather conditions were still such that putting up piloted aircraft was 
still too dangerous.
    Again, drones could help solve these issues. And we have some drone 
users here today that have launched these styles of services that 
support communities.
    Imagine a future where you can travel across town, from city to 
city, to an airport that is normally out of reach, in just a matter of 
minutes--bypassing traffic, flying over rivers or other obstacles while 
flying on a quiet AAM electric aircraft.
    Our second panel is transforming what it means to be a small 
aircraft, taking passenger and cargo flights to the next level, and 
will discuss what Congress can do to expedite their commercial 
operations.
    Despite the value provided to the public by both drones and AAM, 
both of them, as noted, have faced significant obstacles or hurdles as 
a result of the lack of predictability and certainty in the regulatory 
process of the FAA.
    The FAA's inability to make quick and sound decisions, and stick by 
those decisions, has resulted in a lack of clarity for new entrants in 
the market.
    After over five years of trying, the FAA has succeeded in 
certifying a grand total of one drone.
    We're going to hear from Wing today about their efforts to certify 
a 10-pound drone made of Styrofoam and the innumerable roadblocks that 
have stood in their way.
    We cannot allow the opportunities these technologies provide to our 
constituents to be stifled by endless red tape and requests for more 
data and studies.
    Importantly, keep in mind these technologies aren't going to stop. 
Just because the United States may not be capable of having a 
predictable regulatory process in place to facilitate these 
technologies, it doesn't mean the innovators are going to stop. These 
people have overcome obstacles their entire lives, and all that's going 
to happen is that we're going to cede our leadership in aviation 
technology to other countries--and unfortunately, we're seeing that 
today.
    The last thing we need is the FAA's lack of leadership and its 
unwillingness to accept new ideas to drive the next great age of 
aviation out of America.
    The FAA can be the gatekeeper to the National Airspace System (NAS) 
and facilitate innovation--the two are not mutually exclusive.
    As we hear from today's witnesses, I urge my colleagues to think 
about how we can provide direction to the FAA, convince the agency to 
use the flexibilities it's been afforded, and allow for the 
commercialization of drones and the variety of AAM platforms on the 
cusp of certification.
    While there are complex issues surrounding these technologies, I 
believe that we can find solutions to unlock the full potential of 
drones and AAM to flourish safely in American airspace.

    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. With that, I yield to the ranking 
member of the full committee, Mr. Larsen.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, 
for indulging the order here. I think we are both headed to the 
floor to manage some debate. So, I appreciate that.

 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICK LARSEN OF WASHINGTON, RANKING 
     MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thanks for calling today's 
hearing today on dealing with drones and with AAM.
    Nearly 10 years ago, this committee first explored the safe 
integration of new airspace entrants, including uncrewed 
aircraft systems--or UAS or drones--and advanced air mobility 
aircraft--or AAM--into the National Airspace System. What was 
considered aviation technology of the distant future is 
happening now, and these innovative technologies are rapidly 
emerging in U.S. skies.
    According to the FAA, there are more than 872,000 
registered UAS in the United States, of which nearly 339,000 
are registered for commercial operations. In my home State of 
Washington, UAS will soon be used to deliver critical medical 
supplies in the Tacoma area through a partnership between 
Zipline and MultiCare Health System, helping to reduce barriers 
to care for patients.
    Further, according to industry projections, more than 200 
companies worldwide are developing eVTOL--electric vertical 
takeoff and landing--aircraft, with potential applications 
ranging from cargo transport to alternative passenger mobility 
options.
    While the potential benefits of these advanced aviation 
technologies are promising, the upcoming FAA reauthorization 
bill must continue to prioritize aviation safety while also 
ensuring U.S. innovation leads globally.
    The FAA's mission is to ensure the safest aerospace system 
in the world, a task that is growing more complex due to new 
airspace entrants. In 2012, Congress required the FAA to 
develop a comprehensive plan to accelerate the safe integration 
of civil UAS into the NAS--or the National Airspace System.
    Since then, the FAA has issued final rules to expand 
potential commercial activities, including permitting the 
operation of small UAS, commonly referred to as part 107; 
remote identification, or remote ID; and the operation of small 
UAS over people. More recently, the FAA announced a self-
imposed deadline of December 2024 to issue a rule on AAM 
certification standards and operating requirements.
    Unfortunately, however, the FAA's path to safely 
integrating new entrants was challenging, with organizational 
inefficiencies, prolonged delays, and unpredictable waiver and 
approval processes.
    So, although the FAA must reassess and recommit itself to 
addressing these issues, in no way should the agency or 
Congress jeopardize the safety of the traveling public to do 
so. This means working with the FAA and key aviation 
stakeholders to implement an appropriate Federal regulatory 
framework to allow these industries to scale, so the U.S. can 
remain the leader in aviation safety and innovation.
    With each passing year as well, climate change continues to 
be a growing threat to millions of Americans. Electric and 
hydrogen propulsion systems employed by many UAS and AAM 
aircraft rely on low- and zero-emission technologies, which 
have the potential to significantly reduce the harmful impacts 
of greenhouse gases and of noise.
    A recent NASA study found that Joby's eVTOL aircraft 
measured noise levels during takeoff and landing below 65 dBA, 
which is comparable to normal conversation, at a distance of 
330 feet from the flightpath. I certainly would be interested 
to hear what others in the industry can say about their 
platforms as well.
    And so, Congress must robustly invest in the research to 
leverage the environmental benefits of these technologies, 
especially for communities disproportionately affected by the 
carbon and noise emissions of traditional aircraft.
    The development and deployment of new entrants also 
presents opportunities for job creation in the U.S. According 
to industry projections, the AAM sector is expected to generate 
an estimated 280,000 jobs by 2035.
    Additionally, drones can be used to support critical work 
that would otherwise be unsafe or difficult for people and 
crewed aircraft to perform on their own. For instance, the 
Arizona Department of Transportation uses small UAS to examine 
hard-to-reach areas in canyons and across large waterways to 
help supplement their inspections, which is why my colleague, 
Representative Greg Stanton of Arizona, led the bipartisan 
House passage of the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act 
last Congress to fund State, local, and Tribal governments' use 
of UAS in certain circumstances.
    To further harness this technology for the American people, 
we must better equip the next generation of the U.S. aviation 
workforce with the skills necessary to compete globally and to 
use these technologies.
    Although getting through type certification is the main 
goal for many UAS and AAM industries, it cannot be the only 
objective. Congress, the FAA, and industry must have early and 
meaningful engagement with local communities to ensure their 
priorities and any potential concerns are adequately addressed, 
which is why Congress enacted my bill, along with Chair Graves, 
the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act, to help 
State and local communities begin to plan for future AAM 
operations and the infrastructure needed to support it.
    But there clearly is more work to do. With safety as the 
guiding principle, the 2023 FAA reauthorization is an 
opportunity to support U.S. innovation, foster sustainability, 
and improve U.S. global leadership.
    So, I want to thank today's witnesses on both panels for 
coming today, as far away as Alaska. I appreciate that. And I 
look forward to examining how Congress, the FAA, local 
communities, and the aviation industry can support the safe and 
efficient integration of these new airspace entrants.
    With that, I yield back.
    [Mr. Larsen of Washington's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
 Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick Larsen of Washington, Ranking Member, 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
    Thank you, Chairman Graves, for calling today's hearing ``FAA 
Reauthorization: Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver for the 
American People.''
    Nearly ten years ago, this committee first explored the safe 
integration of new airspace entrants, including uncrewed aircraft 
systems (UAS or drones) and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, into 
the national airspace system (NAS).
    What was once considered aviation technology of the distant future 
is happening now, and these innovative technologies are rapidly 
emerging in U.S. skies.
    According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are 
more than 872,000 registered UAS in this country, of which nearly 
339,000 are registered for commercial operations.
    In my home state of Washington, UAS will soon be used to deliver 
critical medical supplies in the Tacoma area through a partnership 
between Zipline and MultiCare Health System, helping to reduce barriers 
to care for patients.
    Furthermore, according to industry projections more than 200 
companies worldwide are developing electric vertical takeoff and 
landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with potential applications ranging from 
cargo transport to alternative passenger mobility options.
    While the potential benefits of these advanced aviation 
technologies are promising, the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill must 
continue to prioritize aviation safety, while also ensuring U.S. 
innovation leads globally.
    The FAA's mission is to ensure the safest aerospace system in the 
world, a task that is growing more complex due to new airspace 
entrants.
    In 2012, Congress required the FAA to develop a comprehensive plan 
to accelerate the safe integration of civil UAS into the NAS. Since 
then, the FAA has issued final rules to expand potential commercial 
activities; including permitting the operation of small UAS (commonly 
referred to as Part 107), remote identification (remote ID) and 
operation of small UAS over people.
    More recently, the FAA announced a self-imposed deadline of 
December 2024 to issue a rule on AAM certification standards and 
operating requirements.
    Unfortunately, however, the FAA's path to safely integrating new 
entrants was challenging--with organizational inefficiencies, prolonged 
delays and unpredictable waiver and approval processes.
    Although the FAA must reassess and recommit itself to addressing 
these issues, in no way should the agency or Congress jeopardize the 
safety of the traveling public to do so.
    This means working with the FAA and key aviation stakeholders to 
implement an appropriate federal regulatory framework to allow these 
industries to scale, so the U.S. can remain the leader in aviation 
safety and innovation.
    With each passing year, climate change continues to be a growing 
threat to millions of Americans.
    Electric and hydrogen propulsion systems employed by many UAS and 
AAM aircraft rely on low and zero-emission technologies, which have the 
potential to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of greenhouse 
gases and noise.
    A recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) study 
found that Joby's eVTOL aircraft measured noise levels during take-off 
and landing below 65 dBA, which is comparable to normal conversation, 
at a distance of 330 feet from the flight path.
    Congress must robustly invest in critical research to leverage the 
environmental benefits of these technologies, especially for 
communities disproportionately affected by the carbon and noise 
emissions of traditional aircraft.
    The development and deployment of new entrants also presents 
opportunities for job creation in the U.S.
    According to industry projections, the AAM sector is expected to 
generate an estimated 280,000 jobs by 2035.
    Additionally, drones can be used to support critical work that 
would otherwise be unsafe or difficult for people and crewed aircraft 
to perform on their own.
    For instance, the Arizona Department of Transportation uses small 
UAS to examine hard-to-reach areas in canyons and across large 
waterways to help supplement their inspections.
    Which is why my colleague, Representative Greg Stanton of Arizona, 
led the bipartisan House passage of the Drone Infrastructure Inspection 
Grant Act last Congress, to fund state, local and Tribal governments' 
use of UAS in certain circumstances.
    To further harness this technology for the American people, we must 
better equip the next generation of U.S. aviation workforce with the 
skills necessary to compete globally.
    Although getting through type certification is the main goal for 
many in the UAS and AAM industries, it cannot be the only objective.
    Congress, the FAA and industry must have early and meaningful 
engagement with local communities to ensure their priorities and any 
potential concerns are adequately addressed.
    Which is why Congress enacted my bill with Chairman Garret Graves, 
the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act, to help states 
and local communities begin to plan for future AAM operations and the 
infrastructure needed to support it.
    But it is clear there is more work to do.
    With safety as the guiding principle, the 2023 FAA reauthorization 
is an opportunity to support U.S. innovation, foster sustainability and 
improve U.S. global leadership.
    Thank you again to today's witnesses. I look forward to examining 
how Congress, the FAA, local communities and the aviation industry can 
support the safe and efficient integration of these new airspace 
entrants.

    Mr. Collins [presiding]. Thank you, Mr. Larsen.
    I now recognize Ranking Member Cohen for 5 minutes for an 
opening statement.

  OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. STEVE COHEN OF TENNESSEE, RANKING 
                MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION

    Mr. Cohen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    I look forward to hearing from our esteemed panel of 
witnesses today, both of the panels, on the integration of new 
aircraft, such as uncrewed aircraft systems, which gives us a 
new acronym, UAS, or drones; and electrical vertical takeoff 
and landing, another new acronym, eVTOL, electrical vertical 
taking and landing aircraft. These are new into our lexicon and 
our national airspace.
    Both drones and advanced air mobility, or AAM, have the 
potential to both change how we travel and how we transport 
goods and services. This is especially true in my district, 
home to Federal Express and the Memphis International Airport, 
one of the busiest cargo airports in the world because of FedEx 
and the work that they have done.
    In 2018, the Memphis International Airport was selected by 
the Department of Transportation to participate in its UAS 
Integration Pilot Program. The airport partnered with the city 
of Memphis, the University of Memphis, the Tennessee Department 
of Transportation, FedEx of course, and others to test advanced 
drone operations in five different airspaces, including within 
the airport perimeter.
    Some of the practical applications that were tested and 
demonstrated included precision agriculture, remote aircraft 
and runway inspections, commercial package delivery, night 
flight operations, and emergency response and remote medical 
device deployment.
    Upon successful conclusion of the 3-year program, the 
Memphis Airport and FedEx were selected by the FAA for its new 
drone program, BEYOND--an acronym, I am sure, but not one that 
I have been told yet. This program focuses on working toward 
operating under established rules rather than waivers, 
collecting data to develop performance-based standards, 
collecting and addressing community feedback, streamlining the 
approval processes for drone integration, and more.
    The most recent drone flight operations took place over the 
FedEx ramp, with the goal of detecting foreign object debris to 
enhance airfield safety and conducting security inspections 
along the airport perimeter fence line to supplement existing 
security systems and protocols. To date, the Memphis Airport 
and the FedEx team have flown approximately 2,000 successful 
drone flights.
    I applaud the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of 
Technology's focus on drone research and appreciate its 
potential to have a major economic impact on our region.
    As we will hear from our witnesses today, we have much work 
to do to ensure that FAA's regulatory framework adequately 
supports the evolving aviation sector and prevents the United 
States from falling behind on UAS integration.
    I look forward to learning more about how our subcommittee 
can support the evolving advanced air mobility sector, which 
has the potential to move people and cargo between places 
previously not served or underserved by traditional aviation or 
emergency vehicles.
    I look forward to healthy discussions from those 
experienced with AAM concepts to shed further light on how to 
better support this growing sector. We need to be especially 
conscious of working with the communities to integrate these 
new operations into the transportation systems, and ensure they 
have a voice in the room as we get closer to implementation. I 
am sure some will complain about vehicles flying over their 
backyards, invading their privacy, et cetera.
    With attention being shifted towards accommodating and 
embracing two new entrants into our national airspace, the AAM 
and drones at the forefront, we must be vigilant and 
conscientious with our efforts to ensure that aviation safety 
remains a top priority, not only for those in the air, but also 
for those on the ground.
    I look forward to this, but I remember the first day 
somebody told me about these things [holds up cell phone]. And 
this was about 30 years ago, I guess. And I said he was nuts. 
Well, he wasn't nuts. He was a little bit ahead of me. And the 
same thing for these drones. It is kind of amazing we will be 
flying around--and it will be like ``The Jetsons''--in the air.
    This, I don't know what this is here. It looks to me like a 
Spruce Goose of the 21st century. It is pretty bizarre.
    But, anyway, I look forward to working with Chairman 
Graves, Acting Chairman Collins, our colleagues, our witnesses 
here today, and other stakeholders on the next FAA 
reauthorization bill.
    And I yield back the balance of my time.
    [Mr. Cohen's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
 Prepared Statement of Hon. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Ranking Member, 
                        Subcommittee on Aviation
    Thank you. I look forward to hearing from our esteemed witnesses on 
both panels today as we examine the integration of new aircraft--such 
as uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) or drones and electric vertical 
takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft--into our national airspace.
    Both drones and advanced air mobility or AAM, have the potential to 
both change how we travel and how we transport goods and services.
    This is especially true in my district, home to Federal Express and 
Memphis International Airport, one of the busiest cargo airports in the 
world because of FedEx and the work they have done.
    In 2018, the Memphis airport was selected by the Department of 
Transportation to participate in its UAS Integration Pilot Program.
    The airport partnered with the City of Memphis, the University of 
Memphis, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, FedEx and others 
to conduct advanced drone operations in five different airspaces, 
including within the airport perimeter.
    Some of the practical applications that were tested and 
demonstrated include precision agriculture, remote aircraft and runway 
inspections, commercial package delivery, night flight operations, and 
emergency response and remote medical device deployment.
    Upon successful conclusion of the three-year program, the Memphis 
Airport and FedEx were selected by the FAA for its new drone program, 
BEYOND.
    This program focuses on working toward operating under established 
rules rather than waivers, collecting data to develop performance-based 
standards, collecting and addressing community feedback, streamlining 
the approval processes for drone integration and more.
    The most recent drone flight operations took place over the FedEx 
ramp with the goal of detecting foreign object debris to enhance 
airfield safety and conducting security inspections along the airport 
perimeter fence line to supplement existing security systems and 
protocols.
    To date, the Memphis Airport and FedEx team have flown 
approximately 2,000 successful drone flights.
    I also applaud the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of 
Technology's focus on drone research and appreciate its potential to 
have a major economic impact on our region.
    As we will hear from our witnesses here today, we have much more 
work to do to ensure that FAA's regulatory framework adequately 
supports this evolving aviation sector and to prevent the United States 
from falling behind on UAS integration.
    I also look forward to learning more about how our Subcommittee can 
support the evolving advanced air mobility sector, which has the 
potential to move people and cargo between places previously not served 
or underserved by traditional aviation or emergency vehicles.
    I look forward to healthy discussion from those experienced with 
AAM concepts to shed further light on how to better support this 
growing sector. We need to be especially conscious of working with the 
communities who integrate these new operations into their 
transportation systems, and ensure they have a genuine voice in the 
room as we get closer to implementation.
    With attention being shifted towards accommodating and embracing 
new entrants into our national airspace, with AAM and drones at the 
forefront, we must be vigilant and conscientious with our efforts to 
ensure that aviation safety remains a top priority for not only those 
in the air, but also those on the ground.
    I look forward to working with Chairman Graves, our colleagues, our 
witnesses here today and other stakeholders on the next FAA 
reauthorization bill.

    Mr. Collins. Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
    We've got a rookie at the wheel, I am just going to be 
upfront with you. But, anyway, if anything goes wrong, we are 
going to blame this young man to the right of me here.
    Today we have two panels. Currently the witnesses before us 
are the first panel that we will be hearing from today. The 
focus of the first panel is the operations of small unmanned 
aircraft systems.
    So, I would like to welcome our witnesses and thank them 
for being here today.
    That being said, y'all, we are experiencing some technical 
difficulties with our timing system, just in time for the 
rookie to take over. So, I ask unanimous consent that staff be 
allowed to utilize a stopwatch as a timer for today's events.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    So, today, please look at the staff behind me. A green 
square means go, a yellow square means you are running out of 
time, and a red square means wrap up your remarks.
    I also ask unanimous consent that the witnesses' full 
statements be included in the record.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    As your written testimony has been made part of the record, 
the subcommittee asks that you limit your oral remarks to 5 
minutes.
    And prior to beginning witness testimony, I would like to 
make our witness panel aware that votes are anticipated to be 
called at 10:30 this morning. When this occurs, we will enter a 
brief recess. However, witnesses should be prepared to resume 
the hearing when the subcommittee reconvenes.
    With that, Mr. Adam Woodworth, you are recognized for 5 
minutes for your testimony.

  TESTIMONY OF ADAM WOODWORTH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WING 
  AVIATION LLC; CATHERINE F. CAHILL, Ph.D., DIRECTOR, ALASKA 
CENTER FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, UNIVERSITY OF 
ALASKA FAIRBANKS; ROXANA KENNEDY, CHIEF OF POLICE, CHULA VISTA 
  POLICE DEPARTMENT; AND STUART GINN, M.D., MEDICAL DIRECTOR, 
       WakeMed INNOVATIONS, WakeMed HEALTH AND HOSPITALS

  TESTIMONY OF ADAM WOODWORTH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WING 
                          AVIATION LLC

    Mr. Woodworth. Thank you.
    Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, members of the 
Aviation Subcommittee, thank you for holding this hearing today 
on the important issue of integrating new entrants into our 
airspace. And thank you to the staff for helping prepare the 
hearing. I am truly honored to be here to testify.
    My name is Adam Woodworth. I am offering my testimony today 
as CEO of Wing, a company that has developed small UAS, most 
commonly referred to as drones, to deliver small packages. I 
joined Wing in 2014 as an aircraft designer, rising to CTO in 
2018, and assuming the role of CEO last year.
    Aviation has long been a passion of mine. I grew up flying 
model airplanes with my dad. That led directly to a career in 
aviation and studies in aerospace. Today I try to pass along 
that fascination to my two young daughters, who join me out at 
the flying field most weekends.
    Flight is a magical yet often rare experience. Most people 
don't remember the first time they were in a car, but many can 
remember the first time they flew on an airplane or interacted 
with aviation.
    The technologies and industries discussed today have the 
opportunity to fundamentally change that, lowering traditional 
barriers to entry and introducing more people than ever to the 
world of aviation and its benefits.
    At Wing, we have developed a lightweight, highly automated 
aircraft to deliver small packages to customers, as well as a 
suite of UAS traffic management capabilities to help operators 
share the airspace safely. We partner with retail merchants to 
deliver goods ranging from over-the-counter medications to 
household essentials and meals.
    Today, Wing has been approved to operate in five countries, 
including Australia, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, and the 
United States, with locations in the DFW area and in 
Christiansburg, Virginia.
    We are the first drone company to receive a part 135 air 
carrier certificate, which enables beyond visual line-of-sight 
operations. To date, we have completed over 300,000 commercial 
deliveries to consumers in our service areas, and we have done 
so safely.
    I really love aviation, but that is not why I believe in 
the promise of our mission and in this industry. Simply put, 
the sheer volume of goods being transported is ever-increasing, 
and consumer demand for fast, efficient, cost-effective 
delivery has taken root. I believe the best, most efficient, 
and safest way to get those goods to consumers is via drone.
    There has long been widespread recognition of the potential 
of this technology. What I would like to stress in this hearing 
is that that technology exists now, and it is ready for use 
today.
    For numerous reasons--benefits to our consumers, benefits 
to businesses, our Nation's global aviation leadership--we 
urgently need a regulatory framework that better allows for its 
adoption. This committee clearly has a role to play in this, 
and at Wing and across the industry, we urge timely action on 
the topic this year.
    I have submitted my written testimony with a number of 
recommendations for the committee to consider. These 
recommendations are consistent with the BVLOS ARC report 
submitted last year, which will help broadly advance commercial 
operations and enjoys consensus support from the drone 
industry.
    I would like to focus on a few of those priorities now.
    Overall, we need an approach from the FAA for the safe 
integration of drones into the national airspace that is both 
predictable and pragmatic.
    The FAA has a capable and dedicated workforce, and we 
recognize the challenges of trying to apply decades of 
experience in regulating large passenger aircraft to new, 
vastly different technology. The result, however, is that our 
industry has faced unpredictable timelines with lengthy delays 
and confusing or often contradictory guidance from across the 
organization about what the FAA needs to see in order to issue 
approvals.
    Quite simply, we are stuck. And a more predictable and 
pragmatic approach to these lower risk, nonpassenger-carrying 
operations would help break up these logjams.
    The good news is, we don't have to start from scratch. With 
the work that the drone industry and the FAA have done 
together, we have a foundation to build upon in the following 
ways.
    First, Congress could help by directing the FAA to 
establish a clear and objective target level of safety for 
drones. The FAA has done this for other categories of aircraft, 
and the drone industry needs a clear set of standards to work 
to.
    Second, Congress could help by directing the FAA to adopt a 
declarative certification and design approval approach for 
small UAS, modeled after the agency's existing light-sport 
aircraft certification process. Under this process, the FAA 
will set specific safety thresholds, and manufacturers will 
build to and then declare compliance with those standards. 
Throughout this process, the FAA would retain the ultimate 
safety and compliance oversight of each applicant.
    Third, the United States needs an open and cooperative 
airspace environment. We should not overlook the benefits to a 
cooperative, interoperable, and open environment for crewed and 
uncrewed aircraft. LAANC, ADS-B, industry-built, regulator-
approved UTM are all real-world examples of how technology 
built to standards can improve safety and bring efficiencies to 
our airspace.
    In conclusion, at Wing, we believe the National Airspace 
System is an asset that everyone should have access to and 
everyone should benefit from. There is more than enough room in 
the sky for everybody, and that includes passenger airliners, 
general aviation, model aircraft, and drones.
    [Mr. Woodworth's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
  Prepared Statement of Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing 
                              Aviation LLC
                              Introduction
    Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, members of the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, thank you for holding this 
hearing today on the important issue of integrating new entrants into 
our airspace. I am honored to testify.
    My name is Adam Woodworth, and I am offering testimony today as the 
CEO of Wing, a company using uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), commonly 
referred to as ``drones,'' to deliver small packages. I joined Wing in 
2014 as an aircraft designer, rising to Chief Technology Officer in 
2018, and assuming the role of CEO one year ago.
    Begun in 2012 as Project Wing within X (at the time known as Google 
X), Wing has developed a highly automated aircraft to deliver small 
goods to customers, as well as a set of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) 
capabilities to help operators share the airspace. We partner with 
merchants such as Doordash and Coles Supermarkets to deliver goods 
ranging from over-the-counter medicine and household essentials to 
made-to-order meals, coffee drinks, and even ice cream. In 2018, 
Project Wing became an independent company--still under the Alphabet 
umbrella--called Wing Aviation.
    Today, Wing has been approved to operate in five countries on three 
continents. Our most mature and high-volume operations are in Canberra 
and Logan City, Australia. We also have locations in Finland, Ireland, 
and the United States--around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and in 
Christiansburg, Virginia. Wing holds relevant approvals in each 
jurisdiction and we were the first drone company to receive a Part 135 
air carrier certificate for commercial UAS delivery operations beyond 
visual line of sight (BVLOS). To date, we have successfully completed 
over 300,000 commercial deliveries to paying customers.
                   Aircraft and Commercial Operations
    At Wing, we fundamentally believe that it should require fewer 
resources to transport a two-ounce bottle of medicine to someone's home 
than it does to deliver a large order of groceries. But today, because 
of our reliance on a single mode of transportation for virtually all 
residential deliveries, these two orders would likely be carried by 
similar vehicles, requiring similar resources, taking up similar space 
on our roadways, and emitting similar levels of pollution into our 
atmosphere. The reason we want to use drones for delivery is because it 
allows you to right-size the vehicle for the payload.
    By right-sizing the delivery vehicle to the goods being delivered--
such as using an eleven-pound, battery-powered drone mostly made of 
plastic and styrofoam to deliver a three-pound package instead of a 
two-ton car or truck--drone delivery can bring efficiency, safety, and 
environmental benefits to communities across the country and the world.
    Wing has developed a hybrid fixed-wing and multirotor aircraft that 
cruises like an airplane but launches and lands vertically with a 
series of hover rotors. The aircraft is lightweight, electric, highly 
automated, and designed specifically for delivery in populated areas. 
Safety is paramount and Wing has designed the aircraft to deliver a 
level of safety that exceeds any alternative mode of ground 
transportation.
    Wing operates BVLOS in populated areas along flexible or ``on-
demand'' routes. At the delivery zone, Wing aircraft hover at roughly 
23 feet above ground and gently lower the package via tether. Delivery 
zones are typically backyards, driveways, or other small clearings. 
Wing also distributes flight paths across the operating area, where 
possible, to minimize repeat overflights.
    Wing operates in low-utilization airspace below 400 feet over 
populated areas. For crewed traffic, we engage with local aviation 
stakeholders, Wing's remote pilots monitor ADS-B, and today we also 
utilize visual observers of the airspace in the United States. Further, 
Wing issues a NOTAM and monitors local frequencies. For uncrewed 
traffic, Wing has demonstrated strategic deconfliction between 
different UAS through a network of interoperable UAS Service Suppliers 
(USS).
    Wing has invested an incredible amount of time, brain power, and 
resources into developing and proving out a system that is capable of 
serving millions of customers in populated areas across the globe. We 
are anxious to see the FAA adopt a regulatory framework that will 
enable us to bring the benefits of this promising technology to 
communities across the country and maintain our leadership in the field 
of emerging aviation technology.
                          FAA Reauthorization
    In the 2012 FAA reauthorization bill, Congress provided the first 
and fundamental direction to the FAA to treat these vehicles as 
aircraft. It was eleven years ago that Congress directed the FAA to 
safely integrate UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS). The 
dedicated civil servants at the FAA are hardworking and deserve praise 
for doing something new. But Congress can and should equip the FAA with 
the policy direction and regulatory tools to make safe operation of 
commercial drones scalable in the United States.
    The FAA reauthorization process provides a perfect opportunity to 
do just that. Congress has acted in the past to give direction to the 
FAA and that led to the successful adoption of commercial flight 
approvals under Section 333 of the 2012 FAA bill, and adoption of the 
broader commercial drone operations regulation in Part 107. Congress 
also played a role in pushing the FAA to adopt regulations allowing for 
operations over people.
    We appreciate Congress setting the policy direction for the FAA to 
implement, and there is more work ahead. Below are what I view as 
priorities necessary to advance commercial UAS integration in the 
United States for this Committee to consider for inclusion in the FAA 
reauthorization bill this year.
BVLOS Rulemaking
    The UAS industry is well-positioned and evolving quickly to enable 
BVLOS operations, but the regulatory frameworks struggle to keep pace. 
The FAA has accelerated efforts to integrate routine BVLOS operations 
by convening the BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) in 2021, 
with the ARC's recommendations published by the FAA in March 2022. 
Broadly enabling BVLOS operations in a safe and secure manner is 
critical to unlocking the benefits of using drones for many commercial 
and public safety tasks. It will also foster new job opportunities 
within the industry.
    The FAA must prioritize taking action to enable BVLOS operations by 
putting forth a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. But the process of 
developing a final rule can take months, even years, to complete. The 
FAA currently has the opportunity to adopt a more predictable and 
pragmatic approach to UAS regulation by moving forward with a BVLOS 
rule. Congress should direct timely action on this rulemaking effort.
    Congress can also demonstrate its commitment to further advancing 
this industry by directing the FAA to take such action under current 
authorities, specifically Section 44807 of Title 49, United States 
Code, as a way of marking progress while a more comprehensive 
rulemaking process unfolds.
Target Level of Safety / Acceptable Level of Risk
    As part of enabling routine operations, including BVLOS, the FAA 
must prioritize the determination of an acceptable level of risk--or a 
calculable, objective target level of safety--for UAS operations 
consistent with existing accepted general aviation risks. Taking this 
step will give operators clear design targets and allow them to produce 
a detailed framework for building a suitable safety case to meet the 
target level of safety and take into account the specific needs for 
their operations while allowing the FAA to assess whether the operator 
meets their high bar for safety. This would add much-needed consistency 
to the process and reduce the arbitrary subjectivity and excessive 
delays currently experienced by operators.
    Congress should include language in the FAA reauthorization to 
require the FAA to adopt and publish a quantified target level of 
safety for UA operations that is modeled upon and consistent with 
existing accepted general aviation risks.
UAS Certification
    Despite multiple years of industry working with the FAA to receive 
type certificates for small UAS, the FAA has issued only a single type 
certificate out of the numerous UAS submissions pending, failing to 
keep pace with technology due to internal delays and inefficiencies. 
While the FAA has engaged in a multi-year internal debate regarding how 
to appropriately tailor a type certification process designed for 
crewed aircraft to low-risk small UAS, the agency has received, 
considered, and approved type certificate petitions for much larger, 
passenger-carrying crewed aircraft.
    Moving forward, Congress could help by directing the FAA to adopt a 
declarative certification for aircraft design approval for small UAS, 
modeled after the FAA's existing and successful light-sport aircraft 
certification process. Under this process, the FAA will adopt risk-
appropriate consensus standards and manufacturers will then build to 
and declare compliance with those standards. Throughout the process, 
the FAA would retain ultimate safety and compliance oversight of each 
applicant.
Equipage & Modernization
    With the introduction of more and different types of aviation, both 
crewed and uncrewed, the airspace is truly maturing to serve more 
users. This innovation provides promising opportunities to benefit 
communities across the country, and will usher in the adoption of novel 
technology solutions capable of maintaining the safety of the NAS, 
particularly in very low altitude airspace (below 500, AGL).
    In order to safely and efficiently share this airspace, it is 
incumbent upon all of us to adopt existing, effective, and affordable 
mitigations to avoid collisions with other aircraft. Outside of 
airspace designations for particular uses, technologies such as ADS-B 
have been proven to enhance safety. These technologies are widely 
available, have been successfully in use for years in other portions of 
our national airspace, and are affordable to purchase and install. Most 
importantly, the use of ADS-B technologies saves lives: a recent study 
found that it reduces airborne collisions for general aviation and air 
taxi aircraft by 53 percent and air collision fatalities by 89 percent 
\1\.
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    \1\ Howell, Daniel and King, Jennifer. Measured Impact of ADS-B In 
Application on General Aviation and Air Taxi Accident Rates. 38th 
Digital Avionics Systems Conference, September 2019.
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    At Wing, our pilots monitor ADS-B signals from crewed aircraft and 
we install ADS-B receivers on our aircraft as we work toward FAA 
approval of on-aircraft automated avoidance. But to truly create a 
cooperative environment and continue to improve the safety of the 
airspace, adoption rates across the board need to increase. For that 
reason, we believe Congress should provide incentives for legacy 
aircraft, possibly through restoring the ADS-B Rebate program, to adopt 
this reliable, effective, and affordable technology that can save lives 
and enable entirely new kinds of aviation to develop, integrate, and 
thrive in our national airspace.
UTM
    Another key element of an open and cooperative airspace environment 
is UAS Traffic Management (UTM). The concept of UTM--an interoperable, 
cooperative and collaborative approach to airspace safety and 
efficiency in low-altitude airspace--was embraced by the U.S. 
Government and is being built by industry. Thanks to significant 
contributions from industry, academia, and government involvement, 
global standards development organizations have developed standards 
that regulators and industry have adopted to create operational UTM 
services. These services are seeing their earliest implementation in 
Europe where regulations have created the opportunity to broadly deploy 
UTM services and enable wide-scale operations.
    It is imperative that the FAA also recognize industry standards and 
enable industry to utilize UTM services such as strategic deconfliction 
to create a safer, and more accessible airspace for all operators. 
Congress should require the FAA to adopt industry standards for 
strategic deconfliction and allow companies to utilize interoperable 
technology that meets this standard in their operations.
Environmental Reviews
    Drones are an environmentally friendly technology powered by 
electrification that can contribute to curbing emissions by taking 
vehicles, including delivery trucks, off the roads. Yet, the current 
backlog of environmental reviews threatens to stall progress on UAS 
deployment and operations in the United States and further hamper the 
industry's competitive edge--leading to frustration for stakeholders 
and dissatisfaction for customers.
    The FAA should move towards looking at broader geographic areas--or 
programmatic reviews--for UAS operations, not on a case-by-case basis 
for one specific area or operator as is the current process. This will 
help streamline the approval process for operators--especially in 
potential areas of deployment that share similar characteristics, 
wildlife, and topography.
    Congress should include language directing the FAA to streamline 
environmental approvals of advanced UAS and encourage the FAA to move 
toward programmatic reviews.
FAA Realignment
    The UAS Integration Office is the focal point for all matters 
relating to UAS integration policy. Historically, the majority of the 
FAA's institutional knowledge related to UAS has resided within this 
office. However, approvals for UAS operations largely exist outside of 
the purview of the Integration Office.
    To meet the needs of the NAS, authority for the approval of UAS 
should rest with the experts within the FAA who best understand this 
form of aviation and how it will correspond with other aircraft 
operators and have the responsibility to safely integrate UAS into the 
national airspace. The existing approval process is not designed to 
accommodate the current evolution of aircraft design and capability.
    Congress should enable the FAA to take a more direct approach with 
the hundreds of thousands of new aircraft operators and stakeholders in 
the NAS, by elevating and empowering the UAS Integration Office to 
streamline and improve existing approval processes within the FAA's 
organizational structure.
    Specifically, Congress should include language in the FAA 
reauthorization to create a position of Associate Administrator to 
oversee UAS operations and certification, and provide that person with 
the authority to actually approve UAS and their operations, while 
ensuring appropriate consultation with other lines of business within 
the FAA.
    It is also important to note here that this effort should be 
focused. Wing is excited about recent developments with Advanced Air 
Mobility, or air taxis, and we look forward to seeing more progress in 
the integration of that technology. But make no mistake about it--from 
a regulatory standpoint, the risk assumptions and regulatory timelines 
are vastly different. Most prominent in the safety analysis is that 
there is not a person onboard a drone--it makes no sense to regulate 
our uncrewed, 11-pound styrofoam drone to the same regulatory 
specification or timelines as a large vehicle that carries passengers.
Extending and Improving Section 44807
    Section 44807 of Title 49--the special authority for certain UAS--
is currently scheduled to expire September 30, 2023. It has been a 
crucial enabler for the airworthiness of small UAS and must be extended 
in order to continue and expand part 135 UAS operations. If this 
authority is not extended, BVLOS operations in the United States will 
essentially cease, which will have wide-ranging ramifications on the 
UAS industry itself as well as the partners and customers that we 
serve. It will prevent the delivery of health items, critical 
infrastructure inspection, and many other benefits that BVLOS 
operations provide.
    In extending Section 44807 authority, Congress should also take the 
opportunity to make improvements to it. Getting a 44807 exemption 
currently is a lengthy and burdensome process where each application 
has to go through the rulemaking process, including a notice and 
comment period. Congress should clarify that the FAA need not apply the 
Part 11 exemption procedures, and Section 44807 approvals can be issued 
without undergoing a full rulemaking process.
    These improvements are crucial to seeing near-term progress in 
advancing UAS integration here in the United States as the FAA works 
toward a final BVLOS rule.
Network Remote ID
    Remote identification of UAS is a security tool required by the 
United States Government for operation by providing a ``digital license 
plate'' for nearly all UAS operating in the NAS. A Remote ID system can 
give law enforcement, security officials, and the general public 
necessary information about a nearby UAS, which may help to ensure 
operations are safe and secure.
    Although international standards bodies have concluded that Remote 
ID can effectively be accomplished through two different means--either 
broadcast signal (based on radio frequency) or network (based on 
internet connectivity)--the FAA's final rule on Remote ID determined 
only broadcast, not network, technology would comply with the rule. 
This stands in direct contrast to other regions of the world. In 
Europe, for example, UAS operators flying in designated ``U-space'' 
airspace are required to employ network identification.
    Network identification has important advantages, from offering 
greater privacy protections to serving as a cornerstone to data 
exchange paradigms that enable UTM. To further the development of 
network identification, the FAA must allow UAS industry stakeholders to 
demonstrate that the goals of the remote identification rule can be 
achieved in a technology-agnostic manner, as long as required 
performance standards are met.
    Congress should include language in the FAA reauthorization to 
require that the FAA develop an additional means of compliance to the 
remote identification requirements that can accept internet-based 
network identification as an acceptable means of compliance with rules 
requiring UAS be equipped with technology to allow for remote 
identification.
                               Conclusion
    In conclusion, at Wing we believe that the National Airspace System 
is a crucial asset to which everyone should have access and from which 
everyone should benefit. Simply put, there is room in the airspace for 
everyone. That should include passenger airliners, general aviation, 
model aircraft, and yes, even drones.
    Drones are an important entry point for people of all ages and from 
all backgrounds into the world of aviation. Most people do not remember 
the first time they rode in a car, but many remember the first time 
they flew on an airplane. Aviation has traditionally been a rare and 
somewhat exclusive experience. Drones can help change that. I am an 
avid RC aircraft hobbyist, and I am excited about passing that passion 
along to my young daughters. The barriers to entry are so much lower 
for influencing and even employing people with drones than with 
traditional aircraft. The development of the drone industry is a 
critical tool in broadening and diversifying the aviation workforce.
    Drones also have a lot to offer the economy, and each day of delay 
threatens the future of this industry here in the United States. We 
appreciate Congress's attention to advancing this innovation platform, 
and all of its novel uses, here in the United States.
    I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.

    Mr. Collins. Thank you.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Alaska, Mrs. 
Peltola, for 1 minute to introduce our next witness.
    Mrs. Peltola. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I 
appreciate the leeway here.
    It is my great honor to be able to recognize one of my 
constituents who is here as a panelist today. Dr. Cathy Cahill 
is the director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft 
Systems Integration, or ACUASI--another good acronym--and is a 
full professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of 
Alaska Fairbanks.
    Dr. Cahill's education background includes degrees in 
applied physics for her bachelor's degree and atmospheric 
sciences for her master's and Ph.D. She also researched 
transatlantic aerosol transport during a Fulbright Fellowship 
to Ireland for her post-doc.
    For many years, her research focused on the sources, 
transport, transformation, and impacts of atmospheric aerosols, 
including the effects of atmospheric aerosols on soldiers in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, and the long-range transport of pollution 
from China into the Arctic.
    In order to measure the altitude of aerosols crossing the 
Pacific Ocean, Dr. Cahill started designing aerosol samplers 
for unmanned aircraft.
    After a 2014-2015 sabbatical to Washington, DC, in which 
she served as a congressional fellow to the United States 
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Cathy 
returned to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and became the 
director of ACUASI, which is regarded as a national leader in 
UAS research.
    Dr. Cahill, I really want to thank you so much for coming 
all the way to DC to share your expertise with us. I know it is 
a long trek. And I really look forward to hearing what you have 
to share with us today.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Collins. Thank you, Mrs. Peltola.
    Now, Dr. Cahill, you are recognized for 5 minutes for your 
testimony.

   TESTIMONY OF CATHERINE F. CAHILL, Ph.D., DIRECTOR, ALASKA 
CENTER FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, UNIVERSITY OF 
                        ALASKA FAIRBANKS

    Ms. Cahill. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and members of 
the Aviation Subcommittee, my name is Cathy Cahill. And as the 
Representative just stated, I am the director of----
    Mr. Collins [interrupting]. Ma'am, do you mind turning your 
mic on?
    Ms. Cahill. OK. Got it. Thank you.
    I am the director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems Integration at the University of Alaska 
Fairbanks. ACUASI is the University of Alaska's Center of 
Excellence for drones and is one of the top drone research 
programs in the country.
    However, the testimony I am giving today is in my personal 
capacity as a private citizen and based on my professional 
experience. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the 
University of Alaska.
    ACUASI leads one of the seven FAA-designated UAS test sites 
and one of the eight FAA BEYOND program partnerships. ACUASI is 
a core university in the FAA's Center of Excellence for UAS 
Research, also known as the Alliance for System Safety of UAS 
through Research Excellence, or ASSURE. More acronyms.
    As a result, we are engaging with the best and brightest 
civil and governmental agencies and entities to develop and 
implement cutting-edge drone technologies, support research, 
help the FAA collect and analyze data to support the safe 
integration of drones, and developing the workforce pipeline 
needed to support the drone industry.
    The ACUASI team is primarily composed of people who live in 
the aviation-focused State of Alaska, and we see daily use 
cases where drones can positively impact aviation safety. 
Currently, Alaska has the highest number of pilots, traditional 
aircraft, and drones per capita, as well as the highest rate of 
aircraft fatalities.
    Many infrastructure surveillance activities that could be 
conducted via drone are being conducted using pilots and 
observers flying in difficult conditions. Most of us know 
pilots and observers who have been injured or killed conducting 
animal surveys or monitoring pipelines.
    Additionally, more than four out of every five Alaskan 
communities are only reachable year-round by air. We do not 
have a last-mile delivery problem like Wing. We have a last-
hundreds-of-miles delivery problem. Diapers, milk, medical 
supplies, and other necessities need to get to our villages, 
and that is a real challenge. So, being able to deliver these 
supplies and goods on a more regular basis using drones will 
greatly improve the quality of life in these communities, while 
improving aviation safety by removing a pilot from those risky 
missions.
    We are also working to advance safety technologies and 
practices that are applicable to both drones and traditional 
aviation.
    Combined, these facts uniquely position me to raise some 
critical factors for your consideration in the 2023 
reauthorization bill. Some of the most important issues are:
    We need to extend the seven FAA test sites authorizations 
for another 5 years. Currently, they expire on September 30, 
2023.
    We need to be able to codify the new 49 U.S. Code 44803(c) 
waivers that are finally beginning to allow the test sites to 
conduct civil operations to assist companies in meeting the 
test and evaluation required for drones under 300 pounds to 
become type-certified.
    Additionally, we need to codify the ability for the test 
sites to do the same in the future for drones over 300 pounds.
    We need to be very careful in terms of expanding the test 
site program by standing up new test sites. Instead, provide 
funding to the current test sites to bring additional 
operational areas across the country into the already 
established test site program that has a proven safety record. 
We already can do this with the authorities we have. The Alaska 
test site has done this at locations across the country.
    Please extend the FAA's BEYOND program beyond its current 
expiration date of October 25, 2024.
    Please provide the universities associated with ASSURE 
cost-match relief. Right now, a 1-to-1 match is prohibiting 
greater participation in the program.
    And please extend the ASSURE program for an additional 10 
years to leverage the experience we have.
    A key issue here is that we need to expand the FAA's 
counter-drone authority beyond the airport environment to 
ensure that we do not interfere with the safety of the entire 
national airspace safety system.
    And, please, we need to be able to provide the FAA with the 
research exemption to allow the purchase of foreign-made drones 
for destructive--repeat: blowup--testing during counter-drone 
system tests. The FAA needs to prove that these systems are 
effective at removing all drones being flown in a nefarious or 
hazardous manner from our airspace without impacting national 
airspace security systems.
    We need to update the current rules and regulations to 
allow for drone technology to enter the airspace, but please do 
not create them from scratch.
    These are a few of my recommendations for the 
reauthorization bill. Thank you very much for allowing me to be 
here, and please see my written testimony for additional 
information.
    [Ms. Cahill's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
  Prepared Statement of Catherine F. Cahill, Ph.D., Director, Alaska 
Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, University of Alaska 
                               Fairbanks
    Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, and Members of the 
Subcommittee, my name is Cathy Cahill and I am the Director of the 
Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) at the 
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). ACUASI is the University of 
Alaska's Center of Excellence for UAS and one of the top UAS research 
programs in the country. ACUASI is unique in that it has multifaceted 
roles as lead of one of the seven FAA designated UAS Test Sites and one 
of the eight BEYOND sites, and a core university in the FAA's UAS 
Center of Excellence (a.k.a. the Alliance for System Safety of UAS 
through Research Excellence--ASSURE). As a result, our team is engaged 
with the best and brightest commercial and governmental entities on 
cutting-edge UAS technologies, helping FAA collect and analyze the data 
needed to support the safe integration of UAS into the National 
Airspace System (NAS), and developing the workforce pipeline that will 
produce the engineers, scientists, pilots, cargo handlers, drone 
mechanics, and other jobs needed by UAS end users, operators, and 
providers to support the developing drone economy. Being in Alaska 
allows us to safely test new technologies, policies, and procedures in 
a state that is dependent upon aviation to conduct missions of import 
such as long-distance cargo delivery to remote communities, medical 
supply delivery, long linear infrastructure surveillance, mapping and 
surveying, and mammal monitoring. Our diverse portfolio and academic 
standing allows us to demonstrate, observe, and evaluate the risks 
associated with UAS use in both military and civil environments. Our 
community and professional relationships enable us to safely advance 
UAS and aviation technologies. Combined, these facts uniquely position 
me to raise some critical factors for consideration in the 2023 FAA 
Reauthorization. This written testimony is provided to you through my 
personal capacity as a private citizen and based on my professional 
experience; it does not necessarily represent the views of the 
University of Alaska.
    Alaska is an aviation state (https://dot.alaska.gov/stwdav/). We 
have the highest number of pilots, traditional aircraft, and drones per 
capita in the country and 82 percent of all Alaskan communities can 
only be reached year-round via aircraft. Please let me restate this 
fact for emphasis: more than four out of five communities in Alaska are 
dependent on year-round aviation. Any improvements we make to the 
routine servicing of these communities has a direct impact on the 
quality of life of the residents in those communities. Routinely 
transporting cargo, such as diapers and milk, to the communities might 
not be an exciting operation, but it greatly improves the quality of 
life in that community by reducing cost and increasing access to fresh 
foods and other necessities. We also have a large number of aviation 
accidents and fatalities (https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/
2019/11/04/rate-of-alaska-fatal-plane-crashes-tops-national-average/), 
so aviation safety is of serious concern in the state. Many missions, 
including pipeline surveillance, mapping, animal counting, and cargo 
delivery, are currently being done using traditional aircraft which can 
be dangerous. These could be more safely and efficiently conducted 
using drones flying Beyond the Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) of their 
pilots, if a reasonable set of technologies and policies and procedures 
can be developed and implemented by: the drone community, the larger 
aviation community, and Federal regulators. Improving aviation safety 
while improving the quality of life in Alaska's remote communities is 
why ACUASI has been working for years with partners, especially the 
State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and 
those remote communities. Collectively we work to develop concepts of 
operations for conducting these missions, work with aircraft 
manufacturers and technology providers to identify and implement new 
technology based solutions to meet the challenges of safely flying 
BVLOS. We also work directly with regulators such as the FAA and the 
Federal Communications Commission to develop the policies, procedures, 
and permissions required to conduct these operational missions. Our 
ceaseless efforts in advancing and enhancing aviation safety in Alaska 
have led to the following realizations and are the foundation to my 
recommendations for the 2023 FAA Reauthorization legislation.
                         The FAA UAS Test Sites
    The FAA and Congress have not funded, granted permissions, or 
utilized the current seven FAA UAS Test Sites to their fullest 
potential. The intent of Congress behind the seven FAA-approved UAS 
Test Sites appears to have been for the Test Sites to assist companies 
with the research, development, test, and evaluation of new drone 
technologies and the safe integration of that technology into the 
National Airspace System (NAS); however, when the Test Sites were stood 
up, their scope was constrained to conducting public aircraft 
operations as identified in 49 U.S. Code Sec.  40125:
49 U.S. Code Sec.  40125--Qualifications for public aircraft status

        (2) Governmental function.--

        The term ``governmental function'' means an activity undertaken 
        by a government, such as national defense, intelligence 
        missions, firefighting, search and rescue, law enforcement 
        (including transport of prisoners, detainees, and illegal 
        aliens), aeronautical research, or biological or geological 
        resource management.

    This requirement greatly limited the ability of the Test Sites to 
assist commercial operators with the testing and evaluation required to 
certify their aircraft. As soon as an aircraft was no longer a 
prototype being used for aeronautical research, the Test Sites could 
not help the company fly the aircraft and develop the hours needed for 
the manufacturer to demonstrate the safety of the aircraft in the NAS. 
The seven Test Sites are safety-focused and are uniquely skilled and 
positioned to facilitate this safe transition. Additionally, the FAA 
interpreted this requirement as a definitive list of public aircraft 
operations, instead of as a `such as' list that could be added to, so 
the Test Sites and other public aircraft users were not allowed to 
conduct infrastructure (e.g., roads, bridges, etc.) monitoring by state 
Departments of Transportation, training of drone users, demonstrations 
of the technology for potential public use cases, and other operations.
    The public aircraft restriction also meant that the Test Sites 
could not charge companies for flights; the Test Sites could only 
charge for providing assistance in accessing operational airspace, such 
as applying for the permissions required for the company to fly in a 
specified airspace, and the use of their facilities. Because the Test 
Sites did not receive any direct funding from Congress or the FAA to 
develop those facilities, it was a struggle for all of the Test Sites 
to develop the facilities required for their customers to do their 
required testing. Congress has since directed limited funding for 
research at the Test Sites, but they are required to go to a Qualified 
Commercial Entity through a Broad Agency Announcement competition 
process that results in the Test Sites receiving a small portion of the 
funding allocated to the project for very specific and limited support. 
I recommend providing the Test Sites with baseline funding to support 
their facilities and facilitate safer, easier access and support for 
drone manufacturers and technology providers.
    In spite of the public aircraft and funding limitations, the Test 
Sites have collected important aviation safety data on new aircraft and 
technologies, including Detect and Avoid (DAA) technologies that will 
allow a drone to spot other aircraft in the air and autonomously avoid 
them. Additionally, after many years of requesting relief from the 
public aircraft limitation and Congressional and State pressure on the 
FAA, on February 6, 2023, the FAA's University of Alaska UAS Test Site 
finally received the first 49 U.S. Code Sec.  44803(c) waiver that 
allows the Alaska Test Site to conduct civil operations for the test 
and evaluation of drones under 300 pounds and charge for their efforts. 
Between February 6 and March 24, 2023, three of the other six Test 
Sites also received U.S. Code Sec.  44803(c) waivers and the other Test 
Sites are expected to get their waivers in the near future. These 
waivers allow the Test Sites to finally do what they should have been 
allowed to do for vehicles of this size when they were stood up ten 
years ago. The industry is now expanding into aircraft that are heavier 
than 300 pounds and the Test Sites are the logical, safe place for this 
testing as well. We currently are working with aircraft manufactures 
developing aircraft of this size or converting traditional cargo 
aircraft to autonomous systems. The Test Sites are currently only 
authorized through September 30, 2023, and should be extended by at 
least five years to continue their important work and fully implement 
the capabilities available using the 44803(c) waiver to help companies 
get their drones and drone technologies certified for use in the NAS.
    I have heard rumors that organizations are requesting the expansion 
of the FAA UAS Test Site program. I strongly disagree with that 
premise. The current Test Sites have established and proven procedures, 
repeatable operations, and proven safety records that are unmatched in 
the industry and will be difficult to match for any new Test Site. 
Additionally, the current Test Sites have not been supported 
financially by the FAA in spite of our good partnership with the FAA 
Test Site Program Managers and our provision of quality data sets to 
the FAA and adding additional sites will make that problem more acute, 
especially since new Test Sites could potentially be immediately 
provided with the waivers that the current Test Sites just received 
after years of hard work. Further, there is a risk that this would 
dilute the already limited funding coming through the Qualified 
Commercial Entity program. In addition, if Congress wants to expand the 
integration of drones into the NAS, including operating flights at the 
height of the Chinese surveillance balloon or above, altitudes that 
could be used to expand cellular communications capabilities, support 
disaster response, collect weather data sets and more; the current Test 
Sites have experience in these flight regimes and could increase their 
capacity to support customers and partners interesting in operating at 
these altitudes. We can also expand our operations to support those 
regions and entities that desire to be test sites through the processes 
and procedures we use to operate our ranges in Oregon and Hawai'i. 
These were set up after the Test Site authorizations were granted to 
the University of Alaska for the entire Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range 
Complex instead of for Alaska, Hawai'i, and Oregon separately. We have 
been using these policies and procedures to bring additional 
operational areas across the country into the University of Alaska UAS 
Test Site. All seven current Test Sites have the ability to do this. 
This additional scope and support would require additional funding and/
or through our ability to charge for 44803(c) test and evaluation 
support.
    We also recommend that the term `governmental function' in 49 U.S. 
Code, Section 40125 be redefined to: 1) allow the FAA's Test Sites 
collect data on and oversee the research, development, test, and 
evaluation (i.e., aeronautical research) of all drones, not just those 
for Federal government use without requiring a 44803(c) waiver to be 
able to conduct civil operations, and 2) allow infrastructure 
inspections, public demonstrations, training and education, and all 
other activities that are in the public interest that are not currently 
considered `public operations' but are in the public's interest. 
Suggested wording changes are highlighted in red:
49 U.S. Code Sec.  40125--Qualifications for public aircraft status



                                 BEYOND
    The FAA's BEYOND program provides eight state, local, or tribal-led 
teams with assistance in navigating the regulatory and technical 
challenges associated with conducting BVLOS operations. In Alaska, the 
BEYOND program supports our long, linear infrastructure monitoring 
(e.g., the Trans-Alaska Pipeline), medical supply delivery, and large 
drone cargo delivery between remote communities efforts. In addition to 
providing technical and regulatory support to allow us to fly safe, 
pioneering missions in these three mission areas, the BEYOND program is 
quantifying who our stakeholders are and how we are engaging with them 
to best determine how to move the public and other stakeholder, such as 
the General Aviation community, acceptance of drones forward as drones 
increasingly enter the NAS. This program is a benefit to the all 
elements of the aviation community as it addresses the safe integration 
of drones flying BVLOS in the NAS using real-world operations as the 
use cases and quantifies the economic benefits of routine drone 
operations. BEYOND should be continued beyond its current expiration 
date of October 25, 2024.
 FAA's UAS Center of Excellence (a.k.a. the Alliance for System Safety 
              of UAS through Research Excellence--ASSURE)
    The ASSURE program has been conducting quality aviation safety 
research that leverages the expertise of the universities and 
identified partners. ASSURE research efforts support a broad cross 
section of technical research areas for the FAA by bringing teams of 
subject matter experts, technologists, and researchers together to 
focus on key FAA-identified knowledge gaps. For example, important 
ASSURE research includes studies on the effects of drones impacting 
people and other aircraft, the effectiveness of different detect and 
avoid technologies in spotting traditional aircraft and drones in the 
NAS, how to effectively integrate large drone cargo and urban air 
mobility platforms into airport infrastructure and the potential 
economic impacts of those technologies as they are adopted. The 
research products resulting from these studies are centered on 
improving safety and providing inputs for new guidance and regulations.
    The ASSURE universities receive funding through the program, which 
has been a major advantage to our participation in ASSURE, but the 
program requires a 1:1 cost match that is difficult for many schools to 
meet. The ASSURE program is requesting relief from the cost match 
requirement to allow greater participation in the program. The program 
also is seeking a ten-year, no-compete extension to be able to leverage 
the infrastructure, national and international partnerships, and 
expertise developed by the ASSURE team during the current research 
efforts into long-term research support and success for the FAA.
                         Remote Identification
    Remote Identification (a.k.a., Remote ID or RID) is the ability of 
a drone to provide identification information to other parties during 
flight. The Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Final Rule is a 
new regulation (Part 89 in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations) 
requiring all drone operators to buy a drone with standard RID 
equipment on it, equip their drone with a module that will broadcast an 
RID signal, fly at a FAA-Recognized Identification Area, or seek 
special authorization to operate the drone without an RID starting on 
September 16, 2023. Remote ID provides law enforcement and other 
agencies with information on the location of a drone's ground control 
station, and hence the location of the operator, of a drone that 
appears to be flying in a reckless or illegal manner. ACUASI team 
members are concerned about the safety of our drone operators in cases 
where we are flying legally, but an anti-drone person receives our 
Remote ID signal and intercepts our users in a hostile manner.
                              Counter-UAS
    Unmanned aircraft systems have a tremendous potential to increase 
aviation safety by doing the dirty, dull, and dangerous flights that 
currently put pilots at risk, improve cargo delivery to remote areas, 
deliver packages quickly, effectively and economically, provide 
broadband communications to remote areas, improve maritime domain 
awareness, facilitate Search and Rescue, assist law enforcement, 
monitor infrastructure, and a host of other positive use cases. 
However, it has been demonstrated that drones also can be used to 
conduct war, disrupt airports, commerce and transportation, support 
terrorism, and conduct other nefarious acts. Therefore, the U.S. needs 
to develop, test, and implement safe counter-UAS (C-UAS) technologies 
that will allow the discrimination between authorized drones, 
unauthorized drones, and traditional aviation and allow the safe 
removal of rogue drones from the NAS by authorized individuals.
    Counter-UAS technologies have the potential to adversely impact 
authorized drones, traditional aircraft, people or property on the 
ground, and/or safety systems in the NAS. As a result, the authority 
for conducting C-UAS activities has been limited to five agencies 
(i.e., DOD, DOE, DHS, DOJ, and the FAA) to ensure the highest levels of 
safety and security while protecting the public, drone operators, and 
others from potential collection and misuse of personally-identifiable 
information. The testing of C-UAS technologies, including some of the 
detection and tracking systems, has been limited due to their potential 
violation of sections in Title 18 U.S.C. including the Pen/Trap 
Statute, the Wiretap Act, the Aircraft Sabotage Act, the Computer Fraud 
and Abuse Act, and others, and in 49 U.S.C., under Aircraft Piracy. 
Additionally, countermeasure technologies themselves are frequently 
classified due to their value to national security. Therefore, the 
number of companies able to test C-UAS technologies is limited and 
requires the participation of one of the entities listed above to 
access restricted airspace and deploy the countermeasures. Remote ID 
will increase C-UAS technology's effectiveness by providing information 
on the locations of all authorized drones in an area, thereby allowing 
security officials to separate authorized drones from unauthorized 
drone, but rogue drones most likely will not be broadcasting RID 
signals or broadcasting false signatures, so other forms of C-UAS 
detection, tracking, and identification are needed.
    The FAA's authority has been limited to the testing of potential C-
UAS systems at five airports. This is not sufficient for the FAA to 
understand the effects of the C-UAS systems on the range of safety 
systems, such as First Responder communications systems and 
navigational aids, deployed across the NAS, or in non-airport locations 
including critical infrastructure. The FAA needs to be given a wider 
authorization to allow it to test these systems away from airports 
without the need to partner with another agency, which may have a 
different agenda for the testing, and a duplicative approval process 
that slows down testing approvals. Additionally, the agencies that have 
full C-UAS authorities should have their authorities renewed for a 
longer period of time.
    C-UAS researchers need be able to purchase a wide, representative 
variety of the types and configurations of the drones most commonly 
used in the NAS to effectively test the ability of C-UAS systems to 
detect, track, identify, and/or mitigate those drones. The tested 
drones need to include aircraft made by foreign manufactures on the 
list of banned organizations because those aircraft make up a large 
portion of all drones registered and flown in the U.S. The FAA and the 
FAA UAS Test Sites involved in current and upcoming C-UAS testing need 
an exemption from the ban on the purchase of those aircraft so they can 
support the C-UAS system testing and evaluation by providing the 
systems with challenges from the most common types of drones found in 
the NAS.
    ACUASI, as a UAS Test Site, BEYOND site, ASSURE member, etc., has 
yet to test mitigation systems due to our not having the authority to 
do so. However, we have conducted DAA testing, which is very similar to 
the detection and tracking piece of C-UAS, and we are partnering with 
organizations possessing the authorities to support the research 
necessary to determine the safety of the systems in the NAS. We need to 
test these technologies in Alaska due to our extreme environmental 
conditions, large number of General Aviation and commercial aircraft 
that could be affected by a C-UAS system, and our proximity to Russia.
                           Right of Way Rules
    ACUASI has been participating in efforts, such as the BVLOS 
Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), to establish the right of way 
rules for drones, especially those operating under 400 feet above 
ground level (AGL), the focus of the BVLOS ARC, Integration Pilot 
Program, and other efforts. We believe that most of the long-distance 
drone flights that will be conducted in Alaska will occur at altitudes 
above 400 feet AGL due to improved satellite, radar, ADS-B, and other 
navigational and communications availability and safety of flight 
(e.g., terrain avoidance) if the communications link is lost. However, 
our team believes that we must participate in the low-altitude 
operations discussion to ensure that Alaska's aviation interests are 
protected. As an example, many drone operators are pushing for the 
airspace below 400 feet AGL to be set aside for BVLOS drone operations 
without a DAA requirement by stating that no one flies under 400 feet 
AGL. Anyone who has spent any time flying around Alaska knows that many 
Alaskans, especially General Aviation pilots, fly under 400 feet AGL. 
They also know that pipelines, railroad tracks, and other 
infrastructure serve as navigational aids during deteriorating weather, 
which conflicts with some potential infrastructure shielding proposals. 
In the rest of the country, agricultural aircraft (a.k.a. crop dusters) 
and helicopters routinely fly at these altitudes and some visual routes 
at high density airports are at these altitudes. Additionally, on 
approach to Sacramento Metropolitan Airport, I observed a crop duster 
fly below high-tension power lines, which would not be allowed under 
potential shielding proposals.
    The ACUASI team believes that the current rules and regulations are 
a good starting point for discussing what a fully-integrated NAS should 
look like. There are some rules and regulations that need to be updated 
to allow for drone technology to enter the airspace with traditional 
aircraft, but in our opinion, we should keep what currently works and 
make minor modifications to fix what does not, not create new 
regulations from scratch.
    As an example of a regulation that needs to be fixed is the `see 
and avoid' clause of 14 C.F.R. Sec.  91.113(b). Currently, no drone can 
meet the regulations for avoiding other aircraft in the airspace as 
written in this clause. According to the FAA, the word `see' in 14 
C.F.R. Sec.  91.113(b) cannot be met using any method other than a 
human eye onboard an aircraft. The FAA's concern is that if an aircraft 
loses link with the ground control station, then streaming video would 
cease and the pilot would not be able to see any aircraft near the 
drone. Additionally, there can be significant time lags in streaming 
video that could result in an aircraft not being spotted until a 
collision cannot be avoided. Therefore, we recommend the following 
wording change to allow for the deployment of an on-aircraft system 
that can autonomously spot other aircraft in the air and avoid them.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    This paves the way for using DAA technology onboard the drone to 
help the drone give way to the traditional aircraft and maintain well 
clear. Onboard DAA technology also could be added to traditional 
aircraft with designs that limit the pilot's sight to keep them from 
colliding with aircraft they cannot see or to all aircraft to prevent 
distracted pilots from flying into other aircraft as has happened 
across the U.S., including several accidents in Alaska. Additionally, 
onboard DAA technology prevents the aircraft from violating well clear 
even if the link between the ground control station and the aircraft is 
lost, a distinct possibility in the challenging communications link 
conditions found in Alaska. Onboard DAA is a major stepping stone to 
safe, fully-integrated drone operations in Alaska. The FAA should fund 
significant DAA test and evaluation efforts to ensure the development 
of a small, light-weight DAA systems that operate in all conditions and 
are able to fit on a small drone without significantly decreasing the 
ability of that drone to carry a payload.
    Some other major stepping stones to safe, fully-integrated drone 
operations are improved weather information, enhanced communications 
(e.g., satellite communications, cellular communications, etc.), and 
fused airspace information displays. These technologies could provide 
the backbone for the integration of large drone cargo and passenger 
transport, a.k.a. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), with traditional 
aviation between remote communities in Alaska and for locations across 
the country. The FAA, FCC, National Weather Service, and other Federal 
agencies need to provide the State of Alaska and other organizations 
funding to allow for the build-out of the infrastructure required to 
implement such a system and build Alaska's future transportation 
system.
                         Workforce development
    Last, but by no means least, ACUASI is working to develop the 
workforce needed to support the incoming drone economy. As the 
University of Alaska, and in conjunction with Science, Technology, 
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) providers across Alaska, ACUASI is 
encouraging young minds, as well as the minds of military personnel 
transitioning to civil life, traditional pilots looking to retire from 
a life in the cockpit, and all others, to consider a career in a drone-
related endeavor. We are developing curricula for people to get 
certified in drone operations or to achieve a degree in aerospace 
engineering. More importantly, we also are identifying what new jobs 
are going to be required to support the field in the future. For 
example, currently the pilots who fly cargo into our remote communities 
unload the aircraft. In the future, we will need personnel to assist in 
the loading and loading of the cargo drone. We also will need drone 
mechanics, business owners, insurers, programmers, safety inspectors, 
and a host of other professionals. We will need to train scientists, 
real estate agents, cinemaphotographers, and teachers how to use the 
technology. We need payload developers and data analysts to analyze the 
data from novel payloads. There is an entire workforce associated with 
drone technology and its uses.
    The potential for the drone economy to be transformative in the 
State of Alaska is tremendous. I am excited that this cutting-edge 
technology may allow residents of Alaska's remote communities, often 
Alaska Natives who have lived in their communities for generations, to 
remain in the place they love and still have a high-tech career. The 
kids that our team engages during outreach events in these communities 
may no longer have to chose between their community and fast-paced, 
technological jobs. They see that no matter what their interests are, 
they will be able to participate in the drone economy. This will help 
alleviate the Alaska brain drain to the continental U.S. Additionally, 
students from across Alaska understand the value of aviation in their 
lives and bring that to the drone economy. They understand aviation 
safety and how drones can further that endeavor. We need to make sure 
that students, whether traditional or non-traditional, from across the 
U.S. see how they can participate in this up and coming field. Funding 
for outreach and training is essential for developing this workforce. 
The impact of the STEM efforts funded by ASSURE are a great example of 
how a single entity, ASSURE, can positively impact a wide variety of 
students including under-represented populations and show them the 
potential for a future in drones. This same impact can be felt in 
similar communities across the country. This is an inspiration model 
for our next generation and efforts of this type need to be funded 
throughout the FAA.
    In summary, Alaska is the logical place for the safe testing and 
implementation of drones for uses of import to Alaskans and the rest of 
the U.S. population. We have a need for drones. We have minimal ground 
hazards. We have a population that understands aviation and aviation 
safety. And we have a program, ACUASI, that is leading the way to safe 
drone integration in the NAS. Thank you for your help in making our 
efforts come to fruition across our great country.
    This ends my prepared statement and I would be happy to answer any 
questions you might have.

    Mr. Collins. Thank you.
    Next, Chief Roxana Kennedy, you are recognized for 5 
minutes for your testimony.

   TESTIMONY OF ROXANA KENNEDY, CHIEF OF POLICE, CHULA VISTA 
                       POLICE DEPARTMENT

    Ms. Kennedy. Thank you.
    Good morning, Chairman and Ranking Members of the 
committee, it is an honor to be here today.
    My name is Roxana Kennedy, and I am the chief of police for 
the Chula Vista Police Department. I have been in law 
enforcement for over 30 years, and I lead an agency with over 
400 sworn and civilian personnel. Chula Vista is the second 
largest city in San Diego County, with 52 square miles and a 
population of approximately 275,000 residents.
    My organization has developed an innovative and strategic 
way to respond to emergency calls for service despite low 
staffing and a growing community. These are two real concerns 
for law enforcement agencies.
    My goal today is to highlight the tremendous value of 
uncrewed aerial systems in law enforcement operations and how 
drones benefit and keep communities safer.
    In 2018, Chula Vista Police Department was selected as the 
only law enforcement agency to participate as a part of the 
FAA's Integration Pilot Program, and the same year we launched 
our Drone as First Responder program, commonly known as DFR.
    For those of you who aren't aware or familiar with the 
concept of DFR, let me explain.
    Our drones are stationed on one of five strategically 
placed rooftops throughout the city, with a pilot in command at 
each location for airspace awareness.
    Inside the police department, in our DFR operations center, 
we have an experienced sworn officer, also known as a 
teleoperator, who can launch and control any of the drones at a 
moment's notice. When someone calls dispatch and needs help, 
our teleoperator selects the closest drone to respond.
    Once overhead, the teleoperator essentially becomes the 
incident commander and directs responding officers or fire 
personnel to that emergency and provides critical information 
to those on scene.
    Additionally, the drone footage is livestreamed to police 
and fire personnel to provide real-time information.
    Our drones are responding to actual calls, not randomly 
patrolling our city. In the past 5 years, we have flown over 
14,000 successful missions. And for the first time in 10 years, 
we have met our priority 1 response time, largely due to DFR. 
Our average response time is just under 2 minutes.
    In police work, we don't have a crystal ball. We never know 
what we will encounter. And there can be unpredictable 
consequences. Let me give you an example of a DFR success 
story.
    There was a call for service to a local taco shop in our 
city. Multiple calls came in from frightened patrons reporting 
a man sitting at a table waving a gun around acting strangely. 
His behavior was concerning, and based upon details, we were 
unsure whether the subject was under the influence or 
experiencing a mental health crisis.
    Our teleoperator launched a drone and was able to arrive on 
scene within 1 minute and started providing invaluable 
information to responding officers.
    As the teleoperator watched from above, he noticed at one 
point the subject moved the gun toward his mouth. The concern 
was this person was going to commit suicide. Instead, the 
subject placed a cigarette in his mouth and then lit the 
cigarette with what appeared to be a gun. You could clearly see 
him now puffing on the cigarette and blowing smoke in the air.
    In reality, it was a cigarette lighter, not a gun. This 
information was provided to responding officers, creating a 
clearer picture in their minds, which changed their response.
    A traditional police response to this call could have ended 
tragically because of limited information. The ability to view 
the scene before officers arrived saved lives. This is by far 
the best deescalation tool I have seen in my law enforcement 
career.
    Our staff maneuvered through the FAA regulations, navigated 
the COA process, worked through technology issues, and has 
fought tooth and nail at times to keep our program going with 
no funding.
    While our relationship and support with the FAA team has 
been amazing, there are some things the FAA can do to better 
assist law enforcement agencies implementing a DFR program.
    The application process for COAs and waivers provides 
little to no feedback of what needs correction. Understanding 
early on what is needed would help streamline the process. 
Better communication from the FAA to applicants on delays in 
the process will be immensely beneficial.
    Recently, the FAA approved a complete BVLOS authorization 
for another agency's DFR program. This approval is a huge step 
and a win for law enforcement agencies. However, the FAA's 
inconsistencies regarding COAs and waiver approvals creates 
confusion. We recommend the recent approval of what some call 
the digital visual observer become a standard option for COAs, 
hence removing the remote-pilot-in-command requirement.
    As we build upon the future of drones in law enforcement, 
we recognize and value protecting public privacy, securing 
safely the data we collect, and maintaining transparency.
    In closing, drones are not a replacement for officers; they 
are an enhancement. Drone technology is crucial in keeping our 
officers, our community, and the subjects we contact safer.
    Thank you for the opportunity to share our story today, and 
I look forward to your questions.
    [Ms. Kennedy's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
  Prepared Statement of Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, Chula Vista 
                           Police Department
                              Introduction
    Good morning, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, and committee 
members. Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you today about FAA 
reauthorization and harnessing the innovation of Flight to Deliver for 
the American People. I cannot think of a better time to highlight the 
innovation of drone technology and how law enforcement's use benefits 
the safety and security of the American public.
    I am the Chief of Police of the Chula Vista Police Department 
located in California. The City of Chula Vista is a beautiful city 
located in the southern portion of coastal San Diego County. It is the 
second largest city in the county, and boasts more than 52 square miles 
of coastal landscape, canyons, rolling hills, mountains, quality parks, 
and miles of trails. Our southern edge of the city is only seven miles 
from the U.S. and Mexico border. Chula Vista has an approximate 
population of over 275,000 and growing with the development of our 
bayfront, which includes the development of a 535-acre hotel and resort 
property, convention center, parks, and residential housing.
    You may be wondering why a Chief of Police from a mid-size agency 
in California is talking with you today. Our city has been one of the 
fastest-growing cities in our nation. As a result, I have had to adjust 
public safety strategies to meet rapid changes in the needs of our 
community. We have embraced the use of technology to ensure my 
department keeps up with the changes in population demographics, 
traffic density, the location and scale of public safety calls for 
service, and other factors, all of which result in increased demands 
from our community at a time when our department is facing hiring 
challenges that most if not all police departments are experiencing 
today.
    I have been in law enforcement with the Chula Vista Police 
Department for over 30 years. I have seen innovation and technology go 
from nonexistent and minimal, to crucial and essential tools for the 
safety and effectiveness of our officers. When I began my career, 
technology was limited. We hand wrote our police reports, on paper 
report forms in pencil in case we made a mistake; there were no mobile 
data computers, and we would receive limited call information from a 
dispatcher over the radio. It was up to my partners and I to react and 
cope with whatever scene that we were thrust into. Sometimes that 
worked out well; other times, it was challenging to say the least. In 
police work, we don't have a crystal ball and usually can't see 
whatever we may be about to face. Without the ability to adequately 
prepare for what our officers will encounter, our profession leaves so 
much to chance, which can sometimes result in unpredictable 
consequences. Let me explain in detail about the Drone as First 
Responder program, and how it helps give officers real-time information 
before they arrive at a crime scene so that they can be better prepared 
to keep themselves and our community safe.
                                Overview
    In 2018, the Chula Vista Police Department (California) pioneered a 
new concept in rapid response to police emergencies: Using uncrewed 
aerial systems (commonly known as drones) to pro-actively respond to 
emergency calls. The concept was so revolutionary that in May of 2018, 
it was chosen as the only municipal program in the nation a part of the 
FAAs Integration Pilot Program (IPP).
    The Drone as First Responder concept is different than traditional 
drone programs in that it is proactive rather than reactive. Instead of 
launching a drone after an officer is already on scene, Chula Vista's 
DFR program stations drones at permanent locations throughout the city 
and respond proactively to emergencies as soon as they happen.
    The intent of the program is to get a drone on scene before 
responding officers arrive. Certified teleoperators can evaluate the 
situation remotely and relay information to officers and field 
supervisors. The drone can also feed live-streaming video of the 
incident to commanders and first responders. This helps personnel 
determine the best tools, tactics, and resources to safely mitigate a 
problem--often before officers arrive on scene.
                       History of the DFR Program
    In December 2015, the Chula Vista Police Department formed a UAS 
committee and began studying the use of technology in our public safety 
operations. The Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) committee met dozens of 
times to explore best practices, policies, and procedures regarding 
using UAS technology within law enforcement. In 2017, we started 
tactical operations and deployed drones in the field.
    Prior to implementing the UAS Program, Chula Vista Police 
Department discussed its plan for UAS operations in the media, in 
public forums, and posted information about the project on the Chula 
Vista Police Department website. This outreach included a mechanism for 
the public to contact or email the UAS Team to comment on Chula Vista 
Police Department's UAS policy, to express concerns, or provide 
feedback. It is important to note that, out of respect for civil 
liberties and personal privacy, Chula Vista Police Department's UAS 
policy specifically prohibits the use of UAS systems for general 
surveillance. After exhaustive planning and research, Chula Vista 
Police department activated its UAS Program in the summer of 2017 to 
support tactical operations by our first responders.
    Beginning on October 22, 2018, with strong support from the 
community, we began deploying drones from the rooftop of the police 
department headquarters to 911 calls and other reports of emergency 
incidents, such as crimes in progress, fires, traffic accidents, and 
reports of dangerous subjects. This unique Concept of Operations 
(CONOPS) for drones developed out of a partnership between Chula Vista 
Police Department and third-party entities. Chula Vista Police 
Department was a part of the San Diego IPP Team, selected as one of 
only 10 teams among hundreds of applicants as part of the FAA's 
Integration Pilot Project (IPP). The IPP was a federal initiative 
designed to help integrate drones into the National Air Space (NAS).
    Chula Vista Police Department's CONOPS is called Drone as First 
Responder (DFR), and it is a transformational method of policing that 
has demonstrated the ability to increase officer and community safety 
and reduce overall police response times. DFR provides the ability to 
see what is going on at an incident before emergency personnel arrive 
on scene. In addition to the overhead perspective that traditional air 
support has always provided, DFR allows a trained incident commander to 
``virtually'' arrive on scene first, sometimes minutes before officers 
are in harm's way.
    The drone has a powerful on-board camera that streams HD video back 
to the department's real-time operations center where the teleoperator, 
who is a trained critical incident manager, not only controls the drone 
remotely, but communicates with the units in the field to give them 
information and tactical intelligence about what they are responding 
to. The system also streams the video feed to the cell phones of the 
first responders, supervisors, and command staff, so they can see 
exactly what the drone is seeing.
    The DFR Program continued to expand its capabilities with the 
ultimate goal of providing the ability to respond to any location in 
the city within minutes. In May 2019, the FAA authorized Chula Vista 
Police Department to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS waiver). 
This allowed the drones to fly up to 3 miles in any direction from the 
launch site (within city limits). Moving from a 1-mile flight radius to 
3 miles increased the area of service exponentially.
    In August 2019, Chula Vista Police Department partnered with 
private entities in our city and expanded its operations from one 
launch site to two launch sites in the city. The addition of the second 
site allowed the police department to provide DFR coverage over the 
entire western portion of the city. This area is roughly 30% of the 
City's geographic area but, due to its density and commercial activity, 
is responsible for about 70% of the priority calls for service.
    In March 2021, we again made history as the first in the United 
States to obtain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization to 
launch from anywhere in the city. In addition, Chula Vista Police 
Department formed business community partnerships with other third-
party entities in strategic locations in the eastern parts of the City 
to add three more launch sites. With the addition of the three new 
launch sites, we now have five launch sites available to Chula Vista 
Police Department, which allows the DFR Program to provide city-wide 
coverage and can launch drones to much of the geographical area of 
Chula Vista (see below figure 1).

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
                     Figure 1. DFR launch locations

    Additionally, Chula Vista Police Department was the first in the 
nation to obtain a two-to-one waiver, allowing us to launch two drones 
from each location. Flight time is limited for each drone but having 
the ability to launch two drones from each location gives us 
uninterrupted coverage when the community needs us most.
                          DFR Program Staffing
    The Chula Vista Police Department's DFR program includes two 
dedicated full-time police officers who are teleoperators for the 
drones. The teleoperators work from a dedicated office space within the 
police headquarters building, located near the watch commander's office 
and the police department's Real Time Operations Center. Additionally, 
when our DFR program started the FAA regulations required additional 
personnel to always maintain direct visual observation of the UAS while 
in flight.
    At that time, the FAA prohibited using technology or virtual 
presence to meet this requirement. As a result, the Police Department 
must also maintain a physical presence of at least one Pilot-in-Command 
(PIC) at each launch site to directly view and monitor the airspace 
around the drone, who can take immediate control of the drone if 
necessary to avoid an accident. To meet this requirement, the Police 
Department utilizes a private third-party company to provide staffing 
to fulfill this FAA requirement for Pilots-in-Command.
                   Current Status of the DFR Program
    Since the program's inception, DFR has responded to more than 
14,000 calls for service. In a statistically significant number of 
situations (over 25% of the time, or 3,509 deployments), DFR avoided 
the need to send ground units to the scene. Most of these calls for 
service (without DFR support) would have otherwise required a two-
officer response. In addition, the DFR program allows the Police 
Department to have a drone resource on the scene of an emergency much 
quicker than ground units.
    As seen in Figure 2, on average, since the start of our DFR 
program, a drone arrives on the scene of a call in just under 2 
minutes. The drone's rapid arrival allows the teleoperator to relay 
information to responding officers and helps document crimes-in-
progress to enhance subsequent criminal investigations and prosecution.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Figure 2. Drone as First Responder Dashboard (October 2018 to March 26, 
                                 2023)

                              Transparency
    Transparency and building trust with our community is so important 
to Chula Vista Police Department that we created a dashboard for our 
community. Often the community mistakes any drone as a law enforcement 
drone. Beginning in April 2021, Chula Vista Police Department along 
with third party vendors partnered to provide information on every 
flight by a Chula Vista Police Department drone.
    Chula Vista Police Department uses drone software to track all 
drone flights launched by the department to achieve public 
transparency. The drone flight dashboard displays the date, time, 
incident or case number, and flight path. Chula Vista Police Department 
's policies prohibit drone operators from intentionally recording or 
transmitting images of any location where a person would have a 
reasonable expectation of privacy, except where authorized by a warrant 
issued by a judge or in emergencies. See figure 3 below.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

             Figure 3. Drone as First Responder Flight Data

                                Privacy
    Our community's privacy is of the utmost importance, and the Chula 
Vista Police Department is committed to maintaining and protecting the 
privacy rights of our community. One way we ensure our community's 
privacy is when clearing a call, the camera is automatically pointed to 
the horizon when returning to the launch location. The Chula Vista 
Police Department's use of drones is intended to enhance its response 
to calls for service. As such, drones are only used during an active 
response to an emergency or other call for police assistance, and the 
videos captured constitute investigatory records exempt from disclosure 
under California's open record laws.
    In addition, any video that may not fall under the investigatory 
category may be shielded from disclosure under various other California 
state laws, such as the Welfare and Institutions Code and the Vehicle 
Code. The Chula Vista Police Department prohibits drone operators from 
intentionally recording or transmitting images of any location where a 
person would have a responsible expectation of privacy, such as private 
backyards or inside private buildings, except where authorized by a 
warrant issued by a judge or in emergencies.
                      Data Collection and Storage
    Video and photos collected by DFR are stored to conduct police 
investigations and subsequent prosecutions. Accordingly, videos and 
photos are generally accessible to police investigators for official 
use only. Like all police records, video and photos may also be subject 
to additional release under the same rules and restrictions as Body 
Worn Camera (BWC) Video and other items of evidence. Generally, UAS 
photos and videos are considered part of the investigative record. 
Therefore, they are unavailable under the California Public Records Act 
(CPRA) or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
    I am aware of concerns with foreign drone technology and the 
potential for access to confidential law enforcement information. Our 
drone data does not utilize the onboard software from the drone 
manufacturer. From the onset of our program, we have used an encrypted, 
U.S.-based software program to bypass the drone manufacturer's systems. 
Our data is encrypted and stored on U.S.-based servers that meet 
federal requirements for confidential law enforcement databases.
    Additionally, the Chula Vista Police Department owns ALL its data. 
Chula Vista Police Department does not share or sell any of its data 
with any 3rd party companies. Third party companies cannot access our 
data from the Chula Vista Police Department.
    The Chula Vista Police Department's use of foreign drone technology 
is driven solely due to capabilities and equipment of the foreign drone 
system. This includes flight time and distance and most importantly the 
optical and digital zoom with the camera. I am hopeful that American 
made drone companies will be able to manufacture a credible option to 
their foreign competitors. I feel law enforcement agencies are 
struggling to keep up with rising crimes rates.
    It is my understanding that American made drones that are capable 
of all the necessary requirements for a DFR program are still many 
years away of being a proven replacement. Being forced to use a less 
suitable drone will cripple, if not halt, a successful drone program. 
Cost factors are also a significant concern for law enforcement 
agencies.
                            Success Stories
Person with a gun (Figure 4)
    Let me give you a few examples of DFR success stories. There was a 
call for service to a local taco shop in our city. Multiple calls came 
in from frightened patrons reporting a man sitting at a table waving a 
gun and acting strangely. His behavior was concerning, and based on the 
details, we were unsure whether the subject was under the influence or 
experiencing a mental health crisis.
    Our teleoperator launched a drone, arrived on the scene within a 
minute, and provided invaluable information to responding officers.
    As the teleoperator operator watched from above, he noticed the 
subject moved the gun toward his mouth at one point. The concern was 
this person might be preparing to commit suicide. Instead, the person 
placed a cigarette in his mouth while talking and then lit the 
cigarette with what appeared to be a gun. You could see him now puffing 
on the cigarette and blowing smoke. In reality, it was a cigarette 
lighter, not a gun. This information was provided to incoming officers, 
which helped create a clearer picture in their minds and changed the 
response of the arriving officers.
    A traditional police response to this call could have ended 
tragically. However, the ability to view the scene before officers 
arrive saves lives. This is just one of the hundreds of examples of 
technology and innovation keeping officers and our community safer. 
Drone as First Responder is the best de-escalation tool, I have seen in 
my law enforcement career.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Figure 4. Photo depicts a subject with what appears to be a gun but is 
                          a cigarette lighter.

Domestic Violence Call (Figure 5)
    Another example is when dispatch received a call about a domestic 
violence incident between a male and a female. Unfortunately, no 
officers were available to respond at the time, but our teleoperator 
heard the call and launched the nearest drone. The caller reported that 
one half of the dispute was on a motorcycle, and the other half was in 
a car. The caller continued stating the female in the car was trying to 
run into the male on the motorcycle.
    Once overhead, the teleoperator saw a white vehicle driving 
erratically in reverse, chasing a motorcyclist. The motorcyclist was 
forced to ride on the sidewalk to avoid being run over by the car. The 
teleoperator immediately recognized the severity of the call and asked 
Dispatch to clear officers from other calls to respond to this evolving 
emergency.
    During the call, the white vehicle is seen trying to ram the 
motorcyclist multiple times, even hitting the motorcyclist while he is 
stopped. The video is dramatic, and as it escalated, the motorcyclist 
was captured on video driving down an alley; trying to get away from 
the pursuing car.
    The teleoperator was able to monitor the incident and direct 
officers to the scene. Once officers arrived and through their initial 
investigation, the vehicle driver was arrested for domestic violence. 
The motorcyclist was also arrested; the motorcycle he was driving was 
reported stolen.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

   Figure 5. Photo depicts a driver trying to run motorcyclists over.

Person with a gun (Figure 6)
    An additional example is our dispatch center received a call of a 
person with a gun at our marina area. This area in our city is very 
popular and at times can be filled with hundreds of pedestrians and 
vehicles. Dispatch began receiving multiple calls of a person with a 
gun at the marina. The only other information received was that the 
person was in a red vehicle.
    Our teleoperator heard the call and launched the drone. Once the 
teleoperator arrived on scene, there were multiple cars at the marina 
but was lucky there was only one red car. As the teleoperator zoomed in 
with the camera it showed a female holding a weapon and pointing it 
towards the water. The female could be seen manipulating the weapon. 
The teleoperator directed ground units to the female and her 
companions. They learned the weapon was just a BB gun.
    Without the technology of DFR, this situation could have ended 
tragically.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

 Figure 6. Photo depicts person handling what appears to be a firearm.

Missing Juvenile at Risk (No photo)
    My last example is regarding a missing at-risk juvenile. One summer 
afternoon, dispatch received a call from a mother frantic, reporting 
her son was missing. The mother explained that her elementary school-
aged child had run away. She continued stating that her son became 
upset, got out of the car, and ran in the opposite direction. The 
mother quickly lost sight of her son and immediately called the police, 
panicked, and worried about her son's whereabouts.
    Our teleoperator launched the closest drone to check the area for 
the at-risk juvenile. Within minutes, our drone operator located a 
young child running in and out of traffic, who seemed lost or 
disoriented. The child matched the physical description given by his 
mother, which was relayed to officers in the area also looking for the 
child.
    The teleoperator directed grounds units to the child's location. 
The officers were able to reunite the child with his mother. The child 
was found several blocks from where he initially ran from his mother. 
This call could have ended very differently without the use of our 
Drone as First Responder program.
                            Recommendations
    Our staff has had to learn FAA regulations, navigate the COA 
process, work through technology issues, and fight tooth and nail at 
times to keep our program going with no funding. However, the FAA's 
support and guidance have been integral to our success. And while our 
relationship with the FAA Team has been amazing, there are some things 
they can do better to assist law enforcement agencies in implementing a 
DFR program such as ours.
            1. FAA'S COA Application Processing System (CAPS) Webpage
          The website is cumbersome and difficult to navigate. 
It is not user friendly.
          Additionally, the FAA requires a single user be 
registered to enter the monthly required COA flight data in the CAPS 
system. Only one user is allowed to enter information for any 
government agency changes. The website should allow multiple users per 
organization this is to prevent any single point of failure and allow 
an alternate or backup user to complete requirements.
            2. Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) Agent 
                    Assistance
          LEAP Special Agents should be more available to 
agencies looking to apply for or renew COAs and waivers. There are over 
18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States and very few LEAP 
agents which makes it challenging to locate and contact the LEAP agent 
for assistance.
            3. New Technology Progression
          FAA should continue to support law enforcements use 
of drone technology. Recently the FAA authorized a completely BVLOS 
authorization for another law enforcement agency's DFR operation. This 
is huge step and a win for law enforcement agencies using drones.
              However, The FAA's inconsistencies when it comes to COA 
and Waiver approvals create confusion. We recommend the recent approval 
of what some call the ``digital visual observer'', become a standard 
option for COA's. Removing the Remote Pilot in Command requirement will 
reduce staffing costs allowing more law enforcement agencies the 
ability to have a DFR program such as ours.
                               Conclusion
    In closing, the last few years have been challenging for law 
enforcement. Recruitment, hiring and retention are now at an all-time 
low. Law enforcement needs technology to help us meet the needs of the 
American people. Although, drones are not a replacement for first 
responders they are an important enhancement for modern policing.
    For the last five years, Chula Vista Police Department has blazed a 
path that I never imagined was possible when I was appointed chief six 
and a half years ago.
    Our success is a pleasant surprise after a lot of hard work, 
sacrifice, and trial and error.
    We know the work we are doing is laying the foundation for the FAA 
to help other agencies and drone programs throughout the country and we 
are doing our best to help others realize the benefits of drones for 
good.
    This endeavor has forged a pathway for other public safety agencies 
to follow our lead to establish their own innovative programs 
appropriate to their communities and airspace.
    The Drone as First Responder program is de-escalation at its best. 
By using drones, we provide officers, dispatchers, and supervisors with 
invaluable information. This allows officers to view potential hazards 
and develop sound strategies and tactics before rushing into 
potentially dangerous situations. The use of drones by law enforcement 
is one of the best tools for protecting our communities and harnessing 
the innovation of flight to deliver for the American people.

    Mr. Collins. Thank you.
    Dr. Stuart Ginn, you are recognized for 5 minutes for your 
testimony.

   TESTIMONY OF STUART GINN, M.D., MEDICAL DIRECTOR, WakeMed 
           INNOVATIONS, WakeMed HEALTH AND HOSPITALS

    Dr. Ginn. Thank you.
    Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Cohen, distinguished members 
of the Aviation Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to 
testify today.
    My name is Stuart Ginn. I am an ENT physician and surgeon 
at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina, 
where I also serve as the medical director of innovations. I am 
also the cofounder and president of the Coalition for Advanced 
Health Mobility, and a lifelong aviator and former flight 
instructor and airline pilot.
    WakeMed helped to develop the first drone-based medical 
package delivery system through our participation in the 
Integration Pilot Program. What we have seen in advanced health 
mobility makes it clear that uncrewed aircraft systems can 
improve healthcare access, save lives, and bring new 
efficiencies to healthcare logistics.
    I will outline three example use cases demonstrating how 
UAS can position to enhance public health.
    First, the creation of UAS routes connecting medical 
centers and blood banks, enabling the expeditious transport of 
blood products to support trauma in critical care systems. 
Research has shown that UAS can reduce delivery times by 50 
percent, mitigating blood supply and distribution issues and 
potentially improving outcomes for critically injured or ill 
patients.
    Second, UAS could become a frontline tool for emergency 
response within communities. An obvious example is the delivery 
of automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, to patients 
suffering sudden cardiac arrest. Every minute that passes 
before defibrillation results in a 7- to 10-percent reduction 
in survival, and AEDs are often inaccessible in communities. 
Similar time-critical deliveries could include epinephrine, 
naloxone, or albuterol rescue inhalers.
    Third, UAS can deliver medications and devices to support 
remote and virtual healthcare services. Access to reliable 
transportation to retrieve prescriptions or receive in-person 
medical care is often limited in both rural and urban 
communities, resulting in patients not receiving needed care.
    WakeMed was privileged to participate in the FAA's 
Integration Pilot Program and the current BEYOND program in 
partnership with the North Carolina Department of 
Transportation's team. Our initial UAS operation focused on the 
routine delivery of test samples from an outpatient facility to 
WakeMed's main campus laboratory. The UAS program augmented the 
ground courier network and provided more efficient delivery of 
lab specimens.
    While the program demonstrated the technology's utility, 
WakeMed made the decision to pause UAS operations due to the 
limited scalability afforded under the current regulatory 
regime. Specific regulatory limitations included the types of 
payloads that could be delivered, route expansion capabilities, 
flying beyond visual line-of-sight, or BVLOS, flying over 
people, and highly automated operations.
    WakeMed remains committed to advanced mobility. However, 
like other healthcare systems, we have been unable to continue 
investment until the regulatory environment evolves to meet the 
opportunity.
    For UAS operations that provide public health benefits, we 
should consider risk more holistically, including not only the 
risk to aircraft and people on the ground but also the risk of 
not conducting an operation--a concept referred to as ``dynamic 
risk.''
    Dynamic risk has been well-studied as a framework for 
adoption by several leading entities and may be best understood 
through the AED delivery use case. We have a technological 
capability to deliver an AED to a patient in cardiac arrest so 
that a bystander can begin defibrillation, for instance. In 
communities where first responders may take up to 15 minutes to 
arrive, the UAS may arrive up to 8 minutes faster. This 
potentially results in an 80-percent improvement in survival.
    The relative value of conducting this type of operation is 
self-evident. However, under current regulations, it is not 
possible.
    It is important to note that the dynamic risk model does 
not suggest a reduction or decreased emphasis on aviation 
safety. What I am suggesting is updating the processes being 
adopted from traditional aviation to better align with the 
opportunities and benefits UAS provide.
    In addition, we need to understand that the UAS industry is 
at an inflection point. Innovative companies in this space are 
operating with little to no revenue or profit, awaiting 
development of a regulatory framework that can support UAS 
integration and operations at scale. These innovators require a 
mature regulatory framework to offer products and services to 
healthcare customers with more palatable economics.
    I provide the Aviation Subcommittee with two 
recommendations for consideration as part of the 2023 FAA 
reauthorization: One, instruct the FAA to recognize and 
incorporate the concept of dynamic risk in approving 
operational requests that provide a clear public benefit; and, 
two, include a funded pilot program that will enable further 
testing, evaluation, and deployment of BVLOS and highly 
automated UAS operations in industries that provide a clear 
public benefit.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I look 
forward to answering any specific questions from the 
subcommittee.
    [Dr. Ginn's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
  Prepared Statement of Stuart Ginn, M.D., Medical Director, WakeMed 
               Innovations, WakeMed Health and Hospitals
    Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, distinguished Members of the 
Aviation Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to testify before 
you today to share my perspective on priorities associated with the 
upcoming FAA Reauthorization.
    My name is Dr. Stuart Ginn, I am an ear, nose and throat (ENT) 
physician and surgeon at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North 
Carolina, where I also serve as the hospital's Medical Director of 
Innovations. WakeMed is a private, not-for-profit healthcare system 
with three hospitals totaling 970 beds, including Wake County's only 
Level I Trauma Center, and several free-standing full-service Emergency 
Departments distributed across our community. WakeMed serves as the 
safety net hospital system serving one of the fastest-growing 
metropolitan areas in the United States and employs nearly 12,000 
community members in our region. WakeMed is committed to improving the 
health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding and 
compassionate care to all and works to remain a leader in patient 
safety, innovation, and education.
    Prior to working in healthcare for the past the past two decades, I 
began my career in aviation. At just 14 years old, I started learning 
to fly, earning my private pilot certificate and eventually becoming a 
certified flight instructor (CFI). Ultimately, I received my commercial 
pilot certification and subsequently served as a First Officer at a 
United Express carrier.
    In my role as Medical Director of Innovations, I have had the 
privilege, over the past several years, to leverage both passions to 
bring advanced aviation technology to our health system in an effort to 
prove uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) can be utilized to improve 
overall quality and access to healthcare. Our efforts, working with the 
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and all of our 
industry partners as part of the FAA's Integration Pilot Program (IPP) 
and BEYOND Programs, have been an incredible experience and we have 
learned a great deal.
    I was so inspired by our efforts in North Carolina that I wanted to 
make sure that hospitals and health systems across the country were 
aware of these opportunities and had the basic tools necessary to get 
air operations up and running. So, in 2021, I co-founded the Coalition 
for Advanced Health Mobility (CAHM), where I currently serve as 
President.
    What we've seen in advanced health mobility makes it clear that 
this technology can revolutionize healthcare access, save countless 
lives in emergency response situations, and bring health logistics to 
new levels of efficiency. However, we have also faced substantial 
barriers to implementation in our efforts to integrate and scale the 
technology to better serve our community. Over the next several minutes 
I would like to share my thoughts on how we can seize this opportunity 
and work collaboratively to find innovative solutions to break through 
the chokepoints keeping us from reaching full capability in this area.
                   Opportunity for UAS in Healthcare
    UAS technology presents an incredible opportunity for both the 
aviation and healthcare industries. As an aviator, I can appreciate all 
the benefits that UAS bring, including lowering barriers to access, 
aviation-related jobs, and utilizing a greater percentage of the 
National Airspace System (NAS). As a healthcare professional, UAS 
present an opportunity to provide low cost, rapid response capabilities 
to deliver high-value medical payloads between facilities and directly 
to those in need, extending the reach of healthcare facilities and 
providers and delivering new forms of flexible healthcare 
infrastructure. The result is the ability to address critical public 
health needs using traditionally underutilized airspace while improving 
opportunities for access to aviation and achieving a high level of 
operational safety.
    I've prepared three sample use cases which I believe represent 
relevant examples of how UAS are positioned to enhance public health.
    Blood Product and Sample Delivery: A critical and feasible early 
use case is the creation of UAS routes connecting medical centers and 
enabling the expeditious transport of blood products to support trauma 
and critical care systems. Research has shown UAS can reduce blood 
product delivery times by 50%, improving outcomes for critically 
injured or ill patients.\1\ Blood and laboratory samples, vaccines, 
testing kits, and other supplies can also be transported between 
facilities, greatly improving access to these supplies and devices and 
improving patient care. This is consistent with WakeMed's program 
findings when delivering blood samples across the WakeMed Raleigh 
Campus, reducing delivery times from 44 minutes per delivery on average 
to 20 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ (Li, et al. 2022)
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    Emergency Response Delivery: Emergency medical services (EMS) 
continue to see rapid advancement in technologies, best practices, and 
potentially lifesaving tools that often take far too long to implement. 
UAS could become a front-line tool for emergency response systems. One 
of the most obvious examples is the delivery of automated external 
defibrillators (AEDs), which are compact, portable devices capable of 
delivering an electric shock to a patient in cardiac arrest. Patients 
who experience sudden cardiac arrest, who may have no prior medical 
history of heart disease, have a 5% survival rate in the United 
States.\2\ According to the same study published by the American Heart 
Association, data shows survival rates from cardiac arrest double when 
bystanders apply an AED before emergency responders can arrive. Every 
minute that passes while a patient waits for defibrillation results in 
a 7% to 10% reduction in survival.\3\ This presents a significant 
opportunity for UAS to be deployed for rapid delivery of AEDs to 
patients in the community where distance from a healthcare facility or 
personnel would otherwise impact their survival. There are many areas 
across the country where UAS delivery could dramatically reduce 
response times compared to traditional EMS due to terrain, population 
density, or traffic congestion. Other examples of emergency response 
applications include delivering epinephrine (EpiPen) for severe 
allergic reactions, Naloxone (Narcan) for treatment of overdoses, 
albuterol rescue inhalers for respiratory distress, and glucose or 
dextrose for severe hypoglycemia, all potentially fatal conditions 
without immediate medical intervention.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ (Pollack, et al. 2018)
    \3\ (Cheskes, et al. 2020)
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    Prescription and Medical Device Delivery: UAS may provide patients 
with the option to have their prescriptions or other healthcare devices 
to support virtual care services delivered via air transport. Access to 
reliable transportation to pick up prescriptions or receive in-person 
medical care may not always be an option, resulting in patients not 
receiving needed care. Remote health is also evolving rapidly in the 
wake of the pandemic, resulting in healthcare systems across the 
country prioritizing innovation in remote healthcare and expanding how 
health services are delivered. There are devices a patient can use at 
home that provide a virtual healthcare physician with important data 
needed for patient diagnosis and treatment. These devices could be 
delivered from a healthcare facility directly to a patient to support 
virtual care services.
    While I focus this presentation on small UAS, there are ample use 
cases for crewed and uncrewed advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, as 
well. These would include emergency response, the transport of doctors 
and patients between facilities, and supporting larger medical cargo 
deliveries between centers and across larger regions. Please take this 
small subset of use cases as a glimpse of the potential for UAS to 
provide public health benefits, and note there are many use cases not 
discussed, such as organ transfer and natural disaster response, to 
name a few.
                Progress in UAS Medical Package Delivery
    The FAA's UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) was established in 
2017 as the result of a presidential memorandum to enable enhanced 
drone integration into the NAS.\4\ The program evaluated several use 
cases across diverse environments to collect data to inform regulatory 
changes necessary to facilitate safe, scalable, and repeatable 
operations, while also providing valuable data on the societal and 
economic implications of wide-scale implementation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ (Trump 2017)
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    WakeMed joined the NCDOT IPP Lead Participant team because of the 
potential for UAS to support system growth, expand our geographic 
service footprint, address longstanding logistics challenges impeding 
care delivery, increase transparency in the supply chain, and work 
towards effective UAS integration into routine healthcare system 
operations. Other North Carolina healthcare systems delivered personal 
protective equipment (PPE), transfusion materials, pharmaceuticals, and 
vaccinations. NCDOT team partners completed about 12,000 medical 
package deliveries under the FAA IPP and have completed about 6,000 
thus far under the FAA BEYOND Program.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ (Block 2023)
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    WakeMed's initial operation with UAS manufacturer Matternet and UAS 
operator UPS Flight Forward focused on the routine delivery of test 
samples from an outpatient surgical center and clinic to WakeMed's main 
campus laboratory. The UAS delivery augmented ground courier deliveries 
on the route and provided for faster, more efficient delivery of lab 
samples between those facilities. To enable this operation, UPS Flight 
Forward was required to obtain FAA approval to carry hazardous 
materials (HAZMAT) and local airspace coordination with medical 
helicopter operations was required. UPS Flight Forward went on to 
achieve the first Uncrewed Standard Part 135 Air Carrier certification 
from the FAA in 2019 and Matternet developed one of the first FAA type-
certified UAS in the United States.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ (AUVSI News 2019); (Federal Aviation Administration 2022)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Ultimately, WakeMed and our partners in the IPP completed 1,663 
safe flights, serving 6,648 patients in need, and drastically cutting 
the average medical delivery time from an hour to only a few minutes, 
enabling patients to both rapidly receive a diagnosis and begin 
treatment.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ (See Footnote 5)
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    In August of 2021, WakeMed reassessed the cost-benefit of our UAS 
program to determine whether the program's demands and benefits aligned 
with the costs of competing priorities. The challenging decision was 
made to pause the UAS program on the basis that its limited scale did 
not support feasible economics or capabilities for the overall delivery 
system. This appears to be an emerging theme among other healthcare 
systems engaged in UAS innovation. While WakeMed remains a partner for 
the NCDOT BEYOND program, we, along with other healthcare systems, are 
unable to continue to financially invest in a technology that faces 
continued regulatory constraints towards commercialization and 
scalability.
    Other healthcare systems across the country have also initiated 
pilot programs or demonstrations to investigate how UAS can improve 
healthcare services. In April 2019, the first organ was flown 2.8 miles 
from an organ procurement non-profit on the outskirts of Baltimore to 
the University of Maryland Medical Center in the city's urban core.\8\ 
This delivery occurred outside of the IPP program but signaled to 
medical professionals and advocates in healthcare that we were on the 
precipice of substantial advancement in the industry. In January 2021, 
the State University of New York's (SUNY) Upstate University Hospital 
began UAS transport of COVID-19 testing kits from the downtown Syracuse 
hospital to nearby laboratories.\9\ Other healthcare systems invested 
in UAS medical package delivery include University of California San 
Diego Health, Novant Health, Vidant Health, Atrium Health, Beaumont 
Health, Cardinal Health, Hutchinson Regional Health System, and others.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ (Maryland Today Staff 2019)
    \9\ (Geddes 2021)
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               Challenges to UAS Medical Package Delivery
    The largest impediment to healthcare systems deploying and 
sustaining UAS medical package delivery programs are the current 
regulatory constraints. Let me start by saying I think the FAA has 
worked under challenging circumstances to adapt regulations that have 
proven to be effective at maintaining U.S. leadership and safety in 
traditional crewed aviation. However, adapting and applying these 
regulations has been burdensome relative to the risk of the proposed 
operations. WakeMed would still be flying, potentially on a larger 
scale, if not for the immense regulatory constraints that ultimately 
made it too difficult to continue investment in the program.
    For healthcare systems to adopt UAS technology, the operations need 
to be scalable with reasonable economics to support the financial 
investments in standing up and integrating a UAS program. WakeMed 
learned this firsthand as program growth was significantly constrained 
by regulatory approval processes which were out of our control. Some 
examples of these pain points include: limitations on what types of 
payloads could be delivered with UAS, limited route expansion 
capabilities, restrictions on flying beyond visual line of sight 
(BVLOS), restrictions on flying over people and vehicles, and any 
significant level of automation. A healthcare system is highly 
incentivized by UAS operations that can quickly scale, adapt to new 
payloads as needs arise, and deliver across a larger geographic region 
in both rural and urban settings.
    As an example, WakeMed attempted to implement a new use case at the 
beginning of the pandemic leveraging our existing UAS system to support 
an expanded COVID testing network. Our operator petitioned the FAA for 
operational approval with supporting documentation to deploy UAS for a 
distributed testing model to improve access to early COVID testing 
where it was desperately needed. The idea had broad support from within 
WakeMed and presented an opportunity to build on the successful 
deployment of UAS for lab specimen transport to uniquely support public 
health in our region. Ultimately, the request was not approved and the 
public health benefits we were trying to achieve could not be realized.
    The constraints of scaling operations due to regulatory barriers 
have also limited healthcare investments in important infrastructure to 
sustain operations and improve operational efficiencies. These include 
investing in infrastructure integration, both physical and digital, 
developing multimodal transportation systems interfaces, integrating 
into the healthcare operation, and more. The pilot programs to-date 
have never truly relied on UAS to deliver medical packages; they have 
always been ancillary, with other transportation alternatives as the 
primary modes.
    I am aware of several other healthcare systems who have also had to 
slow or pause UAS operations due to lack of regulatory progress to 
approve UAS operations. WakeMed is not an anomaly, this is happening 
across the United States as pilot programs struggle to transition into 
sustained operations. The technology is ready. The regulatory 
foundation is not.
            What is Needed to Enable Public Health Benefits
    The FAA has taken the approach of defining acceptable levels of 
risk for commercial and general aviation that considers air and ground 
risks in safety case analyses. The standards developed for crewed 
aviation have set a high bar for safety, which makes sense because an 
incident in the air is catastrophic to those directly impacted onboard 
and potentially non-participating individuals on the ground. The FAA 
has applied the same safety methodology and processes to UAS, targeting 
equivalent levels of safety for small uncrewed aircraft operating in 
the NAS. I believe the FAA's approach has been the most conservative, 
especially for existing airspace users to prevent mid-air collisions, 
but is a static approach for evaluating risk for UAS operations.
    For operations that provide public health benefits, we should 
consider risk more holistically to include not only the risk to 
aircraft and people on the ground, but also the risk of not conducting 
an operation. This concept is referred to as dynamic risk where the 
risk of performing an operation is evaluated against the benefits that 
operation provides.
    Dynamic risk has been well studied as a framework for adoption by 
several leading entities including NASA, the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH), and the American Institute of Aeronautics and 
Astronautics (AIAA). The FAA found in their IPP Final Report that 
identifying potential societal and economic impacts is important for 
safely integrating UAS package deliveries and recommended the FAA 
measure and quantify the societal and economic impacts of UAS 
operations. The FAA UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation 
Rulemaking Committee (ARC) Final Report recommended the FAA assess and 
evaluate the societal benefits and consider those benefits as part of 
the ``overall risk and rewards balance''. Additionally, MITRE, a 
Federally Funded R&D Center (FFRDC), released ``A Holistic Approach for 
Assessing Drone Benefits, Safety, and Societal Acceptance'' which 
outlines an approach for considering the potential risks and benefits 
of a proposed UAS operation as part of a broader NAS risk assessment.
    Dynamic risk may be best understood through the AED delivery use 
case presented earlier. The risk of mortality after suffering from 
sudden cardiac arrest increases by 7% to 10% for every minute of delay 
before defibrillation.\10\ A UAS could be launched, fly beyond visual 
line of sight, and drop an AED to nearby bystander to begin 
defibrillation all within minutes in a rural community, which may have 
otherwise taken up to 15 minutes for first responders to arrive. The 
previously mentioned study shows that UAS may arrive between 1.8 to 8 
minutes faster compared to traditional medic units, resulting in a 
12.6% to 80% improvement in the chance of survival. In this case, where 
every second matters, saving just a few minutes provides substantial 
public health benefits by improving the chance of an individual 
surviving following a cardiac arrest. Few would question the necessity 
of conducting this type of operation when the choice is between either 
increasing an individual's chance of survival by 80% versus the 
potential air and ground risk of flying a UAS the in the NAS at an 
altitude at or below 400 feet in a rural environment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \10\ (See Footnote 3)
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    It is important to note the dynamic risk model does not suggest a 
reduction or decreased emphasis in aviation safety. No aircraft should 
fly beyond visual line of sight if it has not been designed to do so or 
if it does not have reasonable safety mitigations in place. What I am 
suggesting is to update the antiquated processes being adapted from 
traditional aviation to better align with the opportunities UAS may 
provide to benefit society and healthcare systems like WakeMed.
    In addition, we need to understand the UAS industry is at an 
inflection point. Companies have been working tirelessly since before 
the FAA IPP kicked off in 2017, operating for years with little to no 
revenue or profit while awaiting development of a regulatory framework 
to enable UAS integration and scalability. Investment in use cases that 
support critical societal needs will enable further testing and data 
collection for advanced and complex UAS operations. The public has a 
higher tolerance for risk for use cases with clear public benefit. As 
such, public health applications should continue to be an early focal 
point for FAA programs especially for advanced UAS operations, such as 
BVLOS and highly automated operations. Safety data and best practices 
achieved in these high-value operations can then be utilized to enable 
further industry maturation.
                      Summary and Recommendations
    Healthcare systems have demonstrated a desire to integrate UAS into 
their day-to-day operations and to leverage the technology to deliver 
innovative services within their communities, creating substantial 
public health benefits. These benefits include increasing access to 
healthcare services, delivering lifesaving medicines and equipment 
within communities, and improving the economics of delivering 
healthcare, to name a few. Healthcare systems like WakeMed are ready to 
leverage the positive momentum from the IPP and BEYOND programs to 
develop scalable, flexible, UAS-based systems to augment healthcare 
infrastructure and enhance public health. Unfortunately, the current 
regulatory framework has inhibited innovation in the healthcare domain 
as lead times for regulatory approvals and operational economics have 
made it difficult to sustain investment in UAS programs. These 
challenges have also limited healthcare investment in internal 
infrastructure and integration that would enable broader adoption 
within the healthcare system.
    I provide the Aviation Subcommittee two recommendations for 
consideration as part of the 2023 FAA Reauthorization:
    1.  Include language in the FAA Reauthorization to recognize and 
utilize the concept of dynamic risk in approving operational requests 
that provide a clear public benefit. Dynamic risk will leverage what 
has worked well for traditional aviation and right-size risk 
considerations against public benefit for public health and other 
operations that provide societal benefits.
    2.  Include a funded pilot program in the FAA Reauthorization that 
will enable further testing, evaluation, and deployment of BVLOS and 
highly automated UAS operations in industries that provide clear public 
benefits. The implementation of a dynamic risk model will require 
further testing and evaluation of UAS in real-world environments, in 
parallel to developing the necessary risk models.

    Thank you for the opportunity to testify and I look forward to 
answering any specific questions from the Subcommittee.
Bibliography
AUVSI News. 2019. ``UPS Flight Forward Awarded First Full Part 135 
    Standard Certification Operate UAS.'' AUVSI Technology 1. https://
    www.auvsi.org/industry-news/ups-flight-forward-awarded-first-full-
    part-135-standard-certification-operate-uas.

Block, Joseph, interview by Dr. Stuart Ginn. 2023. Program Manager, 
    North Carolina (DOT) Lead Participant--FAA BEYOND Program (March).

Cheskes, Sheldon, Shelley L. McLeod, Michael Nolan, Paul Snobelen, 
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    Mr. Collins. Thank you.
    The chair has been notified there will be a series of votes 
occurring on the House floor. The committee shall stand in 
recess, subject to the call of the chair.
    [Recess.] [12:12 p.m.]
    Mr. Yakym [presiding]. The Subcommittee on Aviation of the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will reconvene 
the previously recessed hearing.
    And before I yield myself time to ask questions, we do have 
a question from the committee here directed to Mr. Woodworth.
    I am going to yield you 1 minute to explain what exactly 
you have here in the room with us.
    Mr. Woodworth. Thank you, Chairman.
    I am an airplane designer, and so, the comment about being 
a Spruce Goose I took to heart.
    So, this is our airplane. This is the one that we--this 
isn't a model of it; this is an actual plane that we use to do 
package delivery around the world today. So, it is about 10 
pounds, carries about 3 pounds of stuff, and it goes and 
delivers boxes.
    Mr. Cohen. Is that the real deal?
    Mr. Woodworth. Yes, sir, that is a real airplane.
    Mr. Cohen. Not quite the Spruce Goose?
    Mr. Woodworth. Sorry, I couldn't hear you, sir.
    Ms. Cohen. Not quite the Spruce Goose.
    Mr. Woodworth. Not quite.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Adam.
    I now recognize myself for 5 minutes for questions.
    I would like to thank each of our witnesses today for 
taking time to study your respective fields and lend your 
expertise as we continue to work on the FAA reauthorization.
    For the last 120 years, the United States has been the 
leader and the elite innovator in aviation since its very 
inception, but I am concerned that we are starting to cede that 
ground to foreign nations.
    Mr. Woodworth, I want to dig into something in your written 
testimony that really caught my eye. You state that Wing's most 
mature and high-volume operations are in Canberra and Logan 
City, Australia.
    Is this indicative of the United States ceding that 
leadership role? And what is Australia doing that the United 
States isn't doing that caused those two cities to become your 
leading markets?
    Mr. Woodworth. Thank you for the question.
    And, yes, in very broad strokes, I think that it comes down 
to what I mentioned in my testimony about being predictable and 
pragmatic.
    So, there are, what we call in aviation, performance-based 
standards and outcomes-based rulemakings. So, this is basically 
like you sort of fit the rules to the size and the risk of the 
thing that you are talking about.
    Australia was one of the first nations and their aviation 
authority, their CASA, was one of the first organizations to 
adopt those sorts of standards and rulemaking, and so, we found 
it as a place where we could go and operate in the way that 
would be representative----
    Mr. Yakym [interrupting]. Mr. Woodworth, do you mind 
pulling your mic a little bit closer? I am told that it is not 
coming through the video.
    Mr. Woodworth. Sorry about that.
    Mr. Yakym. There you go.
    Mr. Woodworth. So, Australia and their aviation regulator, 
CASA, was one of the first aviation regulators in the world to 
adopt those sorts of performance-based standards and 
rulemaking. And that presented a framework where we could go 
and do commercial delivery of packages beyond visual line-of-
sight for compensation. And that was really a first-in-the-
world type of opportunity.
    Interestingly, the idea for this came from the United 
States. So, the idea around performance-based rulemaking, the 
idea around these sorts of standards creation is an idea 
created in the U.S. It is just that the U.S. has fallen behind 
in the implementation of it. So, that is why we fly mostly in 
Australia today.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you. That is helpful.
    And also to Mr. Woodworth, I look at the FAA 
reauthorization landscape, and I see a lot of proposals that 
fall underneath the FAA reorganization. But whether it is 
moving around responsibilities or creating new offices and 
elevating certain technologies, we have to balance the merits 
of each of these proposals against the fiscal state of the 
Nation, also against the prospect of making the FAA even more 
unwieldy than it is today.
    And so, I am working on legislation that would create a new 
Office of the Associate Administrator for UAS Integration, 
because I think that drones like yours shouldn't necessarily be 
treated like someone like Cessna or Boeing as it relates to 
authorizing that aircraft to fly domestically. We need to 
acknowledge their unique attributes as well as their unique 
challenges. And we should give them visibility within the FAA 
so they don't fall by the wayside, as it seems like is 
happening right now.
    But, Mr. Woodworth, you are on the ground doing this stuff, 
so, my question for you would be: Would creating an Associate 
Administrator position at the FAA help Wing and others in your 
industry?
    Mr. Woodworth. Yes, we believe it would.
    So, the UAS Integration Office has been around for a while 
now. They are who most of us, as stakeholders, coordinate 
through almost on a daily basis for advancing the integration 
of UAS. And they do a lot of the work, they do a lot of 
coordination, but they do not have decisionmaking, rulemaking, 
or approval authority.
    And so, I think that by elevating the position of that 
office, creating a new position with it that has the ability to 
really make decisions and implement approvals, it would take 
the folks who are doing a lot of the work and give them the 
authority to follow through with it.
    Mr. Yakym. Great.
    And if you could have the level of predictability that you 
are looking for within the FAA reauthorization, are there 
additional investments that you would make into research and 
development and developing additional technologies once you 
fully deploy this one domestically?
    Mr. Woodworth. Absolutely.
    So, we view ourselves as a delivery company that happens to 
use airplanes to do that delivery. And as an airplane designer, 
like, you are not going to use this same airplane to go and 
deliver every box in the U.S.
    So, you are going to need different kinds of airplanes, you 
are going to need different CONOPS, you are going to need all 
sorts of different use cases to meet the needs of your 
constituents. And so, I believe that it is fundamental to have 
a framework that can adopt that.
    Mr. Yakym. Great.
    And, also, speaking of my constituents, I want to recognize 
five of my constituents who are here today, two from Goshen and 
three from New Carlisle. I thank you all for coming.
    And I yield back.
    And now I would like to recognize the ranking member, Mr. 
Cohen, for 5 minutes of his questions.
    Mr. Cohen. Thank you, sir.
    Mr. Woodworth, first of all, can you concisely tell us what 
you think we should pass to have the public understand their 
interactions with drones and different types of new flight 
vehicles?
    Mr. Woodworth. I think it comes back to the recommendations 
I put forth, and the first two are the keys in that.
    So, one, establish a target level of safety. So, say what 
the bar that we are building to is. And then, two, establish a 
certification framework that is right-sized to that.
    Mr. Cohen. Do you think there will be people that will 
complain about privacy issues, with these vehicles flying over 
maybe their swimming pools?
    Mr. Woodworth. So, that is a question we often get, and I 
appreciate it. And I think that there is a path forward for the 
responsible integration of these systems into national airspace 
and into everyone's daily lives. We take privacy very seriously 
in our operations, and I know a lot of the other operators here 
have expressed similar thoughts.
    As you said, holding up the cell phone, with any new 
technology, there are going to be questions about how it is 
used, how it develops. And I think that bringing it back to 
building a framework where the Government has the ability and 
authority to both introduce and regulate those consequences, I 
think, would provide mitigations.
    Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
    Dr. Cahill, let me ask you a couple of things.
    First of all, you mentioned BEYOND in your testimony. Do 
you know if that is an acronym?
    Ms. Cahill. Initially, it was not an acronym. They named 
the program ``Beyond,'' and someone said, ``Well, it has to be 
an acronym,'' so, they came up with one. And none of us can 
remember it.
    Mr. Cohen. That is appropriate.
    Did you recognize Mr. Young here? [Indicating portrait of 
the late Congressman Don Young.]
    Ms. Cahill. I am delighted to see the painting of 
Congressman Young here. It reminds me of where I could be, 
which right now happens to be a lot colder and does not have 
cherry blossoms.
    Mr. Cohen. He was a beloved member of this committee and 
this Congress, and bipartisan and just--Mr. Young. And I love 
the fact he has got all forms of transportation in there, 
except these new ones, the AAM and the UA-whatever, but they 
were beyond him.
    Thank you.
    What do you see in Alaska? Alaska has so many areas you 
can't get to except by airplane. How do you see drones and 
these other vehicles helping Alaska? And do you see them 
replacing helicopters? Are any of these vehicles that are 
manned replacing helicopters as vehicles to take people up to 
see the glaciers?
    Ms. Cahill. Ranking Member Cohen, I do. I see them 
supplementing in certain cases and replacing in others.
    At the moment, we are flying our pipelines, like the Trans-
Alaska Pipeline, using helicopters on a regular basis to look 
for encroachment, look for leaks, et cetera. That is a very 
hazardous mission. If I remember correctly, there have been no 
fatalities but there have been injuries doing that mission. If 
we can do that routinely with a drone, with the right 
instrumentation, we can get excellent data and remove that 
hazard.
    In cases of doing passenger transport and cargo delivery to 
the communities, this is something where there is going to be a 
perpetual need to get cargo to those communities that right now 
are not served by road. Eighty-two percent of our communities 
are only accessible year-round by air.
    So, being able to bring in drones on a regular basis to 
supplement what is required to be maintained in terms of the 
balance between passenger and cargo aircraft through the 
Essential Air Service program is going to be a case where the 
drones can supplement this but we can't necessarily completely 
and totally replace it.
    Mr. Cohen. And how about with visiting the glaciers, which 
is a nice thing to do? I had the opportunity to do it in a 
helicopter. Do you think these smaller vehicles would be able 
to do that, or are the winds too much of a risk?
    Ms. Cahill. I think in the distance, in the future, once we 
have proven the reliability of the autonomous systems or the 
remotely piloted systems, the urban air mobility concept, we 
would be able to use them for visiting glaciers.
    Of course, we need to be very, very careful about the 
conditions we are flying in.
    Mr. Cohen. Right.
    Ms. Cahill. You don't want to be flying in icing 
conditions. You need to be careful about, you know, if you 
happen to be really cold on the glacier. There are strong 
winds, katabatic winds, that come off the glacier.
    So, there are a series of things that we would want to make 
sure that we had tested and evaluated first to ensure that 
aviation safety.
    Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
    Dr. Ginn and anybody on the panel that can offer me 
something: When we have these vehicles up there in the sky, 
that could be an impediment to commercial aviation that we have 
today.
    What safety procedures, regulations, laws, do you think we 
need to pass to protect around airports? I know I have seen in 
Los Angeles sometimes there is a drone flying around the 
airport and all of that. What do we need to do about that?
    Dr. Ginn. Well, thank you for the question, Congressman.
    I will start by saying that I am here in a capacity as a 
physician. I don't consider myself an aviation expert. However, 
I can say from experience, based on the operations that we 
conducted at my healthcare system, where we actually had to 
deconflict drones from EMS helicopters in real operating 
airspace on the ground at our healthcare system, we had to do 
that process manually, meaning there was not a platform for us 
to use.
    Air traffic control services were not available to us for 
the--or our operator, I should say, for the drone. So, that 
process was carried out manually. Phone calls. Our operator had 
to call the helipad control to determine if there was a 
helicopter there or coming or going before we flew.
    I think in the future, there needs to be a framework that 
allows technology to take a role for things like unmanned 
traffic management systems so that these systems, that are 
operating closer to the ground and operate very differently 
than aircraft, are visible or somehow integrated into that 
National Airspace System in a way that maintains the level of 
safety that exists in aviation now.
    I don't have the specific answer to how that will get done. 
I think we have to let the operators operate first and then 
start working on integration.
    Mr. Cohen. Thank you, Doctor.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
    We will now go next to Mr. Johnson for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    And thank you to the witnesses for your testimony today.
    And I am happy to be a part of this hearing, where we are 
looking into the reauthorization of the FAA and we are focusing 
on the importance of drones and AAM to the advancement of our 
Nation.
    Drones are used in many ways, including traffic monitoring, 
search and rescue efforts, and medical assistance.
    Another way we have seen them deployed in my home State of 
Georgia is in response to hurricanes. Georgia Power began 
incorporating unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as 
drones, into their hurricane response protocols, and it quickly 
became a game-changer. Drone pilots can fly the drones to areas 
they cannot yet access by car or on foot and obtain a bird's-
eye view of the power infrastructure damage, and this allows 
the crews to earlier access what supplies are needed to restore 
power.
    Regarding healthcare, Dr. Ginn, drones are being used by 
medical professionals in the delivery of medical care, such as 
getting medicine and lab reports to end-users. Are there other 
ways that drones are used in the healthcare delivery system? 
And what are some of the challenges that you want to bring to 
our attention today?
    Dr. Ginn. Well, thank you for the question, Congressman.
    I think what we have seen in advanced mobility in real life 
and in our healthcare system, is a lot of potential to create a 
new layer of flexible technology infrastructure that can 
support our ability to reach to our patients and into our 
community in new ways. It is all about the services we can 
deliver and where we can deliver those services in our 
communities.
    There are obvious high-value use cases we have talked about 
today--AEDs, lifesaving operations. But I think that the real 
benefit to healthcare systems and to healthcare infrastructure 
in this country will be when our healthcare systems have access 
to this technology and can direct it themselves, meaning can 
tell us how to use it, how will this technology reach into 
communities, help solve disparities in access to healthcare, 
mitigate distance, mitigate transportation deserts, and 
essentially serve as this flexible layer of infrastructure we 
can deploy to take care of our patients in our communities.
    Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you.
    Chief Kennedy, drone operations present both risks and 
benefits to public safety, and you have testified as to 
benefits. And, in fact, many public safety and security 
agencies are actively working on the safest, most expeditious 
way to detect and mitigate an errant drone.
    What can you tell us about some of the challenges that come 
with operating in airspace with other drones, some of which are 
errant?
    Ms. Kennedy. Thank you, Congressman Johnson. I appreciate 
the question.
    The challenge that we have in law enforcement right now is 
with counter-drones. We know who the drones are that are 
responding from a public safety standpoint, but when it comes 
to the drones that are out there in the recreational mode, we 
don't know who those drones are right now.
    And the hope is that we are going to have the remote ID 
shortly. I know the FAA is working on that, and hopefully that 
will go into play in September. And my recommendation is that, 
not only should law enforcement drones have remote ID, but all 
drones should have remote ID. That will be beneficial to law 
enforcement in knowing who is up in the sky and why they are up 
in the sky.
    In the San Diego region, where we are at, there are many 
challenges that we face with drones that are coming across the 
border and dropping packages into our prison systems there. And 
it is very difficult for us to know who those drones are.
    So, we have a lot of work to do, but I am very thankful 
that we are having these conversations. And we are working with 
the FAA to have these discussions. I know I will be sitting on 
the counter-drone FAA committee to have these open discussions 
about the challenges that we face in law enforcement, on both 
sides.
    Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you.
    I have run out of time, and I will yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Johnson.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Menendez for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Menendez. Thank you, Chair.
    And I just want to thank all of the witnesses for not just 
being here today, but also leading on this issue and making 
sure that we are being thoughtful as a committee about this 
advance in technology and what it means from a regulatory 
perspective and making sure that we are thinking about this in 
a really smart way. So, I appreciate all that you are doing.
    Just a quick question, and I am not sure it has been 
alluded to any of the written testimony or your comments here 
today.
    And I will start with you, Mr. Woodworth.
    As we move towards having greater access and greater number 
of unmanned aircraft--I also sit on the Homeland Security 
Committee, and the subcommittee I sit on is Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Protection. And so, whenever I deal with new 
technologies, what I am thinking about is, is there a 
cybersecurity component to this? Is there a vulnerability that 
we should be thinking about?
    Because a lot of the framework that we have discussed is 
under our jurisdiction here on T&I and making sure that we are 
being thoughtful about our airspace and how we utilize it, but 
I would just love to get your thoughts if there is anything on 
the other side of the House, in terms of what I personally 
cover, that we should be thinking about so we can make sure 
that we are being thoughtful across the board as we contemplate 
this new technology?
    Mr. Woodworth. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
    I think to follow up on some of the statements over there 
from the other witnesses on traffic management and having more 
aircraft operating in a safe space, there is an important role 
that UAS traffic management plays in managing that airspace.
    And I think that there are a number of good conversations 
happening. There are a bunch of technologies that already have 
been demonstrated and built by the industry to show that that 
works.
    On the counter-UAS side, I think that there have been a 
number of bills put forward. There have been a number of 
conversations that have happened. I think all have merit on 
this front. And I think that the topic of counter-UAS is an 
important one, because you can build all the rules, but if 
people don't comply with the rules, then what is the next step?
    For the cybersecurity side, for us--I can only speak to our 
experience and solutions. But for us, it was, sort of, the best 
defense is--to protect--a good offense. It is, like, we have 
been proactive in designing for assessing different threat 
environments, looking at what different vectors in the system 
there may be and mitigating those upfront.
    For us in particular, and for a lot of delivery 
applications, there is no live video link from the aircraft. 
And there is no, like, person there flying stuff. So, the 
opportunities to interdict with the aircraft are low by design. 
And I think that that applies to a lot of the commercial use 
cases where, when you add in that layer of automation, it 
provides a layer of protection for nefarious intent.
    Mr. Menendez. Sure.
    Dr. Cahill, along similar lines, anything you are seeing 
and that we should be thinking about here in Congress to make 
sure that we are being proactive in some of the challenges that 
we may be facing?
    Ms. Cahill. So, Congressman, in terms of the security here, 
it is something we are very concerned about. And we are flying 
larger aircraft. So, we are, in May, with one of our partners, 
going to be flying an autonomous Cessna Grand Caravan. So, we 
are not talking small aircraft with no hazards associated. So, 
we are very, very concerned about what the encryption is going 
to be to make sure that it is not broken.
    With most of our smaller drones, our 300-pounders, et 
cetera, we are not flying with cameras. Just like CEO Woodworth 
said, we are doing still pictures in a lot of our operations. 
And, for example, we have flown over 30,000 nautical-miles 
beyond visual line-of-sight with Transport Canada over the St. 
Lawrence Seaway looking for North Atlantic gray whales. They 
are still pictures. And we don't look at the pictures. We have 
an artificial intelligence program identify the whale on the 
image and send a lat/long and that whale picture.
    So, we are doing our best to avoid collecting anything that 
would be privately identifiable information. And we are trying 
to make sure that our links are not jammed, hacked, all of 
those other things, to ensure the safety of the aircraft and 
the airspace.
    Mr. Menendez. I appreciate that.
    And I yield the remainder of my time.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Menendez.
    I now recognize Mr. Van Drew for 5 minutes.
    Dr. Van Drew. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you all for being 
here today. As you know, I am a big supporter of what you do. 
And we just want to go forward. We really do.
    And I am just--by way of history that you all know already, 
but I thought it was worth a review. The golden era of American 
aviation began in 1903--it is hard to believe so much has 
changed--when the Wright brothers built the first functioning 
aircraft in Ohio and took off in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 
And 75 years ago, we entered the Jet Age, which dramatically 
expanded the safety and accessibility of air travel.
    Today, we find ourselves on the cusp of the third era of 
aviation, which will be known as the era of advanced aviation. 
Advanced aviation is an umbrella term to describe a way of 
technologies that includes drones, and includes advanced air 
mobility, supersonics, digital avionics, high-frequency air 
traffic tools, and many, many others. And it is a new and 
useful way of describing aviation technologies that have not 
yet been integrated into our National Airspace System.
    The era of advanced aviation will last for the next 75 
years. And the harsh reality is that the United States is 
falling behind, and we can't have that happen. Stakeholders 
tell me that while we still have the best technology in the 
world, a complete lack of clear regulation is preventing 
businesses from investing in the United States of America.
    For the United States to lead the era of aviation, we must 
establish a long-term framework. The current trajectory is 
unacceptable. If we do not act, we are going to lose our global 
aviation leadership.
    My personal focus on this year's reauthorization is the 
organizational structure of the FAA. The frank truth is that 
the FAA is operating on an uncoordinated, 50-year-old 
organizational model. It should change.
    The FAA admitted as much in 2021 when the agency submitted 
itself a reorganization proposal to Congress. There were 
serious issues with the proposal. I opposed it, and this 
committee formally opposed it. However, that proposal made it 
clear there was a need to improve the organizational structure 
of the FAA.
    I have spent the past 2 years developing what I believe and 
some others who have looked at it believe is a good plan to 
facilitate that organizational change. And I don't have to tell 
you how important the FAA is to me, to my district, to my 
people, to my employment. My plan will take the Office of 
NextGen and evolve it into an office of advanced aviation. This 
office will coordinate technology integration across the FAA. 
Technology is so important. Congress has been talking about how 
horizontal integration is important for years. This is a plan 
on finally how to get it done.
    A key component of the plan is to establish an advanced 
aviation coordination unit. The coordination unit will allow us 
to build teams of experts from across the FAA to tackle 
technological changes. My plan also includes the use of the 
FAA's data portal to create an online clearinghouse system that 
will allow stakeholders to track their certifications and 
submit inquiries related to the status of the project.
    This new system allows the FAA to keep track of projects 
more easily across business lines. With this new system, we 
will improve the aviation stakeholder experience, stimulate 
investments in the United States, and put our country in 
advanced aviation.
    There is an updated version of the Advanced Aviation Act 
coming out soon, and I thank the many people who have worked 
with me to create a quality piece of legislation. I look 
forward to unveiling the plan and encouraging my colleagues and 
industry stakeholders to work with my office, and, of course, 
the chairman and this committee to see and set the FAA on the 
right path. We will make sure that the United States leads the 
world in 21st-century aviation.
    I have one question. To Mr. Woodworth with Wing: When you 
apply for the FAA certification or operational approvals, how 
often do you end up having the same conversations again and 
again? Does it seem like the offices that you are interacting 
with are not always coordinated with each other?
    Mr. Woodworth. As I said in my testimony, I think that the 
FAA has a lot of very smart, very hard-working individuals. But 
there has been a challenging framework of getting to an answer.
    So, we started our type certification process nearly 4 
years ago. And we are not complete. We finished the flight test 
program for our type certification almost 2 years ago. And that 
data exists.
    So, I think that there is lots of room to improve that 
process, to provide clarity, to provide single-threaded 
decisionmaking. And we welcome any proposals that help 
facilitate that.
    Dr. Van Drew. Thank you.
    Thank you, Chairman. I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. You bet.
    I now yield 5 minutes to the ranking member of the full 
committee, my distinguished colleague, Mr. Larsen.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you very much. I will try 
not to take 5 minutes because I get the privilege to blow in 
here and blow out of here and cut in line. So, I know how angry 
people are right now, my colleagues are, for cutting in line.
    But, Dr. Cahill, in your testimony, you testified about not 
supporting the expansion of the number of test sites. Can you 
talk a little bit about that?
    Ms. Cahill. Certainly, Ranking Member Larsen. The test 
sites right now--there were seven test sites that were set up 
to support the FAA and constituents doing tests and evaluation 
of aircraft. And when it was set up, we were given the 
authority to be able to expand our operations to other areas 
across the country.
    And so, the University of Alaska and the Alaska test site 
have brought in ranges and operations in States across the 
country: Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Hawaii. We have got sites 
in Texas, Arizona. We are working on Pennsylvania.
    So, we already have the ability to bring other 
organizations into the test site program under the authorities 
already granted our test sites. That would bring them in under 
the umbrella of policies and procedures that are already well-
established and have proven a very strong safety record.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. And this applies not just to the 
Alaska test site, but to the other six?
    Ms. Cahill. All seven test sites have that authority.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Awesome. Yes.
    And then one of the other restrictions that we had a 
discussion of yesterday--it is kind of a sensitive topic around 
here--but you need to test drones regardless of where those 
drones are made because sometimes you need to test them, to 
blow them up, right? Or to do something with them so we 
understand what they can do. And in part, that is some of the 
DJI Chinese-made drones, which is about 80 percent of the 
market. And you are restricted from doing that. Is that 
correct?
    Ms. Cahill. That is correct. So, for counter-drone testing 
right now, it takes nearly an act of God in order to get an 
approval to buy one of the foreign systems that is on the list 
of banned manufacturers. But we need to be able to do the 
destructive testing, especially the counter-drone testing, 
because they are 80 percent of the market.
    We see them being used very effectively right now in the 
war in Ukraine, and we need to make sure, for the sake of our 
national security, that any counter-drone systems we are 
deploying in our airspace are effective at removing those 
particular drones from the airspace without adversely impacting 
aviation safety and the safety of the NAS.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. So, it ends up being a national 
security and a homeland security issue?
    Ms. Cahill. It is a national security, homeland issue. But 
the five authorities right now that can do the counter-drone 
testing and evaluation are DoD, which has an exemption 
provision, DHS, DOE, DOJ, and for a very limited five airports, 
FAA.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes, right. Thanks. I just wanted 
to bring that up and just get it on the record because it may 
be something that we have to discuss and walk through as part 
of FAA reauthorization, or not. But I wanted to be sure that we 
aren't ignoring that limitation that could actually advance our 
security if you were allowed to do destructive testing. Yes.
    Thank you very much. I yield back.
    Mr. Collins [presiding]. Thank you, Mr. Larsen.
    The Chair now recognizes myself for 5 minutes of 
questioning.
    As we have been talking to people in hearings or just in 
person, there is this common theme. It really doesn't matter 
which group I am talking to or which committee I am 
representing and talking to people about. It seems like that we 
have certification problems left and right. We have an agency 
that is not up to date or doesn't seem to want to get up to 
date or modernize and use the newest technology. We have 
Europe, who is--you are able to get things certified quicker, 
and then get it to the U.S., and then get it certified here. 
And it shouldn't be that way. Or we run into permitting 
problems, or we run into the same thing that I hear over and 
over and over again, and it is China. The China problem. So, I 
think what I want to focus on real quick and for the next 
minute or two is just China.
    Chief Kennedy, during my discussions with UAS 
manufacturers, I keep hearing that China has cornered a 
substantial share of the drone market and that law enforcement 
agencies are being forced to buy Chinese drones and rely on 
that technology produced and funded by the CCP. Is law 
enforcement generally concerned about using Chinese technology?
    Ms. Kennedy. Certainly, we are concerned. And so, we take 
precautions in that area.
    So, right now, for the DFR drones that we use, the only 
drone that is capable with the optical zoom lens to get into 
the 200 zoom optical lens is the DJI Matrice 300 that we use. 
So, what we have done at our department is we use--our drones 
do not utilize the onboard software from the drone 
manufacturer. From the onset of our program, we took that into 
consideration. We have used an encrypted U.S.-based software 
program to bypass the drone manufacturer systems. Our data is 
encrypted and is stored on U.S.-based servers that meet Federal 
requirements for confidential law enforcement databases.
    So, if there was an alternative for us, we would certainly 
be willing to use that alternative. But I think we are, quite 
frankly, to be just to the point, there is discussion, and 
there are U.S. drone companies right now working towards that. 
We keep hearing that it is just around the corner. But we have 
not seen that. If we were banned from using DJI drones right 
now, it would halt us. We would not be able to fly the DFR 
mission.
    Now, certainly there are other drones that we use for 
tactical operations. We call those reactive drones. Those 
drones can be used on SWAT operations, or to search into 
buildings and canyons. But DJI drones right now are the only 
option that we have.
    Mr. Collins. Good. I think that is going to tee up my next 
question for Mr. Woodworth.
    Why does China have such a large share of this drone 
market?
    Mr. Woodworth. I think that some of it can be placed on the 
regulatory environment in the U.S. Up until part 107 existed, 
there wasn't a path to fly drones commercially in the United 
States. It just didn't exist. And so, there was a multiyear gap 
where use cases weren't possible in the United States. And so, 
I think that other developers got an advantage on that front.
    I think some other elements of it are just related to the 
globalization of the supply chain and where most consumer 
electronics are built today. But I think the industry, as a 
whole, is starting to see us pull away from that and into more 
U.S.-based manufacturing. We----
    Mr. Collins [interrupting]. Let me ask you this way because 
I am running short on time.
    Mr. Woodworth. Yes.
    Mr. Collins. I listened to your opening statement. How is 
the FAA hampering development and integration of new unmanned 
systems to American airspace?
    Mr. Woodworth. I think it really is--it comes back to 
Chairman Graves' opening statement of, like, we are a student 
trying to take a test, and we don't know what the subject is. 
So, it is, like, I don't know if I am going to walk in the room 
and it is going to be a biology test or a spelling bee. I think 
it is that predictable nature of it that is really hampering 
the industry at the moment.
    And so, anything that this committee can do to help 
facilitate making that process more predictable, more 
pragmatic, would be super helpful.
    Mr. Collins. All right. Thank you. That is all I have. I 
yield back.
    The Chair yields 5 minutes to Ms. Titus.
    Ms. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    I would like to ask Dr. Cahill, I believe you were on the 
FAA's Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight Operations Aviation 
Rulemaking Committee. And I noticed there are some people who 
aren't real happy with some of the recommendations that came 
out of there for coordinating different types of aviation and 
who has the responsibility and the right-of-way.
    I think in my own district, which is Las Vegas--the Las 
Vegas strip includes the airport. So, you have got commercial 
aviation. You have got general aviation. You have got 
helicopters flying down the strip and out to the Grand Canyon. 
And now you are going to have drones in that airspace.
    Could you talk a little bit about how that process worked, 
and how everybody has kind of got a seat at the table?
    Ms. Cahill. Congresswoman, thank you for that question. I 
would be happy to.
    In the rules-of-way aspect, there are a lot of diversity of 
opinions. And what came out of the Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight 
Operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee--also known as the 
BVLOS ARC--the recommendations--we, as the University of 
Alaska, did concur that we could live with the recommendations 
that came out of it. But there are definitely concerns in terms 
of some of the recommendations, especially in that low-altitude 
airspace.
    For us, we are, in Alaska, not really looking at that high-
density operation with the helicopters on the strip. What we 
have is a whole bunch of pilots flying under 500 feet because, 
in the rules and regulations as they stand in the FAA, it is 
legal to fly under 500 feet because we are in a rural area.
    And the crop dusters--I grew up in northern California. 
They fly under 500 feet, and they also fly under power lines. 
So, if you start talking about shielded operations, there is 
going to be a shift in the way some people need to approach 
this. And that is part of the challenge. It is, how do you 
balance the need for people to do operations at low level with 
communications between drones that may not have detect-and-
avoid and manned aircraft, and also, at the same time, allow 
everybody to have access to the airspace?
    And so, that was the major debate, is how did we ensure 
that? And it may vary, depending on where you are. If you are 
in a highly urban environment where aircraft are not supposed 
to fly within 500 feet of a structure, you may have a very 
different situation than you have in Alaska. And so, anything 
that comes out in those rules and recommendations really does 
need to be balanced for where you are operating and how you are 
operating.
    Ms. Titus. What is the kind of timeline for putting these 
in place? Or what are the next steps now that you have got all 
this input?
    Ms. Cahill. So, at the end of the Aviation Rulemaking 
Committee process, we handed our recommendations over to the 
FAA. And I think we were told that it would be probably about a 
2-year timeline to be able to work those through the FAA 
process, to come up with a series of rules and regulations, put 
them out for public comment, and then be able to finalize the 
recommendations.
    Ms. Titus. OK. Well, thank you. I hope they don't push off 
that deadline like they have done so many times--2 years, 2\1/
2\, 4, whatever.
    Also, I want to ask you about the test sites because Nevada 
was one of the original seven test sites. And they have 
agreements with UNLV, DRI. It seems to be working pretty well.
    But do you think they have been successful? Do you think 
there is anything we can do to help them push aviation along or 
bring more people involved as stakeholders with them? I know in 
Alaska, it sounds like they have been pretty successful. Could 
you give us some best practices, maybe?
    Ms. Cahill. We would be happy to help the folks at the 
Nevada test site. They, of course, just moved it from UNLV up 
to UNR, which is my alma mater for my Ph.D.
    Ms. Titus. Oh, really?
    Ms. Cahill. And we would be happy to assist. It is a case 
where, I think, the university has grabbed it, and you 
definitely have some players in industry that are based in Reno 
who are furthering their efforts. So, I think there are things 
that we can do to help assist them and get them stood up. The 
new 44803(c) waivers that we just got, we can help work with 
them to try to get to a point where they can operate with those 
waivers.
    Ms. Titus. I agree with you. I don't think we necessarily 
need to create more test sites, but we need to plus-up the ones 
that already exist and help them do better, because when they 
were first created, they didn't do much for the first couple of 
years because we didn't quite know what to do. But now, it 
sounds like they are getting more in the game.
    Ms. Cahill. If I can respond to that one, Congresswoman. 
The FAA never funded the test sites. So, the fact that we have 
seven test sites still in existence is in tribute to everybody 
busting their tails in order to get funding in and to really 
work hard to try to advance this. These are passions because it 
would have been very easy to walk away.
    Ms. Titus. Well, thank you very much.
    I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym [presiding]. Thank you, Ms. Titus.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Payne for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Payne. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I would like to ask 
some questions about how uncrewed aircraft can be integrated 
into a dense urban environment, like my hometown of Newark, New 
Jersey. Our airspace has to manage commercial airliners from 
Newark Liberty, emergency response, and sightseeing 
helicopters, and general aviation aircraft as well. The 
addition of UAS to this congested airspace presents challenges 
that will have to be overcome together.
    Chief Kennedy, how has your department been able to work 
with other operators in your airspace as you expand your UAS 
operations?
    Ms. Kennedy. Thank you, Congressman Payne. We are very 
blessed in the city of Chula Vista. We are Golf airspace, which 
is the best airspace that you can fly in. But we do work very 
closely. Every day, we notify the Notice to Air Missions daily 
by calling the towers, and we share our daily operations with 
them and the entire city. So, we make sure that we are working 
together on that, as well as we file NOTAMs on an annual basis.
    But more importantly, I have even had the opportunity--we 
fly from 150 feet to 400 feet in Chula Vista. I am familiar 
with other agencies. There are only about 20 agencies in the 
United States that fly DFR operations right now. So, we are 
very much in a new process of going outside the norm of what we 
do.
    I just had an opportunity to travel to Georgia. The 
Brookhaven Police Department, they fly in Delta space. So, they 
have other challenges in that area. But when you work together 
as a team, and you coordinate, and you make sure that you are 
contacting the right authorities, you are able to work through 
it.
    And the whole goal is to have the ability for our law 
enforcement partners and our fire partners to make sure that we 
are getting to our community when they need us most, and we are 
sharing the accurate information about what emergencies that we 
are dealing with so that everybody goes home safely. That is 
our goal.
    Mr. Payne. Thank you. And can you please share how you 
engaged with your community as you began drone operations? What 
sort of feedback did you receive, and did you chance any 
operations based on that feedback?
    Ms. Kennedy. Yes. Thank you very much.
    We started working with our community in 2015 well before 
we ever put one drone in the air. And we reached out to many of 
the activist groups in our community and invited everyone in. 
We had forums. We had open discussion. We wanted to find out 
what our community really wanted. Were there concerns?
    And as we have continued, as we have received some national 
and international interest, it has brought on an interesting 
conversation with many people. And there are tremendous 
concerns with the community in regards to privacy.
    And what we do in Chula Vista is we listen to our 
community. We have the ability to have them send us emails 
through our UAS website as well as provide a lot of information 
through our webpage that gives flight data. So, the community 
can actually go and see where we flew. Usually, 4 hours later, 
they can see where we went, why we went there.
    Mr. Payne. OK.
    Ms. Kennedy. And so, it has been interesting to hear 
concerns.
    And I heard people mention earlier about the backyards and 
people looking into their backyards. And like I said, we fly 
from 150 feet to 400 feet.
    Mr. Payne. Right.
    Ms. Kennedy. And what happened is we decided that--you know 
what? I can understand why the community feels that way. So, as 
we return on a flight, automatically, when we push the ``home'' 
button, we return, and our cameras tilt upward to the sky.
    Mr. Payne. OK.
    Ms. Kennedy. And we don't want the community to think that 
we are looking in on them.
    Mr. Payne. Thank you. My time is dwindling. Let's see.
    Mr. Woodworth, can you please share with us how UAS 
operators can engage in beyond visual line-of-sight operations 
in a densely populated urban environment?
    Mr. Woodworth. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
    Mr. Payne. Very quickly, as my time is----
    Mr. Woodworth [interrupting]. All right. Right now, today, 
we do it in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That happens to be what 
most call the Mode C veil. So, all the aircraft that are 
operating in there are equipped. Our airplanes have ADS-B in on 
them so we can listen for crew traffic, and our operators have 
displays where they can also look for crew traffic. So, we do a 
lot of aviation outreach. We have built technologies to help 
facilitate that cooperative airspace.
    Mr. Payne. OK. Thank you.
    And I will yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Payne.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Westerman for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you to the 
panel today.
    Mr. Woodworth and Dr. Cahill, I have the most agricultural 
aircraft operations per capita in my district than any other 
district in America. While I am supportive of new entrants to 
the national airspace, including UAS, I am concerned about the 
FAA possibly allowing drones to have the right-of-way in the 
sky.
    Agricultural aircraft routinely fly at low altitudes. And 
in a 2015 study by the University of Colorado, manned aircraft 
had trouble finding and tracking smaller sized drones. I don't 
want drones to be put at risk, and I certainly don't want 
pilots and manned aircraft to be put at risk.
    I am concerned about the Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight 
Operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee's recommendations to 
allow drones to have right-of-way in the air in certain 
circumstances. Safety of manned aircraft seems more important 
to me than drones. I just want to know if you both can discuss 
that issue?
    Ms. Cahill. I guess, Congressman, I get to take the first 
shot at this one.
    In terms of the operating with manned aircraft in these 
areas, there are, it looks like, some technological advantages, 
which will allow us to be able to cooperatively share the 
airspace. But it is going to take cooperation in order to do 
this.
    And so, for us to know that there are, for example, crop-
dusting operations occurring in an area, we would most likely 
try to avoid that area. If we know where your aircraft is, we 
can avoid you. It is the cases where we have noncooperative 
traffic, where people have not told us where they are, they are 
not broadcasting, they haven't filed anything saying they are 
flying in that area--that is where it becomes a challenge. 
Because drones, by and large, can't carry detect-and-avoid 
technology on them and be able to do the mission they need to 
do.
    The weight of the current detect-and-avoid technologies is 
fairly high. And you want to make sure that you are able to 
actually use the drone for what you need it for. So, it needs 
to be a lot of communication and potentially reserving of 
airspace to make sure that both the drones and the manned 
aircraft can be flown in the same area without there being a 
potential for conflict. The last thing we want is a collision.
    Mr. Westerman. Right. Have you been to an agricultural 
aviation--have you seen a crop duster? I have ridden on one. It 
is a whole other world. But I would encourage you to get out in 
the field and talk to the agricultural aviation pilots and to 
understand how their business works. And there are some great 
complexities, I believe, in trying to maintain communications 
and to keep traffic where traffic should be and not have these 
collisions, which would be devastating.
    Mr. Woodworth. Yes, sir. It is a very important 
conversation to have. And I think that, as Dr. Cahill said, as 
you brought up, that learning experience and the communities 
talking to each other is a foundational element of all of this.
    So, we were a participant in the ARC, as you were. And we 
are a strong supporter of the work done, but we do recognize 
that there are a number of recommendations that there wasn't 
full agreement on.
    We think that, as an industry, there is this common goal 
and advantage of having airplanes know where other airplanes 
are, and there are a number of technical solutions that are 
emerging to help facilitate that. So, we welcome the 
conversation. We want it to be a cooperative airspace. We want 
to do the right thing so that we are not disrupting parts of 
the aviation ecosystem that have existed for a long time.
    I came out of aviation. All of my best friends are pilots. 
It is, like--I understand the problems. And I want to make sure 
that we, as an industry, are bringing solutions, and we are 
doing it with an open mind and an open conversation.
    Mr. Westerman. All right. These agricultural aircraft, you 
can think of them like tractors in the air and not very high 
off of the ground. And they do very, very important work, 
especially in my district. So, I hope you all will take note of 
that and work on the right solutions so that everybody wins in 
this situation.
    Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Westerman.
    Are there any further questions from members of the 
subcommittee who have not been recognized?
    Seeing none, what I would like to do is, for a few minutes, 
enter into a second round of questioning. And I yield myself 5 
minutes for further questions.
    Dr. Ginn, aside from being a surgeon, you were also a 
former commercial airline pilot, as I understand it. Can you 
speak to some of the concerns that pilots have with drone 
operations and how we may be able to lay some of those concerns 
to rest?
    Dr. Ginn. Sure. And thank you for the question. It has been 
a long time since I have been an airline pilot, but I am an 
active aviator. And I can tell you that, obviously, pilots and 
aircrews are quite concerned about encountering an uncrewed 
aircraft at the wrong place and at the wrong time, perhaps not 
unlike we are concerned about encountering a large bird or a 
flock of birds.
    The concerns are valid. I do think there are operational 
considerations that make it highly unlikely. For one thing, 
obviously the risks are higher in terminal areas for aircraft. 
You know, departing and arriving in airports. And so, airspace 
restrictions are already tighter in those areas and presumably 
would remain so for unmanned aircraft.
    There is also maybe the fact that unmanned operations may 
be separated to some extent from regions of the airspace where 
manned aviation occurs currently. So, I think in reality, it is 
unlikely and rare for them to encounter those aircraft.
    However, I do think it would be important to have systems 
and technologies available that essentially create visibility 
bidirectionally between those aircraft, similar to ADS-B, which 
is a system that allows aircraft to see each other 
electronically without onboard radar.
    And surely, there can be solutions in terms of increasing 
that level of transparency so that everybody operating in the 
airspace is aware of everybody else. And to some extent, that 
can be automated.
    Mr. Yakym. Great. Thank you.
    And my second question is for Chief Kennedy. When you send 
a drone out to a scene, how do you coordinate with air traffic 
control and other manned aircraft to ensure that safety is 
maintained?
    Ms. Kennedy. It is constant communication that we have. And 
we yield to manned aircraft. That is what we are trained to do. 
It is important. We are always going to yield that way. We are 
able to monitor through technology and mitigation systems that 
we have at our department, and that is what our teleoperators 
and our pilots are trained to do.
    And so, when we fly, as I mentioned before, 150 to 400 
feet, many of the people--I was on a helicopter the other day, 
and as we started flying back into Chula Vista, they 
immediately gave the notification to that pilot that there is 
low-flying aircraft in the area. And it made me feel safe that 
we were all working together. So, I think it is a coordinated 
effort.
    Mr. Yakym. Great. Thank you. And I yield back.
    Are there any other Members who would like to be recognized 
for a second round of questioning?
    The Chair recognizes the ranking member of the full 
committee, Mr. Larsen.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes. Thanks.
    And this question is for the Chief. It is related. Because 
one of the conflicts that we hear about isn't between, say--
although we hear about it, the presence of an airplane, the 
presence of a drone in the airspace. Another conflict that we 
have is the presence of State and local governments trying to 
regulate airspace versus the Federal Government through the FAA 
being the sole regulator of the airspace.
    And so, part of addressing that is ensuring you are doing 
outreach to your local communities to say, this is the program, 
this is what we are doing.
    Can you explain to us a little bit--maybe some lessons you 
have learned about doing outreach to your community to 
alleviate concerns? Either privacy concerns or any concerns 
about you operating in the airspace.
    Ms. Kennedy. As I mentioned earlier, the community and the 
voice of the community is extremely important. We are only as 
good as the support that we have from our community. And so, we 
do a lot of outreach with our community.
    And our dashboard is one of the ways that shares--hopefully 
you have an opportunity to look at our website and look at all 
the information we provide. The flight data, where we go, all 
the frequently asked questions, how you can reach out to us, 
what the concerns are.
    I have even had many of the people from the activist 
community come to my department, and we have conversations. And 
I want to hear, what are best practices for law enforcement? 
What things are concerning you? And we make changes based upon 
that because we are in a new territory right now.
    And so, I think it is just important to have that 
communication and have that opportunity to share, and for them 
to come in and actually see what we are doing. Because if you 
don't see it, you might visualize it completely differently 
than what we are doing. We put a lot of effort into protecting 
our community in the skies as well as on the ground, and the 
information we share is making a huge difference.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. I didn't catch it in your 
testimony. How many other police departments have something 
similar?
    Ms. Kennedy. I believe right now, there are approximately 
20 DFR agencies throughout the United States. It is very new 
technology. Like I said, we were the first to do it. We have 
trained probably close to 60, 65 agencies that are coming to us 
and learning from us and the best practices.
    And we believe--I am so passionate about what we are doing 
and what it means for our community. I am just so thankful to 
have an opportunity to be here before Congress to explain what 
we are doing.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes. And we are pleased to have 
you. And I want to go back to my main point.
    It is the conflict between local and State governments 
certainly legitimately being responsive to their constituents 
about concerns about drones in their airspace, but as for 
regulating airspace, it is important that we have a single 
regulator of that airspace and don't create a patchwork of 
rules. We do that well enough already, and we don't need help 
doing the patchwork bit.
    So, I think what you are talking about, there may be some 
lessons learned that can alleviate the pressure for other local 
elected----
    Ms. Kennedy [interrupting]. Right. We don't want them to 
have to reinvent the wheel. We want to share what we have done, 
what has worked, what hasn't worked, what the challenges are, 
and that is what we have been doing.
    Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes. Great. All right.
    Thank you very much. I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Ranking Member Larsen.
    Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for 
questioning?
    Seeing none, that concludes the first panel for today. And 
I would like to thank each of our witnesses for your testimony.
    I would now like to ask our second panel of witnesses to 
please take their seats.
    [Pause as second panel takes their seats.]
    Mr. Yakym. All right. Our second panel today consists of 
experts in the electric aircraft powered-lift space. These 
aircraft are likely to enter commercial operations in the next 
few years and will start their operations with a pilot on 
board.
    Unlike drones, these AAM aircraft will be able to 
communicate with air traffic and can operate under traditional 
flight rules. This is a distinction worth drawing between this 
panel and our previous panel.
    I would like to welcome our witnesses and thank them all 
for being here today. I would like to take a moment to explain 
our lighting system to our second panel. There are three lights 
in front of you. Green means go. Yellow doesn't mean slow down. 
It means you are running out of time, so, hurry up and wrap it 
up. And red means that you should be concluding your remarks.
    I ask unanimous consent that the witnesses' full statements 
for the second panel also be included in the record. And 
without objection, so ordered.
    As your written testimony has been made part of the record, 
the subcommittee asks that you limit your oral remarks to 5 
minutes.
    And with that, Mr. Kyle Clark, you are recognized for 5 
minutes for an opening statement.

 TESTIMONY OF KYLE CLARK, FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, 
 BETA TECHNOLOGIES; JoeBen BEVIRT, FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE 
  OFFICER, JOBY AVIATION; CHRISTOPHER BRADSHAW, PRESIDENT AND 
 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BRISTOW GROUP INC., ON BEHALF OF THE 
    HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL; AND CLINT HARPER, 
      ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY EXPERT AND COMMUNITY ADVOCATE

 TESTIMONY OF KYLE CLARK, FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, 
                       BETA TECHNOLOGIES

    Mr. Clark. Excellent. I have been trying to teach my kids 
that yellow means slow down, so, it has been an experience 
teaching them to drive.
    Thanks for having me here. It is really meaningful for you 
all to take the time to listen to the important stuff that we 
are working on in electric aviation. And I am excited to be 
here with my friend JoeBen and Chris, one of our customers at 
Bristow, and to talk a little bit about what we are doing at 
BETA, and also, why it is so important to focus on this 
industry as a Nation.
    The future of aviation across the world is going to be 
electric. It is clean. It is reliable. It is sustainable. There 
are more and more reasons that we are realizing through test 
and development as to why electric is the future of aviation. 
And electric, by the way, is not just battery electric. It 
includes hybrid. It includes hydrogen electric. And it is 
exciting because electric is fundamentally safer, it is more 
reliable, it is more cost-effective, and it is sustainable. 
There are not a lot of reasons not to lean into electric 
aviation. It is not for every mission today, but it is getting 
there.
    I am from BETA Technologies. We are up in Vermont. We are 
a--I used to say small company, but we are growing. There are 
about 500 engineers back at BETA right now likely watching--
some of them watching this with bated breath, looking for 
clarity from the FAA on how to go about completing the mission 
that we signed up to pursue.
    And that is what I am effectively here to ask for, is for 
this committee to provide direction, funding, and to compel the 
FAA to lean into the resources and the expertise to certify 
electric propulsion.
    At BETA, we have taken a little bit different of a track 
towards AAM. Mr. Larsen, as we have talked in the past, we are 
focused on rural access, logistics, cargo, medical 
applications. First, with fixed-wing aircraft, and then moving 
into aircraft to take off and land vertically. And then moving 
into urban air mobility and passenger missions. It is a 
mission--cargo and logistics--that we can solve today.
    And that is why we have leaned into that. It is pragmatic. 
It is simple. And with a little bit of regulatory unblock--and 
I am not asking for anything special for our industry. Just 
simple clarity. Simple clarity and a stationary goalpost gives 
us the ability to execute on our mission.
    We all know, and we have heard about it a lot. America has 
a history of innovating in aviation. And that innovation is 
driven to more economical, more sustainable, and most 
importantly, safer and safer aircraft. Again, electric is 
fundamentally safer.
    At BETA, we developed a battery system that--we partnered 
with the FAA and NIAR, the National Institute for Aviation 
Research, to drop a full-voltage battery from 50 feet, and it 
passed on the first test. And that is pretty remarkable. That 
didn't happen with gas-powered airplanes, it turns out. It took 
a long time to get to the level of safety that we are starting 
from. There is a fundamental foundation of an engineered 
product and a battery in our case that we can build a safety 
platform from.
    I think it is also important to note that we at BETA are 
not just focused on the aircraft. We are also focused on the 
charging systems, on the training of the pilots. And these are 
two more areas that the FAA needs clarity on allowing this to 
flourish.
    The vertiport standards that have been published in draft 
form are ambiguous and not necessarily helpful to the industry. 
They are divergent from existing heliport standards. And the 
pilot licensing requirements are--although there has been 
progress made in the SFAR, it hasn't been absolute clarity, 
certainly not to the point that allows us to work with our 
customers and advance that discussion.
    The interesting thing about this industry is that a lot of 
people don't think it is real. We have been flying our aircraft 
all across the country. Out in California, JoeBen is flying 
their aircraft daily. We are flying multiple aircraft daily up 
in Vermont.
    And it is interesting. We flew across to Missouri. We flew 
down through Arkansas. And the most common response we get when 
we get to airports--people will come over and be like, what are 
you guys doing? That thing is electric? And his face just, 
like, drops. It is an amazing thing.
    When Secretary Buttigieg sat in our aircraft, he looked at 
me and said, you flew this here? And this was down in 
Louisville from Vermont on our own charging network. We built 
the network halfway across the country. It is coming down the 
east coast. The Department of Health and Human Services has 
supported a network with us from Florida across to Mississippi. 
It is real. It is here. And we are making the transition at 
BETA from being an engineering company, and the entire industry 
is moving into a manufacturing industry. And we are bringing 
the aircraft.
    What we need is a simple regulatory unblock in clarity. 
That is it. It is not complicated. The technology is here, and 
we are ready to get to work.
    [Mr. Clark's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
Prepared Statement of Kyle Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, 
                           BETA Technologies
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of BETA 
Technologies at today's hearing titled ``FAA Reauthorization: 
Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver for the American 
People.'' Our nation is at a pivotal moment in aviation history where 
we have the chance to maintain--and expand--our global leadership in 
the race for innovative aviation technologies, so long as we have a 
clear regulatory pathway and support from the government to get there. 
I appreciate the chance to testify as Congress considers the role of 
new entrants in FAA Reauthorization, and look forward to sharing how 
Advanced Air Mobility will benefit communities across the country.
    BETA Technologies (``BETA'') is a leading developer and 
manufacturer of electric aircraft, electric motors, and multimodal 
vehicle charging infrastructure based in the United States. Burlington, 
Vermont is home to our R&D headquarters as well as our primary 
production and manufacturing facility. We currently have over 500 
employees spread across a footprint that extends beyond Vermont, 
including: Plattsburgh, New York; Springfield, Ohio; Raleigh, North 
Carolina; and Washington, DC. We have raised significant capital from 
American investors to build our electric aerospace company and, in 
turn, develop American-made technology and the jobs to go along with 
it.
    BETA is building a fully integrated electric aviation system that 
we're selling to many of the top aircraft operators in the world. Our 
products include: the CX300, an electric fixed-wing aircraft, or 
conventional takeoff and landing aircraft (CTOL); the ALIA-250, an 
electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL); multimodal 
charging infrastructure; and, a program to train future pilots and 
maintainers. These Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies will unlock 
connectivity for communities all over the United States, increasing 
access to healthcare, e-commerce, and passenger travel.
    We have firm orders from operators including UPS, Bristow, United 
Therapeutics, BLADE Urban Air Mobility, and more. We are also 
partnering with the U.S. government to explore government use cases and 
accelerate the deployment of AAM aircraft and multimodal electric 
chargers to service both ground vehicles and aircraft.



   BETA Technologies is developing two all-electric aircraft models.

    BETA's approach capitalizes on three major benefits of electric 
flight: significantly lower operating cost compared to jet- or turbine-
powered aircraft, zero operational emissions, and a fundamentally safe 
and reliable option for aviation. Advances in aviation technology have 
often been hindered by regulatory hurdles, prolonged timelines for 
certification and commercialization, and a lack of ability for small 
businesses to contribute to the industry. But a surge in ingenuity, 
government partnership, and American investment has inspired a more 
economical and sustainable era of aviation.
    Our country is at a defining moment in history to recognize the 
economic, healthcare, and environmental opportunities of Advanced Air 
Mobility. If our government can help us harness this innovation, the 
United States will remain uniquely positioned to become the global 
leader in emerging aviation technologies.
                       Electric Aviation is Here
    BETA is focused on creating solutions that enable operators to 
bring the same expedient delivery, healthcare, and passenger 
capabilities available in urban areas to Americans in rural and hard-
to-reach places, all while lowering cost and reducing emissions. Our 
simple, reliable, and safe electric aircraft and charging 
infrastructure provides that solution. This technology has matured to a 
level that enabled BETA to fly our aircraft halfway across the country 
multiple times--using our charging infrastructure along the way--to 
introduce electric aviation to communities all over the country.
Eliciting Critical Thinking in Electric Aviation
    BETA's initial aircraft design was driven by a desire from United 
Therapeutics (UT) to transport organs in a reliable, efficient, and 
environmentally friendly way. UT, a biotechnology company founded in 
Maryland, is developing an unlimited supply of organs for transplant by 
using advanced materials and 3D printing to repair organs for 
transplant, significantly increasing the availability of these life-
saving products for patients in need. Initially, BETA and UT signed a 
contract to elicit critical thinking in electric aviation. This 
resulted in BETA's first eVTOL prototype, AVA, which we designed to 
demonstrate the ability to carry organs from manufacturing facilities 
to hospitals. We went from an initial concept to our first flight test 
in just ten months, ultimately completing over 100 record-setting 
flights.
    UT became BETA's first customer and, since then, we have evolved 
our design by applying our learnings to create two highly-efficient, 
simple, and certifiable aircraft models that are advancing through the 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification process right now.
Demonstrated Technical Progress
    BETA has been flying electric aircraft for more than five years, 
and in that time we've reached a number of technical milestones. 
Currently, we have two full-scale pre-production aircraft that we fly 
nearly every day, logging more than 22,000 miles on our fixed-wing 
airplane to date. Last year, we completed a successful hover campaign 
on our current eVTOL pre-production aircraft, and test pilots from the 
FAA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army have flown our fixed-wing airplane. 
A market survey certificate from the FAA has put our engineering to the 
test, allowing us to fly our fixed-wing prototype on multiple real-
world flights, stopping at municipal airports along the way in New 
York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Arkansas to 
introduce this technology to both rural and urban communities.
Real-World Use Cases with Real-World Partners
    AAM marks a transformative era not only for the aviation industry 
but the entire U.S. transportation system. It unlocks access and new 
capabilities, shifting the paradigm in how we move goods and people 
within and between our communities. For BETA's customers, this means 
quickly delivering organs for transplant for patients in Missouri, a 
quiet, clean transportation option for passengers between rural and 
urban areas in the Pacific Northwest, additional disaster response in 
hurricane-prone areas in Louisiana, and increased e-commerce 
capabilities in hard-to-reach places in Tennessee.
    Showing the real-world use cases for electric aviation has garnered 
firm orders for our aircraft from commercial customers. Bristow, a 
leader in global vertical flight solutions currently offering 
helicopter transportation for civil and government services, will use 
both versions of BETA's aircraft to safely and reliably move passengers 
and time-sensitive cargo to strategic locations between regions in 
Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. UPS will use BETA's eVTOL for point-to-
point logistics to transform the middle mile express cargo industry, 
drastically reducing the risk, complexity, and handling for missions 
and provide relief for over-loaded systems, extend drop-off and pick-up 
times, and enable more Premium Direct service to rural areas. United 
Therapeutics will use both versions of BETA's aircraft to deliver 
organs safely and quickly between its facilities and hospitals. BLADE 
Urban Air Mobility will use BETA's eVTOL to quietly and safely 
transport passengers in a sustainable way.
    We're also gaining traction with our government partners as they 
work to meet modern-day challenges. We're partnering with the 
Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), an 
agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 
to deploy multimodal charging infrastructure that will support public 
health preparedness along the gulf coast, including Mississippi, 
Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, and Alabama. This will enable eVTOLs to 
transport medicine, patients, and equipment in a disaster-response role 
in hurricane-prone areas.
    Our contracts with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army through the 
Agility Prime program allow DOD to exercise military use cases for 
electric aircraft and multimodal charging infrastructure to support 
critical resupply and strategic personnel transport. Agility Prime has 
been an essential part of BETA's success to date, accelerating our 
progress and spurring commercial investment as we seek FAA 
certification for our aircraft. The practical features of BETA's 
eVTOL--including runway and fuel independence and a low noise profile--
make it a valuable and versatile solution in defense applications.
                 Building a Nationwide Charging Network
    What good is an electric airplane if you have nowhere to charge it? 
To ensure access to widespread, publicly available charging, BETA is 
developing rapid charging stations that are nonproprietary and use an 
existing electric vehicle (EV) standard in use by other Original 
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). BETA is partnering with airports, Fixed 
Base Operators, and our customers to deploy this technology and make 
the future of electric transportation a reality. Moreover, we're 
working with other electric aircraft OEMs to collaborate on 
infrastructure deployment early in the commercialization of electric 
aviation.
    BETA is installing publicly accessible multimodal chargers at 
general aviation airports across the nation. We currently have sixty 
five sites permitted, under construction, or online and charging. The 
first route is already built and operational--spanning from Vermont to 
Arkansas--and this year we'll complete the east coast network and 
connect Florida to Missouri.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

 BETA's Charge Cube, equipped with a 50-ft. retractable charging reel.

Multimodal and Interoperable
    To prepare to meet the demands of electric aviation, BETA has 
designed the Charge Cube, which safely and efficiently charges electric 
aircraft as well as ground-based EVs including cars and buses. This 
charger abides by universal charging standards so that it can be 
utilized on any EV that is Combined Charging System (CCS1) compliant.
    BETA's charging stations are already being used in both on- and 
off-airport environments to help electrify critical segments of our 
nation's transportation system. For our fleet customers like UPS, it 
gives them the option to charge their electric ground fleet (i.e., 
delivery trucks and vans) and meet their emission reduction targets. 
This technology, especially in mobile, ``deployable'' form, is also 
being explored by the DOD to meet its energy demands at military bases 
and installations and provide flexibility in austere locations.
Publicly Accessible Chargers at Airports
    The footprint of BETA's Charge Cube is minimal yet effective, 
making it sought-after by other electric aircraft OEMs and a seamless 
integration into existing airport infrastructure. At four feet tall, 
this charger is designed to fit underneath an aircraft wing and offer 
an immediate touchless experience to users. It quickly powers aircraft 
by providing continuous 350 kilowatt output which will enable BETA's 
aircraft to charge in just 50 minutes.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

 A pilot plugs the all-electric ALIA aircraft into BETA's Charge Cube.

    Because it is multimodal, BETA's charging infrastructure gives 
airports an edge as they seek to electrify. It powers their EV ground 
fleets today while giving them the tools necessary to adopt the next 
generation of aviation technology. Moreover, multimodal charging allows 
airports to offer additional services and amenities to their 
surrounding community. In the future, it will help attract more pilots 
and air traffic.
    Perhaps the best demonstration of this dual purpose is BETA's 
charging installation at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in 
Ohio: a charger in the parking lot provides the only Level 3 fast 
charging between Dayton and Columbus, seeing frequent use from electric 
cars and trucks, while the charger located on the airport apron powered 
BETA's electric aircraft during several missions that passed through 
Springfield. In these cases, both aircraft and ground vehicle chargers 
are able to use the same power source and converter.
    Airports like the one in Springfield are vital to connecting our 
nation's communities. The local airport is an essential way for people 
and businesses to stay commercially connected to the rest of the 
country and serves as a lifeline for medical response, cargo, and other 
critical services. By placing chargers at airports in rural and 
suburban areas, airports can become part of the adaptation to EVs and 
residents can gain access to services otherwise nonexistent in the 
area. On a broader scale, these installations enable the FAA to point 
to existing locations where electric aircraft can safely land and 
charge--a critical first step for AAM integration into the National 
Airspace System (NAS).
    BETA recognizes that we're charting new waters when installing 
electric aircraft charging on airports. We are working closely with the 
FAA Office of Airports to ensure installations do not face unnecessary 
permitting delays or regulatory barriers that will impede the 
electrification of transportation. BETA has encouraged the FAA to 
develop standard operating procedures for infrastructure installations 
to streamline approvals and reap the benefits for airports, 
communities, and businesses alike.
Government Investment in Charging Infrastructure
    BETA's charging network has laid the groundwork for electric 
aviation adoption. However, in order to further support the industry, 
partnerships between industry and the government will be necessary to 
bring this infrastructure to scale. To that end, BETA supports measures 
that will assist in and accelerate the planning and deployment of AAM 
infrastructure. We appreciate Chairman Graves (R-LA) and Ranking Member 
Rick Larsen (D-WA) for their work on the Advanced Aviation 
Infrastructure Modernization (AAIM) Act, an important first step to 
securing federal support for AAM infrastructure.
    Additionally, as funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is spent to build a nationwide network 
of EV charging, our government cannot afford to miss this opportunity 
to build for the future. The United States is just now adapting our 
ground infrastructure to catch up to the technological innovations of 
the automotive industry and fully realize its benefits. As we look to 
the future, we are in a rare and fleeting moment where the next 
advances in technology are clear. We have the tools to have a broad and 
seamless adoption of electric aviation when the time comes; now we need 
to build.
    To enable this, BETA is paying close attention to the IIJA's 
National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, where 
the bulk of EV infrastructure dollars are coming from. This program 
provides state funding to deploy EV charging infrastructure for 
automobiles along designated Alternate Fuel Corridors. However, this 
program misses the opportunity to allow states to install multimodal, 
on-airport charging infrastructure that supports both EV ground 
vehicles and aircraft. Without tapping into this unique capability, 
many states will miss the chance to gain additional services, like 
cargo and medical transport from EVs, to their communities. To this 
end, BETA has encouraged the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to 
consider the economic and equity impacts of multimodal charging 
availability at airports in rural areas across the country.
    We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that our nation 
can best leverage multimodal charging infrastructure by making 
investments in today's transportation system that will set us up for 
success in the future.
Leveraging Existing Infrastructure
    There are more than 5,000 public airports in the United States, but 
more than 70% of domestic travel is conducted through less than 1% of 
airports \1\. Electric aviation can utilize existing infrastructure at 
general aviation (GA) airports, which is especially helpful to reach 
rural communities. With its improved efficiency and affordability, this 
technology can help revitalize these airports. BETA's fixed-wing 
electric aircraft will leverage this infrastructure to provide 
increased access to underserved communities and bring new opportunities 
for job growth and economic stimulation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ National Aeronautics and Space Administration Report ``Regional 
Air Mobility: Leveraging our National Investments to Energize the 
American Travel Experience'' (2021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    However, in certain locations, BETA's eVTOL aircraft will need 
vertical infrastructure for takeoff and landing in certain locations. 
Our aviation system already has a robust network of airports and 
heliports that can help ensure a successful entry-into-service for 
eVTOLs. However, the FAA is currently working to draft design guidance 
for ``vertiports'' that eVTOLs will be required to use. To provide 
interim guidance for vertiport design, the FAA published Engineering 
Brief (EB) No. 105 \2\ in September 2022. BETA appreciates the time and 
resources FAA has dedicated to this effort; however, we are concerned 
by the limitations it places on the integration of eVTOLs into the NAS. 
BETA has encouraged the FAA to create a design standard that is 
consistent with what the industry needs and can use, while ensuring 
safety remains the priority. We hope that the FAA will accelerate and 
prioritize this in time for type certification of eVTOLs and, in the 
meantime, allow eVTOLs to use existing infrastructure.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ Federal Aviation Administration Memorandum ``Engineering Brief 
No. 105, Vertiport Design'' (2022).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Importance of Maintaining Global Leadership in Aviation
    The United States is currently the world leader in aviation. We 
applaud the Administration for its efforts to support and enable AAM, 
recognizing that this moment provides a significant opportunity to 
maintain--and expand--American leadership. In recent years, AAM has 
attracted over $7 billion in new investment \3\. This investment has 
given the United States a leg up to become a global leader in the 
electric aviation industry. Yet we are in the midst of a global race 
for innovative aviation technologies and many countries in Asia and 
Europe, through regulatory clarity, are positioned to progress more 
quickly, putting our leadership at risk. Developing and scaling AAM in 
a way that enables the United States to be first to market is critical 
for our economy, national security, and global leadership.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ Axel Esque and Robin Riedel, ``A milestone year for future air 
mobility,'' Future of Air Mobility, McKinsey & Company, February 8, 
2022. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/aerospace-and-defense/our-
insights/future-air-mobility-blog/a-milestone-year-for-future-air-
mobility
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AAM Unlocks Domestic Industry
    AAM provides us with a unique opportunity to foster American 
leadership and ingenuity with 21st century technology. BETA has created 
more than 500 high-paying jobs across North America since our creation 
five years ago, primarily in non-urban locations. As we grow and 
advance, we will continue to scale our business with hiring that 
supports a domestic supply chain, an engineering corps, and a 
manufacturing operation.
    But AAM is more than a company or a product--it is an industry. As 
the domestic AAM industry reaches commercialization, it is expected to 
create hundreds of thousands of high-skilled manufacturing, design, and 
infrastructure jobs by 2040, all while placing a renewed emphasis on 
domestic manufacturing. This economic growth and job creation will echo 
through the entire supply chain.
AAM Strengthens United States' Global Competitiveness
    Innovation in aviation leads to additional capabilities for our 
military and ensures that technologies can be developed domestically 
before our global competitors beat us to it. DOD has recognized this 
and established the Agility Prime program in 2019 to accelerate 
development of new technologies.
    BETA has participated in the Agility Prime program since its 
inception. It has helped us to accelerate our path to FAA type 
certification, gain access to U.S. Air Force engineering expertise and 
test infrastructure, and evaluate use cases for military missions. The 
first crewed flight of an Agility Prime electric aircraft was in BETA's 
fixed-wing prototype in March 2022, a milestone for the program and for 
the AAM industry. It was another proof point that electric aviation is 
real and it's here.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

  U.S. Air Force Test Pilot Maj. Jonathan Appleby and BETA Test Pilot 
                        Camron Guthrie fly ALIA.

    The investment Agility Prime has made in our industry has propelled 
us from developers to companies now entering production, and has given 
us a competitive edge globally. A report by the Department of the Air 
Force transmitted to Congress on August 3, 2022, titled ``Report to 
Congressional Committees \4\,'' cites the many successes of the 
program, including the acceleration of R&D, leverage for commercial 
investment, and collaboration with the FAA on aircraft certification 
and flight standards for operators, maintainers, and levels of 
autonomy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ Department of the Air Force ``Report to Congressional 
Committees,'' August 3, 2022.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Perhaps most notably, though, is Agility Prime's support for a 
domestic AAM industry that will ensure our nation remains dominant in 
the race to build electric aircraft. Agility Prime's investment in AAM 
so far has been a display of American leadership that will allow the 
AAM industry to outpace our global competitors.
   Utilizing a Whole-of-Government Approach to Ensure Success of AAM
    The success of the AAM industry requires cooperation from all 
levels of government. With all relevant parties working together, AAM 
will be best positioned for seamless integration into our communities. 
BETA applauds enactment of the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and 
Leadership Act (Public Law 117-203), which will ensure efforts to 
integrate new technologies into the aviation system are coordinated 
across the government. We thank Chairman Graves (R-LA) and Ranking 
Member Larsen (D-WA) for their leadership on this legislation, and the 
DOT as it works with other departments and agencies to secure continued 
leadership in this industry.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

 U.S. Secretary of Transportation sits in BETA's ALIA aircraft at UPS 
                               WorldPort.

    Important first steps have been taken, including the FAA's 
establishment of the type certification basis and its work to develop a 
Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for pilot training and 
operating rules for eVTOLs. But we still have a lot of work to do to 
get AAM ``off the ground'' here in the United States.
Maintaining the Safest Airspace in the World
    We believe that the FAA can and should ensure a predictable 
regulatory framework that supports innovation and global competition 
while maintaining safety in the national airspace as the priority. As a 
company of aviators, we share the FAA's goal to preserve our national 
standing as the safest environment in the world for aviation. That's 
why BETA is intensely focused on creating the safest aircraft possible.
    BETA's aircraft endure full-scale piloted flight tests on an almost 
daily basis. The success of our flight test program has won us an FAA 
market survey certificate that allows us to put our products to the 
test in real-world flights outside of our test facility and is why the 
first crewed flights of an electric aircraft by Air Force and Army test 
pilots was in BETA's fixed-wing aircraft. In 2023, the FAA's very own 
test pilots also conducted a qualitative evaluation of the aircraft, 
following nearly a year of safety assessments.
    BETA has also partnered with the National Institute for Aviation 
Research (NIAR), located at Wichita State University in Kansas, to 
conduct the industry's first FAA-sponsored drop test of a full-scale 
battery pack. The results of this test not only provided data to refine 
NIAR's simulation model for future testing for the AAM industry, but 
also proved that BETA's full-scale battery pack design can safely 
withstand the impact of a 50-foot drop, which is an important step in 
the certification process.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

BETA partners with NIAR and FAA to conduct first-ever 50-foot drop test 
                     of full-scale battery system.

    We recognize that our engineering rigor and safety orientation will 
keep us on target for FAA certification. Moreover, we believe this 
paves the way for the rest of our industry's success as electric 
aircraft developers go down the same path. As such, a clear pathway to 
certification is needed to not only support innovation, but help 
maintain the safest airspace in the world.
Committing the Necessary Resources and Staffing
    As aviation enters a new era, the FAA is experiencing an influx of 
applications from new entrants who are introducing new and novel 
technologies and systems to the FAA. BETA recognizes this and has 
chosen to take a stepwise approach to the certification process, 
beginning with our electric motor, then our fixed-wing airplane, and 
ultimately our vertical takeoff aircraft. Because electric aviation has 
strict energy and power-density requirements for flight, it brings a 
new and unique set of requirements for the FAA to consider for 
certification, including high energy-density batteries, high torque-
density electric motors, distributed electric propulsion systems, and 
fly-by-wire flight controls. Because the FAA has never certified 
electric propulsion for commercial use, a body of specialized subject 
matter experts (SMEs) that understand the technology is necessary to 
advance type certification applications.
    Further, as the FAA determines the airworthiness criteria to 
establish the level of safety performance for AAM aircraft, 
coordination, collaboration, and communication across its teams is 
paramount. This requires additional staff in FAA's policy and 
certification offices and on the teams responsible for implementing 
airworthiness criteria. We encourage the FAA to hire and train 
additional technical experts who will keep pace with advancements in 
technology and support new entrants' certifications and operations in 
the NAS.
                               Conclusion
    Our nation is on the cusp of a new era of flight, and BETA is eager 
to bring the economic, healthcare, and environmental benefits of AAM to 
communities across the United States. This year's FAA Reauthorization 
comes at a critical time, giving Congress the chance to provide the 
additional direction to the FAA that will get electric aircraft 
certified and into the airspace in a safe, reliable way. The following 
items require swift progress in order to bring AAM to fruition in the 
United States:
      Continued progress toward the type certifications of the 
aircraft, including adequate staffing and appropriate technical 
resources for AAM;
      Transparency and certainty in the regulatory process, 
including timely promulgation of an SFAR that ensures the broadest pool 
of eligible pilots;
      Common infrastructure that enables accessible and 
efficient charging for all AAM aircraft; and,
      Global harmonization among international aviation 
authorities to allow AAM to scale at a global level.

    If the United States can make progress on these key issues, our AAM 
industry will be positioned to deliver benefits of this innovation to 
your diverse communities across the country. BETA appreciates the 
Subcommittee's leadership and willingness to engage with industry, and 
for the opportunity to testify. We look forward to working with you to 
ensure that the United States remains the leader in aviation for 
decades to come.

    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Clark.
    Mr. Bevirt, it is good to see you again, sir. Welcome. I 
now recognize you for 5 minutes of testimony.

    TESTIMONY OF JoeBen BEVIRT, FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE 
                     OFFICER, JOBY AVIATION

    Mr. Bevirt. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the 
opportunity to come and speak with all of you. And I really 
appreciate your leadership in this pivotal year as we look to 
FAA reauthorization.
    My name is JoeBen, and I am the founder and CEO of a 
company called Joby Aviation. Like BETA, we are building 
electric aircraft and electric vertical takeoff and landing 
aircraft.
    We are at a defining moment in aviation. And this is the 
first propulsion revolution that we have seen since the dawn of 
the Jet Age. And I am proud to say the team at Joby has been 
hard at work leading the charge in developing these really 
important new technologies.
    We spent more than a decade developing, testing, and flying 
these aircraft. And we believe this will change the way people 
move, both in rural communities and in urban communities around 
the world and introduce millions of people to the freedom of 
flight and bring emissions-free and quiet aviation into 
reality.
    Today, we are beginning to ramp up our manufacturing 
efforts. And we are starting that with our pilot manufacturing 
facility in Marina, California. And in the next few months, we 
are going to be selecting a site for our phase 1 manufacturing 
facility, which will give us the ability to ramp up to hundreds 
of aircraft per year.
    And we have made great progress in certifying our aircraft 
in partnership with the FAA. The best and the brightest in the 
agency have put tens of thousands of hours into defining, 
documenting, and executing on the certification path tailored 
to our aircraft. We have already begun to execute the tests and 
analyses necessary to prove our aircraft meets those safety 
standards. And it is critical that the FAA stays steadfast in 
that path, as Kyle talked about.
    This new era of electric aviation, it is here today. And it 
is imperative that we stay steadfast in our focus, the FAA's 
focus. And for American companies, it is imperative that 
Congress is consistent. As you look to draft this year's FAA 
reauthorization bill, I ask that you please consider the 
following themes.
    First, it is vital that the FAA continue to provide a 
reliable environment for companies commercializing next-
generation aviation technology like Joby. We must progress on 
the current, well-defined type certification path for pilot 
eVTOL aircraft.
    Second, the FAA must publish a timely Special Federal 
Aviation Regulation, or SFAR, to guide our day-to-day 
operations. The agency is committed to delivering this by 
December 31, 2024. And while we are pleased to hear that they 
are a month ahead of schedule, we need Congress to ensure that 
the SFAR is completed on time as well as create an interim 
policy to enable commercial operations if that process stalls.
    Third, we ask that you confirm eVTOL aircraft can use the 
thousands of existing public airports and heliports as they are 
designed to do. Our national aviation heritage is anchored in a 
mix of public and private infrastructure, totaling nearly 
20,000 airports and heliports. New innovation in flight can 
revitalize much of this infrastructure, presenting new 
opportunities for mobility in both rural and urban communities.
    And finally, the next era of aviation will require a robust 
workforce, including skilled manufacturing technicians, 
aircraft maintainers, pilots, and ground staff. We are doing 
our part to lower the barriers of entry to introduce a wider 
group of people to careers in aviation. At our facility in 
Marina, we are hiring Salinas Valley locals for apprenticeship 
programs that include paid on-the-job training and nationally 
recognized aerospace certifications. In New York City, we are 
partnering with Aviation Career and Technical Education High 
School to develop curricula on electric aircraft for the next 
generation of maintainers.
    We ask for your support through rigorous and equitable 
workforce development programs that leverage modern technology 
and bring more bright minds to careers in our industry. 
Likewise, we ask that you ensure the FAA has the workforce it 
needs to keep up with the development of revolutionary 
technology here in America.
    American leadership requires a strong, bold, and 
collaborative FAA that maintains consistency in its 
policymaking and fosters an environment where companies like 
Joby can bring the next generation of aviation to the world in 
the cleanest, safest, and most inclusive way possible.
    Thank you very much for your time, your service, and your 
leadership, and I look forward to your questions.
    [Mr. Bevirt's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
   Prepared Statement of JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and Chief Executive 
                         Officer, Joby Aviation
                              Introduction
    Good morning Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, and 
distinguished members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee Subcommittee on Aviation.
    My name is JoeBen Bevirt, and I am the Founder and CEO of Joby 
Aviation, a California-based company leading the charge in the emerging 
industry of advanced air mobility (AAM).
    Since 2018, I have served as a member of the Board of Directors and 
the Executive Committee for the General Aviation Manufacturers 
Association (GAMA). Currently, I serve as the Chair of GAMA's Electric 
Propulsion and Innovation Committee (EPIC), where companies involved in 
AAM develop consensus to create an environment that supports the 
efficient design, production, operation and maintenance of electric 
vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs. Additionally, Joby 
is a member of the National Business Aviation Association's Advanced 
Air Mobility Roundtable, which serves as a forum for high-level policy 
planning with sector leaders to chart a course for the integration of 
AAM technologies into the nation's airspace system.
    At Joby Aviation, we are proud to be at the forefront of the era of 
electric aviation. Our primary focus is the development and 
certification of our piloted, all-electric aircraft, designed to 
transport up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, with zero 
operating emissions and low noise, which we intend to operate as part 
of an aerial ridesharing service.
    To ensure the success of AAM, I encourage the Committee to consider 
two key themes. First, confirm the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA) remains focused on the implementation of straightforward policies 
companies can utilize on their first day of operations. For piloted 
aircraft like Joby, this means utilizing the existing system to the 
fullest extent practical; these aircraft are designed to work with 
existing airports, existing heliports and today's air traffic control 
system.
    The second is to maintain the United States' position as the global 
leader in aviation. This requires strong regulatory and policy 
leadership from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA). The country must maintain the FAA path 
developed over the last decade, then take lessons from initial 
operations to make the aviation system even more vibrant. Success, in 
many ways, will come from the priorities you set in this year's FAA 
reauthorization bill and in your oversight of the agencies and 
regulators.
    As this Committee considers definitions for AAM in the FAA 
reauthorization bill, we suggest it to be defined as the next 
generation of inhabited aircraft with advanced automation, electric 
propulsion and/or low noise signature that are intended to open new 
opportunities for air transportation. We believe this definition 
supports a broad portfolio of technologies for the limited purpose of 
policy development.
                             The FAA's path
    The FAA spent the last decade working across applicants, 
researchers and standards bodies to create a thorough and well-designed 
path for the design, certification, and operations of electric aircraft 
that builds on the remarkable safety learnings from decades of 
traditional aircraft certification projects. As the global eVTOL market 
continues to expand, standing behind these key policies along with 
consistent and reliable decision-making by the FAA will be crucial in 
ensuring that the U.S. aviation industry continues to thrive.
    At Joby, we applied for type certification with the FAA in 2018 and 
since that time, thousands of key decisions have been documented across 
the program. Joby is quickly moving into the implementation phase of 
certification, and now has the majority of our area-specific 
certification plans approved by the FAA. These plans cover crucial 
aspects of Joby's aircraft design, performance, and safety features, 
demonstrating our commitment to meeting or exceeding regulatory 
requirements. By working closely with the FAA, Joby has ensured that 
the novel technologies included in our aircraft design align with the 
necessary airworthiness criteria and safety standards.
    Our regular engagement with the FAA is built on the transparent and 
collaborative relationship established over the last five years of our 
certification program. As we move from policy development into 
oversight execution, it is important for FAA certification resources to 
be available to review test plans, witness testing and accept final 
reports.
    Continued U.S. leadership in both technology development and 
regulatory definition requires minimizing unnecessary changes that 
delay progress. Consistent decision-making by the FAA is vital not only 
for the successful certification and integration of eVTOL aircraft into 
the National Airspace System (NAS), but also to ensure the 
competitiveness of the American aerospace industry in the global 
market. Maintaining a stable and predictable regulatory environment is 
key to securing America's leading position in the next era of aviation 
technologies.
    Foreign regulators in China and Europe are working to form their 
own regulations for electric aviation. If the FAA fails to maintain its 
leadership position, other countries will dictate how future aircraft 
are manufactured and operated, putting American companies at a 
disadvantage in the global market.
    Following the FAA decision to regulate eVTOL aircraft as powered 
lift, the agency needs to provide operating rules for this class of 
aircraft. These rules will be issued through Special Federal Aviation 
Regulations (SFAR), which the FAA has committed to delivering by 
December 31, 2024.
    We were pleased to hear that the agency's proposed SFAR has been 
forwarded from FAA to DOT one month ahead of schedule, but there is 
more to be done. We hope Congress will partner with us to ensure the 
process is completed on time, as well as create an interim policy to 
enable early commercial operations if the rulemaking process misses 
this deadline or a company achieves type certification prior to rule 
completion.
A long-term solution for the future of vertical aviation infrastructure
    Joby appreciates the leadership of Chairman Garret Graves, Ranking 
Member Rick Larsen and Ranking Member Dina Titus for ensuring passage 
in the FY 2023 Omnibus of the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure 
Modernization Act (AAIM Act), authorization for planning grants to 
facilitate the investment in Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure. An 
investment in community planning is an important step when thinking 
about infrastructure, especially in considering how to maximize the 
infrastructure that already exists.
    Our national aviation heritage is anchored in infrastructure. 
Thanks to decades of investment, the U.S. is home to nearly 13,000 
airports and 6,000 heliports. This system, which is a mix of both 
public and private infrastructure, has enabled our aviation industry to 
flourish over the past 50 years. AAM will present new mobility options 
for people in rural and urban communities and help revitalize much of 
this infrastructure.
    For the long-term success of the aviation industry, it is critical 
that eVTOL aircraft can operate out of all forms of aviation 
infrastructure--including airports and heliports--as well as permit new 
sites to support industry growth. If eVTOL is unable to use existing 
aviation infrastructure, it will drastically impact our nation's 
ability to lead in the future of flight since it will require all new 
infrastructure to be permitted for operations to begin.
    We must have a clear pathway to day-one operations for existing 
infrastructure. While we are pleased with the FAA's Office of Airports' 
proactive approach to new entrants, a lack of clear direction and 
guidance at the federal level, with respect to existing heliports and 
airports, has resulted in confusion and ambiguity at the state and 
local level. Our eVTOL aircraft, like most others undergoing type 
certification, has been designed to use existing heliports and airports 
on day one.
    We would encourage Congress to establish a definition in U.S. Code 
for heliports that indicates they are used or intended to be used by 
any aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing. We believe that 
existing frameworks for heliport design, planning, permitting and 
approval are suitable both for heliports and future vertiports. As we 
look to the future, we see vertiports as a type of heliport that can 
meet community needs through appropriate noise standards and 
limitations.\1\
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    \1\ See, https://transportation.house.gov/calendar/
eventsingle.aspx?EventID=405816
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                         Workforce Development
    We often focus on the transportation benefits made possible by AAM, 
but the revolution in electric propulsion has widespread economic 
benefits, including clean technology jobs in manufacturing and 
operations. AAM is estimated to add nearly $1 trillion and 400,000 jobs 
\2\ to the economies around the world that invest in it. At Joby, we 
are committed to playing our part in driving this economic driver and 
creating a more sustainable and efficient transportation system for 
all.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ See, https://panetta.house.gov/sites/panetta.house.gov/files/
documents/2023.02.23_DOT_
AAM%20Leadership%20Letter.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The industry will need to grow its workforce, including skilled 
manufacturing technicians, aircraft maintainers, new pilots, and new 
ground staff. We're doing our part to cultivate a vibrant and diverse 
workforce.
    For example, we're partnering with Aviation Career & Technical 
Education High School in New York City--a unique high school offering 
rigorous instruction and equitable access to aviation curricula 
followed by steady work as aircraft maintainers.
    In Marina, we're working with Monterey Bay Drone, Automation and 
Robotics Technology (DART) Initiative and the James Irvine Foundation 
to establish apprenticeship programs that include paid on-the-job 
training for Salinas Valley locals interested in upskilling.
    We're laying the groundwork for a pilot academy that will radically 
reduce the economic cost of becoming a commercial pilot and lower the 
barrier to entry.
    As this Committee considers FAA Reauthorization, we kindly request 
policies that broaden access to aviation careers, such as the expansion 
of the Aviation Workforce Development Grant, decrease the cost of 
flight training, fund apprenticeship programs, and explore new 
technologies, such as the use of virtual reality for flight training.
        Ensuring Maturation of Industry after Commercialization
    We are grateful to Chairman Garrett Graves, Congresswoman Sharice 
Davids, and members of the Committee for introducing and passing the 
``Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Coordination and Leadership Act,'' which 
created an interagency working group intended to coordinate efforts 
``necessary for [the] maturation of the AAM ecosystem in the United 
States, particularly passenger-carrying aircraft.''
    We support the interagency working group's efforts, as codified, to 
``grow new transportation options; amplify economic activity and jobs; 
advance environmental sustainability and new technologies; and support 
emergency preparedness and competitiveness \3\.'' Collaboration and 
information-sharing among the members of the interagency working group 
is crucial to long-term maturation of eVTOLs, as regulatory, policy and 
infrastructure decisions made today can support the future growth and 
development of the AAM ecosystem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ See, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/
516/text
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    We hope the working group will expand upon the strong foundation of 
U.S. government leadership on AAM technology and commercialization 
displayed by NASA, through its ongoing research with industry partners 
into acoustics, airspace modernization, and aircraft operations; and 
the Department of Defense's Agility Prime program, which has actively 
invested in emerging aviation technology development for many years.
                               Conclusion
    This is a defining moment for aviation--the first propulsion 
revolution the world has seen since the dawn of the Jet Age, with the 
potential to bring people and goods closer together than ever before, 
in both rural and urban communities. As cleaner and quieter aircraft 
are introduced into the market, it is imperative that the United States 
continue to set the global standard for aviation safety while 
championing the industry's transition to climate-neutral methods of 
flight.
    I thank you for your time, your passion, and your leadership.

    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Bevirt.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Christopher Bradshaw for 5 
minutes of testimony.

    TESTIMONY OF CHRISTOPHER BRADSHAW, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF 
    EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BRISTOW GROUP INC., ON BEHALF OF THE 
              HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

    Mr. Bradshaw. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Cohen, and 
members of the committee, thank you for having me here today.
    My name is Chris Bradshaw, and I am the president and CEO 
of Bristow Group. It is my pleasure to be here today on behalf 
of our trade association, Helicopter Association International.
    As the global leader in innovative and sustainable vertical 
flight solutions, Bristow makes the world a safer and more 
productive place by delivering safe, efficient, and reliable 
aviation solutions around the globe.
    I am here to talk about our organization and the pragmatic 
approach we are taking as an experienced vertical lift operator 
entering the field of advanced air mobility, or AAM. First, 
though, I would like to take a moment to talk about safety, 
which is Bristow's number-one core value and our highest 
operational priority.
    This is evidenced by the long-running success of our Target 
Zero safety culture and safety-focused approach in all that we 
do. New technology is revolutionary, but safety and operational 
excellence are evolutionary. In the case of Bristow, our safety 
culture and safety management system have evolved and matured 
over 75 years since the founding of the company in Alaska in 
1948.
    Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Bristow employs more than 
3,000 people, and has a presence on 6 continents with aircraft 
in 17 different countries. Here in the U.S., our main bases of 
operation are in south Louisiana where we provide personnel 
transportation and search-and-rescue services to our commercial 
clients and the U.S. Government throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
    In addition to our offshore energy services business, we 
provide dedicated search-and-rescue services to sovereign 
nations, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and 
elsewhere.
    Today, I want to talk about AAM and how Bristow fits into 
that emerging landscape. We believe AAM will play an important 
part in the future of aviation. These new technologies have the 
potential to make certain missions more efficient, quieter, 
more accessible, and more sustainable. Indeed, we believe AAM 
represents a powerful opportunity to accelerate sustainability 
within our industry.
    We view AAM as a natural extension of Bristow's core 
competencies, and we see multiple avenues for Bristow to 
participate in the emerging value chain. We think AAM will 
first serve the cargo and logistics needs of our existing 
customers with personnel transport coming later.
    Bristow believes an incremental approach to adoption--think 
crawl, walk, run--is best. We also see various opportunities to 
expand vertical flight services into entirely new markets, 
including regional air mobility and eventually more urban air 
mobility missions as well.
    Bristow has strategically partnered with multiple leading 
AAM equipment manufacturers that are developing aircraft 
targeted to fulfill different mission profiles. At the core of 
these partnerships, Bristow intends to lend critical safety, 
operational, certification, and logistics expertise to help 
guide the launch of these new solutions.
    It is very exciting to be sitting here next to Kyle Clark 
of BETA Technologies. We intend to purchase up to 50 of their 
eVTOL and/or eCTOL aircraft, and we look forward to providing 
personnel transport and logistic services, utilizing these 
aircraft once they are certified.
    With all of this potential, we need the FAA's support. 
Bristow has a good working relationship with the FAA, and we 
are grateful for the work they do day in and day out to oversee 
the safe and proper functioning of our industry. As it relates 
to AAM and the introduction of new technologies, though, we 
fear the U.S. regulatory framework lags in comparison to that 
of other global jurisdictions.
    We know that the FAA's number-one priority is safety. That 
is our number-one priority as well. Yet, opaque processes and 
shifting timelines are less than ideal. Additional clarity and 
expediency from the FAA are required to support U.S. leadership 
in a competitive global marketplace.
    Additionally, there is a need to attract and develop the 
next generation of the aviation workforce that will be required 
to pilot and maintain these aircraft. We are asking, with 
Congress' help, that the FAA adopt the ICAO guidance that 
provides a logical and pragmatic approach to operating powered-
lift aircraft in the national airspace and would help to 
address the anticipated AAM workforce shortage as the new 
technology enters operation.
    We also support the expansion of the workforce development 
grant that was begun in the last FAA reauthorization. 
Specifically, we would like to see rotorcraft included in the 
eligible pool of these critically important grants.
    At Bristow, we are very excited to be lending our expertise 
as a mature and proven operator of vertical lift aircraft to 
drive innovation with our partners in the AAM space. AAM and 
these next-generation propulsion systems and technologies are 
essential to the longstanding sustainable growth in the 
vertical flight industry.
    It is my privilege to be here today, and I look forward to 
answering your questions. Thank you.
    [Mr. Bradshaw's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
    Prepared Statement of Christopher Bradshaw, President and Chief 
  Executive Officer, Bristow Group Inc., on behalf of the Helicopter 
                       Association International
    Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, and Members of the 
Committee, thank you for having me here today. My name is Chris 
Bradshaw, and I am the President and CEO of Bristow Group. It is my 
pleasure to be here on behalf of our trade association, Helicopter 
Association International (HAI). As the global leader in innovative and 
sustainable vertical flight solutions, Bristow makes the world a safer 
and more productive place by delivering safe, efficient and reliable 
aviation solutions around the globe. I am here today to talk about our 
organization and the pragmatic approach we are taking as an experienced 
vertical lift operator entering the field of advanced air mobility--or 
AAM.
    First, though, I would like to take a moment to talk about safety, 
which is Bristow's #1 core value and our highest operational priority. 
At Bristow, we each own safety, every day. This is evidenced by the 
long-running success of our Target Zero safety culture and safety-
focused approach in all that we do. Safety drives our business, and it 
will continue to be our North Star as we expand our service offerings 
to existing customers and enter new markets operating the next 
generation in aviation technologies. New technology is revolutionary, 
but safety and operational excellence are evolutionary. In the case of 
Bristow, our safety culture and safety management system have evolved 
and matured over 75 years, since the founding of the Company in Alaska 
in 1948.
    Headquartered in Houston, TX, and publicly traded on the NYSE, 
Bristow employs more than 3,000 people and has a presence on six 
continents, with customers in 17 countries. Here in the U.S., our main 
bases of operations are in South Louisiana, where we provide personnel 
transportation and search and rescue services to our commercial clients 
and the U.S. government throughout the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to 
our offshore energy services business, we provide dedicated search and 
rescue services to sovereign nations, including the United Kingdom, the 
Netherlands, the Dutch Caribbean region and elsewhere. Recently, we 
were proud to fly the NATO Secretary General, the Norwegian Prime 
Minister, the European Commission President and the CEO of Equinor to 
and from an offshore platform in the North Sea. We are honored by the 
faith our customers place in us, and we are committed to earning that 
trust anew every day.
    Today, I want to talk about AAM and how Bristow fits into that 
emerging landscape. We believe AAM will play an important part in the 
future of aviation. These new technologies have the potential to make 
certain missions more efficient, quieter, more accessible, and more 
sustainable. Indeed, we believe AAM represents a powerful opportunity 
to accelerate sustainability within our industry. We view AAM as a 
natural extension of Bristow's core competencies of safe, efficient and 
reliable vertical flight solutions, and we see multiple avenues for 
Bristow to participate in the emerging AAM value chain. One of those 
avenues will be servicing our existing customers in a broader way. As 
we expand our services, we will do so prudently and safely, as we 
always have. We think AAM will first serve the cargo and logistics 
needs of our customers, with personnel transport coming later. Bristow 
believes an incremental approach to AAM adoption (think ``crawl, walk, 
run'') is best. We also see various opportunities to expand vertical 
flight services into entirely new markets including regional air 
mobility and eventually more urban air mobility operations as well.
    One size does not fit all. Bristow has strategically partnered with 
multiple leading AAM equipment manufacturers that are developing 
aircraft targeted to fulfill different mission profiles.
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    At the core of these partnerships, Bristow intends to lend critical 
safety, operational, certification and logistics expertise to guide the 
launch of these new solutions. It is very exciting to be sitting next 
to Kyle Clark of BETA Technologies. We intend to purchase up to 50 of 
their eVTOL and / or eCTOL aircraft in the near future, and we look 
forward to providing personnel transport and logistics services 
utilizing these aircraft once they are certified.
    With all this potential, we need the FAA's support. Bristow has a 
good working relationship with the FAA, and we are grateful for the 
great work they do day-in and day-out to oversee the safe and proper 
functioning of our industry. As it relates to AAM and the introduction 
of new technologies though, we fear the U.S. regulatory framework lags 
in comparison to that of other global jurisdictions. We know that the 
FAA's #1 priority is safety. That is our #1 priority as well. Yet, 
opaque processes and shifting timelines are less than ideal. Additional 
clarity and expediency from the FAA are required to support U.S. 
leadership in a competitive global marketplace. Additionally, there is 
a need to attract and develop the next generation of the aviation 
workforce that will be required to pilot and maintain these aircraft. 
We are asking--with Congress's help--that the FAA adopt the 
recommendations included in ICAO Document 10103 ``Guidance on the 
Implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices for Tilt-
rotors.'' This document provides a logical and pragmatic approach to 
operating powered lift aircraft in the National Airspace and would help 
to address the anticipated AAM workforce shortage as the new technology 
enters operation. We also support the expansion of the Workforce 
Development Grant program that was begun in the last FAA 
Reauthorization. Specifically, we would like to see rotorcraft included 
in the eligible pool of these critically important grants.
    At Bristow, we are excited to be lending our expertise as a mature 
and proven operator of vertical lift aircraft to drive innovation with 
our partners in the AAM space. We look forward to the opportunities it 
will bring to provide efficient and sustainable flight solutions to our 
customers. AAM and these next generation propulsion systems and 
technologies are essential to the long-term sustainable growth in the 
vertical flight industry.
    It is my privilege to be here today, and I look forward to 
answering your questions. Thank you.

                                                           Appendix
               Helicopter Association International (HAI)
       Advanced Air Mobility Industry Advisory Council (AAM-IAC)
            Roadmap of Advanced Air Mobility Operations 2023
                         Summary of Priorities
Infrastructure
Near-Term
      The existing system of airports and heliports should be 
leveraged to support initial operations when and where possible, while 
planning for and beginning to deploy new infrastructure. The industry 
should continue engaging with airport/heliport managers, FSDOs, ADOs, 
state DOTs, airport associations, ATC, local governments, metropolitan 
planning organizations, and others.
      Both public and private infrastructure should comprise 
the AAM network to enable the industry to begin initial operations 
quickly and to scale effectively.
      Charging stations will be required to support early 
operations. The industry would benefit from a better understanding of 
charging requirements, supporting electrical infrastructure, and any 
potential limitations that would affect initial AAM operations. 
Standards, guidance, and policies for installing AAM charging 
infrastructure need to be developed.
Mid-Term
      The industry will need to start developing and 
understanding, in concert with the power industry, the necessary grid 
structures to support AAM. Standards, guidance, and policies for 
installing AAM charging infrastructure need to be developed and planned 
accordingly. We recommend an in-depth, joint (including aircraft 
manufacturers, operators, infrastructure companies, electric utility 
companies, electricity regulatory bodies, and localities) study on the 
electricity demand for each type of vertiport, including the number of 
stands and electric charging stations. Additionally, methods to ensure 
that all types of AAM vehicles will be able to utilize any charging 
station, such as universal charging ports, should continue to be 
developed.
      The industry should communicate and engage with 
international manufacturers, regulators, authorities, and operators to 
prioritize global harmonization, where appropriate. While the United 
States is gearing toward AAM support and activities, other nations are 
equally seeking to materialize a robust AAM ecosystem.
      The industry can use digital twins of cities to support 
data-driven decision making related to infrastructure planning, zoning, 
route optimization, and asset management. These tools will be critical 
for cost avoidance, identification of second-order impacts, and 
enhanced productivity. Further, digital twins can help policymakers and 
the public visualize the impact of AAM on their communities.
Far-Term
      Communication capabilities such as vehicle-to-vehicle 
(V2V) and vehicle-to-ground (V2G) are vital elements of AAM operations 
and will need substantial support and facilitation to scale for a dense 
AAM ecosystem.
      New infrastructure such as vertiports will require the 
combined efforts of industry and regulators to facilitate the entry of 
new markets and operations (both VFR and IFR) into the AAM ecosystem.
Regulations and Airspace Use
Near-Term
      Regulations must facilitate a smooth transition from 
existing ground infrastructure to new infrastructure or a combination 
of both.
      The industry should continue to build partnerships with 
stakeholder authorities (e.g., EASA, ICAO, FAA, NASA) and other 
interested parties for airspace development for AAM operations. The FAA 
airworthiness regulations 14 CFR Part 23, 27, and 29 can be utilized to 
support AAM aircraft certification activities. However, the use of 
eVTOL in Part 135 commercial operations requires additional clarity and 
adaptation due to the unique operational characteristics. The FAA's 
recent notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to incorporate powered lift 
(eVTOL) aircraft into its regulatory definitions covering air carriers 
(Docket No. FAA-2022-1563; Notice No. 23-03) is a necessary first step, 
but the FAA must also define the aircrew and operating rules.
      Current regulations restrict existing infrastructure such 
as heliports due to the rigidity of the language. There is a 
considerable portion of existing infrastructure that is not covered by 
current regulations that could be leveraged for initial AAM operations.
      AAM operations will benefit greatly from direct routing 
due to power limitations. In a dense AAM ecosystem with numerous 
operations requiring specific routes, the industry will need to create 
far-term routing solutions harmonized with all AAM capabilities. 
Routing procedures should consider all operational areas (urban, rural, 
mixed) and differentiate between high-density and low-density flight 
areas. Integration of the airspace, rather than segregation of 
operations, should be the goal.
Mid-Term
      Airspace regulations for AAM operations must be flexible 
and performance based. As current IFR rules may not be sufficient, a 
hybrid set of flight rules, i.e., Digital Flight Rules (DFR), to 
accompany VFR and IFR operations may be more beneficial to AAM.
      AAM could initially leverage existing routing procedures, 
such as low-altitude helicopter routing, but this may not be adequate 
as operations scale. Aircraft-generated sound should be considered when 
developing routing, especially within populated areas such as cities, 
and attention will need to be placed on community equity.
Far-Term
      While legacy regulations related to reserve requirements 
may be adequate for some operators, energy reserve requirements must 
capture the scope of all operators and types of operations, whether 
fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or a hybrid of both. Destination intentions, 
weather considerations, unique airport operations, local geography, and 
population density will all play a role in determining energy reserve 
requirements (e.g., landing as a fixed wing at an airport, or as a 
rotary wing at a pad).
      PSUs could increasingly become a vital part of traffic 
management in AAM and may be the primary driver of avoiding conflict 
with other flight operators in the same airspace.
Design and Certification
Near-Term
      The AAM community may utilize existing maintenance 
training standards for initial operations until exemptions or alternate 
means of compliance are in place. Operators will pull from the existing 
CPL(A), CPL(H), or CPL(PL) communities with pilots undergoing 
transition training.
      Aircraft OEMs and regulators should align efforts to 
address the unique certification requirements of AAM aircraft designs. 
It would be a mistake to try to fit these aircraft into helicopter or 
airplane type certification standards. Aircraft performance 
capabilities are among the driving factors in aircraft type 
certification.
      Insurance coverage will be required for addressing AAM's 
unique risk exposures. Industry and partners should begin discussions 
with the insurance industry to identify risk assessment and mitigation 
for AAM operations.
      Maintenance requirements must be addressed to enable 
early entry into commercial operations. Industry OEMs should determine 
the required maintenance for these unique aircraft and work with 
regulators to develop policy for maintenance providers.
Mid-Term
      As operations scale, maintenance requirements and 
standards may need revamping to accommodate the AAM systems and 
technologies.
      As various models of AAM aircraft are introduced, 
considerations such as size of aircraft, type of operations, pilot 
training, qualifications, and certifications will influence specific 
insurance requirements.
      Workforce training will need to support various 
components of the entire AAM ecosystem, including pilots, mechanics, 
traffic management, and engineers. Complexities of the varied types of 
AAM aircraft may lead to the need for a pilot type rating for each 
unique aircraft design.
      Autonomy certification processes, standards, and 
incorporation for scaling and safety need to be developed. The pilot 
qualifications for remotely operated or autonomous aircraft should be 
reviewed; the current commercial pilot shortage will be exacerbated if 
we do not take the opportunity to review the appropriate skills needed 
for operations that will not include a pilot on board.
Far-Term
      Pilot and technician ab initio pathways need to be 
created to address the looming workforce shortage.
      Within a high-density AAM ecosystem, there will be a 
significant number of flights per day, requiring different and unique 
or new types of maintenance. There may be the need for on-site and off-
site maintenance teams at vertiports for emergency repairs and/or 
extensive vehicle repairs, respectively.
      There is a need to create a new workforce pipeline for 
pilots, remote pilots, supervisors, mechanics, and additional ground or 
aircrew personnel. This pipeline should be tailored to this new 
technology rather than forcing workers into the existing pipelines for 
pilots and mechanics, where a majority of what they learn and get 
trained to do will not be applicable to eVTOL. Tailoring the 
development of the AAM workforce to AAM requirements could create a 
more efficient workforce pipeline.
AAM Enterprise
Near-Term
      Community outreach campaigns will be critical to the 
success of AAM. The industry must educate and influence the public, 
policymakers, and non-AAM industry stakeholders, as well as pursue 
efforts to align the various government agencies.
      For the rotorcraft industry, eVTOL aircraft will simply 
represent the addition of a new aircraft to their fleets, thus, current 
operators have the full scope of vertical lift missions, including 
safety and regulatory backgrounds.
      Workforce remains an issue for initial operations, and 
the industry will need to focus on building the workforce pipeline to 
support future operations. There is utility in the outreach to other 
rotorcraft/drone pilots and operators to raise an initial workforce for 
early AAM operations.
      Supporting programs can demonstrate the effectiveness of 
AAM, including demonstration operations and ConOps testing.
      Support programs must be developed to address member and 
public engagement on the full scope of support and service-related 
issues for AAM including fire codes (National Fire Protection 
Association).
Mid-Term
      There is a need to establish community talking points 
focused on the importance of AAM to the aviation industry and 
communities. Changes in state and municipal codes for AAM could be 
expected to take five years or more and will depend on the acceptance 
and support of communities.
      Industry must monitor community reaction to the effects 
of aircraft generated sound and promote the low sound profiles of AAM 
aircraft through demonstrations and use cases to continue to build 
momentum for community acceptance.
Far-Term
      As the AAM industry scales, community engagement must 
also scale, with continued education and outreach. The success of 
initial piloted AAM operations will provide the public confidence in 
both the safety and benefits as increasing levels of autonomy are 
incorporated and introduced.

    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw.
    Next, the Chair recognizes Mr. Clint Harper for 5 minutes 
of opening testimony.

  TESTIMONY OF CLINT HARPER, ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY EXPERT AND 
                       COMMUNITY ADVOCATE

    Mr. Harper. Thank you.
    I would like to start off today by acknowledging the 
indigenous peoples whose ancestral homelands we are gathering 
on today, as well as those who are living here today who 
struggle to have their voices heard.
    Good afternoon, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, 
Ranking Member Cohen, and members of the subcommittee. I am 
honored to be here today with my esteemed colleagues.
    For this testimony, I will draw upon my experiences in 
working with State and local governments to achieve their 
advanced air mobility goals. I am not here to represent the 
views of any single jurisdiction. Instead, these insights are a 
compilation of my observations while helping governments. My 
hope is that the lessons that I have learned can be 
incorporated into the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill.
    As we approach an exciting new era in aviation, we must 
recognize a sobering truth: Regrettably, today, the majority of 
aviation benefits are enjoyed by those with higher disposable 
incomes, while, on the other hand, negative externalities, such 
as noise and emissions, are disproportionately endured by those 
struggling to make ends meet.
    We must make it our duty as a Nation to confront this 
disparity and champion a more equitable and inclusive aviation 
future for all citizens. I believe that advanced air mobility 
represents a significant step in the right direction if 
integrated into communities thoughtfully.
    Equity must be at the forefront of our pursuit. Our 
collective effort should aim to forge a future in which the 
burdens and benefits of aviation are allocated in a more 
equitable manner. In doing so, we can ensure that AAM's promise 
of progress is truly shared by all.
    As we navigate the intricate challenges of integrating new 
mobility technologies into our landscapes, city staff must 
remain focused on the complex and immediate pressing issues of 
today. This often leaves little time to contemplate emerging 
technologies that have yet to fully materialize.
    Nevertheless, we must not overlook the potential of 
integrating advanced air mobility into our transportation 
system, as it offers us a rare chance to demonstrate what we 
have learned from previous missteps in transportation-related 
decisionmaking, where decisions favored the quality of life for 
the privileged at the expense of the marginalized.
    To address this, the reauthorization bill should provide 
funds and resources for communities to advance the holistic 
integration of advanced air mobility technologies. This aid 
will help communities identify where advanced air mobility 
interventions can provide solutions where the legacy 
transportation system currently struggles. This includes 
promoting the development of strategic plans, digital 
infrastructure tools, multimodal integration, job creation, and 
more.
    In my nearly 6 years of collaborating with State and local 
governments, it has become increasingly clear that city land-
use and transportation planners hold the keys to the successful 
integration of advanced air mobility technologies. However, 
traditional university planning programs often neglect aviation 
topics. This oversight complicates collaboration and hinders 
the seamless incorporation of aviation into broader 
transportation solutions.
    If we continue to isolate aviation from other modes, we 
risk undermining our efforts to offer citizens the 
transportation choices that best meet their needs. Therefore, 
it is crucial that the reauthorization bill encourages 
educational programs and resources that raise awareness of 
aviation among traditional planning professionals. By 
cultivating an understanding of aviation's role in the broader 
transportation system, we can work together to build a better 
and more interconnected future.
    We must also recognize that we are not fully utilizing the 
vast talent available to us. To tap into our collective 
potential, we must promote diversity and inclusivity.
    With this belief, I encourage that the reauthorization bill 
includes provisions to foster a diverse aviation workforce, 
provides training and education programs for transitioning 
veterans, and incentivizes private companies and organizations 
to support the recruitment of diverse talents. Through these 
united efforts, we can ensure that our Nation's skies are 
supported and navigated by the most skilled and capable 
workforce.
    As AAM operations draw closer, it is vital to ensure that 
our current vertical lift infrastructure provides a foundation 
for eVTOLs and supports the increased tempo of operations, 
particularly in dense urban environments.
    Current infrastructure is inadequate. Many heliports are 
plagued by obstructions, lack of proper weather reporting as 
well as current tools for risk identification, mitigation, and 
communication. We must enhance our infrastructure to ensure 
growth and progress.
    The reauthorization bill should incorporate measures that 
assist States and cities in better regulating and managing 
their urban and rural aviation systems. A reinvigorated system 
should stimulate competition, choice, and innovation through a 
blend of public and private infrastructure that embodies 
safety, accessibility, and promotes multimodal options, 
especially transit and active transportation.
    We stand at a crucial point in our transportation history. 
Our decisions can serve to correct past mistakes that continue 
to marginalize struggling communities today. This is an 
opportunity for all transportation sectors to unite and build a 
better system.
    Thank you all for this opportunity. I eagerly anticipate 
partnering with you to pioneer a new era in aviation and 
transportation.
    Thank you.
    [Mr. Harper's prepared statement follows:]

                                 
 Prepared Statement of Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility Expert and 
                           Community Advocate
    Chairman S. Graves, Chairman G. Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, 
Ranking Member Cohen, and Members of Congress--my name is Clint Harper. 
I am an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) subject matter expert and community 
advocate. I am honored to appear before you and this Committee to 
discuss my experiences and takeaways from working with state and local 
governments and assisting them with their Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) 
integration goals in hopes that lessons learned may be captured in the 
upcoming Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Reauthorization Bill. 
But first, I would like to establish the context that shapes my 
understanding of AAM and its role in a city's transportation system.
    My aviation career started 24 years ago in the United States Air 
Force. I first enlisted as a communication, navigation, and sensor 
technician on the AC-130H Spectre Gunships. This highly specialized 
airframe exposed me to various aircraft avionics and sensor systems. In 
addition, it taught me how these aircraft systems work together to 
enable safe passage through our National Airspace System (NAS) and in 
complex contingency environments. In 2004, I was eager to learn 
something new and was approved to re-train in the Airfield Management 
career field. Airfield Managers start their careers as flight 
dispatchers to learn the nuances of flight operations; this prepares 
them to better understand how the airfield system plays into flight 
planning, and to take on progressively more complex roles in airfield 
operations, airfield management, and airfield capital improvement 
planning. This experience provided a diverse and dynamic aviation 
foundation to serve me well as I transitioned to civilian life 
following my military retirement in 2014.
    Like many transitioning veterans, I was hit with the reality that 
despite my well-rounded experience within aviation, getting a job 
interview proved difficult without a four-year degree. To remedy this, 
I opted to enroll in the urban planning program at the University of 
Utah. Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with the built 
environment and the various systems that make a city function. In this 
program, I was exposed to the tireless work of land use planners, 
transportation planners, urban designers, and economic developers. I 
quickly grew a deep appreciation for the work that these planners 
accomplished to advance solutions for some of society's most complex 
issues, such as homelessness, transportation inequities, and food 
insecurity. It did not take long for me to start questioning the role 
of aviation in solving or exasperating these deeper societal problems. 
I hastily concluded that aviation was disproportionately serving 
higher-income professionals at the expense of lower-income and 
marginalized communities around airports, where aviation-induced 
negative externalities are concentrated; this disturbed me to the point 
that I vowed to abandon my aviation experience and seek work in a more 
traditional planning field.
    I immersed myself in urban design, food system planning, and 
transportation planning. I was reinvigorated at the prospect of 
advancing human-scaled design that promoted multimodal solutions that 
started and ended with an active transportation trip. With my remaining 
GI Bill, I attended culinary school to learn more deeply how whole 
fresh foods can serve as a cornerstone in healthy communities and the 
built environment. Still, something was not sitting right with me. 
Aviation provided me with so much, and ignoring the pull back towards 
it wasn't easy. Finally, I confided in a mentor, and he asked why I 
desired to leave aviation. After explaining myself, he suggested I re-
engage within the aviation industry and bring with me the lessons I 
learned in planning. He assured me that there was a need within 
aviation to resolve the very issues that I was so passionate about. 
This conversation catalyzed my re-entry into aviation and sparked my 
interest in furthering solutions around aviation and community 
integration.
    Upon my final semester, I obtained a job as a transportation 
planning intern at the Utah Department of Transportation. As fate would 
have it, my first day was also the first day of the Department's new 
Aeronautics Director. As we spent time together during onboarding, he 
listened to my ideas and vowed to give them a platform. He worked with 
the Planning Director to create an innovative partnership where I would 
split time between the Transportation Planning Division and the 
Division of Aeronautics. While at the Planning Division, I advocated 
for the recognition of aviation as a part of the broader transportation 
system. While at the Aeronautics Division, I advocated for multimodal 
solutions, equity, and economic development as a part of the Division's 
aviation system planning efforts. I visited Associations of 
Governments, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Economic Development 
Districts, and local governments to educate them on the potential of 
the airport resources within their respective jurisdictions. I helped 
them see airports as transportation infrastructure waiting to be 
activated to anchor new economic activity centers.
    As this work gained momentum, a new buzz emerged around electric 
aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Aircraft 
manufacturers proposed a new transportation mode that would 
revolutionize the transportation system. These electric vertical 
takeoff and landing aircraft, more affectionally referred to today as 
eVTOLs, promised to eliminate emissions, dramatically reduce noise, and 
be more accessible to a broader range of residents; this was the 
aviation opportunity to blend my passion for aviation and land use / 
transportation planning. I immediately got to work educating 
communities on AAM and how we might prepare.
    Unfortunately, cities had grown weary of new mobility technologies. 
Ride-sharing services and electric scooters launched and scaled rapidly 
in cities in 2012 and 2017. Without collaboration and an opportunity to 
properly plan, cities struggled to understand the impacts on safety, 
the environment, and infrastructure. These events flagged a need for 
cities to understand and prepare for new mobility technology, such as 
AAM, while also protecting community interests.
    The City of Los Angeles led in this regard when it created Urban 
Movement Labs (UML), a transportation incubator designed to foster 
innovation and collaboration between government, industry, and the 
community. UML was launched with the goal of bringing together 
stakeholders from across the mobility industry to address common 
challenges and opportunities. City officials recognized that they 
needed to work more closely with industry partners to address these 
challenges and create a more sustainable and equitable transportation 
system.
    Advanced Air Mobility became part of UML's portfolio in late 2020. 
In early 2021, I was hired as the program's Advanced Air Mobility 
Fellow. My role involved engaging with city officials, industry 
partners, and community stakeholders to explore the technical, 
regulatory, and policy challenges of integrating AAM into the urban 
transportation system. Some of the specific activities that I led 
included hosting a series of AAM-focused outreach events with 
community-based organizations, transportation advocacy groups, and 
other stakeholders; as well as collaborating with the FAA, NASA, and 
other jurisdictions to identify regulatory challenges and 
opportunities; and finally, working with AAM industry partners to 
identify potential use cases and operational scenarios for AAM in urban 
environments.
    In this role, I was led by some of the most knowledgeable, 
thoughtful, and compassionate leaders across all planning disciplines. 
I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to learn from them and to 
have their leadership shape who I am today. Not only did I get to work 
with the great staff within the City of Los Angeles, but I also enjoyed 
the opportunity to interact and collaborate with cities around the 
globe as they also explored the integration of AAM technologies into 
their transportation systems.
    With this context, the following sections detail my observations 
with recommendations that are aggregated from my entire body of work. I 
hope you find these insights helpful and actionable as you consider the 
FAA Reauthorization Bill and the role of AAM in reshaping our cities 
for a more sustainable future.
Observation 1: Today, aviation users enjoy benefits to the detriment of 
        residents who are the least likely to have the means to access 
        aviation services. Conversely, those with the least access to 
        aviation services are more likely to bear the burden of 
        aviation's negative externalities.
    Airport Economic Impact Studies across the nation communicate the 
economic benefits of airports and promote airports as `economic 
engines.' Airport supporters herald these results as reasons why 
continued support for the airport is vital to the community. What is 
often lost and not studied in these reports is precisely who and who is 
not benefiting from aviation-enabled economic benefits. In the paper, 
The Spatial Distribution of Airport-Related Economic Activity, the 
author explores the link between airports and economic impact at the 
regional scale. Findings show that economic benefits for many airports 
are often disproportionately concentrated far enough away from the 
airport where negative externalities are no longer a quality-of-life 
factor. These findings mean that those suffering from exposure to noise 
and emissions are less likely to enjoy economic benefits. Because 
communities adjacent to neighborhoods are often low-income, 
marginalized communities, they are also less likely to have the 
economic means to access airport services directly. Access to benefits 
and freedom from negative externalities are simply not equitably 
distributed for most airports.
    The role of multimodal connectivity in encouraging equitable 
advanced air mobility outcomes is paramount in fostering a sustainable 
and inclusive transportation ecosystem. By integrating different modes 
of transportation, such as public transit and active transportation, 
good multimodal connectivity enables seamless and efficient travel for 
people across various socio-economic backgrounds. This holistic 
approach to surface transportation and aviation infrastructure offers 
potential to bridge the gap between urban and rural communities, 
providing access to essential services and employment opportunities 
while fostering social cohesion. Moreover, it reduces the divide that 
often exacerbates inequitable outcomes, ensuring that the benefits of 
advanced air mobility are shared more evenly. By promoting universal 
accessibility and affordability, multimodal connectivity plays a vital 
role in mitigating disparities in transportation, ultimately 
contributing to a more just and sustainable society. A multimodal hub 
that features an aviation component ensures that infrastructure 
investments benefit all other users of that transportation hub.
Recommendation 1: Seek to balance who is burdened by aviation with who 
        benefits while prioritizing equity in all AAM ecosystem areas 
        and multimodal development.
    It is recognized that the FAA's number one priority is safety. 
Therefore, looking at safety through the lens of equity is helpful. 
Scheduled passenger airline service holds the title of the safest mode 
of transportation. Crash risk mitigation is maximized for aircrew, 
passengers, and non-participating bystanders. This mitigation is 
accomplished through harmonizing various parts of Title 14 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR), Chapter 1.
    The FAA identifies five ecosystem areas of AAM: Aircraft, Airspace, 
Operations, Infrastructure, and Community. These ecosystem areas 
correspond with various sections of Title 14, CFR, Chapter 1.
    A dive into 14 CFR, Chapter 1 shows that the advancement of 
aviation safety in scheduled passenger airline service has been 
achieved through the harmonious interplay of numerous parts of the CFR 
that correspond with the FAA's five AAM ecosystem areas. These 
regulations create a comprehensive framework that ensures the highest 
levels of safety. Unfortunately, this same level of harmony is not 
achieved as clearly for Part 135, On-Demand and Commuter Operations, 
and Part 91, General Aviation; this is especially true for private 
infrastructure where regulatory enforcement and airspace protections 
are not evenly applied (explained in more detail in Observation 4). To 
be clear, I do not recommend applying the same rigorous standards from 
Part 121 to Part 135 but challenge the FAA to be deliberate and seek 
out similar harmonization across the different areas.
    For example, a Part 121 operation, if experiencing engine troubles 
upon takeoff, can rest easier knowing that Part 121 uses aircraft 
certified under Part 25. Part 25 ensure that aircraft feature one-
engine inoperative capabilities for continued safe, albeit degraded, 
flight. The airspace surrounding airports accommodating Part 25 
aircraft and Part 121 operations is protected to prevent obstacles and 
hazards through Part 77. Part 139 ensures that the receiving airport is 
capable of responding to the incident and features more stringent 
design standards to ensure the airfield environment is safe for a 
variety of emergency scenarios.
    In comparison, for eVTOL certification, the FAA proposes a 
requirement for a controlled emergency landing, yet it is not defined 
where this landing is likely to occur. If following Part 135 
precedents, an emergency landing will occur out in the community. Do 
city leaders and community members know where the location of a 
possible emergency eVTOL landing may occur, should they experience 
power issues on takeoff? This risk should not just be mitigated on the 
aircraft, as the proposed airworthiness criteria addresses, but should 
also be addressed in airspace protections, infrastructure design, and 
operation specifications specific to urban hazards. Another concern is 
that in the event of an emergency landing away from the heliport or 
vertiport, will the community's fire department be able to respond to 
the incident with the right equipment, resources, and trained crews? It 
is this harmonization that the FAA should be seeking in addressing the 
entire AAM ecosystem. While this section's focus is on crash risk 
mitigation, equity concerns also include noise and emissions exposure, 
access to economic benefits, freedom from negative externalities, and 
more.
    Legislation should be comprehensive in its approach to supporting 
AAM integration into communities. Funding for research into developing 
strategies to maximizing equitable outcomes should be included in 
reauthorization legislation. Results from these studies should inform 
strategies to extend AAM services to underserved communities, including 
suburban and rural areas, particularly in a natural disaster where 
aviation infrastructure and services are critical to disaster 
resiliency.
Observation 2: Cities are struggling with the complex issues of today 
        and have little bandwidth to dedicate to emerging, but not yet 
        real, technologies.
    Urban Movement Labs was created to explore emerging transportation 
technologies and help city staff remain focused on day-to-day issues. 
By creating a dedicated ``innovation group,'' local jurisdictions can 
explore new technologies and consider their implications on the 
community before being confronted with an urgent need for responsive 
policies and regulations. Funding this type of effort is challenging 
and often not included in city budgets as resources are understandably 
allocated to present and more immediate issues.
    Furthermore, finding staff with a mix of land use and 
transportation planning experience is relatively easy as most 
university planning programs include courses, and even specialty 
tracks, on such topics. In a typical transportation planning course, 
students are exposed primarily to surface transportation modes, such as 
street and highway planning, transit planning, and active 
transportation planning. Absent from these courses, though, is 
aviation. Many large and medium cities support at least one airport, 
and often many. However, it is unfortunate that these airports exist in 
silos where aviation is the sole focus within the silo, and other 
transportation modes are the focus outside of the silo. This phenomenon 
is reflected in planning programs across the country. If students do 
desire an aviation planning course, or even an introduction to 
aviation, they must seek an aviation-specific program.
    Non-profits like Urban Movement Labs, the Community Air Mobility 
Initiative, AeroX, MassAutonomy, and the newly formed Advanced Air 
Mobility Institute aim to bridge this gap and support communities in 
advancing technology fostering holistic integration. Non-profits, 
however, do not create guiding policies within cities; this is a 
function reserved for cities. Some communities might engage consultant 
support, but to even do this effectively, project managers must have a 
baseline foundation of aviation knowledge that is largely absent today.
    Finally, cities have developed tools to manage new mobility 
technologies. Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Mobility Data 
Specification (MDS) is an example of such a tool. Digital 
infrastructure tools, like the MDS, are playing a crucial role in 
helping cities plan for future enabled by new mobility technologies. As 
cities continue to grapple with the rapid growth of new mobility 
technologies, such as ride-hailing, bike-sharing, electric scooters, 
and AAM, they need better tools and data to manage these services 
effectively. The MDS provides a standardized format for sharing 
information about mobility services, allowing cities to collect and 
analyze data from different transportation providers in a consistent 
and transparent manner. This helps cities to identify trends, monitor 
compliance with regulations, and improve urban transportation planning. 
By promoting transparency and accountability among transportation 
providers, the MDS and other digital infrastructure tools are helping 
cities to create a more sustainable and equitable transportation system 
that benefits everyone.
Recommendation 2: The FAA Reauthorization Bill should incentivize 
        cities to dedicate resources to exploring and engaging with 
        AAM-specific issues related to challenges within local 
        transportation systems, and the further development of digital 
        infrastructure tools.
    This can be accomplished through targeted grants and fellowships 
that fund staff dedicated to understanding the implications of AAM on 
urban environments. The legislation should also consider ways to 
incentivize university planning programs to include aviation courses.
    In the short term, to address more immediate needs, legislation 
should consider ways to fund non-profit organizations that provide 
research and technical support to cities and educate staff on roles and 
responsibilities as they begin to integrate AAM technologies; this 
might include work that identifies where a city's transportation system 
is struggling to meet critical needs, such as emergency and medical 
transport, and disaster response. For example, congested freight 
corridors might benefit from an AAM intervention if it can reduce 
exposure to truck noise and emissions along busy corridors. Likewise, 
an underutilized and struggling small general aviation airport might 
benefit from a land use and transportation strategy that leverages 
connectivity opportunities to create jobs and economic activity centers 
made possible by new AAM-enabled connectivity. Furthermore, funding to 
further develop digital infrastructure tools, specific to AAM, but 
compatible with existing toolsets is critical for cities to oversee AAM 
operations and promote the safety and wellbeing of all residents.
    In conclusion, the pending FAA Reauthorization Bill presents a 
unique opportunity to create incentives and funding opportunities that 
further community interests in AAM technologies. Cities must have 
access to resources to explore and engage with residents and AAM 
interventions to leverage these new technologies for each locality's 
unique benefit.
Observation 3: Federal, State, and local aviation professionals are 
        often unaware of how aviation fits into the larger 
        transportation system.
    While cities have identified a need to be more attuned to aviation 
integration matters, they should not shoulder all of this work. 
Instead, aviation professionals at the State and Federal levels should 
also be more aware of aviation's role in the larger transportation 
system. It is recognized that the FAA has Congressionally mandated 
jurisdictional authority of the National Airspace System (NAS), 
however, when community members have an issue with decisions that 
expose them to more aviation noise and emissions, their first stop is 
usually not the FAA, but their local elected officials and city staff; 
this often results in a scenario where FAA staff struggle to understand 
and empathize with local sensitivities. This struggle makes creating 
holistic and collaborative solutions difficult for all involved 
stakeholders.
Recommendation 3: The FAA Reauthorization Bill should fund educational 
        programs and resources to increase the awareness of aviation 
        professionals on how aviation fits into larger transportation 
        systems and how residents perceive aviation's negative 
        externalities and benefits.
    This could be accomplished by providing additional staff and 
resources to FAA offices that regularly interact with local 
jurisdictions to understand local sensitivities better. This effort 
should be ongoing, as one-off studies often focus on a small number of 
present-day issues where in reality, problems have evolved and morphed 
over time, masking root causes. Ongoing dialogue and listening sessions 
can help FAA staff develop responses and interventions to an issue's 
root cause or help to explain why a decision was made and how it 
ultimately benefits the community.
    There is also an opportunity for universities with aviation-
specific programs to develop community-focused planning courses that 
provide meaningful training and understanding of local community 
sensitivities; this could help bridge the gap between general planning 
programs and specialty disciplines like airport operations, air traffic 
control, and airspace regulations. In turn, this would provide better-
prepared professionals to advance the FAA's mission of safety and 
efficiency in U.S. airspace systems while promoting an understanding of 
local community interests and needs through the lens of equity.
    In summary, we must consider both the technical aspects and public 
acceptance criteria when planning future AAM initiatives. The pending 
FAA Reauthorization Bill is a unique opportunity to create incentives 
and funding opportunities that further community interests and AAM 
technologies. With thoughtful planning, we can ensure the success of 
new innovative aviation approaches while still maintaining public 
acceptability.
Observation 4: We are evolving from an unstable infrastructure 
        foundation.
    Despite the recent hype around the term ``Urban Air Mobility,'' we 
must recognize that urban aviation has a long history in cities, dating 
back to the 1950s. However, the current structure of urban aviation has 
been largely built on an unstable foundation. Heliports are not always 
built to FAA design standard. Even when they are, they are rarely 
inspected regularly to ensure they continue to meet design standards. 
As a result, it takes little time to find heliport facilities rife with 
obstruction hazards, equipment in disrepair, and other undocumented and 
unmitigated risks.
    Today, an airport or heliport is entered into the FAA's Airport 
Master Record system via the submission of the FAA Form 7480-1, Notice 
for Construction, Alteration, and Deactivation of Airports. This form 
collects all pertinent information to populate the FAA Form 5010, which 
is then used as a reference data sheet that contains information 
relevant to safe flight, including landing surface dimensions, known 
flight hazards, noise-sensitive areas, and other information.
    Airports today are typically inspected every one to three years for 
smaller general aviation airports and annually for large airports 
supporting scheduled passenger airline service. Information on each 
airport's 5010 entry is updated to ensure operators have the most up-
to-date information. In the interim, for new or short-term hazards, 
airport operators communicate risk to aircrews via the Notice to Air 
Missions (NOTAM) system. The importance of this system made national 
news in January when the NOTAM system experienced a system-wide outage, 
forcing the FAA to issue a `ground stop' across the nation.
    Heliports, on the other hand, are typically not part of the 
National Plan of Integrated Airport System, nor are they typically part 
of a Statewide Aviation System Plan. 99% of heliports are privately 
developed and operated. They are not subject to a rigorous inspection 
protocol where new risks are identified and communicated to aircrews. 
Furthermore, most heliports are not part of the NOTAM system. Operators 
often rely on local knowledge and experience to anticipate hazards and 
risks. When the 5010 database is consulted, it is possible that 
information is out of date or inaccurate, sometimes by decades. A 2019 
NASA report (ACN: 1599969) estimated that 1,600 to 1,800 heliports in 
the United States are not included in the 5010 database. If a heliport 
does not exist in the 5010 system, new airspace entrants, including 
eVTOL operators, will not be aware of their existence and associated 
hazards.
    Some states, such as California, inspect hospital heliports, but 
staffing and resource constraints still make this task challenging. 
Many city officials are unaware of the inherent risks in today's legacy 
system; those that are aware need help to find resources and trained 
staff to remedy the issue. This reality may be perceived as acceptable 
today, likely because the relatively low tempo of urban aviation 
operations makes the risk probability of an incident low. However, as 
operations scale, these unmitigated risks threaten to expose residents 
to aviation hazards on an unprecedented scale. For example, the Uber 
Elevate White Paper, Fast-Forwarding to a Future of On-Demand Urban Air 
Transportation, states that on-demand charter and commuter operations 
(operated under 14 CFR Part 135) have twice the fatality rate of 
privately operated cars. This statistic indicates that risk probability 
within urban environments may be higher than we know.
    In the 2021 paper, A Retrospective & Historical Analysis of 
Vertical Lift Infrastructure, the authors explored the role of 
infrastructure in helicopter accidents. In the majority of the reviewed 
accidents that occurred on heliports, infrastructure was identified as 
a common key factor. Obstructions were the most common issue. Facility 
design and size were a factor in 90% and 40% of accidents, 
respectively. Wind was a factor in 30% of accidents. These are 
avoidable incidents through proper design, inspection, and risk 
mitigation.
Recommendation 4: The FAA Reauthorization Bill should include measures 
        that help cities better regulate and manage urban aviation 
        systems that include private facilities, through inspections, 
        active risk mitigation, and communication.
    Legislation should consider ways to reduce costs for states and 
cities in meeting their obligation to provide a safe and efficient 
urban aviation system containing private infrastructure where the FAA 
does not have jurisdictional authority. This effort might include 
supporting university planning programs with heliport (and future 
vertiport) faculty design familiarization, inspection procedures, and 
risk mitigation strategies. Funding organizations like NASA or even 
non-profit organizations to help inventory and inspect infrastructure 
to establish a new baseline before the implementation of AAM can serve 
to reduce risk and set new precedent for safety.
    Through these efforts, we can create a safe environment for 
communities and encourage Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) development from 
a strong foundation. Ultimately, this paves the way for adopting AAM 
systems and a safe scaling to higher operation tempos in urban 
environments.
Observation 5: The aviation industry is not taking advantage of 
        existing talent to the maximum extent possible.
    All major media outlets frequently cover the aviation industry's 
pilot shortage. However, what's often overlooked is the similar 
shortage of all other supporting roles and functions. From maintainers 
to dispatchers to air traffic controllers, many supporting functions 
are not receiving the attention they deserve.
    As outlined in my opening statement, much of my experience in this 
space comes from my military service. Having spent much of my military 
career in a contingency mode, dynamic and ongoing risk mitigation is a 
critical part of safe operations. Unfortunately, many military Airfield 
Managers are often faced with a typical response to their job 
applications. Military airfield management is unjustifiably seen as 
`different.' With this statement, transitioning veterans are bypassed 
and unable to prove their value.
    Furthermore, in addressing workforce challenges, diversity is 
vital. I am very encouraged by the diversity that AAM is attracting. 
Seeing women, people of color, and diverse backgrounds is a welcome 
change to the aviation workforce landscape. The example that the 
Choctaw Nation provides in its leadership is inspiring and similar 
programs should be encouraged through funding and support.
Recommendation 5: The FAA Reauthorization Bill should include measures 
        to encourage diversity in the aviation workforce, provide 
        training and education programs for transitioning veterans, and 
        incentivize private companies and organizations to assist with 
        the recruitment of new personnel.
    Diversity is a critical factor in successful operations when we 
consider risk mitigation and safety. By having a diverse workforce, we 
can better understand and respond to the nuances of different 
communities. Furthermore, veterans often have a unique combination of 
valuable experiences in the aviation industry. The wealth of knowledge 
they bring from their respective branches should be encouraged through 
measures such as the transitioning veteran training programs and 
incentives for private companies.
    By including funding and support measures in the FAA 
Reauthorization Bill, we can ensure a well-rounded aviation workforce 
is ready for AAM's challenges. Additionally, this would further bolster 
an environment where equity, risk mitigation, and safety are top 
priorities, allowing AAM systems to operate safely and securely. 
Ultimately, this will enable communities from all walks of life to 
enjoy the benefits of AAM-supported operations.
                               Conclusion
    In conclusion, support from Congress for these recommendations will 
help create a safe environment for communities and encourages the 
development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) from a strong foundation. 
This foundation, in turn, will pave the way for adopting AAM systems 
and a safe scaling to higher operation tempos in urban environments. 
Thank you for your time and consideration in this vital matter. I am 
confident that together we can create an environment where everyone can 
take advantage of Advanced Air Mobility's incredible potential.
    This testimony has been submitted as part of the pending FAA 
Reauthorization Bill, and I am confident it will help ensure safety for 
all communities affected by AAM operations. We must invest in our 
infrastructure, our workforce, promote diversity, and provide 
opportunities for our veterans to serve in critical aviation leadership 
roles. Only then can we realize the incredible potential that this new 
mode has to offer.
    Thank you once again for allowing me to share my perspective. I 
look forward to partnering with you to bring forth a new frontier in 
aviation and transportation.

    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Harper.
    I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record additional 
testimony and material on AAM that we received from Supernal, 
HAI, and Reliable Robotics, as well as AUVSI.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    [The information follows:]

                                 
 Letter of March 30, 2023, to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, and Hon. Rick 
Larsen, Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
  from Supernal, LLC, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Rudy Yakym III
                                                    March 30, 2023.
Hon. Sam Graves,
Chairman,
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and 
        Infrastructure, 2165 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, 
        DC 20515.
Hon. Rick Larsen,
Ranking Member,
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and 
        Infrastructure, 2163 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, 
        DC 20515.
    Dear Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen,
    Please accept this written testimony of Supernal, LLC (Supernal) 
for the March 30, 2023 hearing docket. Supernal appreciates the 
responsiveness and availability of your staff to discuss your ongoing 
work to pass an FAA Reauthorization on-time.
    Supernal is a U.S. manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff and 
landing (eVTOL) aircraft with headquarters in Washington, DC and 
research, engineering, and design facilities in California. What 
distinguishes Supernal from other aircraft manufacturers is our 
relationship to the Hyundai Motor Group, which guides our human-
centered approach to developing a more accessible and inclusive future 
of mobility that is sustainable and multi-modal. Supernal is dedicated 
to creating the most accessible mode of transportation for people with 
disabilities, and creating an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem 
that democratizes affordable access to transportation.
    Our dedication to setting the industry standard for accessibility 
in mobility is guiding our vehicle and infrastructure designs, the 
policies and regulations we advocate for at all levels of government, 
and our collaborative efforts with leading organizations and academic 
institutions. As Supernal envisions this industry, AAM can create 
equitable access to transportation for people of all races, ethnic 
groups, geographies, socio-economic statuses, and people with 
disabilities or who face significant challenges with existing 
transportation options.
    But AAM is about more than just novel aircraft. It is an ecosystem 
of interconnected and interoperable infrastructure, technology, and 
services that must function simultaneously in support of aircraft 
operations in the National Airspace System (NAS). In order to thrive as 
an industry, AAM will need to connect people living in exurban and 
rural communities to the places they work. We believe the federal 
government's role in creating a thriving AAM industry is twofold; 
first, to enact timely policies and standards, and second, to ensure 
robust and fair competition that best serves the public.
                         Standards and Policies
    The FAA must complete regulations, guidance, and processes to 
ensure that the AAM industry has the same certainty of the regulatory 
path as traditional aviation. Short term, temporary regulatory actions, 
such as the Special FAA Aviation Regulation, must address a safe 
approach to the emerging technologies without the limiting assumptions 
of old technology. The SFAR is an initial action that must be followed 
by guidance and processes that embrace how new technologies meet the 
demands of safe and sustainable transportation in and around our 
cities. In addition, FAA leadership and staff must transform the 
culture to focus on the safety value of AAM rather than the differences 
between AAM and more traditional aviation technologies.
    The FAA Engineering Brief on Vertiport standards must follow safety 
objectives that address the characteristics of AAM aircraft without 
over generalizing the performance characteristics of AAM aircraft. 
Aviation regulations are most effective when they manage the current 
safety risks while providing flexibility in the methods and 
technologies used to address safety concerns as they evolve.
              Ensuring Fair Competition and Accessibility
    Just as important as creating the regulatory framework that will 
enable safe integration of AAM aircraft into the NAS is the federal 
government's role in ensuring fair competition and consumer 
protections.
    Supernal applauds Congress for including vertiport planning grants 
in the FY2023 Omnibus Appropriations legislation. In some cases, 
communities that could benefit the most from improved mobility lack the 
resources necessary to attract operators, and these grants are a 
definitive first step toward creating AAM's supporting infrastructure 
ecosystem for the benefit of all. Supernal asks that as Congress 
considers additional resources for AAM infrastructure during debates on 
FAA Reauthorization, that you include the same kind of important 
protections that have ensured the highest and most beneficial use of 
Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for decades by requiring 
project sponsors who accept federal funding to maintain their 
facilities as open to all safe and certificated operators, and set 
rates in a way that is fair and transparent.
    In order to thrive, AAM will need to connect people living in 
exurban and rural communities to the places they work. In some cases, 
communities that could benefit the most from improved mobility lack the 
resources necessary to attract operators. The Small Community Air 
Service Development Program (``SCASDP''), aids small communities in 
addressing air service issues. SCASDP's eligibility criteria are 
broader than the Essential Air Service (``EAS'') program and provide a 
grant applicant the opportunity to self-identify its air service 
deficiencies and propose an appropriate solution, while EAS is a direct 
subsidy to air carriers and serves a statutorily limited universe of 
eligible applicants. The SCASDP program's eligibilities are also broad 
enough to enable communities to undertake air service development 
activities, and not solely subsidizing seats. This existing program is 
an opportune vehicle to provide interested communities with the 
resources they need to create AAM partnerships, but would likely 
require minor changes to definitions in statute.
    AAM holds the potential of transforming how people with 
disabilities travel. Historically, people with disabilities have found 
flying on the airlines to be difficult and even dangerous, as evidenced 
by the U.S.D.O.T. complaints portal. The novel designs of Advanced Air 
Mobility aircraft create opportunities to make air travel more 
accessible to previously underserved populations, including people with 
disabilities. But there is currently no federal standard for 
crashworthy wheelchairs, which means that even if a manufacturer wanted 
to, the FAA could not approve a new in-cabin wheelchair or wheelchair 
restraint device.
    Section 432 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 directed a study 
of the feasibility of in-cabin wheelchair restraint systems and how to 
accommodate powered-lift wheelchairs. That study was completed in 2021 
and it had two important findings: first, that nearly all existing 
powered-lift wheelchairs exceed the FAA's horizontal impact standard 
but that there is no wheelchair test data on vertical impact or 
flammability performance. Second, the study concluded that it was 
likely to be technically feasible to design a wheelchair that would 
comply with all FAA standards, if data and guidance from the FAA were 
more complete.
    Given that the report mandate is now closed, Congress should take 
the next steps to act on the study's findings. The FAA must test and 
evaluate existing wheelchairs that meet similar automobile 
crashworthiness standards to ascertain alignments and gaps. Once that 
evaluation is complete, the FAA must partner with academia and industry 
to provide the resources to design an FAA-compliant wheelchair and 
wheelchair securement systems. Finally, the FAA must promulgate a 
performance standard for crashworthiness and flammability performance 
for wheelchairs and wheelchair securement systems, through rulemaking.
    Congress has an opportunity to create a partnership between the FAA 
and industry on research and development to better accommodate these 
individuals as we develop the next generation of air transportation, 
and Supernal asks that you consider resources necessary to do so.
    Supernal shares many of the Committee's goals for this FAA 
Reauthorization: integrating transformative, clean aviation 
technologies into the NAS that will improve mobility for all. We 
appreciate the opportunity to submit testimony, and would be pleased to 
discuss any questions with you.

                                 
  Report, ``Roadmap of Advanced Air Mobility Operations,'' Helicopter 
 Association International, February 2023, Submitted for the Record by 
                          Hon. Rudy Yakym III
    The 33-page report is retained in committee files and is available 
online at https://rotor.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/
HAI_Advanced_Air_Mobility_Report_
04-07-2023.pdf.

                                 
   Statement of Robert Rose, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, 
 Reliable Robotics Corporation, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Rudy 
                               Yakym III
    Chairman Garret Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, and members of the 
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on 
Aviation:
    Thank you for holding this hearing to discuss how the upcoming 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization will address the 
certification, operational approval, and integration of new entrants. 
Operating the safest and most efficient aviation system in the world is 
the FAA's mission, and new entrants are developing technologies that 
will radically improve aviation safety. Fostering an innovative 
environment that allows new safety-enhancing technologies to be 
introduced to aircraft and the airspace system will save lives and 
position the United States to continue to be the leader in aerospace 
and aviation safety globally.
    Reliable Robotics was founded in 2017 to develop and bring to 
market aviation safety-enhancing technologies, including auto-land, 
auto-taxi, and auto-takeoff, as well as high-precision navigation and 
remote piloting capabilities. These technologies will prevent many 
common causes of fatal aviation accidents and save lives. Last year, 
the FAA accepted the certification basis for the Reliable Robotics 
continuous engagement autopilot and high-precision navigation system.
      Technology will Deliver Transformational Safety Improvements
    In previous hearings, this subcommittee has identified that the 
safety record for general aviation flights and for air charter 
operations performed under Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations 
is significantly worse than the record for scheduled airline 
operations. For Part 135 charter operations, accidents are 6.5 times 
more frequent than in scheduled Part 121 airline operations.\1\ Recent 
studies have concluded that flying on a general aviation aircraft is 
between 8 and 15 times more dangerous than driving.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ NTSB. ``Annual Summary of US Civil Aviation Accidents.'' Based 
2011-2021 data.
    \2\ Hook (U. of Tulsa), Sizoo (FAA), Fuller. ``How Digital Safety 
Systems Could Revolutionize Aviation Safety.'' IEEE/AIAA Digital 
Avionics Systems Conference. 2022.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    As a nation, we possess the aviation safety-enhancing technologies 
that could prevent more than 71% of these fatal accidents.\3\ However, 
the FAA and interagency partners must dedicate the necessary resources 
to prioritize their certification and operational approval. During the 
recent full Committee hearing on aviation safety, David Boulter, FAA 
Acting Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, emphasized the role 
safety-enhancing technologies will play in preventing accidents. Mr. 
Boulter explained that certified auto-land systems are life-saving and 
will be a ``game changer'' for aviation safety.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ Ibid.
    \4\ House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. ``FAA 
Reauthorization: Enhancing America's Gold Standard in Aviation 
Safety.'' Feb. 7, 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Enabling continuous autopilot engagement through all phases of 
flight will eliminate loss of control (LOC) and controlled flight into 
terrain (CFIT), two leading causes of fatal general aviation 
accidents.\5\ Tragically, nearly 95% of LOC accidents result in flight 
crew or passenger fatalities.\6\ Continuous autopilot engagement will 
also improve the safety of taxi, takeoff and landing, where more than 
60% accidents occur during Part 135 operations.\7\ With permanent and 
qualified leadership, resources and focus at the FAA, the certification 
of these safety technologies is within reach in the near term.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ General Aviation Joint Steering Committee. ``GAJSC Approved 
Pareto for 2011-2020.''
    \6\ International Air Transportation Association. ``Loss of Control 
In-Flight Accident Analysis Report.'' 2019.
    \7\ Huang. ``Analysis of Part 135 Accidents to Facilitate Flight 
Data Monitoring.'' Based on data from 2008-2019. International Journal 
of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace. 2022.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Modernizing the FAA Certification Process
    Reliable Robotics applauds the dedicated FAA workforce for their 
focus on certifying our continuous engagement autopilot and high-
precision navigation system. Through this FAA reauthorization bill, we 
have an opportunity to provide the agency with much needed tools, 
leadership, and resources to transform aviation safety.
    We are at an inflection point for aviation safety, with many 
safety-enhancing technologies, including auto-land, auto-taxi, and 
auto-takeoff, within reach for smaller aircraft. While some of these 
technologies are available on large commercial aircraft, they are 
prohibitively expensive and require costly infrastructure at airports. 
Our work with the FAA aims to correct this imbalance by giving smaller 
aircraft equivalent or better technology that can be deployed at 
substantially lower cost and with less infrastructure complexity.
    On Feb. 24, Reliable Robotics submitted detailed FAA 
reauthorization priorities and legislative language to the 
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. We look forward to our 
continued discussions on these priorities and the opportunity to 
participate in future reauthorization hearings.
                     United States Competitiveness
    Our competitors, including China and Europe, are making rapid 
advancements in the certification and operational approval of aviation 
safety-enhancing technologies and advanced automation systems. In 2022, 
the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) became the first 
aviation regulator to release a comprehensive regulatory framework for 
new entrants. China is actively developing large autonomous air cargo 
drones, and the government has announced operating standards for these 
aircraft. With government support, Chinese companies recently conducted 
test flights of uncrewed cargo aircraft designed for civil and military 
operations.
    The United States is the world leader in aviation, and through this 
reauthorization bill, we can position ourselves to retain and grow this 
role. Thank you for your dedication to aviation safety and United 
States leadership.

                                 
   Letter and attached 2023 FAA Reauthorization Bill Priorities and 
      Proposals from the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems 
     International, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Rudy Yakym III
    Please see pages 111-128 for the 18-page submission from the 
Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International.

    Mr. Yakym. The Chair now recognizes his good friend from 
New York, Mr. Molinaro, for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Molinaro. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You both look like 
you are having far too much fun over there. I appreciate the 
opportunity.
    Mr. Bevirt, I am going to jump right in. I don't want to 
waste too much of your time or mine.
    In rural communities like the ones I represent, we often 
refer to the deserts we live in: banking deserts, food deserts, 
retail deserts. We have transportation deserts as well. AAM and 
eVTOLs provide us the opportunity, I think, to really bring 
back to life some of our smaller, more regional airports and 
use them as tools not only for long-distance but short-distance 
travel.
    Within the context of FAA reauthorization--and I know that 
you have touched on it in your testimony, and, actually, Mr. 
Harper kind of noted some of it--the bureaucratic process to 
move from what we do to implementation at the airport level is 
5 to 15 years.
    Your technology, what Joby does, and the capacity to really 
innovate and bring back to life regions of our country, if not 
other parts of the world, demands that we act quickly.
    What within FAA reauthorization would you think would allow 
us to advance eVTOLs, and AAM more generically, into those 
lesser served rural community airports?
    Mr. Bevirt. Thank you very much for your question.
    I think, as you rightly point out, infrastructure is at the 
heart of bringing this to where we are hoping it will go in the 
short term. This country is blessed with an incredible number 
of existing airports and heliports, and, as you rightly note, 
it is vital that we bring those into our ecosystem and take 
full advantage of them to provide access to this new mode of 
transportation.
    But we also need to add additional infrastructure, and we 
need to do that in a short timeline. And so, as we look to the 
FAA reauthorization, it is important that both the policies are 
in place to ensure that our existing airports and heliports are 
accessible to these aircraft and also an expedient process for 
permitting new vertiports.
    And thank you again for your question.
    Mr. Molinaro. Thanks very much.
    Mr. Clark, I wanted to offer--as I understand it, you have 
a test flight facility in New York and, obviously, some 
charging stations across the State. I don't know your presence 
in the 19th Congressional District, but I promise you, we would 
welcome a conversation to expand the footprint. We recognize, 
again, the value of AAM and the capacity to reach places that 
are underserved--all populations.
    Why don't you, if you could, just expand on the capacity to 
provide service and what within FAA reauthorization we could 
more aggressively do to build out the footprint in places that 
are seeing a shrinkage in the traditional aircraft world and 
need revitalization of those transportation hubs?
    Mr. Clark. Absolutely. And thank you for your question. And 
this is near and dear to us up here in Vermont. We are right 
across the lake from you all in New York, and we have a whole 
network that extends across New York. We have our flight test 
center there. And it has been a great State to deploy charging 
systems at the rural airports in.
    What is interesting about States like New York, Maine, 
Nebraska, they have highway systems that are unidirectional, 
they are not universal. And in places where you want to go 
north into the Adirondack Park, you are better set flying. And 
it is an amazing economy booster to have those small businesses 
in those regions able to compete with urban businesses by 
allowing next-day cargo and logistics missions.
    So, imagine a system in the future where the aircraft can 
leave your local regional airport--of which there are more than 
4,000 underutilized airports. With very, very little in 
infrastructure improvement of charging, we can utilize those to 
serve these rural communities--medical, cargo, logistics, 
moving people.
    And all we really need, in the case of the FAA, is 
consistency in the deployment of these charging systems. We 
have found a great variability in the regulations required for 
us to get through to permit charging systems at airports, and 
we just need consistency.
    And on the aircraft, it is the same thing--the 
solidification of the goalposts around electric vertical 
takeoff and landing aircraft and conventional takeoff and 
landing aircraft.
    So, resources, expertise, pointed at things that allow us 
to bring low-cost transportation to your communities.
    Mr. Molinaro. Thank you.
    Mr. Chairman, I just want to reinforce that embracing AAM 
in a creative and innovative way allows us to bring back to 
life smaller regional airports and give transportation access 
to places that are underutilized and underserved. And we need 
an FAA reauthorization bill that is as innovative as the 
technology.
    Thanks. I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Molinaro.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Menendez for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Menendez. I thank the chair.
    And the chair actually had constituents here earlier. My 
in-laws live in the chair's district. So, I have to be nice to 
him when he holds the gavel, for a lot of reasons.
    But it is also just fascinating, because I know the area 
that he represents, northern Indiana. And I represent a much 
more densely populated district. So, to have the opportunity to 
think about these issues with Rudy is going to be an 
interesting opportunity, and I am thankful for it.
    But because of the district I do represent, I want to turn 
my questions to Mr. Harper.
    And I appreciate your testimony here today and specifically 
your observations and recommendations.
    And going specifically to your second recommendation, 
regarding how best cities can incorporate this opportunity 
while thinking about their various stakeholders, you make the 
correct observation that a lot of these communities that are in 
the Eighth Congressional District of New Jersey have not always 
had the benefit of the transportation systems around them but 
bear the burden of the environmental consequences.
    So, as we think about this new technology and what it could 
mean for these types of communities, I want to give you the 
chance to expand on your testimony and how we can make it an 
inclusive process and ensure that we create an opportunity for 
equity in those communities with new technology and make sure 
they aren't left behind.
    Mr. Harper. Yes. I appreciate that.
    So, I think this starts with education. So, I think 
community members need to better understand aviation, better 
understand aviation's role in their daily lives.
    I think, when we talk to a lot of communities that are 
around, particularly, general aviation airports, they struggle 
with the burdens of noise and emissions and other negative 
externalities, and the fact that they don't have direct access 
to the benefits of those airports.
    We did an economic impact study in the State of Utah, and 
for one airport, we looked at where those economic impacts were 
being enjoyed. We might have taken a look at who were the 
employees of the airport, where do they reside at. And, by a 
vast majority, the economic impacts are spread out beyond the 
immediate communities adjacent to the airport. So, even those 
benefits the airports bring to communities aren't being felt by 
those impacted most by it.
    And so, to mitigate that or to address that, I think the 
outreach is first and foremost. We need to get out there and 
talk to communities, hear what their concerns are. I think a 
lot of times we tend to assume what the big issues are, what 
the big concerns are, but we truly only know if we go out there 
and actually talk to the people that are impacted and get their 
ideas of what this infrastructure could be and really empower 
them with knowledge of aviation, to rethink of how that 
infrastructure might serve them in their own communities.
    I think a lot of small general aviation airports have the 
potential to anchor multimodal centers, but because of the 
restrictive nature around how we develop around airports, it 
makes it difficult to envision how that is possible.
    And so, I think we really just have to re-envision the role 
of infrastructure in small communities.
    Mr. Menendez. And, on that note, how can we also ensure 
that we are creating a workforce from these communities and 
giving them opportunities for training?
    That is one of the things I think can cut across, no matter 
what part of the country we have the opportunity to represent, 
encouraging people to think about these unique opportunities 
with this emerging technology.
    How do we train people from all different communities? What 
types of things should we be almost marketing to them, right, 
to give them the awareness and then give them the opportunity 
to be trained up, no matter what part of the country they come 
from?
    Mr. Harper. I think it needs to start with the local 
education systems, the community colleges and even K-12 
education. You are hard-pressed in many colleges to find 
anything related to aviation in the coursework. I mentioned 
specifically planning, but if you look at other programs out 
there, there is really not a lot that touches on aviation, even 
from an introductory level.
    And so, providing those options at the colleges and 
universities, and then also, we see a lot more of the drone 
introductions into the K-12 programs. I think that is a very 
positive step in the right direction to at least help community 
members see that they have or potentially have a role in this 
industry in the future.
    Mr. Menendez. For sure.
    And, listen, if there are any programs that you find to be 
models, right, for bringing students into this space, 
definitely let the staff know, let my office know. Because we 
would love to make that available and create a resource for 
places in our different districts, so, that way, people know 
how they can set up these programs to engage students and 
potentially create a whole new career path that they may not be 
thinking of. I think we would all be well-served by that.
    So, I thank you all for coming in today and for your 
leadership on this important topic, and I appreciate it.
    I yield the remainder of my time.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Menendez. And the sentiments you 
shared are mutual. You should let your in-laws know, if they 
have issues with their Federal Government, they can call their 
Congressman and I would be happy to help them.
    I now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questions.
    Thank you to our second panel for being here today. Thank 
you for waiting so patiently as we concluded our first panel.
    Mr. Bevirt, I am not sure if you were here in the room 
during our first panel, but my question to them focused on 
American aviation leadership.
    As I said earlier and have said many times, for the last 
120 years in the United States, we have been the leader in 
aviation innovation, but I am concerned that we are starting to 
cede that ground particularly to foreign nations.
    And, in your written testimony, you warned us that China 
and Europe are working on their own electric aviation 
regulations and that the United States runs the risk of being 
left behind.
    What do those two areas, China and Europe, what have they 
done so far that we haven't? What are they working on that we 
aren't? And how can we--as crazy as this phrase may sound, how 
can we catch up?
    Mr. Bevirt. Thank you very much for the question. And, yes, 
I had the opportunity to join for the earlier session. It was 
excellent.
    I think the critical piece--and this is really important; 
thank you very much for asking it--is, as you rightly note, the 
U.S. has been at the forefront of aviation for more than 100 
years, and the technologies that we are developing for this 
next stage of aviation are happening here in the U.S. There is 
so much excitement, so much entrepreneurial spirit, and it has 
been going on for a long period of time.
    What Europe and other nations around the world have done on 
the regulatory front that has been leading is they have 
provided clear guidance for the regulatory process. And that is 
very valuable.
    The FAA has been working with many of the companies 
represented here and many companies in the industry and has 
been setting out specific guidance for each of us on the 
regulatory process for certifying their aircraft. Those have 
been now codified in G-1s that have been published. And it is 
essential now that we hold firm on those G-1s and the course 
that has been laid out in those G-1s so that we are able to 
move expediently through the certification process.
    As I mentioned earlier, we are in the process of running 
the tests on the parts and the systems on our aircraft. We are 
far down through the certification process. And so, any 
deviation on the upfront rules at this point would be very 
challenging.
    And so, thank you very much for your question. We are very 
grateful for all of the thousands of hours that the experts in 
the FAA have put in to getting us to this point. And you are 
very right to note that there is a huge opportunity at stake.
    Thank you.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    And let's continue down that same track. We will take a 
slightly different path. Let's set aside everything that Joby 
is working on and that it has pending before the FAA, and let's 
talk about what else, in terms of whether it is approvals of 
certifications--what, outside of that, keeps you up at night.
    Particularly, my interest in our community is, a lot of my 
district is rural. What is it about the rural parts of our 
country, whether it is workforce, electrification, 
infrastructure--what are some of those other things that really 
keep you up at night?
    Mr. Bevirt. Yes. Again, great question. And a lot of it is 
down to the infrastructure, whether that is the physical 
locations where these aircraft can take off and land from, 
whether it is the electrification that Kyle spoke about. It is 
key to bring the access to this really important new mode of 
mobility to as many people around the country as possible.
    And so, I am very focused on how we complete the 
certification of the aircraft, but we also need to have 
infrastructure online in a timely manner to support the 
operations, with the certification of that aircraft.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    And, briefly, to Mr. Bradshaw, same question for you. What 
outside of the FAA keeps you up at night as Bristow moves into 
the eVTOL and electric aviation space more broadly?
    Mr. Bradshaw. Well, fundamentally, our number-one priority 
is always going to be safety. We do have confidence that the 
companies developing these aircraft and the FAA will ensure 
that they are safe before certified and brought into operation. 
Importantly, though, it is critical that they be brought into 
operation safely, and that, in and of itself, is a separate 
process.
    We have experience, working with different OEMs over the 
decades, introducing a variety of different new models into the 
market, and there is a process by which that maturity really 
needs to occur.
    Beyond that, I think workforce. It is talent management. 
The industry as a whole is short pilots and other critical 
staffing positions already. The growth of the AAM industry, 
which we are confident will happen, is only going to further 
stress that need for talent in the industry.
    So, an investment in the workforce, making sure that we are 
tapping into all segments of the community to bring new people 
into the industry, we think is going to be critically 
important.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw.
    I yield back.
    I would now like to yield 5 minutes to Mr. Allred.
    Mr. Allred. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    And I want to thank our witnesses for being here today and 
for your testimony. I think this is an exciting thing for us to 
consider as we look at the future of what our transportation 
systems can look like.
    I am looking forward to working with all of you, as we 
continue through the FAA reauthorization process, to ensure 
that the FAA and the industry have the resources they need to 
continue expanding and developing in this space.
    And, Mr. Bevirt, I wanted to start with you. I understand 
that Joby worked with NASA to understand how the electrical 
vertical takeoff and landing, eVTOL, aircraft can integrate 
into our existing airspace in Dallas and at the DFW Airport. As 
you know, it is a very busy airspace. We have a lot going on. 
It is the second busiest airport in the country.
    Can you elaborate for us what you found in terms of that 
integration?
    Mr. Bevirt. Yes. Thank you very much. And we were very 
grateful for the opportunity to work with NASA and to study the 
DFW area, and very pleased with the results that demonstrated 
that our piloted aircraft can integrate seamlessly into the 
airspace in Dallas and specifically at DFW.
    Mr. Allred. Yes.
    What do you think we need to do to give the public 
confidence around that?
    As I said, our airspace is incredibly busy. We have 
multiple civilian airports, also freight airports.
    What do you think needs to be done in terms of making sure 
folks understand that this can be integrated safely?
    Mr. Bevirt. Again, given that our aircraft is a piloted 
aircraft, it integrates into the airspace in the same way that 
other small aircraft do.
    And the more we get out and demonstrate these aircraft, as 
Kyle was talking about, bring them to communities, let them 
experience the remarkable characteristics that they have--the 
low acoustic signature, the ability to spool up and spool down 
nearly instantly--it just, as Kyle talked about, is a game-
changer for safety and reliability and affordability, giving so 
many more people access and the opportunity to experience 
aviation on a daily basis.
    Mr. Allred. Yes, I agree with you. I think it is exciting. 
I think there are probably few areas in the country that would 
benefit more than the Dallas-Fort Worth area from having 
something like this, and so, I am glad that you all were able 
to work with NASA and come to that conclusion.
    And we have had a lot of discussion, Mr. Harper, around the 
workforce. And obviously, we need to make sure that we are 
keeping up with demand. Companies like DroneUp are working to 
build the next generation of trained operators through creative 
partnerships, like one they have with the Dallas Independent 
School District, a vocational STEM program, which is in my 
district.
    But we also want to make sure that that workforce is 
something that reflects our incredibly diverse community. And 
this is something I have been working towards in the aviation 
sector in general, is trying to see us bring more diversity and 
open the doors to aviation jobs to more folks.
    What things do we have to do to make sure that these new 
workforce opportunities are available to underrepresented 
communities?
    Mr. Harper?
    Mr. Harper. Yes. I appreciate that question a lot.
    I think, first and foremost, the next generation coming up 
needs to see themselves in the decisionmaking rooms where all 
of this is happening. All too frequently, in forums like this, 
I am the only person of color talking about this stuff and 
being considered as a thought leader in this space, which I am 
extremely grateful for.
    When I graduated high school, I didn't have much going for 
me. I didn't do very many things to help myself out. It was 
through my military experience, through joining the Air Force, 
that I got introduced to aviation. And that really turned 
things around for me, gave me the confidence, gave me the 
knowledge and skills to do things. And so, that served as my 
introduction into the aviation workforce.
    I think there is a lot of potential to embrace 
transitioning veterans, particularly airfield managers and 
others in the aviation space within the military. But it is a 
frustrating transition.
    The TRB did a study a few years ago on workforce diversity, 
how to grow the workforce. And when I asked the question why 
military airfield managers weren't considered as a part of the 
solution to that, I was told very crassly that my skills 
weren't transferable and, therefore, they didn't even consider 
airfield managers.
    And I think I have established that what I have learned in 
the Air Force is very relevant to what we are doing today. And 
I think we need to embrace that and embrace the diversity that 
the military offers.
    Mr. Allred. Yes.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Allred.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Carbajal for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Bevirt, with the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill, I 
appreciate the time you took to come to testify before our 
committee as we continue to work through our priorities.
    Can you elaborate on how Joby Aviation's collaboration with 
the Department of Defense is helping to move forward advanced 
air mobility into civil operations?
    Mr. Bevirt. Absolutely. Thank you very much for your 
question.
    So, we began working with the DoD in 2016. And the DoD 
provided us with access to flight test ranges, and that was 
really valuable to accelerate the development of our 
technology.
    That was then followed on by increasing involvement through 
a number of steps, both through the Defense Innovation Unit and 
then through AFWERX Agility Prime. The small contract awards 
that we received from them we were able to leverage into 
dramatically more funding from private sources. To date, we 
have raised almost $2 billion from private sources on contracts 
of just a few tens of millions of dollars.
    And so, that leverage, the DoD providing a demand signal, 
saying, these technologies are not only incredibly valuable on 
the commercial side but they are also going to be valuable for 
the Government, these technologies that dramatically reduce the 
maintenance cost and the operating cost of aircraft, that 
electric propulsion is a really promising technology, that 
quiet aircraft are really important for the defense community--
so, again, that has been critical for us.
    As we look to how this cascades into the commercial side, 
again, those flight test resources and our relationship with 
the DoD provides us with an early path to demonstrated 
operations with the Department of Defense. And, again, that 
flight testing and putting time on the aircraft, building out 
our operational muscle in advance of FAA type certification is 
invaluable.
    And, again, we are very grateful for all the support from 
the DoD.
    Mr. Carbajal. Thank you. As I sit on the House Armed 
Services Committee, that is really important to understand.
    What else can Congress do to continue to promote innovation 
in welcoming new entrants into our airspace?
    Mr. Bevirt. So, I think, as we have talked about, this is a 
really remarkable time in aviation, with many new technologies. 
As Kyle talked about, it is not just battery-electric aircraft 
but also hydrogen-electric aircraft and new technologies on 
communications, new technologies on the processing and the 
flight control that make aviation dramatically more accessible, 
lower cost, and more environmentally friendly. And so----
    Mr. Carbajal [interrupting]. But what can we do? What can 
Congress, specifically, do?
    Mr. Bevirt. So, we need the FAA, with the FAA 
reauthorization, to deliver a steady hand, consistency. And it 
is really important that there is a clear and consistent set of 
rules and regulations.
    Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
    Mr. Clark, as we continue to make advancements in 
technology, what can Congress do to ensure the FAA has the 
proper resources and technical subject-matter experts in place 
to support the agency's advanced air mobility activities?
    Mr. Clark. Right now, the FAA is the gold standard in 
safety worldwide, and we have to keep it that way.
    And it is actually a pretty simple answer to your question, 
in my opinion. They have expertise in structures and 
aerodynamics and flight controls and avionics, where they lack 
expertise is in the new technologies. They have to look a 
little sideways to other industries that have adopted electric 
technologies, put those subject-matter experts in place around 
electric motors, batteries, controls in the FAA, and give them 
the delegation authority to adjudicate on what is defined as 
safe.
    We know what it is. Mother Nature, physics--we know what 
they are. We know we start with a fundamentally safer 
technology. We need the FAA to validate that. They have the 
authority and the responsibility. In fact, I think it is an 
injustice if the FAA doesn't do it, because the FAA is tasked 
with making a safer aviation system. Continuous innovation has 
consistently done that in America.
    Give them the tools by simply telling them, go get the 
expertise in those spaces that are necessary to advance 
advanced air mobility, and then give them the delegation to do 
it. And they need a forcing function to do so from Congress.
    Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
    Mr. Chair, I yield back.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    Are there any other Members who have not been recognized 
for this round of questioning who would like to ask any 
questions?
    Seeing none, we will move into a second round of questions. 
And I will yield myself 5 minutes for a second round of 
questioning.
    Mr. Bevirt, about a year ago, the FAA told Joby and other 
manufacturers that you had to pursue certification under part 
21.17(b). Can you briefly describe how your industry, as well 
as your investors, reacted to that change?
    Mr. Bevirt. It was initially a challenging adjustment. We 
had received our signed G-1 in May of 2020, and to, more than a 
year later, have that adjusted was challenging. I think the 
piece that we were the most concerned about was on the 
operations and piloting side.
    Since then, we have been extremely heartened by the rapid 
drafting of the SFAR, the Special Federal Aviation Regulations, 
that has come about and to hear that the FAA is a month ahead 
of schedule on that, that it is now with the DOT and will 
shortly go to the White House. And they remain committed to 
delivering that by December 3l of 2024. And, with that, we will 
be able to commence commercial operations on schedule.
    We are also very pleased that our G-1 was published in the 
Federal Register and that the comments on that are being 
dispositioned expediently.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    And, Mr. Bradshaw, as a company already using vertical-
flight-capable aircraft commercially, what use cases are you 
looking at for this type of technology, and why are you so 
interested in it?
    Mr. Bradshaw. Thank you for the question.
    We are excited about the applications and the end uses for 
these aircraft. The technology is very exciting, but, as an 
operator, it is the actual application of those, how they will 
be used every day to perform missions for customers that gets 
us the most excited.
    We see a variety of applications for these aircraft. It is 
important to note that there are a number of different models 
under design and development today. They will have different 
best use cases.
    For us, we think that the initial adoption and application 
will be for cargo and logistical solutions, for which our 
existing customers have great needs. We also think that there 
will be an expansion, then, into personnel transport, in our 
view, most likely through regional air mobility missions, 
connecting existing infrastructure today, but we do see it 
expanding over time to more urban air mobility missions as 
well.
    Again, we see more of a crawl-walk-run implementation of 
this new technology into our day-to-day operations, as has been 
the case really since the beginning of the aviation industry.
    Mr. Yakym. And, also, Mr. Bradshaw, have you received any 
indication from the FAA about how they will establish pilot 
requirements for these aircraft?
    Mr. Bradshaw. I think additional clarity there would be 
very much welcomed.
    We would like to see an adoption of the ICAO guidance, 
which would allow existing licensed commercial helicopter 
pilots to take a type rating course in any of these aircraft 
and, therefore, be designated as a powered-lift pilot for that 
aircraft. That is the type of clarity we think would be 
beneficial.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    And, Mr. Harper, how is the FAA communicating to States and 
municipalities the timelines for expecting electric aircraft 
and powered-lift aircraft to enter production and service?
    Mr. Harper. So, honestly, I don't hear much from the FAA 
communicating that to communities. We hear most of that from 
the industry and through the industry communications, that they 
have achieved certain milestones along the certification 
pathway. And, from that, we recommunicate that out to the 
communities.
    And so, as we understand it today, we are expecting initial 
launch sometime in 2025, with a scaling up of operations beyond 
that.
    And so, that is the message that we are talking to 
communities, that is the timeline that we are giving 
communities to hopefully understand this technology and be able 
to provide feedback into the system of what it might look like.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    And just kind of a general question for all panelists. If 
you could maybe even go through this just one at a time, 
briefly.
    Do you have a view on how electric aircraft, and if, they 
should be paying into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund?
    We will start with Mr. Clark and then go down the line.
    Mr. Clark. I think electric aircraft absolutely should 
participate in funding the infrastructure.
    The economic benefits are compelling. There are customers, 
like Chris, ready to buy this and deploy it.
    And I know from an aircraft--manufacturers are probably the 
most ignorant position to say this, but participating in the 
operational fees, which are insignificant relative to those of 
over-the-road gas taxes and other things, is absolutely 
something electric aircraft should do.
    And we, as an industry, I would say, would be more than 
willing to participate in that, because we believe in good 
infrastructure, and the infrastructure is incredibly light 
relative to other forms of transportation.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    Mr. Bevirt?
    Mr. Bevirt. I would just second what Kyle said. I 
wholeheartedly agree.
    Mr. Yakym. Mr. Bradshaw?
    Mr. Bradshaw. As a matter of principle, we think all users 
of the National Airspace System should pay into the fund. 
Obviously, with these new technologies, the details of that 
will need to be sorted out. I would defer to others on exactly 
how that will be incorporated. But, again, as a matter of 
principle, we think all users should pay into the fund.
    Mr. Yakym. And Mr. Harper?
    Mr. Harper. Yes, I would say I agree with my colleagues 
here and also emphasize, in my written testimony, I talked 
about some of the struggles and issues with the current 
vertical lift infrastructure that we need to address as we are 
looking to evolve into the AAM future.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    And, Mr. Clark, in your testimony, you discussed the 
charging infrastructure that you have installed at airports.
    Can you describe what permitting a charger at an airport 
entails to get it up and running and if there are areas that we 
should be looking at to ensure that the process is right-sized 
for the activity at the airport?
    Mr. Clark. Absolutely.
    And I think it should be noted that putting a charging 
system, which is about a 4-by-4-foot box and a small powering 
connection adjacent to it, is a relatively small ask of an 
airport relative to the infrastructure of an airport.
    The permitting process right now is slightly convoluted--
actually, it is more than slightly convoluted. We go to the 
FAA, we go to municipal, and we typically go to a State in 
addition. And having a Federal preemption allowing us to put in 
charging systems at airports for the benefit of all parties, to 
allow for quiet, sustainable aviation at that airport, should 
be a no-brainer.
    And the FAA should solely regulate that, especially at 
federally funded airports, and allow the diversity of municipal 
opinions to not impede the establishment of simple, simple 
chargers. And we are not talking about putting big vertiports 
in place; just a charger.
    And I am also a big believer in interoperability and 
multimodal aspects of the charger that allow for package cars, 
other airport vehicles, and many different forms of aircraft to 
charge at those chargers.
    Mr. Yakym. Thank you.
    I will now yield the balance of my time to our 
distinguished chair, Mr. Garret Graves.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana [presiding]. I want to thank the 
witnesses, and I want to apologize to each of you for being out 
of pocket here for a little while. I want to thank the vice 
chair of the committee, Congressman Yakym, for taking over the 
hearing. Today was a busy day. We just passed landmark energy 
legislation that we have been working on now for about 2 years. 
And I apologize again for being absent.
    I want to thank each of you for being here. I love the 
technology, I love the future that you are helping to create.
    I am wondering if you could just talk through a little bit 
about your own experience here as compared to maybe what you 
have experienced in operating in other countries. I know that 
some of you are operating in other areas. Anybody care to 
comment about their experience in the United States compared to 
other countries?
    Mr. Clark. I mean, Chris probably has the most experience, 
but I will speak from the perspective of AAM. And you may be 
referencing a recent regulatory license we received to operate 
in the UAE, for example. And that came very quickly.
    And the fundamental difference was the regulatory lab there 
and the GCAA was looking at the physics of the problem, 
understanding it is a safer technology than the existing 
technologies, and simply looked forward.
    The FAA here, as good as they are--and they have an 
impeccable safety record, by all measures--is looking backwards 
to see how we fit within an existing regulation, as opposed to 
how it fits within the physics of operations.
    And, within a matter of months, us and UPS achieved a 
license to operate in the UAE. And, frankly, I think that is 
wonderful. It is going to be a great start.
    We need to do the same thing here in the U.S. and unblock, 
whether it be through waiver or otherwise, folks like Joby, 
folks like Bristow, for us to deploy our aircraft domestically.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Mr. Bradshaw, before you answer, I 
want to ask maybe a related question, if you could take a 
twofer here.
    The FAA has said that their infrastructure guidance will 
continue to be conservative until they have more operational 
data. When you look at the data that is being collected from 
international operations, how do you think that should be 
considered in the overall decisionmaking here, stateside?
    Mr. Bradshaw. Thank you, Chairman Graves, for the question. 
Appreciate it. And certainly understood about the busy day 
today. Glad to see H.R. 1 pass.
    We do operate in a number of different jurisdictions around 
the world. We have a dozen different AOCs today, with aircraft 
in 17 different countries. So, we have a perspective of dealing 
with different regulators.
    What we see with the FAA is very much a difference between 
the day-to-day experience we have with our FSDO and oversight 
over existing operations and then the airworthiness and 
certification process that takes place at the Federal level.
    It does seem that we are behind other jurisdictions in the 
evaluation and certification process for these new technologies 
in many ways. I think there are various reasons for that. It 
seems that in other countries there has been a clear framework 
approach taken, not being as prescriptive. And there is 
certainly a commitment in some of these other jurisdictions, 
like EASA or the U.K. CAA or ANAC in Brazil, to be a leader 
here.
    I have every confidence that the products that are being 
developed as new aircraft will achieve the performance and 
standards that they need, and hopefully the certification 
timeline here in the U.S. can keep up with that.
    And hopefully the FAA, to the second part of your question, 
Chairman, will look to these other agencies and share that data 
and share the approach and take a more collaborative approach 
to how these new aircraft are certified and accepted.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Any of you care to comment any 
more?
    Mr. Bevirt. I would just like to speak to the amount of 
international demand there is. And aviation has been one of 
this country's most valuable exports. And it is imperative that 
FAA continue to lead and be the gold standard for aviation 
safety globally so that innovators here in the U.S. can export 
the really valuable products that we create to countries around 
the world.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you.
    Do you all feel that the FAA has clearly communicated the 
required design standards and development assurance levels that 
will be applied to your aircraft?
    Mr. Clark. I will jump in there.
    I think that for 90 percent of the aircraft, they have. It 
is the new and novel technologies that need a little bit more 
work. And they need people who are experts in those fields to 
be employed by the FAA or delegated by the FAA.
    Look, we want the same thing as the FAA. We want a safe, 
reliable, and repeatably produced aircraft, right? And we have 
a lot of experts that know electric propulsion and batteries 
very, very well. It is an engineered product. And the FAA has 
to step in in those relatively small slivers to say, ``Yes, we 
want the same thing. Let's just figure out what validation 
means.''
    It should be noted in your prior question, though, that the 
rest of the world is drafting off of the work that is done 
here. And, in our case, getting these minimum viable licenses, 
they look to the work that our military did, the Air Force and 
the Army, before they put their pilots in our airplanes, and 
the airworthiness that we had to achieve to do that, to then 
draft off that and then ride by us towards the finish.
    What we need to do is, we need to maintain that leadership 
position by continuing to be innovative, driving towards a 
forcing function of a goal instituted by Congress, to say, ``Go 
do this, and here are the resources to do it.''
    So, I didn't mean to imply that there wasn't awesome work 
being done here, but other countries see that and just work 
around it.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. It is a great point, and it 
actually kind of leads me to my next question.
    So, do you believe that--the fact that we are being passed 
up, do you believe that that is a resource issue? An expertise 
issue? Just too conservative of a standard? Do you have any 
thoughts there?
    Mr. Clark. Yes. I think that there is a layer between the 
leadership of the FAA and the people that we work with on a 
day-to-day basis. They are motivated, excited, working hard on 
what they are trying to do, without the delegation authority to 
make a decision. However, right at the top, folks are saying, 
``Yes, we want to do this.''
    And as we work through this, we need to provide, like, 
vertical pressure right down through the FAA to say, ``This is 
a fundamentally safer technology. You have the authority to 
make a physics-based declaration of what it means to be 
certified. Now go do it.''
    Yes, we need expertise, and, again, like I said before, we 
need to look horizontally into all the other industries that 
have electrified and say, ``That makes sense. The reliability 
and safety of that is great in locomotive, in automotive, and 
we are going to move it over to aviation, and we are going to 
employ that here.''
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Anyone else?
    I don't want anybody to yell at me about how much time I am 
taking.
    Well, I will ask this in closing. Is there anything that 
any of you would like to add to your statements or clarify any 
answers that you gave earlier or anything you haven't been 
asked that you would like to expand upon?
    Mr. Bevirt. I think we are standing at a really exciting 
moment, this culmination of so many technologies that are going 
to fundamentally transform aviation and the lives of people 
around the world, delivering significant increases in the 
productivity of our communities as we connect more people in 
shorter amounts of time.
    And this is all standing on the shoulders of more than 100 
years of pioneering aviation work here in the U.S. that has 
made aviation our safest, fastest, and lowest cost mode of 
transportation.
    We are so grateful for the leadership of this committee, of 
the work, the hard work, day-in and day-out by the teams at the 
FAA to deliver this remarkably safe aviation ecosystem that we 
have. And it is really exciting to be seeing the industry 
embracing these next-generation technologies.
    Mr. Clark. If I may just add something that hasn't been 
talked about a lot, and that is general aviation.
    GA is not separate from commercial aviation. I am speaking 
as a pilot, a certified flight instructor, an owner of 
aircraft, and owner of an aerospace business as well. GA is the 
conduit through which we have set--I just taught my daughter to 
fly. She is a pilot as well. She learns her basic habits to be 
a safe pilot for life, as she progresses into commercial 
aviation, in general aviation.
    Many aircraft companies start in general aviation and move 
into part 25 commuter class. Many people in ATC start at small 
airports that predominately host GA before they move to the big 
airports.
    We need to focus on GA, we need to foster GA, and we need 
to allow it to flourish to provide a conduit to our pilot 
shortage, our maintenance shortage, the people who are 
developing aircraft.
    And, frankly, I actually think we should return the FAA to 
own the responsibility to promote aviation. We want our best 
and our brightest in a really important sector of our country. 
We want to maintain the leadership.
    We need to promote, and we need to establish a safe--the 
FAA does a great job on safety. We need to promote aviation. We 
need good people in it that are inspired to be there. General 
aviation is a great place to focus on.
    Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you.
    I am not sure if any of you have been in the rotunda of the 
Capitol, but up in the rotunda of the Capitol they have a 
painting called the Frieze of American History that goes all 
the way around, 360 degrees. And if you look right on the 
western end, or the western side, they actually have the Wright 
brothers' plane up there depicted because of its transformative 
role in United States history. And I think that I am looking 
right now at the next transformative innovators in our country.
    And I am really excited to help, in this next FAA bill, to 
be able to work together with everyone on this committee, to 
help to chart a path that creates the certainty, that creates 
the predictability that you need, that truly moves at the pace 
of innovation, as opposed to being this bottleneck or 
impediment to progress.
    The United States, as some of you have noted, we are the 
gold standard in regard to safety, and we are the gold standard 
in regard to innovation. And we need to make sure that we do 
that. We need to make sure that this bill is focused on that 
next generation of aircraft, on the new entrants into market, 
that we maintain the balance of safety and innovation moving 
forward.
    And I just want to thank you for being here today and 
helping to inform us on how we strike the balance. I hope that 
you are able to continue to share feedback with us on how we 
can make sure that this bill strikes that right balance.
    So, I yield back my time.
    And seeing that there are no other Members here to speak, I 
want to thank you again for your testimony.
    And I ask unanimous consent that the record of today's 
hearing remain open until such time as our witnesses have 
provided answers to any questions that may be submitted to them 
in writing.
    Without objection, it is so ordered.
    I also ask unanimous consent that the record remain open 
for 15 days for any additional comments and information 
submitted by Members or witnesses to be included in the record 
of today's hearing.
    Without objection, so ordered.
    The subcommittee stands adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 2:24 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

                       Submissions for the Record

                              ----------                              


   Letter and attached 2023 FAA Reauthorization Bill Priorities and 
 Proposals to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, and Hon. Rick Larsen, Ranking 
Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Hon. Garret 
Graves, Chairman, and Hon. Steve Cohen, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on 
Aviation, from Michael Robbins, Chief Advocacy Officer, Association for 
  Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, Submitted for the Record by 
                          Hon. Rudy Yakym III
Honorable Sam Graves,
U.S. Representative, Missouri-06,
Chair, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 2165 Rayburn 
        House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.
Honorable Rick Larsen,
U.S. Representative, Washington-02,
Ranking Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 2164 
        Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.
Honorable Garret Graves,
U.S. Representative, Louisiana-06,
Chair, Subcommittee on Aviation, 2165 Rayburn House Office Building, 
        Washington, DC 20515.
Honorable Steve Cohen,
U.S. Representative, Tennessee-09,
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Aviation, 2164 Rayburn House Office 
        Building Washington, DC 20515.

Re:  2023 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill 
Priorities and Proposals

    Dear Chair Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, Chair Graves, Ranking 
Member Cohen, and Remaining Members of the House Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee,
    The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) 
applauds you for continuing to work towards the 2023 Federal Aviation 
Administration Reauthorization.
    AUVSI is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to 
the advancement of uncrewed systems, autonomy, and robotics. We 
represent corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries 
that are involved in industry, government, and academia. AUVSI's 
primary markets span the defense, civil, and commercial industries. 
Uncrewed systems represent an expansive market within the 
transportation system, and it is our mission to ensure all types of 
uncrewed systems, autonomy, and robotics companies that work with us 
have access to the resources they need to be successful in such a 
highly competitive industry.
    As you conduct your jurisdictional oversight throughout this 
process, we would encourage you to hold hundreds of exploratory 
meetings and several hearings across all aviation stakeholders and 
areas of interest. Specifically, careful care and consideration must be 
given to the uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), autonomy, and robotics 
spaces, which comprise the majority of our expansive, unique, and 
diverse membership.
    We are committed to continuing to be a resource to you throughout 
this process and welcome any questions you may have on the proposals 
enclosed below.
        Sincerely,
                                           Michael Robbins,
                                     Chief Advocacy Officer, AUVSI.

cc:  All Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee

                                                         Attachment
                                 AUVSI
       Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Priorities
                  beyond visual line of sight (bvlos)
    Priority 1: Inclusion of the Increasing Competitiveness for 
American Drones Act of 2023 (S. 307), with the slight modifications 
discussed in priorities 3 and 4, which was introduced by Sens. Mark 
Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) on February 7, 2023.

    Priority 2: While working towards a final BVLOS rulemaking, direct 
the FAA to issue more immediate guidance, such as standard scenarios or 
pre-defined risk assessments, providing accelerated pathways to enable 
low-altitude operations under the current rules within 120 days of 
enactment. This would include standardizing the process for Part 135 
waivers, including sections for which relief should be sought and the 
supporting information required from applicants, which would 
accommodate more complex operations into the National Airspace System.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. LOW ALTITUDE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS OPERATION
        Title 49 U.S.C. Section 44806 is amended by adding the 
        following subsection at the end:
        (e) LOW ALTITUDE OPERATION PERMITTED.--
        (1)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 12o days after the date of 
enactment of this subsection, and notwithstanding the pendency of any 
other rulemaking proceeding for rules permitting the operation of 
unmanned aircraft systems commercially beyond the visual line of sight 
(in this subsection referred to as `BVLOS') of the operator, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (in this section 
referred to as the `Administrator') shall:
          (A)  Provide accelerated pathways to enable the low-altitude 
operation of BVLOS unmanned aircraft systems; and
          (B)  Standardize the process for certificate of waivers 
issued under 14 C.F.R. Part 135 as to accommodate more complex air 
carrier operations into the National Airspace System.
        (2)  GUIDANCE.--For the purpose of carrying out paragraph (1), 
the Administrator may issue guidance that:
          (A)  Clarifies the minimum evidence and information 
requirements for standard scenarios covering unmanned aircraft systems 
commercial BVLOS operations; and
          (B)  Establishes and publishes the operational scenarios for 
predefined risk assessments to enable the efficient development of 
procedures that must be contained in the operator manual for commercial 
BVLOS unmanned aircraft systems.

    Priority 3: Mandate quick production of Part 108 drone pilot rules 
covering varying levels of automation and training necessary, as 
included in the BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee Report.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. PART 108 RULES FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
        Chapter 448 of Title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
        adding the following section at the end:
        SEC. 44811. NEW PART 108 RULES.--
        (a)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
enactment of this section, and notwithstanding any other proposed 
rulemaking establishing a regulatory pathway for certification or 
approval of unmanned aircraft systems to enable commercial beyond 
visual line of sight (in this section referred to as `BVLOS') 
operations, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
(in this section referred to as the `Administrator') shall adopt the 
proposed rules for Part 108 of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations 
contained in the final report and recommendations of the Beyond Visual 
Line of Sight Aviation Rulemaking Committee as submitted to the 
Administrator on March 10, 2022.

    Priority 4: An extension of Title 49 U.S.C. Section 44807 
authority, which includes additional clarity from Congress on how 
Congress intended this authority to work in the first place, and 
ensures that previous work and testing on 44807 and type certification 
by companies is incorporated into any new standard the FAA develops for 
airworthiness.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. 44807 EXTENSION AND CLARIFICATION
        Section 347(a) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Title 49 
        U.S.C. Sec.  44807) is amended by striking ``September 30, 
        2023'' in subsection (d) and inserting ``September 30, 2028''.
        (a)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of this section the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration (in this section referred to as the `Administrator') 
shall adopt the proposed rules that:
          (1)  Clarify the intended full authorities of Section 44807 
which are meant to provide a pathway to enable advanced operations that 
can be conducted safely, even when operations take place outside of an 
existing rule;
          (2)  Recognize that the FAA has narrowly interpreted Section 
44807, and therefore, clarification and reinforcement of Congressional 
intent is necessary;
          (3)  Provide for the issuance of type certificates to 
qualifying applicants with long-standing type certification 
applications prior to the FAA establishing a new certification and 
approval process;
          (4)  Ensure that previous work and testing on Section 44807 
and type certification by companies is incorporated into this new 
standard the FAA develops for airworthiness; and
          (5)  Recognize past and ongoing efforts by UAS operators to 
act in accordance with previous guidance, anticipating that more 
efficient and effective frameworks will be implemented.
                                Overview
    AUVSI has been intimately involved in the FAA's BVLOS Aviation 
Rulemaking Committee (ARC) and its processes from day one. Our 
President and CEO, Brian Wynne, was a member of the ARC, as were many 
of our member companies. A BVLOS rulemaking will be transformative for 
the entire drone industry and will allow commercial UAS operations to 
scale to heights not yet seen before due to an inadequate regulatory 
environment. Currently, industry innovation is being stifled, as 
opposed to fostered, due to insufficient regulatory processes and 
bureaucratic challenges unrelated to safety to enable routine, longer-
distance operations BVLOS.
    AUVSI requests that Congress directs the FAA to finalize a 
rulemaking based on the BVLOS ARC Report no later than 6 months after 
the date of enactment of the Increasing Competitiveness for American 
Drones Act of 2023 (as part of the FAA Reauthorization bill), as 
mandated by the legislation itself. It is imperative that there is a 
clear timeline for expediting UAS BVLOS regulations and/or 
implementation and mandatory reports to Congress on progress. The FAA 
must also be held accountable and provide Congress and industry with a 
rationale for any delays. This must all be done while ensuring that 
BVLOS operations maintain high levels of air safety.
    AUVSI is pleased that the FAA has granted numerous BVLOS waivers 
enabling low-altitude operations, including those shielded by 
structures and terrain, and that the FAA informed the Advanced Aviation 
Advisory Committee (AAAC) in February 2022 that the agency is exploring 
BVLOS standard scenarios and pre-defined risk assessments to streamline 
and standardize low-risk, high-value BVLOS approvals. AUVSI requests 
that Congress mandates the FAA to standardize the process for BVLOS 
waivers, as it will ensure safety, reduce demand on FAA review 
resources, and provide more certainty for regulated entities. 
Therefore, while working on a final BVLOS rule, AUVSI requests that 
Congress directs the FAA to also issue more immediate guidance, such as 
standard scenarios or pre-defined risk assessments, providing 
accelerated pathways to enable low-altitude operations under the 
current rules within 120 days of enactment. Within that 120-day 
timeframe, AUVSI also requests that Congress pushes the FAA to 
standardize the process for Part 135 waivers, which would accommodate 
more complex UAS operations into the NAS.
    Congress should instruct the FAA to permit aircraft with a Title 49 
U.S.C. Section 44807 exemption, that have logged a designated number of 
flight hours, to waive certain elements of type certification. Doing so 
will immediately unlock a significant number of safe UAS aircraft that 
have been stuck in an uncertain regulatory status. This will eliminate 
the current bifurcation of UAS certification and will promote a pathway 
to developing UAS-specific change management processes. At this time, 
the FAA has a bifurcated UAS certification processes between standard 
airworthiness certifications and Section 44807, which is intended to 
allow the FAA to quickly grant ``special'' airworthiness certifications 
for certain UAS. Unfortunately, this duplication of effort has not 
yielded its intended results and instead has created a significant 
backlog of aircraft stuck in ``limbo'' between Section 44807 exemptions 
and a standard airworthiness certification process that is broken. 
While the FAA works on long term airworthiness solutions, four steps 
can be taken to provide continuity of operations and certainty to 
operators, including:

        Extend Section 44807 authorities through the duration of the 
        FAA Reauthorization, or until a new framework is implemented.

        Clarify the intended full authorities of Section 44807. The 
        current FAA Reauthorization intended to provide a pathway to 
        enable advanced operations that can be conducted safely, even 
        when operations take place outside of an existing rule. 
        However, the FAA has narrowly interpreted Section 44807, and 
        therefore, clarification and reinforcement of Congressional 
        intent is necessary.

        Provide for the issuance of type certificates to qualifying 
        applicants with long-standing type certification applications 
        prior to the FAA establishing a new certification and approval 
        process.

        Ensure that previous work and testing on Section 44807 and type 
        certification by companies is incorporated into this new 
        standard the FAA develops for airworthiness. While it is 
        anticipated that more efficient and effective frameworks will 
        be implemented, the FAA should recognize past and ongoing 
        efforts by UAS operators to act in accordance with previous 
        guidance.

                                 AUVSI
       Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Priorities
                      advanced air mobility (aam)
    Priority 1: The Administrator of the FAA shall commence a 
rulemaking to develop certification standards for both piloted and 
unpiloted electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and other 
powered-lift AAM and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft, and shall 
report to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and 
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation by 
September 30 of each year on its progress in implementing the rule 
until such time as it issues a final rule.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. CERTIFICATION STANDARDS FOR REMOTELY PILOTED AND 
        PILOTED PASSENGER AND CARGO CARRYING POWERED-LIFT AIRCRAFT
        (a)  RULEMAKING.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration (in this section referred to as the `Administrator') 
shall issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish certification 
standards for remotely piloted, and piloted, passenger and cargo 
carrying aircraft and ground control stations and shall issue a final 
rule within 24 months of the date of enactment of this Act.
        (b)  REPORTS.--The Administrator shall provide a written report 
to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the 
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 1 year after 
enactment and periodically on an annual basis thereafter. The reports 
to the Committees should include status updates on the progress of the 
rulemaking by the Federal Aviation Administration for the purposes of 
ensuring robust congressional oversight.

    Priority 2: Direct the FAA to complete the Special Federal Aviation 
Regulation (SFAR) powered-lift rule no later than December 31, 2024, 
the FAA's own announced deadline for completion. We also propose that 
Congress puts in place an interim solution that would allow for 
powered-lift aircraft to operate commercially under existing 
regulations if the SFAR's publishing does not comply with this 
deadline. This proposed interim path would go away once the final SFAR 
is issued.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. RULES AND INTERIM OPERATIONS OF POWERED-LIFT AIRCRAFT
        (a)  DEFINITION.--The term powered-lift aircraft means a 
heavier-than-air aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, vertical 
landing, and low speed flight that depends principally on engine-driven 
lift devices or engine thrust for lift during these flight regimes and 
on nonrotating airfoil(s) for lift during horizontal flight.
        (b)  RULEMAKING.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and no later than December 31, 2024, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (in this section 
referred to as the `Administrator') shall promulgate a Powered-Lift 
Special Federal Aviation Regulation establishing a procedure for 
certifying pilots and operation of powered-lift aircraft capable of 
transporting passengers or cargo.
        (c)  APPLICATION OF RULES.--Upon enactment of this Act, rules 
currently in effect that specifically apply to the operation of 
``rotorcraft'' or ``helicopters'' within Code of Federal Regulations, 
Title 14, Chapter 1, Subchapter F, G, H, and I, shall be deemed to 
govern the operation of powered-lift aircraft in the National Airspace 
System.
        (d)  AIRMEN PRIVELAGES.--Upon enactment and upon completion of 
a Type Rating for a specific powered-lift aircraft, Airmen that hold 
Pilot or Instructor Certificates with the Ratings listed below shall be 
deemed to have the privileges of a Powered-Lift Rating for the same 
Aircraft:
              (i)  Airplane Category in any class; or
              (ii)  Rotorcraft Category in the Helicopter class.

        (e)  TERMINATION.--To ensure air transportation operations 
authorized by this section may continue without interruption upon and 
after the issuance of the Special Federal Aviation Regulation, the 
authority in this section shall expire upon the effective date of the 
Special Federal Aviation Regulation for powered-lift aircraft 
operations or any rulemakings which satisfy the intent of the sections 
of this provision.
        (f)  SAVINGS CLAUSE.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, nothing in this section shall be interpreted to limit or otherwise 
prevent the Administrator or Secretary of Transportation from issuing 
any necessary approval, Operation Specification, or any other 
authorization that may be required to operate powered-lift aircraft 
safely, efficiently, and expeditiously in air transportation 
operations.

    Priority 3: Include a Sense of Congress in support of United States 
global leadership in UAS and all facets of AAM, including Urban Air 
Mobility (UAM), Regional Air Mobility (RAM), electric vertical take-off 
and landing aircraft, electrification, and increasingly autonomous 
aviation technology in the FAA Reauthorization bill.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY
           Whereas Unmanned Aircraft Systems and specifically Advanced 
        Air Mobility represent a key area of sustainable transportation 
        and economic growth for the United States;

           Whereas Advanced Air Mobility is an exciting new part of the 
        aviation ecosystem;

           Whereas Advanced Air Mobility is the overarching concept 
        under which Urban Air Mobility and Regional Air Mobility 
        reside;

           Whereas Urban Air Mobility and Regional Air Mobility will 
        help connect both urban and rural populations to each other and 
        to the rest of the nation, as well as move freight, regardless 
        of geographic locations and proximity to a travel hub or urban 
        center;

           Whereas for the benefits of Advanced Air Mobility to be more 
        broadly realized, there should be a clear and stable process 
        with clear timeframes for Advanced Air Mobility certification 
        and operationalization;

           Whereas our domestic Advanced Air Mobility industry will 
        fail to launch without a more palatable regulatory atmosphere 
        for certification and operations;

           Whereas Europe, China, and other competitors will fill the 
        void and dominate the global market for manufacturing and 
        development of Advanced Air Mobility technologies;

           Whereas autonomy is a key area in which the United States 
        should be racing ahead, but continues to fall behind due to 
        regulatory issues;

           Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration does not have 
        the personnel and expertise necessary to certify these new 
        aircraft within a timeframe that aligns with industry needs and 
        for the United States to maintain global leadership; and

           Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration needs more 
        funding to hire additional personnel as significant resources 
        are needed to work through the certification process that is 
        already underway for multiple applicants.

          Resolved, that it is the Sense of Congress that--
            (1)  The United States must continue to maintain its global 
        leadership in all facets of Advanced Air Mobility, including 
        Urban Air Mobility, Regional Air Mobility, Electric Vertical 
        Take-Off and Landing aircraft, electrification, and other forms 
        of increasingly autonomous aviation technology;
            (2)  The Federal Government must continue to foster 
        leadership, interagency collaboration, and collaboration with 
        industry in the adoption and deployment of Advanced Air 
        Mobility; and
            (3)  The United States will cede leadership in this space 
        to other nations without imminent regulatory changes.

    Priority 4: Ensure the FAA provides clear timelines to enable 
operationalization of AAM and that reports to Congress and industry on 
AAM certification and operationalization be mandated by law.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. TIMELINES TO ENABLE OPERATIONALIZATION OF ADVANCED 
        AIR MOBILITY
          (a)  RULEMAKING.--
            (1)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration (in this section referred to as the 
        `Administrator') shall adopt rules in the proceeding initiated 
        in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the matter of Update to 
        Air Carrier Definitions (Docket No. FAA-2022-1563; Notice No. 
        23-03) in accordance with paragraph (2).
            (2)  UPDATES REQUIRED.--In the rules adopted under 
        paragraph (1), the Administrator shall provide clear timelines 
        to enable operationalization of Advanced Air Mobility 
        certification.
            (3)  REPORT TO CONGRESS.--Not later than 180 days following 
        the adoption of the rules under paragraph (1), the 
        Administrator shall prepare and submit to the Committee on 
        Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate a report on Advanced Air Mobility 
        certification and operationalization.
                                Overview
    AAM is an exciting new part of the aviation ecosystem, which we 
view as the overarching concept under which Regional Air Mobility (RAM) 
and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) reside. RAM and UAM will help connect both 
urban and rural populations to each other and to the rest of the 
nation, as well as move freight, regardless of geographic locations. 
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 
RAM, ``seeks to fundamentally change how we travel by bringing the 
convenience, speed, and safety of air travel to all Americans, 
regardless of their proximity to a travel hub or urban center.''
    For the benefits of AAM to be more broadly realized, there should 
be a clear and stable process with clear timeframes for AAM 
certification. Without this, our domestic AAM industry will fail to 
launch. Europe, China, and other competitors will fill the void and 
dominate the global market for manufacturing and development of these 
technologies. In order for the AAM industries to operate at scale, the 
FAA will need to certify these new aircraft platforms in a timely 
manner to ensure they are airworthy and safe for operations.
    The FAA does not have the personnel and expertise necessary to 
certify these new aircraft within a timeframe that aligns with industry 
needs and for the United States to maintain global leadership. The FAA 
needs more funding to hire additional personnel. Significant resources 
are needed to work through the certification process that is already 
underway for multiple applicants.
    AUVSI has heard from our members and from the FAA directly that the 
agency is working hard and performing significant work to get projects 
through the process. AUVSI agrees with that sentiment. However, the FAA 
will need more resources moving forward, as there will be a growing 
backlog of applications and competition for limited resources among 
competitive aviation technologies. This backlog will be caused by an 
uptick in certification applications, which are expected to 
significantly increase over the next five to 10 years as new companies 
enter the market. Therefore, each of the aforementioned priorities is 
critical to ensuring the industry is able to scale to heights not seen 
before.
    The FAA is actively working on the ``Powered-Lift'' Special Federal 
Aviation Regulation (SFAR) which would put in place the commercial 
operations and pilot licensing path for electric vertical take-off and 
landing vehicles' (eVTOL) entry into service. This gating rulemaking 
for day one operations is necessary due to the new certification path 
utilizing Part 21.17(B) Special Class Powered-Lift. We appreciate the 
bipartisan Congressional oversight of the FAA to ensure that the SFAR 
is completed in line with the FAA's stated deadline of December 31, 
2024, to meet industry timelines for commercial operations. Because of 
the importance of the SFAR, it is imperative that Congress continues to 
provide strong oversight of the FAA to ensure the process is completed 
on time, as well as create an interim policy that would enable early 
commercial operations if the FAA should miss this deadline, or a 
company achieves type certification prior to rule completion.

                                 AUVSI
       Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Priorities
                            spectrum & data
SPECTRUM

    Priority: Include language around spectrum, notably to avoid 
another situation like the recent 5G rollout and interference. Such 
language on spectrum should include government coordination, command 
and control (C2) link requirements (including FCC 5030-5091 MHz 
rulemaking), and more. Rules must be adopted to ensure UAS have access 
to dedicated, licensed spectrum, such as the proposed 5030-5091 MHz 
band (the ``C-band'').
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. RULEMAKING ON UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS SPECTRUM
        (a) RULEMAKING.--
        (1)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Federal Communications Commission (in 
this section referred to as the `Commission') shall adopt rules in the 
proceeding initiated in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the matter 
of Spectrum Rules and Policies for the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft 
Systems (WT Docket No. 22-323; FCC 22-101) to promote access by 
unmanned aircraft systems operators to licensed spectrum in the 5030-
5091-Megahertz band in accordance with paragraph (2).
        (2)  REQUIREMENTS.--The final rules adopted under paragraph (1) 
shall:
          (A)  Enable unmanned aircraft systems operators to reliably 
access licensed spectrum in the 5030-5091-Megahertz band necessary to 
support safety-critical unmanned aircraft systems command-and-control 
communications links; and
          (B)  Ensure co-existence of terrestrial mobile operations and 
unmanned aircraft systems operators without harmful interference.
        (b)  INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.--In promulgating rules under 
        subsection (a), the Commission shall consult with the Federal 
        Aviation Administration and the National Telecommunications 
        Information Administration to:
        (1)  Ensure compliance with applicable Federal Aviation 
Administration remote pilot regulations by unmanned aircraft systems 
operators seeking to access licensed spectrum in the 5030-5091-
Megahertz band; and
        (2)  Avoid harmful interference amongst licensed users of the 
5030-5091-Megahertz band and with any other user of terrestrial mobile 
operations in the adjacent bands.
        (c)  ALLOCATION OF ADDITIONAL SPECTRUM FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 
        SYSTEMS OPERATIONS.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Commission shall issue a Notice 
        of Inquiry to provide a comprehensive examination of the 
        spectrum needs of unmanned aircraft systems operations and 
        identify additional flexible-use spectrum bands that may be 
        suitable for use by or licensing to unmanned aircraft systems 
        operators, taking into account the airborne nature of such 
        spectrum usage. Rules for any frequency should be performance-
        based, and priority should be given to providing widespread and 
        flexible use by unmanned aircraft systems operators to ensure 
        options are available that are suitable for the wide variation 
        in unmanned aircraft systems applications.
                                Overview
    Spectrum needs for both civil and military aviation continue to be 
an issue. We have repeatedly seen issues within the FAA related to 
spectrum, notably the 5G meltdown in 2021. There are several efforts 
underway to open up certain spectrum for use by UAS, which is the 
product of industry collaboration with the FAA and Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC), as well as collaboration amongst the 
two regulators. The FCC just issued two notices critical to UAS and 
spectrum. It is our goal to ensure that the FAA's Spectrum Engineering 
& Policy Office has the resources they need to accommodate the UAS and 
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industries.
    The FCC put out its long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(NPRM) on the proposed C-band rules for drone command and control (C2). 
Simply put, the C-band has long been allocated for UAS use, but has no 
existing service/licensing rules. The Aerospace Industries Association 
(AIA), an industry group, filed a petition for rulemaking to establish 
service and licensing rules for the band. On September 7, 2022, the FCC 
Chairwoman put an NPRM on this issue on circulation. The NPRM also 
covers other UAS-related spectrum issues.
    Additionally, the FCC released its Seventh Report and Order (R&O) 
and Ninth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) in a proceeding 
about the 4.9 GHz band. This spectrum band has long been allocated for 
public safety but is underutilized, and the FCC has been considering 
moving to a nationwide band manager framework for the band and allowing 
non-public safety entities to lease spectrum in the band to maximize 
its usage. In the Eighth FNPRM in this proceeding, the FCC sought 
comment on allowing aeronautical mobile use in the band, but expressly 
excluded UAS from that proposal. Excluding UAS from the proposal was 
consistent with language in the Sixth FNPRM, where the FCC said it 
would be ``premature'' to permit UAS usage of the band for a variety of 
reasons, including the limitations in Part 107 as it existed in March 
2018, and the lack of service rules for UAS in any other spectrum band. 
In the current Seventh R&O and Ninth FNPRM, the FCC has decided to 
designate a Band Manager for the band and to allow leasing of unused 
4.9 GHz spectrum to non-public safety entities. This development has 
also prompted the FCC to reconsider its prior conclusions against UAS 
use in the band.

DATA

    Priority: Direct the FAA to develop processes and procedures to 
permit the release of primary and secondary surveillance radar data to 
trusted United States agents for management and redistribution.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. SECURE ACCESS TO NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM DATA
        (a)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration (in this section referred to as the `Administrator') 
shall initiate a review of all programs, policies, and guidance 
regarding secure access to National Airspace System data by industry 
and non-federal entities, including access to real-time primary 
surveillance radar data, for the purposes of advancing aviation safety 
and developing detect and avoid capabilities for existing and new 
aviation users.
        (b)  CONTENTS.--The review shall:
          (1)  Evaluate the Federal Aviation Administration's 
collaboration with interagency partners, including the Department of 
Defense on non-federal access to National Airspace System data for 
those entities that do not have access under existing programs, and 
identify specific impediments to secure data access;
          (2)  Review existing demonstration projects involving access 
to National Airspace System data by non-federal entities;
          (3)  Identify or create project plans and a process for 
consultation with non-federal stakeholders, including an estimate of 
the date the demonstration projects will be completed; and
          (4)  Identify technical and administrative limitations, 
create a project plan, and identify additional resources necessary for 
the Administrator to provide qualified non-federal entities with real-
time access to National Airspace System data, including primary 
surveillance radar data from existing assets.
        (c)  REPORT.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate Committees in Congress a report on the results of the 
review required under subsection (a).
          (1)  The assessment developed under this subsection shall be 
unclassified but may contain a classified annex.
        (d)  IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall create an 
implementation plan for secure non-federal access to National Airspace 
System data. The implementation plan shall include:
          (1)  A streamlined process for applicants to request secure 
access to real-time primary surveillance radar data for specific 
geographic areas;
          (2)  The data security processes and protocols that 
applicants must adhere to when accessing, using, storing, and 
distributing real-time primary surveillance radar data; and
          (3)  The process for managing any limitations on access to 
real-time primary surveillance radar data that may be imposed on the 
Administrator by interagency partners.
        (e)  The Administrator shall task the Advanced Aviation 
Advisory Committee with developing recommendations to enable and 
incentivize two-way sharing of primary radar data and other types of 
National Airspace System data between developers, operators, third-
party service providers, and the Federal Aviation Administration to 
enhance radar coverage by incentivizing non-federal entities to 
participate in data sharing arrangements.
          (1)  Not more than 180 days after being tasked, the Advanced 
Aviation Advisory Committee shall deliver a report to the Administrator 
containing recommendations on the regulatory changes, policies, 
technologies, guidance, and incentives necessary to enable two-way data 
sharing and improved radar surveillance converge as described in 
subsection (e).
        (f)  The Administrator shall develop functional and performance 
requirements to enhance the Traffic Information Service-Broadcast to 
support detect and avoid functions in the National Airspace System.
          (1)  Not more than 90 days after being tasked, the Federal 
Aviation Administration shall develop a plan to engage with non-federal 
stakeholders, nonprofit associations, and other relevant stakeholders 
in carrying out the tasks identified in subparagraph (f).
          (2)  The plan shall include development of a prototype of a 
Traffic Information Service-Broadcast capability that enables detect 
and avoid for aircraft equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast In equipment.
          (3)  Not more than 270 days after being tasked, the Federal 
Aviation Administration shall develop a report on the functional, 
performance, and integration requirements for ground-based primary 
surveillance radar to support collision avoidance.
                                Overview
    The National Airspace System (NAS) lacks infrastructure that would 
enable the industry to safely conduct higher risk missions and increase 
airspace density. AUVSI believes more emphasis needs to be placed on 
this problem. The FAA also needs to share its robust surveillance 
datasets as generated by NAS assets, including federal radars, which 
would better inform the autonomy industry and various types of uncrewed 
operations moving forward. Congress must put pressure on the FAA to 
share critical surveillance data, in addition to other robust data 
sets.
    AUVSI requests that Congress directs the FAA to develop processes 
and procedures to permit the real time release of primary and secondary 
surveillance radar data to trusted United States agents for management 
and redistribution. The FAA has extensive radar coverage throughout the 
United States, all of which is taxpayer funded, and provide a 
substantial layer of safety for large Part 23 uncrewed systems flying 
at medium to high altitudes. The FAA should include processes to 
identify and filter out all national security sensitive operations, 
while providing data to qualified public and civil operators of large 
UAS in the NAS.

                                 AUVSI
       Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Priorities
                      federal airspace preemption
    Priority: Clarify that the FAA is the sole regulator of matters 
pertaining to aviation safety, including the use of the airspace at all 
altitudes and the categorization of drones as aircraft.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. FEDERAL AIRSPACE PREEMPTION
        Alternative 1:
        Amend 49 U.S.C. Chapter 448 by adding at the end the following 
        new section:
           Sec.  44811 PREEMPTION OF STATE AND LOCAL LAWS.--No state or 
        political subdivision of a State may adopt, maintain, enforce, 
        prescribe, or continue in effect any law, regulation, rule, 
        standard, requirement, or other provision having the force and 
        effect of law of any State or political subdivision of a State 
        pertaining to:
            (a)  Aviation safety at all altitudes of airspace;
            (b)  Air navigation at all altitudes of airspace; or
            (c)  Categorization of unmanned aircraft systems

           that is covered by the provisions of this subpart, or rule, 
        regulation, or requirement promulgated under this subpart.

        Alternative 2:
        Amend 49 U.S.C. Sec.  40103(b) by adding at the end a new 
        paragraph:
           (5) For the purposes of carrying out paragraph (2), the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall be 
        the sole entity prescribing air traffic regulations pertaining 
        to aviation safety and air navigation at all altitudes of 
        airspace and for all categorization of unmanned aircraft 
        systems under this section. No state or political subdivision 
        of a State may adopt, maintain, enforce, prescribe, or continue 
        in effect any law, regulation, rule, standard, requirement, or 
        other provision having the force and effect of law of any State 
        or political subdivision of a State covered by the provisions 
        of this section, or a rule regulation, or requirement 
        promulgated under this section.
                                Overview
    AUVSI has long advocated that FAA's occupation of the fields of air 
navigation and aviation safety preempts attempts by states and 
localities to exert control over the airspace and regulate operational 
aspects of the drone industry. In this advocacy, we have explained that 
federal control over flight operations is necessary for aviation safety 
given that the airspace is a unique resource that demands centralized 
federal control. This is something that courts have long recognized in 
the context of manned aviation. It is no less true in the uncrewed 
context, as the FAA explained in its 2015 Fact Sheet:

        ``Substantial air safety issues are raised when state or local 
        governments attempt to regulate the operation or flight of 
        aircraft. If one or two municipalities enacted ordinances 
        regulating UAS in the navigable airspace and a significant 
        number of municipalities followed suit, fractionalized control 
        of the navigable airspace could result with the potential for 
        conflicting or incompatible requirements for UAS and manned 
        aircraft in low altitudes and/or at the boundaries of a local 
        jurisdiction. Additionally, this `patchwork quilt' of differing 
        restrictions could severely limit the flexibility of FAA in 
        controlling the airspace and flight patterns and ensuring 
        safety and an efficient air traffic flow of all types. A 
        navigable airspace free from overreaching state and local 
        restrictions is essential to the maintenance of a safe and 
        sound air transportation system.''

    This is also consistent with the position that the FAA has taken 
elsewhere. For example, when discussing the scope of its authority with 
the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the FAA noted that it ``is 
responsible for air safety `from the ground up,' including with respect 
to UAS operations,'' and that this ``authority and responsibility to 
regulate all aircraft operations down to the ground is based in part on 
49 U.S.C. Section 40103(b)(1),'' which is derived from the original 
assertion of Congressional authority in 1928. Similarly, in pursuing 
enforcement against dangerous uses of drones, the agency has 
consistently viewed its responsibility as covering all UAS operations, 
no matter the altitude.
    While we believe that the FAA has the requisite authority today to 
ensure that UAS operations can continue and expand safely under federal 
regulation without undue intrusion from state and local regulators, 
courts have expressed some confusion about the proper scope of 
preemption when it comes to uncrewed aircraft and have reached 
seemingly inconsistent results. The GAO report itself also highlights 
that other stakeholders may not always agree about the degree to which 
the FAA's rules are preemptive. Additional clarity from Congress 
stating that the FAA is the sole authority to regulate UAS at all 
altitudes will be critical as these debates continue.

                                 AUVSI
       Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Priorities
                          u.s. competitiveness
    Priority 1: Enact the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant (DIIG) 
Act (S. 4744 and H.R. 5315) from the 117th Congress. 118th Congress 
House and Senate versions of the DIIG Act are expected to be introduced 
imminently.
    AUVSI has long advocated that the DIIG Act be enacted into law. The 
commonsense legislation would enhance United States competitiveness by 
spurring investment in the United States drone industry and worker 
training, and also provides tangible benefits for infrastructure 
inspection.

    Priority 2: Require the FAA to reverse its policy that prohibits 
both manned and unmanned aircraft flights over the High Seas, or beyond 
the United States 12 nautical mile territorial boundary.
    There is a need for clarity on the FAA's policy related to 
authorization of United States-registered UAS (and all aircraft) for 
operations in airspace over the High Seas (i.e., International 
Airspace). For the United States to maintain its leadership role in the 
global effort to integrate UAS into the global aviation ecosystem, it 
is important that the FAA work with industry to define a path by which 
UAS with a Special Airworthiness Certificate can be authorized to fly 
in United States Flight Information Regions beyond 12 nautical miles.
    Suggested Language:
        Alternative 1:
        SEC. [ ]. OPERATIONS OVER THE HIGH SEAS
        (a)  IN GENERAL.--Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, in coordination 
with industry, shall create an operational approval process to allow 
small unmanned aircraft systems, or unmanned aircraft systems with a 
special airworthiness certificate, flight over the High Seas within 
Flight Information Regions managed by the United States.

        Alternative 2:
        SEC. [ ]. OPERATIONS OVER THE HIGH SEAS
        (a)  IN GENERAL.--Within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (in this section 
referred to as the `Administrator'), in coordination with industry, 
shall establish an expert group to evaluate applicable International 
Civil Aviation Organization Annexes and documents concerning unmanned 
aircraft systems flights entering and exiting the High Seas within the 
United States Flight Information Regions. Within 90 days of the expert 
group convening, the Administrator shall submit a report to Congress 
describing a pathway for approving unmanned aircraft systems operations 
that commence from the United States National Airspace System, operate 
and remain over the High Seas within Flight Information Regions managed 
by the United States, and then return to land within the United States 
National Airspace System.

    Priority 3: Support for domestic UAS companies.
    Domestic UAS manufacturers have struggled to compete against 
foreign subsidized competition, which holds back the availability of 
United States-made UAS and harms the potential for workforce growth and 
investment.
    Accordingly, the United States Government must foster a more 
competitive and fair playing field for domestic, United States-based 
manufacturers. Investing in and expanding new manufacturing 
capabilities and our workforce will require infrastructure and capital 
expenditures. Providing tax incentives, grant programs, and other 
mechanisms to spur that spending would accelerate growth and 
development that would have otherwise been delayed or denied. 
Manufacturers tax credits for the production and sale of certain UAS 
equipment produced and sold in the United States would be a huge 
benefit to the industry and its competitiveness and would decrease a 
reliance on UAS from foreign nations, notably China.
    In addition to the language below, AUVSI requests that Congress 
creates a tax incentive program for UAS manufacturing modeled after the 
Solar Energy Manufacturing for America (SEMA) Act, or modeled after 
language included in the House's Bioeconomy Research and Development 
Act of 2021, the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-
Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act of 2022, 
and the Senate's United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) 
on semiconductors and other technologies. This should be created in 
coordination with the House Ways and Means Committee for ultimate 
inclusion in the tax title that they produce for the FAA 
Reauthorization.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. ENSURING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS COMPETITIVENESS 
        ACT OF 2023
        (a)  SHORT TITLE.--This section may be cited as the ``Ensuring 
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Competitiveness Act of 2023''.
        (b)  FINDINGS.--The Congress makes the following findings:
        (c)  DEFINITIONS.--In this section:
          (1)  Unmanned Aircraft Systems or UAS.--The term ``Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems'' or `UAS' has the meaning given the term `unmanned 
aircraft system' in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code.
          (2)  Initiative.--The term ``Initiative'' means the National 
UAS Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative established under 
subsection (d).
        (d)  NATIONAL UAS MANUFACTURING COMPETITVENESS INITIATIVE
          (1)  IN GENERAL.--The President, acting through the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy, shall implement a National UAS 
Competitiveness Initiative to advance societal well-being, national 
security, sustainability, and economic productivity and competitiveness 
of the UAS industry through:
            (A)  Advancing areas of research regarding manufacturing of 
UAS to accelerate technological innovation, and domestic 
competitiveness, in the design, production, application, and services 
of UAS;
            (B)  Supporting research and development of novel tools and 
technologies to address UAS navigation and communication, including 
traffic and obstacle detection by UAS, all in an effort to increase 
competitiveness;
            (C)  Advancing areas of research for batteries used by UAS 
to optimize, scale, and deliver new products and solutions;
            (D)  Supporting social and behavioral sciences and 
economics research that advances the field of UAS manufacturing and 
contributes to the development and public understanding of new UAS 
products, technologies, applications, and services;
            (E)  Accelerating the translation and commercialization of 
UAS research and development and competitiveness by the private sector;
            (F)  Improving the interagency planning and coordination of 
Federal Government activities related to UAS; and
            (G)  Identifying specific ways the Federal Government can 
help better foster UAS technology and integration into our National 
Airspace System, given that the technology is here, and industry is 
ready to operate in a more meaningful way, now.
          (2)  INITIATIVE ACTIVITIES.--The activities of the Initiative 
shall include:
            (A)  Sustained support for UAS manufacturing 
competitiveness through:
              (i)  Grant funding to individual researchers and teams of 
individuals;
              (ii)  Projects funded under joint solicitations by a 
collaboration of no fewer than two Agencies participating in the 
Initiative; and
              (iii)  Interdisciplinary research and UAS competitiveness 
centers that are organized to carry out technology development and 
demonstration activities.
            (B)  Sustained support for the development, optimization, 
and validation of novel tools and technologies to enable the dynamic 
application of UAS in the field of agriculture, military, aerospace, 
entertainment, and security, including through:
              (i)  Research conducted at Federal laboratories;
              (ii)  Grants to fund the work of researchers at 
institutions of higher education and other nonprofit research 
institutions; and
              (iii)  Awards under the Small Business Innovation 
Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs, as described 
in section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638).
            (C)  Activities to develop robust mechanisms for 
documenting and quantifying the outputs and economic benefits of UAS 
manufacturing;
            (D)  Activities to accelerate the translation and 
commercialization of new products, applications, and technologies by:
              (i)  Identifying precompetitive research opportunities;
              (ii)  Facilitating public-private partnerships in UAS 
research and development to spur competitiveness;
              (iii)  Connecting researchers, graduate students, and 
postdoctoral fellows with entrepreneurship education and training 
opportunities; and
              (iv)  Supporting proof of concept activities and the 
formation of startup companies including through programs such as the 
Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology 
Transfer Programs.
            (H)  Foster better integration of UAS technologies into our 
National Airspace System and ensure those already operating can do so 
in a more meaningful way.
          (3)  EXPANDING PARTICIPATION.--The Initiative shall include, 
to the maximum extent practicable, outreach to primarily undergraduate 
and minority-serving institutions (and institutions of higher education 
with an established STEM capacity building program focused on 
traditionally underrepresented populations in STEM, including Native 
Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, and Tribal Nations) about Initiative 
opportunities, and shall encourage the development of research 
collaborations between research-intensive universities and primarily 
undergraduate and minority-serving institutions (and institutions of 
higher education with an established STEM capacity building program 
focused on traditionally underrepresented populations in STEM, 
including Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, and Tribal Nations).
          (4)  ESTABLISH UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY 
PRIORITY.--Pursuant to this Initiative, all Agencies involved must give 
priority to small business concerns that participate in or conduct 
research and development relating to UAS technologies and their 
competitiveness, UAS manufacturing processes, UAS component production, 
UAS aircraft production, or UAS workforce skills and protection. The 
Small Business Administration's Small Business Innovation Research and 
Small Business Technology Transfer Programs should take a leading role 
in this effort. Each Agency must include in its Annual Report to the 
Small Business Administration a synopsis of its implementation of these 
requirements. All Agencies involved in this Initiative must assess 
their needs keeping tangible numbers of solicitation topics, awards, 
and dollars in mind. Mechanisms commonly used by Agencies to give 
priority to UAS-related work include:
            (A)  Adding UAS-related topics in solicitations;
            (B)  Requesting in solicitations that proposals address any 
possible UAS-related elements of the small businesses' proposed work, 
technological approach, delivery, or resulting technological 
applicability to the UAS development processes; and
            (C)  Noting in solicitations that including such elements 
in proposals may provide a competitive advantage in the award selection 
process.

              Additionally, cross-Agency collaborations, targeted 
outreach efforts, and other Agency specific activities related to UAS 
development contribute to addressing the objectives of the Initiative 
and should be prioritized.
          (5)  ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY, SECURITY, AND 
SOCIETAL ISSUES.--Initiative activities shall take into account 
ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate 
societal issues by:
            (A)  Supporting research, including in the social sciences, 
and other activities addressing ethical, legal, environmental, and 
other appropriate societal issues related to UAS manufacturing and 
adoption;
            (B)  Supporting research and other activities related to 
the safety and security implications of UAS;
            (C)  Ensuring that input from Federal and non-Federal 
experts on the ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and 
other appropriate societal issues related to UAS adoption is integrated 
into the Initiative;
            (D)  Ensuring, through the Agencies and departments that 
participate in the Initiative, that public input and outreach are 
integrated into the Initiative by the convening of regular and ongoing 
public discussions through mechanisms such as workshops, consensus 
conferences, and educational events, as appropriate; and
            (E)  Complying with all applicable provisions of Federal 
law.
        (e)  INITIATIVE COORDINATION.--
          (1)  INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.--The President, acting through 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall designate an 
Interagency Committee to coordinate activities of the Initiative as 
appropriate, which shall be co-chaired by the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, and include representatives from the National 
Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal 
Communications Commission, the Department of Defense, the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of 
Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, and any other agency that the President considers 
appropriate (in this section referred to as the Interagency Committee). 
The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall 
select an additional co-chairperson from the members of the Interagency 
Committee. The Interagency Committee shall oversee the planning, 
management, and coordination of the Initiative. The Interagency 
Committee shall:
            (A)  Provide for interagency coordination of Federal UAS 
manufacturing research, development, and other activities undertaken 
pursuant to the Initiative;
            (B)  Establish and periodically update goals and priorities 
for the Initiative;
            (C)  Develop, not later than 12 months after the date of 
the enactment of this section, and update every 3 years thereafter, a 
strategic plan submitted to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate that:
              (i)  Guides the activities of the Initiative for the 
purposes of meeting the goals and priorities established under (and 
updated pursuant to) subparagraph (B); and
              (ii)  Describes:
                (I)  The Initiative's support for long-term funding for 
UAS manufacturing research and development and competitiveness;
                (II)  The Initiative's support for education and public 
outreach activities;
                (III)  The Initiative's support for research and other 
activities on ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and 
other appropriate societal issues related to UAS;
                (IV)  How the Initiative will contribute to moving 
results out of the laboratory and into application for the benefit of 
society and United States competitiveness; and
                (V)  How the Initiative will measure and track the 
contributions of UAS to United States economic growth and other 
societal indicator.
            (D)  Develop a plan to utilize Federal programs, such as 
the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology 
Transfer Programs as described in section 9 of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 638), in support of the activities described in subsection 
(d)(2)(B);
            (E)  In carrying out this subsection, take into 
consideration the recommendations of the Advisory Committee established 
under subsection (f), the results of the workshop convened under 
subsection (d)(4)(D), existing reports on related topics, and the views 
of academic, State, industry, and other appropriate groups; and
            (F)  Ensure better integration of UAS technologies into our 
National Airspace System and work with those in industry already 
operating to better understand changes the Federal Aviation 
Administration needs to make to allow them to do so in a more 
meaningful way.
          (2)  TRIENNIAL REPORT.--Beginning with fiscal year 2023 and 
ending in fiscal year 2029, not later than 90 days after submission of 
the President's annual budget request and every third fiscal year 
thereafter, the Interagency Committee shall prepare and submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report that includes:
            (A)  A summarized Agency budget in support of the 
Initiative for the fiscal year to which such budget request applies, 
for the following 2 fiscal years, for the then current fiscal year, 
including a breakout of spending for each Agency participating in the 
Program, and for the development and acquisition of any research 
facilities and instrumentation; and
            (B)  An assessment of how Federal Agencies are implementing 
the plan described in paragraph (1)(C), including:
              (i)  A description of the amount and number of awards 
made under the Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small 
Business Technology Transfer Programs (as described in section 9 of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)) in support of the Initiative;
              (ii)  A description of the amount and number of projects 
funded under joint solicitations by a collaboration of no fewer than 2 
Agencies participating in the Initiative; and
              (iii)  A description of the effect of the newly funded 
projects by the Initiative.
          (3)  INITIATIVE OFFICE.--
            (A)  IN GENERAL.--The President shall establish an 
Initiative Coordination Office, with a Director and full-time staff, 
which shall:
              (i)  Provide technical and administrative support to the 
Interagency Committee and the Advisory Committee established under 
subsection (f);
              (ii)  Serve as the point of contact on Federal UAS 
manufacturing competitiveness activities for government organizations, 
academia, industry, professional societies, State governments, 
interested citizen groups, and others to exchange technical and 
programmatic information;
              (iii)  Oversee interagency coordination of the 
Initiative, including by encouraging and supporting joint agency 
solicitation and selection of applications for funding of activities 
under the Initiative, as appropriate;
              (iv)  Conduct public outreach, including dissemination of 
findings and recommendations of the Advisory Committee established 
under subsection (f), as appropriate;
              (v)  Serve as the coordinator of ethical, legal, 
environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate societal input; 
and
              (vi)  Promote access to, and early application of, the 
technologies, innovations, and expertise derived from Initiative 
activities to agency missions and systems across the Federal 
Government, and to United States industry, including startup companies.
            (B)  FUNDING.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, in coordination with each participating Federal 
department and Agency, as appropriate, shall develop and annually 
update an estimate of the funds necessary to carry out the activities 
of the Initiative Coordination Office and submit such estimate with an 
agreed summary of contributions from each agency to Congress as part of 
the President's annual budget request to Congress.
            (C)  TERMINATION.--The Initiative Coordination Office 
established under this paragraph shall terminate on the date that is 10 
years after the date of the enactment of this section.
          (4)  RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.--Nothing in this subsection shall 
be construed to alter the policies, processes, or practices of 
individual Federal Agencies in effect on the day before the date of the 
enactment of this division relating to the conduct of UAS research and 
advanced development and competitiveness.
        (f)  ADVISORY COMMITTEE.--
          (1)  IN GENERAL.--The agency co-chair of the Interagency 
Committee established in subsection (e) shall, in consultation with the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy, designate or establish an 
Advisory Committee on UAS manufacturing competitiveness (in this 
subsection referred to as the Advisory Committee) to be composed of not 
fewer than 12 members, including representatives of industry, research 
and academic institutions, and nongovernmental entities, who are 
qualified to provide advice on the Initiative.
          (2)  ASSESSMENT.--The Advisory Committee shall assess:
            (A)  The current state of United States competitiveness in 
UAS manufacturing, including the scope and scale of United States 
investments in UAS manufacturing research and development and 
competitiveness in the international context;
            (B)  Current market barriers to commercialization of UAS 
manufacturing products, processes, and tools in the United States;
            (C)  Progress made in implementing the Initiative;
            (D)  The need to revise the Initiative;
            (E)  The balance of activities and funding across the 
Initiative;
            (F)  Whether the strategic plan developed or updated by the 
Interagency Committee established under subsection (e) is helping to 
maintain United States leadership in UAS manufacturing;
            (G)  The management, coordination, implementation, and 
activities of the Initiative;
            (H)  Whether ethical, legal, environmental, safety, 
security, and other appropriate societal issues are adequately 
addressed by the Initiative; and
            (I)  Identify issues with the Federal Aviation 
Administration's approach to regulating UAS integration into the 
National Airspace System, and identify ways to ensure those already 
operating can do so in a more meaningful way.
          (3)  REPORTS.--Beginning not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this division, and not less frequently than once 
every 3 years thereafter, the Advisory Committee shall submit to the 
President, and the appropriate Committees in Congress, a report on:
            (A)  The findings of the Advisory Committee's assessment 
under paragraph (2); and
            (B)  The Advisory Committee's recommendations for ways to 
improve the Initiative.
          (4)  APPLICATION OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.--Section 
14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 
apply to the Advisory Committee.
          (5)  TERMINATION.--The Advisory Committee established under 
paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
        (g)  RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to require public disclosure of information that is exempt 
from mandatory disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code.

    Priority 4: Enactment of the Securing American Mineral Supply 
Chains Act.
    When we ask domestic UAS manufacturers how to level the playing 
field (specifically with manufacturers that are subsidized by their 
country's governments, like DJI), one of the issues that has been 
raised by a number of them is access to rare earth driven components.
    AUVSI encourages the enactment of the Securing American Mineral 
Supply Chains Act (H.R. 8981) from the 117th Congress. It would be 
highly beneficial to the UAS industry as the legislation would ensure 
the availability of critical materials that support the manufacturing 
process of UAS and their components.

                                 AUVSI
       Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Priorities
    uas traffic management (utm) & remote identification (remote id)
    Priority: AUVSI requests that Congress ensures the FAA accepts ASTM 
International's Standard Specification for UTM UAS Service Supplier 
(USS) Interoperability. Additionally, AUVSI urges Congress to ensure 
the FAA accepts other industry standards, including those from RTCA SC-
228. FAA acceptance of industry consensus standards will significantly 
benefit the UAS and Advanced Air Mobility and related industries in the 
U.S.
    Suggested Language:
        SEC. [ ]. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT 
        IMPLEMENTATION
        (a)  SENSE OF CONGRESS.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
        FAA has failed to both timely and fully implement the 
        requirements set forth in sections 2208 and 2209 of Public Law 
        No. 114-190, the Federal Aviation Administration Extension, 
        Safety, and Security Act, and sections 376 and 377 of Public 
        Law No. 115-254, the Federal Aviation Administration 
        Reauthorization Act of 2018, despite the leadership of the 
        National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the 
        significant investment of time and resources by the private 
        sector. As a consequence, the European Union and other 
        countries have moved ahead with design and deployment of 
        Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (in this section 
        referred to as `UTM') systems. The Congress believes that now 
        is the time to move forward with implementation by the adoption 
        of standards and by providing financial incentives to the 
        private sector to help progress the development of a UTM system 
        in the United States.
        (b) RULEMAKING.--
        (1)  IN GENERAL.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Federal Aviation Administration shall 
amend the final rules adopted in the Remote Identification of Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems proceeding (Docket No. FAA-2019-1100, RIN 2120-AL31) 
in accordance with paragraph (2).
        (2)  REQUIRED CONSIDERATION.--In amending the rules pursuant to 
paragraph (1), the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
(in this section referred to as the `Administrator'), shall:
          (a)  Adopt ASTM International's Standard Specification for 
UTM Unmanned Aircraft Systems Service Supplier Interoperability (ASTM 
Standard No. F3548-21) released on January 12, 2021, for the 
specification of components that may be used to satisfy requirements 
related to UTM regulations; and
          (b)  Accept other industry standards, including those from 
RTCA SC-228, to satisfy the specifications required for the remote 
identification of unmanned aircraft systems.
        (c)  AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.--There is authorized to 
        be appropriated to carry out the purposes in subsection (d) to 
        further the development and implementation of UTM for the 
        National Airspace System consistent with Public Law No. 115-
        254:
        (1)  $20,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2023;
        (2)  $20,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2024;
        (3)  $20,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2025; and
        (4)  $20,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2026.

        (d)  ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.--In this section, the term ``eligible 
        entity'' means a state or tribal government, a political 
        subdivision of a state, local, or tribal government, or a 
        combination of such entities, or a non-profit or for-profit 
        company, that intends to participate in a UTM system as an 
        Unmanned Aircraft Systems Service Supplier.
        (e)  AUTHORIZED PURPOSES.--A grant provided under this section 
        may be used for the following purposes:
        (1)  To research and identify meteorological data for low-
altitude unmanned aircraft systems operations and to establish 
reliability measures for the meteorological data over traditional 
certification standards;
        (2)  To work with the Federal Aviation Administration and 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration to:
          (i)  Define and implement ``Performance Authorizations'' as 
such term is used in the Federal Aviation Administration UTM Concept of 
Operations; and
          (ii)  Combine airspace and operational approvals by means of 
UTM.
        (3)  To work with the Federal Aviation Administration and 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish appropriate 
test and validation environments for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Service 
Supplier interoperability and approval of UTM standards and services, 
and to conduct testing of USS services and interoperability; and
        (4)  To work with the Federal Aviation Administration, the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and cybersecurity 
experts to explore potential areas for cybersecurity resilience that 
can be used to develop performance requirements for UTM Service 
Supplier approvals, including but not limited to remote unmanned 
aircraft systems identification and network identification.
        (f)  GRANT PROCESS.--Within 60 days after enactment of this 
        section, the Administrator shall develop a process for the 
        submission, review, and granting of applications for grant 
        funds to participate in UTM development.
                                Overview
    There is wide-spread consensus that supporting multiple complex 
BVLOS operations will require a federated cloud-based UTM system. 
However, that system will take time to develop, while many UAS 
operators are already capable of safely conducting BVLOS operations, 
and many simpler BVLOS operations involving lower risk levels may not 
require a high degree of oversight or coordination. Regulations should 
provide a near-term solution that will allow such operators the ability 
to conduct BVLOS operations immediately after the regulations are 
finalized. Initially, the number of operators capable of conducting 
complex BVLOS operations will be limited, therefore the security 
requirements for BVLOS may be more cumbersome, e.g., less automated, 
than the envisioned but eventual, UTM system.
    Remote ID of UAS is a security tool required by the United States 
government for operation by providing a ``digital license plate'' for 
nearly all UAS operating in the National Airspace System (NAS). A 
Remote ID system can give law enforcement, security officials, and the 
general public necessary information about a nearby UAS, which may help 
to ensure operations are safe and secure. International standards 
development organizations have produced Remote ID specifications that 
allow UAS operators to meet Remote ID requirements through two means--
broadcast (based on radio frequency) and network (based on internet 
connectivity).
    The Government Performance and Results Act requires DOT to set 
performance goals that are objective, quantifiable, and measurable. 
Although the FAA typically follows the Department's performance-based 
requirements and allows industry to develop innovative solutions to 
meet that standard, the Remote ID Final Rule chose only one technology, 
broadcast, to comply with the rule.
    AUVSI supports the Remote ID rule that mandates broadcast 
identification, however, many of our members are innovating alternative 
ways to comply with Remote ID as technology evolves, including network 
identification, which could help to enable UTM operations. AUVSI asks 
Congress to urge the FAA to explore additional identification solutions 
for Remote ID. As noted in the Remote ID Final Rule, the FAA should 
strive to ensure that they, along with the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are ``prepared to solve 
safety and security issues related to those concepts based on more 
mature understandings.''
    AUVSI asks that Congress urge the national security agencies to 
engage in an open dialogue with industry stakeholders and civil society 
stakeholders to find solutions that enhance Remote ID, specifically 
Remote ID solutions that enable Remote ID data to be accessed via a 
network, while maintaining appropriate privacy safeguards for UAS 
operators and customers.
    Congress must provide clarity on UTM for industry in an effort to 
support more systematic integration of UAS and Advanced Air Mobility 
(AAM) into the NAS at altitude. This clarity should include requiring 
more collaboration between the FAA and National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration on their UTM positions. Additionally, any language 
around Network Remote ID should include a directive to the FAA rather 
than just urging a dialogue with national security agencies.


                                Appendix

                              ----------                              


    Questions from Hon. Marcus J. Molinaro to Adam Woodworth, Chief 
                  Executive Officer, Wing Aviation LLC

    Question 1. Mr. Woodworth, I'd like to hear more about the 
``cooperative airspace environment'' that you mentioned in your opening 
statement.
    Question 1.a. I'm sure you understand that there's concern within 
the General Aviation community about how they'd be able to see small 
drones like yours and how you'd be able to safely avoid other aircraft. 
I want to see this work, but can you tell me how new technologies are 
going to be able to safely co-exist with legacy aircraft?
    Answer. A cooperative airspace environment is one in which we are 
able to use existing and new technologies to modernize the airspace in 
ways that will improve access for new entrants and enhance overall 
safety. We can do that by adopting existing, effective and affordable 
technologies such as ADS-B that increase operators' overall awareness 
of the airspace and aircraft around them. Through shared adoption of 
these technologies, commercial UAS will be able to discern the presence 
of other aircraft in an operating area, and safely avoid any legacy 
aircraft so that traditional pilots won't need to worry about seeing 
and avoiding small drones.
    ADS-B is just one of many technologies produced and used globally 
that can provide electronic conspicuity to enable a cooperative 
airspace. In addition to ADS-B, there are capable non-TSO solutions 
that provide reliable awareness of a crewed aircraft that are 
affordable and easy to implement. These solutions should also be re-
examined for application in this use case.
    From the perspective of the commercial drone operator, a 
cooperative airspace will be underpinned by UAS Traffic Management (or 
UTM) technology that is used for strategic deconfliction, and will 
improve a safe and accessible low altitude airspace. UTM creates a co-
operative environment for drone to drone separation through strategic 
deconfliction and can also increase awareness by surfacing information 
like TFRs and ingesting ADS-B or otherwise conspicuous crewed traffic. 
UTM systems are already being deployed by companies around the world 
for fleet management, including at Wing, and traffic awareness 
technology like ADS-B is critical to incorporating data about the 
presence of any general aviation aircraft in that low altitude airspace 
in the rare instances where that may occur.
    Additional situational awareness capabilities, such as remote 
identification technology, will be helpful for law enforcement and the 
general public to discern the identity of uncrewed aircraft and their 
operators. These capabilities will assist law enforcement with threat 
classification and mitigation often associated with counter-UAS 
technology use cases. Using these tools that foster a cooperative and 
integrated approach to accessing our airspace, and building effective 
education campaigns to ensure operators are using them, will serve to 
isolate any incidents where mitigation tactics are even necessary. 
Counter-UAS is a combination of detection and mitigation, as well as 
responsible policies and frameworks that encourage safe and compliant 
use of UAS. There are a growing number of technological solutions that 
pair with `traditional' counter-UAS capabilities that should be 
considered to help promote lawful UAS operations.

    Question 1.b. What are the most detrimental ramifications if the 
FAA does not find a way to integrate UAS in the United States in a 
timely manner, as you see it?
    Answer. The drone industry has demonstrated its ability and 
enormous potential at scale to offer numerous benefits to society 
including benefits to the economy, environment, equity, and safety. 
Several studies have quantified the various tangible benefits of UAS 
integration for communities across the country, from lower carbon 
emissions to reduced traffic congestion to economic growth and job 
creation.\1\ The American people would be missing out on these benefits 
if we cannot find a way to integrate UAS in a timely manner.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ See, e.g., Rodrigues et al, Drone flight data reveal energy and 
greenhouse gas emissions savings for small package delivery (Cornell 
Univ. arXiv.org, Nov. 2021); Zipline, A First-Ever Look at the 
Sustainability of Autonomous Aerial Logistics (Zipline Blog, Nov. 
2021); Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development, Measuring the 
Effects of Drone Delivery in the United States, (September 2020); 
Accenture, Faster, Safer, and Greener: The Potential Impact of Delivery 
Drones in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (Feb. 2021), available at: 
https://storage.googleapis.com/wing-static-us/us/
Dallas%20Impact%20Report.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Equally important, however, is the importance of the U.S. 
maintaining leadership in technology and innovation from a global 
competitiveness standpoint. The U.S. has always led on aviation 
innovation, and with the rise of uncrewed aviation we have the 
opportunity for a once-in-a-generation leap forward. Without a 
regulatory structure in place that will allow for UAS integration, we 
will cede this leadership position to other countries. The 
technological innovation occurring in this industry--and all of the 
other industries involved with automation that this innovation will 
feed--will instead happen abroad, and it will take years for the U.S. 
to catch up. This will have a direct negative impact on the viability 
of commercial UAS businesses, their employees, their suppliers, and the 
customers they serve.

  Questions from Hon. Greg Stanton to Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive 
                         Officer, Wing Aviation

    Question 1. The drone industry is expected to create a large number 
of new manufacturing, software, and pilot jobs. But it is also expected 
to change the current workforce.
    Question 1.a. What do we need to do as a country to be prepared to 
answer the needs of the drone industry?
    Answer. One of the core principles shaping my leadership at Wing is 
that there is room for everyone in the airspace. My entry into aviation 
as a career has been rooted in my passion for, and the availability of, 
flying model aircraft. Others at Wing have come into their careers on 
entirely different paths, and we employ people who hail from a wide 
variety of professional backgrounds. This includes former military and 
civilian pilots and former airspace design manufacturers, but a huge 
portion of our workforce comprises those who previously have not worked 
in the aviation sector but are passionate about its future and wish to 
dedicate their expertise to creating a more inclusive airspace.
    To address the needs of the industry, we need to seize on the 
opportunity we have to bring entire new populations into the aviation 
workforce. And my perspective is that the jobs created in this sector 
will be additive to current job fields, creating new economic 
opportunities that have not existed before. Many of the barriers to 
entry commonly associated with becoming a commercial airline pilot 
simply do not exist for becoming a drone pilot. As Wing has been doing, 
we can be proactive in doing STEM outreach with middle and high school 
students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. And we can leverage 
our community college system by developing curricula that are tailored 
to new industries around uncrewed aviation and automation, as your 
bill--the DIIG Act--proposes.

    Question 1.b. How can we guarantee the next generation of pilots 
and aviation professionals more closely resemble the diverse 
communities we all come from and are properly equipped to handle this 
next generation technology?
    Answer. UAS technologies have democratized aviation by offering a 
less expensive and more accessible way to pursue an aviation career. 
With lower barriers to entry and increased reach, the drone industry 
has enormous potential to further broaden and diversify the evolving 
aviation workforce. There are many examples of this potential already 
being realized with small businesses across the U.S. incorporating UAS 
into their offerings (photography, real estate, infrastructure 
inspection, etc).\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ See, e.g., New Part 107 Waiver Report--Analysis of Advanced 
Operations Granted by the FAA, AUVSI (2020), available at: http://
auvsilink.org/PDFs/Part%20107%20Waiver
%20Update.pdf (finding that a large portion of Part 107 waivers the FAA 
has granted are for commercial operations, with 87% of those businesses 
generating less than $1M in annual revenues); Demand for Drone Pilots 
Soars: UAV Jobs That Pay Over $100K, Vaughn College (August 2022), 
available at: https://www.vaughn.edu/blog/demand-for-drone-pilots-
soars-uav-jobs-that-pay-over-100k/ (noting that demand is currently 
surging for drone pilots and many positions provide salaries above 
$100,000/year).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    To enhance knowledge and understanding of UAS technology in the 
FAA's regulatory capacity and give greater visibility into the 
employment opportunities that this industry provides, it would be 
helpful for Congress to create programs for the FAA workforce to learn 
about UAS in greater depth. The FAA also would benefit from including 
UAS industry participants in legacy aviation working groups and 
committees to ensure that the Administration considers these 
perspectives in developing its rulemakings.
    Exposure to drones through reaching new customers is another way to 
expand the access to aviation careers and open doors of opportunity to 
a more diverse workforce. Aviation, generally, is not bound to road 
systems and topography to the same extent as surface transportation. 
Since businesses are not constrained to roadway arteries, air 
transportation provides a means to reach more communities including 
communities that are not easily accessed by other modes of 
transportation. UAS technology as a subset of the aviation sector 
possesses even greater freedom, given the lack of air traffic corridors 
or routes and the ability to move equally in all directions. This 
flexibility unlocks unprecedented ways to provide services to 
underserved populations and expose even more people to the 
opportunities that UAS create from a customer and workforce 
perspective.
    In addition to the benefits that can be enabled, Congress should 
protect the benefits that already exist. I have had the pleasure of 
spending my career in the aviation industry, working alongside hundreds 
of talented engineers over the years, and many can trace their 
introduction to aviation and subsequent career interest to building and 
flying model aircraft. Whether it was building a stick-and-tissue model 
on a grandparent's kitchen table, or excitedly approaching a family 
flying in a park, each had a story of the spark that set him or her 
down a path towards flight. Our industry has been built by, and 
sustained through, a flow of talented and inquisitive minds that have 
been nurtured and instructed by the hobby of model aviation. Current 
and future rulemaking should encourage, not hinder, this critical 
entryway to aviation.

  Questions from Hon. Anthony D'Esposito to Roxana Kennedy, Chief of 
                 Police, Chula Vista Police Department

    Question 1. Chief Kennedy, as a former NYPD detective and volunteer 
firefighter, I sincerely thank you for testifying today on behalf of 
first responders. There are many tools that first responders utilize to 
survey emergencies so they can effectively mitigate the situation. Many 
public safety groups that actively rely on tethered Unmanned Aircraft 
Systems (AKA drones) to carry out critical operations. New York City's 
pride, the FDNY, has a Drone and Robotics Team that plays a crucial 
role in life-saving missions. They respond to fires, building 
collapses, water rescues and many other disasters.
    Question 1.a. Based on your experience, what value do tethered 
UAS's provide first responders?
    Answer. Most communities have high expectations for the complex 
mission of law enforcement. But all communities expect that law 
enforcement is working to keep the community safe and secure. Drones 
can be a tremendous asset to enhancing that core mission. Law 
enforcement UAS programs use drones to get to incidents quicker before 
responding officers arrive, to provide first-hand and real-time 
information directly to field personnel and incident commanders. Direct 
and real-time information helps first responders to better understand 
the situation that they are called to and empowers them with better 
information with which to make emergency decisions that keep everyone 
safe.
    My agency does not currently utilize tethered drones, so our 
experience with tethered drones is somewhat academic. But from a law 
enforcement perspective, tethered drones can provide the same type of 
capabilities as an untethered drone to enhance law enforcement's 
mission to respond to emergency calls for service, to protect life and 
property, and to keep our communities safe. Tethered drones have the 
unique advantage of being connected (tethered) to a fixed source that 
can provide constant power and communication, thus extending the 
drone's potential flight time by eliminating current battery 
limitations. The fixed power and communication source enables a 
tethered drone to operate for numerous hours at a time. Using a 
tethered drone can provide added security by being an airborne 
observation platform during public events large and small.
    The deployment and use of a tethered drone in a local environment 
requires the support of the local community. Law enforcement agencies 
must endeavor to establish strong engagement and relationships with the 
community, to educate and enhance understanding about the intended 
purpose and use of a tethered drone. At a local level, the use of a 
tethered drone is not intended for the purpose of surveilling the 
public. Instead, a tethered drone is intended to enhance law 
enforcement's capability, in a very unique and specific way, to keep 
our communities safe and secure. This level of understanding requires 
transparency, dialogue, and community engagement.

    Question 1.b. Do you believe in this FAA Reauthorization that 
providing additional Tethered UAS systems would advance the mission of 
first responders?
    Answer. While introducing a tethered drone into local law 
enforcement operations requires support from the local community, 
tethered drones can further supplement the law enforcement mission to 
protect and serve. Law enforcement drone programs are used to get to 
incidents quicker before responding officers arrive, providing first-
hand and real-time information so that first responders are better 
equipped to make emergency decisions, and to keep our communities safe. 
The ability to monitor drone footage allows a law enforcement agency to 
evaluate a situation remotely and relay information to officers and 
supervisors in the field before they enter a danger zone. Using a 
tethered drone would be the same concept as my agency's Drone as First 
Responder program, except we would not be limited to the time 
restraints of the drone's battery. In addition, the drone footage can 
be live streamed to the incident commanders and first responders to 
determine the best tools, tactics, and resources to mitigate a problem, 
often before officers arrive.

    Question 1.c. What would Law Enforcement like to see in the FAA 
Reauthorization?
    Answer. Law Enforcement and the FAA relationship is important. We 
recommend the FAA include law enforcement in the discussions on the use 
and implementation of Drone as First Responder programs in the National 
Air Space.
    There are some things they can
    1.  FAA'S COA Application Processing System (CAPS) Webpage
        The website is cumbersome and difficult to navigate. It 
is not user friendly.
        Additionally, the FAA requires a single user be 
registered to enter the monthly required COA flight data in the CAPS 
system. Only one user is allowed to enter information for any 
government agency changes. The website should allow multiple users per 
organization this is to prevent any single point of failure and allow 
an alternate or backup user to complete requirements.
    2.  Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) Agent Assistance
        LEAP Special Agents should be more available to 
agencies looking to apply for or renew COAs and waivers. There are over 
18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States and very few LEAP 
agents which makes it challenging to locate and contact the LEAP agent 
for assistance.
    3.  New Technology Progression
        FAA should continue to support law enforcement's use of 
drone technology. Recently the FAA authorized a completely BVLOS 
authorization for another law enforcement agency's DFR operation. This 
is huge step and a win for law enforcement agencies using drones.
          However, The FAA's inconsistencies when it comes to COA and 
Waiver approvals create confusion. We recommend the recent approval of 
what some call the ``digital visual observer'', become a standard 
option for COA's. Removing the Remote Pilot in Command requirement will 
reduce staffing costs allowing more law enforcement agencies the 
ability to have a DFR program such as ours.

 Questions from Hon. Greg Stanton to Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police, 
                     Chula Vista Police Department

    Question 1. How has the use of drones enabled your department to 
better serve the community you help to protect?
    Answer. The Chula Vista Drone as First Responder (DFR) program 
provides the ability to see what is happening at an incident before 
emergency personnel arrive on scene. In addition to the overhead 
perspective that traditional air support has always provided, DFR 
allows the teleoperator, a trained sworn officer, to ``virtually'' 
arrive on scene first, sometimes minutes before ground units are in 
harm's way.
    The drone has a powerful onboard camera that streams HD video back 
to the department's teleoperator, a trained critical incident manager 
who controls the drone remotely and communicates with the units in the 
field to give them information and tactical intelligence about what 
they are responding to. The system also streams the video feed to the 
cell phones of the first responders (including fire personnel), 
supervisors, and command staff, so they can see exactly what the drone 
sees.
    The Chula Vista Police Department Drone as First Responder (DFR) 
program has responded to over 14,500 emergency calls for service. Our 
program has reduced response, increased safety, and provided real-time 
information so our officers can make better-informed decisions. DFR is 
the most critical tool in improving situational awareness, de-
escalating dangerous situations, and protecting our community, our 
officers, and the individuals we contact safer.

    Question 2. What specific training was necessary for your officers 
to be able to leverage small UAS technology?
    Answer. In addition to the training and study required to obtain 
and maintain a FAA Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Pilot 
license, all Chula Vista Police Department UAS team members are 
required to train monthly which involves a variety of locations and 
settings to ensure operational efficiency including annual National 
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sUAS test methods. All 
training is documented, and the records are maintained at the Chula 
Vista Police Department and are subject to review by the FAA.

 Questions from Hon. Marcus J. Molinaro to Stuart Ginn, M.D., Medical 
      Director, WakeMed Innovations, WakeMed Health and Hospitals

    Question 1. Dr. Ginn: First off, I understand the head of SUNY 
Upstate's Drone and Robotics program is here with you, so I'd like to 
welcome you both and thank you for the research you do to advance this 
very important growing sector of aviation.
    What is the primary concern you have that may be holding back the 
success of the UAS industry?
    Answer. Thank you for the questions, Representative Molinaro.
    The lack of a coherent and integrated regulatory framework for UAS 
operations is at the core of this emerging industry's failure to scale 
and deliver value, limiting advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem 
innovation and therefore public benefit and economic impact. In the 
absence of a predictable regulatory framework permitting scaled 
operations, the economics of drone-based products and services are not 
compelling enough (currently) to create value for either the companies 
attempting to innovate new systems using drones or, more importantly, 
for their potential customers, who seek to innovate using the 
technology. These operational limitations, in turn, inhibit incentives 
for innovation and development of critical ecosystem components 
(digital integration systems and technologies; ground-side 
infrastructure accommodations and improvements; data sharing and 
governance systems and technologies; etc) that will be necessary to 
develop fully integrated and cooperative UAS systems capable of 
delivering valuable services to businesses, communities, and citizens.
    Put another way, effective innovation in the UAS space will flow 
from the application of the technologies towards solving problems ``on 
the ground'' in novel ways, not only from innovation in the vehicles 
themselves. Without a core set of regulatory assets permitting safe 
operations at scale, the AAM ecosystem may never mature enough to 
deliver value or create broad public benefit.

    Question 2. Apart from you being a surgeon, you are also a manned 
pilot and a former airline pilot. Can you speak to some of the concerns 
pilots have with drone operations and how we may be able to help lay 
those concerns to rest?
    Answer. Pilots are concerned that drones and other uncrewed systems 
represent a new category of ``non-cooperative'' traffic operating in 
the national airspace system. There are three general categories of 
concern about small uncrewed aircraft systems: Visibility, ubiquity, 
and predictability.
    The concern among pilots--both general aviation and commercial/ 
airline pilots--is that uncrewed aircraft systems will lack visibility 
in the airspace system; that they may be literally invisible due to 
their smaller size, and technologically invisible, operating outside of 
the existing airspace system. As ``non-cooperative aircraft'' operating 
in shared airspace, the concern is that they may escape the crew's 
capacity to exercise their responsibility to ``see and avoid''. This is 
not a new concern, nor is it unique to drones and eVTOLs. Pilots have 
long worried about non-cooperative aircraft--for instance, those not 
equipped with Mode-C transponders; or even large birds or traditional 
model aircraft--but the current regulatory framework aims to mitigate 
these risks through the ``see-and-avoid'' concept. This, as you might 
expect, does not give much comfort to pilots operating in uncontrolled 
environments. So much so that new categories of technology such as ADS-
B have been developed to make more aircraft ``visible'' in both 
controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
    Secondly, pilots may be concerned that this new category of 
aircraft will be more ubiquitous and possibly numerous than existing 
aircraft, operating in places that have, until now, been outside or 
segregated from the national airspace system. Specifically, airspace 
close to the ground or near populated areas has been treated as 
effectively prohibited (with some caveats). Terminal areas, in 
particular (immediately surrounding airports and heliports)--where 
legacy aircraft operate at lower altitudes as they arrive and depart 
from ground-side facilities--represent airspace with an increased 
volume and density of aircraft operating in close proximity to one 
another, and pilots are understandably concerned that additional, 
smaller uncrewed aircraft will represent a significant risk, not to 
mention a source of distraction in an already high-workload 
environment.
    Third, pilots may be concerned that uncrewed aircraft will operate 
or behave in unpredictable ways, since they currently fall outside of 
coherent or integrated regulatory and operational frameworks. This is 
another aspect of the ``non-cooperative aircraft'' concept of which 
pilots (especially commercial pilots) are already wary. Integration of 
NAS operations into the national airspace system will mitigate these 
concerns, as pilots will have a shared understanding of how, when, and 
where uncrewed aircraft will be operating. UAS will be ``cooperative'' 
and their operations predictable, just like other commercial aircraft.
    From this perspective, the introduction of SUAS into the NAS, and 
more specifically the technologies and procedures that could be 
introduced to integrate them into the NAS, may represent an opportunity 
to de-risk existing non-cooperative aircraft via more inclusive 
technology platforms facilitating cooperation and visibility between 
aircraft. A good proxy for this category of technology may be the ADS-B 
system mentioned above, which augments ground-based radar systems and 
has markedly improved aircraft visibility and safety since its 
introduction. While the ADS-B system itself may face hurdles related to 
bandwidth and scale precluding incorporation of SUAS, it represents the 
kind of cooperative system that emerging technology should be able to 
facilitate at a much larger scale.
    Once drones and uncrewed aircraft are integrated into the national 
airspace system--from both a regulatory and a technological 
standpoint--these risks and concerns will be adequately mitigated and 
pilots can operate with the assurance that any (or at least most) 
aircraft they encounter will be ``cooperative'' and visible, following 
the same rules as legacy aircraft operating in the national airspace 
system.

Question from Hon. Greg Stanton to Stuart Ginn, M.D., Medical Director, 
           WakeMed Innovations, WakeMed Health and Hospitals

    Question 1. How have drones enabled you to better serve your 
patients?
    Answer. Thank you for the question, Representative Stanton.
    During the three years that WakeMed and our partners operated our 
drone-based medical package delivery system, we were able to 
significantly improve delivery times for routine blood samples between 
two of our facilities. More importantly, we were able to demonstrate 
the feasibility of integrating a drone-based small parcel delivery 
system into our healthcare operation, paving the way for a scaled 
system that would connect all of our hospitals and many of the smaller 
but critical facilities and operations in the community (free-standing 
Emergency Departments, pharmacies, clinics, laboratory facilities, 
imaging services, etc). Owing to current regulatory constraints, we (or 
more accurately, our operating partners, in this case Matternet and 
UPS) were not able to scale the system beyond our first pilot route, 
and have therefore been unable to realize the significant benefits to 
our operations and by extension our patients and our community.
    Drones and eVTOLs (collectively ``advanced air mobility'') will 
positively impact healthcare access in communities in the United States 
by connecting facilities and enabling the delivery of services in 
places and at times where our current healthcare infrastructure is 
strained or falling short. These are a new category of tools that, once 
scalable and integrated, will improve access to healthcare services by 
enhancing healthcare infrastructure and connecting healthcare providers 
to the communities they serve--and to communities they want or need to 
serve but cannot. In the aggregate, scaled and integrated AAM 
technologies will comprise new forms of flexible, nodal, dynamic, and 
affordable infrastructure through which healthcare systems can deliver 
more services to more citizens in more places than ever before.

  Questions from Hon. Sharice Davids to Kyle Clark, Founder and Chief 
                  Executive Officer, BETA Technologies

    Question 1. I was proud to cosponsor a bill with Chairman Garret 
Graves last congress that became law--the Advanced Air Mobility 
Coordination and Leadership Act--that established an interagency 
working group to plan and coordinate efforts related to some of the 
most pertinent issues that can bolster the AAM ecosystem in the U.S. . 
. . With this working group established at U.S. DOT to begin 
coordinated discussions about the national future of AAM, what are the 
questions you would hope this group would ask? What answers do cities, 
states, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies need to prepare for a 
future with AAM?
    Answer. The success of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry 
requires cooperation from all levels of government. With all relevant 
parties working together, AAM will be best positioned for seamless 
integration into our communities, including those in Kansas. We're 
eager to see the AAM Interagency Working Group's efforts kick off to 
ensure that the U.S. can be a leader here.
    For starters, BETA would like the working group to explore how this 
industry can utilize existing infrastructure to help make AAM a 
reality. Electrification of our nation's public airports and access to 
existing heliports will help blend the innovation of AAM with assets 
that already exist. That means installing interoperable, on-airport 
charging infrastructure like BETA's that can service as many EVs as 
possible--surface vehicles and aircraft alike. It also means providing 
eVTOLs with a clear pathway to utilize existing heliports to safely 
land at.
    BETA would also like the working group to explore what use cases 
the federal government has for AAM. Government adoption of these new 
technologies will not only bring many benefits and opportunities to the 
user, but also accelerate our industry's progress and spur commercial 
investment. Some use cases that we're already exploring at BETA include 
medical, patient, and equipment transport for the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services in a disaster-response role, and critical 
resupply and strategic personnel transport for our nation's armed 
forces, especially as the U.S. Department of Defense seeks to electrify 
its fleets. The working group should help determine additional use 
cases to maximize the benefits of AAM for as many stakeholders as 
possible.

    Question 2. Have you all had any interaction with U.S. DOT or the 
FAA to begin participation in this working group?
    Answer. BETA has had ongoing discussions with both U.S. DOT and FAA 
regarding the interagency working group, as well as the federal 
government's efforts related to ``Innovate 2028'' at the LA Olympics. 
We have highlighted the benefit of the cargo and logistics use case for 
AAM, and how it plays a critical role in the near-term deployment of 
this technology. We've already hosted several FAA officials at our 
headquarters, and have extended additional invites to Agency leadership 
as well as senior leaders at DOT and members of the working group. We 
know that seeing is believing, and are confident that bringing these 
leaders to our facilities to see this technology up close as we start 
manufacturing and delivering aircraft will help to demonstrate that 
electric aviation is here.

  Question from Hon. Mike Collins to JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and Chief 
                    Executive Officer, Joby Aviation

    Question 1. Mr. Bevirt, I've been talking to several manufacturers, 
and all of them have been talking about how difficult it has been to 
get FAA to certify new aircraft as quickly as they do in Europe. So 
much so that many companies are forced to consider moving operations 
overseas to get approval there first and subsequently waived through 
our process at FAA. That seems to give foreign manufacturers a 
substantial edge over Americans.
    Aside from more money--which is what we always hear from the 
agencies--what policy changes are required to get FAA to move faster 
and eliminate bureaucratic inertia?
    Answer. For the last century, the FAA has set the worldwide 
benchmark for aviation safety and operational efficiency. The FAA 
ensures that the U.S. maintains global aviation leadership through a 
balanced focus that assures that the complexities of the existing 
aviation system are addressed while allowing for the evolution of new 
technological innovations. Over the decades, this well-informed, 
forward-leaning approach has been key to setting the gold standard for 
aviation safety and efficiency.
    To address these challenges, nuanced policy changes are necessary. 
These changes may include:
    1.  Supporting the FAA to be more forward-leaning with respect to 
the adoption of new innovations. As we evolve into the electric age of 
flight, there is no more important time for the experts at the FAA to 
assure these new capabilities are brought to market in a safe, timely 
and efficient manner.
    2.  Assuring the FAA is staffed with the best and brightest 
aviation minds and keeping the FAA involved in forums where leading 
edge technologies and standards are being evolved.
    3.  Assuring that the FAA leadership maintains focus on the 
efficient use of resources to assure that new aircraft projects can 
come to market safely, quickly, and efficiently. The FAA should provide 
Congress with a status of project efficiency and a plan for improving 
those measures on a quarterly basis.

    By implementing these changes, we can strike a balance between 
maintaining a safe aviation system and fostering innovation. The FAA 
must have the necessary support and direction to navigate these 
complexities successfully.

Questions from Hon. Sharice Davids to JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and Chief 
                    Executive Officer, Joby Aviation

    Question 1. I was proud to cosponsor a bill with Chairman Garret 
Graves last congress that became law--the Advanced Air Mobility 
Coordination and Leadership Act--that established an interagency 
working group to plan and coordinate efforts related to some of the 
most pertinent issues that can bolster the AAM ecosystem in the U.S. . 
. . With this working group established at U.S. DOT to begin 
coordinated discussions about the national future of AAM, what are the 
questions you would hope this group would ask? What answers do cities, 
states, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies need to prepare for a 
future with AAM?
    Question 2. Have you all had any interaction with U.S. DOT or the 
FAA to begin participation in this working group?
    Answers to Questions 1 & 2. Thank you for your leadership in 
writing and passing the AAM Coordination and Leadership Act. As we 
think about the maturation of the AAM industry, this Act will ensure 
that the government doesn't create roadblocks to early and efficient 
implementation, and lessons learned from these early days can be 
utilized to create the safest, most successful, and most efficient AAM 
industry in the world. Here are recommended questions that we would 
like the working group to address:
      How does the group assure the capabilities in the 
existing FAA system can be fully utilized to support early AAM 
operations?
      What tools are available to quickly and efficiently 
evolve the aviation system based on early lessons learned to increase 
the operational efficiency and success of AAM?
      What can future AAM programs learn from previous success 
stories, like the Department of Defense's Agility Prime program and the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration's National Campaign?
      Does the working group solely address electric vertical 
take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft? If not, how has the working 
group made the distinguishment between drones and eVTOLs? If both eVTOL 
and drones are being considered, we recommend separate policy 
recommendations, seeing that these two different industries already 
fall under different regulatory frameworks.
      What is the planned timeline to complete the work and to 
sunset the AAM working group?

    As you well know, early AAM stakeholders have designed aircraft and 
operations that can be integrated into the existing FAA regulatory 
frameworks for aviation. From these early implementations, the working 
group could best interact with states and cities by listening and 
surveying the community's background knowledge on eVTOLs and whether 
these communities have engaged in preparing for the emergence of this 
technology.
    We are pleased to welcome the working group to tour our facilities 
the week of June 26th, where we will continue conversations with the 
working group on the future of eVTOLs. We appreciate the working 
group's diligent work as they consider the maturation of the eVTOL 
industry, after Day-1 operations, and accompanying policy 
recommendations.

 Questions from Hon. Sharice Davids to Christopher Bradshaw, President 
   and Chief Executive Officer, Bristow Group Inc., on behalf of the 
                  Helicopter Association International

    Question 1. I was proud to cosponsor a bill with Chairman Garret 
Graves last congress that became law--the Advanced Air Mobility 
Coordination and Leadership Act--that established an interagency 
working group to plan and coordinate efforts related to some of the 
most pertinent issues that can bolster the AAM ecosystem in the U.S. . 
. . With this working group established at U.S. DOT to begin 
coordinated discussions about the national future of AAM, what are the 
questions you would hope this group would ask? What answers do cities, 
states, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies need to prepare for a 
future with AAM?
    Answer. Aircraft design is one part of AAM's pathway to 
realization, and safely operating those aircraft is where AAM's promise 
will succeed or fail. Bristow is uniquely positioned to leverage its 
over 75 years of global leadership in vertical flight operations to 
help ensure safe operations of Advanced Air Mobility aircraft. 
Operating aircraft is our mission, and safety is our number one core 
value. We all own safety in everything we do.
    AAM pilot certification is key to safe operations and an area where 
the industry needs Congress' help. FAA must ensure a clear and viable 
pathway for civilian pilots to obtain the powered-lift certificate 
required to operate AAM aircraft.
    We urge Congress to direct the FAA to modernize its regulations by 
establishing the powered-lift rating requirements as part of the FAA 
reauthorization legislation. Below is draft legislative language for 
your review, and we respectfully ask for your support.
    When it comes to safety, Bristow leads by example. Through our 
Target Zero safety program, Bristow promotes and measures a safety 
culture that aims to achieve our goal of zero accidents and zero harm 
to people. Externally, Bristow is a founding member of HeliOffshore, 
the association of global vertical aviation operators dedicated to 
leading a collective safety conversation and transforming frontline 
safety performance.
    Bristow is eager to take a leading role in defining the common 
language and framework that will enhance safety and ensure that the AAM 
industry focuses on activities that prevent accidents.
                        draft legislative text:
    If the FAA has not promulgated a proposed SFAR before the House 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee takes its FAA 
Reauthorization bill to markup:
SEC. XX. PILOT CERTIFICATION FOR POWERED-LIFT AIRCRAFT.
    (a)  RULEMAKING PROCEEDINGS.--
      (1)  MODERNIZING POWERED-LIFT PILOT CERTIFICATION.--The 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall conduct a 
rulemaking proceeding to modernize its existing pilot certification 
requirements for powered-lift aircraft--
        (A)  to take into account the previous experience of the pilot 
in an airplane or a helicopter as appropriate;
        (B)  to take into account the important role that simulators 
will play in addition to flight time in this emerging aircraft segment; 
and
        (C)  to grant an individual with an existing commercial 
airplane (single- or multi-engine) or helicopter pilot certificate the 
authority to serve as pilot in command of a powered-lift aircraft (in 
commercial operation) following the successful completion of an FAA 
approved pilot type rating course for that type of aircraft.
      (2)  DEADLINES.--The Administrator shall--
        (A)  not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, issue a notice of proposed rulemaking under paragraph (1); 
and
        (B)  not later than one year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, issue a final rule for the rulemaking under paragraph (1).

    If FAA has issued a proposed rulemaking, but not a final 
rulemaking:
SEC. XX. PILOT CERTIFICATION FOR POWERED-LIFT AIRCRAFT.
    (a)  RULEMAKING PROCEEDINGS.--
      (1)  MODERNIZING POWERED-LIFT PILOT CERTIFICATION.--The 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue a 
final rulemaking to modernize its existing pilot certification 
requirements for powered-lift aircraft--
        (A)  to take into account the previous experience of the pilot 
in an airplane or a helicopter as appropriate;
        (B)  to take into account the important role that simulators 
will play in addition to flight time in this emerging aircraft segment; 
and
        (C)  to grant an individual with an existing commercial 
airplane (single- or multi-engine) or helicopter pilot certificate the 
authority to serve as pilot in command of a powered-lift aircraft (in 
commercial operation) following the successful completion of an FAA 
approved pilot type rating course for that type of aircraft.
      (2)  DEADLINE.--The Administrator shall not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, issue a final rulemaking under 
paragraph (1).

    Question 2. Have you all had any interaction with U.S. DOT or the 
FAA to begin participation in this working group?
    Answer. Bristow proposed a candidate for membership on the FAA 
Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee, but has not received outreach 
from this group. However, we welcome participation and involvement in 
the Committee as it does its work. The AAAC can--and should--provide 
critical feedback and guidance to the FAA as AAM emerges.

 Questions from Hon. Dina Titus to Christopher Bradshaw, President and 
     Chief Executive Officer, Bristow Group Inc., on behalf of the 
                  Helicopter Association International

    Question 1. As new airspace entrants continue to grow in our skies, 
it is critical that all airspace users are at the table to ensure the 
safe integration of these technologies.
    In your opinion, are industry and the FAA adequately considering 
feedback from the conventional aircraft sector as they work towards 
integration?
    Answer. Bristow Group is proud to have established strong 
partnerships with several manufacturers of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) 
aircraft as we look to safely integrate this new technology into our 
fleet. We are committed to continuing to foster those relationships and 
to using over 75 years of experience as an operator in the vertical 
flight ecosystem to provide critical safety, operational, certification 
and logistical support to our partners in the AAM industry. We view AAM 
as an opportunity to augment our current operations to meet the ever-
developing demands of our customers. Bristow envisions a future in 
which AAM can seamlessly co-exist with conventional aircraft in the 
National Airspace System (NAS).
    Further, Bristow proposed a candidate for membership on the FAA 
Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee. While our candidate was not 
selected, James Viola of Helicopter Association International (HAI) 
was. Bristow is a member of HAI and looks forward to engaging with the 
Committee through Mr. Viola's representation.
    While we understand the challenges the FAA faces in setting rules 
of the NAS for an entirely new industry, we are disappointed by the 
agency's lack of timely direction on issues that will affect us as a 
future operator in the AAM space. For example, the FAA has failed to 
adequately convey a pathway for civilian pilots to operate AAM systems. 
Current standards for AAM pilots require a powered-lift certification, 
but there are no powered-lift aircraft in operation outside of the 
military. Thus, civilian aviators seeking to enter the AAM field have 
no means of achieving the flight time necessary to satisfy the current 
requirement. We need practical options for operators to upskill their 
existing workforce and attract new talent to meet the anticipated 
demand for pilots in the AAM industry.
    We believe that the FAA recognizes this problem. Deputy FAA 
Administrator Brad Mims stated at the recent Advanced Aviation Advisory 
Committee meeting that the FAA is on track to release an AAM pilot 
standard prior to the first generation of AAM aircraft being certified. 
We certainly hope so. Creating a defined, reliable route for civilian 
pilots to become qualified to fly AAM prior to aircraft certification 
is essential to aligning workforce and operational needs and getting 
AAM off the ground.

    Question 2. Going back to the discussions on the previous panel 
with the BVLOS ARC report:
    What do you recommend this Committee consider as it contemplates 
the safe co-existence of all airspace users in the upcoming FAA 
reauthorization bill? Is it the Thune/Warner bill? Is it requiring the 
FAA to pursue rulemakings without considering the recommendations of 
the BVLOS ARC? Or is it in somewhere in between?
    Answer. The upcoming FAA reauthorization bill presents Congress 
with a critical opportunity to address the safe integration of AAM 
aircraft into the NAS. With the expected entry of AAM aircraft into 
service by 2024 or 2025, we urge the Committee to take a thoughtful 
approach to ensuring the United States can lead the world in this next 
phase of aviation. We ask that strong consideration be given to the 
needs of operators in the AAM space, including the aforementioned issue 
surrounding civilian pilot certification for which we have drafted a 
legislative solution.
    Bristow Group stands ready to serve as a resource to the Committee 
and your office in achieving by leveraging our unique perspective as a 
mature and proven operator of vertical lift aircraft.

   Questions from Hon. Sharice Davids to Clint Harper, Advanced Air 
                 Mobility Expert and Community Advocate

    Question 1. I was proud to cosponsor a bill with Chairman Garret 
Graves last Congress that became law--the Advanced Air Mobility 
Coordination and Leadership Act--that established an interagency 
working group to plan and coordinate efforts related to some of the 
most pertinent issues that can bolster the AAM ecosystem in the U.S. . 
. . With this working group established at U.S. DOT to begin 
coordinated discussions about the national future of AAM, what are the 
questions you would hope this group would ask? What answers do cities, 
states, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies need to prepare for a 
future with AAM?
    Answer. The U.S. Department of Transportation's newly established 
working group on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) has a critical role in 
shaping the industry's future. The questions it asks and the answers it 
seeks will have far-reaching implications for cities, states, 
stakeholders, and regulatory bodies. Here are the key questions and 
required answers to consider for effective AAM integration.
Questions for the USDOT Working Group on AAM:
    1.  How can we modernize and leverage existing airports (including 
the surrounding land, and surface corridors connecting to other 
economic activity centers) to serve as multimodal hubs that seamlessly 
integrate AAM with other forms of transportation and complimentary land 
uses?
    2.  How can AAM be integrated into the existing transportation 
system in a way that complements mass transit, rather than competes?
    3.  How can we ensure equitable access to AAM services for all 
communities, including underserved and rural areas?
    4.  What are the environmental implications of widespread AAM 
adoption, and how can these be mitigated?
    5.  How can public-private partnerships be leveraged to accelerate 
the development and adoption of AAM technologies and encourage cross-
agency, multimodal, collaboration?
Answers Needed for Cities, States, Stakeholders, and Regulatory Bodies:
    1.  Cities and states need to identify potential funding sources 
for modernizing existing airports into multimodal hubs that integrate 
AAM with other forms of transportation.
    2.  Stakeholders require a clear roadmap for workforce development 
to ensure a pool of qualified staff for AAM planning, operations, and 
oversight.
    3.  Regulatory bodies need to establish a framework for oversight, 
including safety protocols, noise monitoring, and emissions standards, 
that is both comprehensive and flexible enough to adapt to emerging 
technologies.
    4.  All parties need to address the allocation of resources for 
emergency response, not only for incidents involving downed AAM 
aircraft within communities but also for the seamless integration of 
AAM into existing emergency services and disaster relief strategies.
    5.  A national strategy is needed to facilitate collaboration among 
federal agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Highway Administration (FHWA), 
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure a cohesive 
and efficient approach to AAM integration.
    6.  Cities and states need assurance on how electrical grids will 
remain resilient with the increased demand from AAM services.
    7.  Stakeholders require information on how AAM infrastructure can 
serve multiple purposes, such as integrating new microweather sensors 
for broader community benefits.
    8.  A comprehensive plan is needed to demonstrate how AAM 
infrastructure can contribute to community resiliency in the face of 
natural disasters and other emergencies, especially for tribal, rural, 
and marginalized communities.
    9.  Educational institutions and workforce development programs 
need guidance on how to prepare the next generation for the 
technological demands and career opportunities presented by the AAM 
industry.
    10.  What lessons are being drawn from the historical inequities 
and community displacements caused by past transportation 
infrastructure projects, such as the construction of urban highways 
that disproportionately affected communities of color, to ensure that 
AAM infrastructure is developed in a manner that is equitable, 
inclusive, and does not perpetuate systemic injustices or further 
isolate marginalized communities?

    Question 2. Have you all had any interaction with U.S. DOT or the 
FAA to begin participation in this working group?
    Answer. While I haven't formally engaged with the USDOT AAM 
Interagency Working Group, I have had previous collaborations with many 
of its members in my community advocacy role. My diverse background in 
aviation and city planning equips me with a unique vantage point to 
contribute meaningfully. With 24 years of aviation experience, 
including a career in the U.S. Air Force, I've gained invaluable 
insights into the intricacies of aviation infrastructure and 
operations. My journey also led me to earn a Master of City and 
Metropolitan Planning degree, further enhancing my understanding of 
urban dynamics and community needs.
    Throughout my career, my passion for aviation and communities has 
been the driving force behind my pursuits. From my role in NASA's Air 
Traffic Management exploration program to serving as the first AAM 
Fellow for the City of Los Angeles, my work has always been guided by a 
commitment to equity, environmental sustainability, and accessibility. 
What sets me apart is my belief that AAM should not be treated as a 
technological sideshow, but rather as an integral component of 
community ecosystems. For me, the key lies in integration--through 
thoughtful collaboration, AAM should complement, not replace, existing 
transportation options.
    If afforded the opportunity to speak on these critical matters, I 
would emphasize the need for a holistic approach to AAM integration. I 
would highlight the significance of integrating AAM seamlessly into 
existing transportation systems, leveraging the potential of multimodal 
hubs and integrating supporting infrastructure, such as novel 
microclimate sensors, for community benefits. Furthermore, I would 
underscore the importance of addressing historical transportation 
inequities and avoiding the perpetuation of systemic injustices. My 
goal would be to advocate for a future where AAM is embraced as a 
solution to current challenges while upholding the values of equity, 
sustainability, and accessibility.
Conclusion
    In closing, by focusing on the critical questions and required 
answers outlined in this testimony, we can pave the way for an AAM 
ecosystem that addresses the diverse needs of communities, ensures 
equitable access, mitigates environmental impacts, and leverages 
effective partnerships. Through open dialogue and collaborative 
efforts, we have the potential to shape an AAM future that is grounded 
in real-world solutions and beneficial outcomes for all.
    Feel free to contact me for any further questions. I thank you for 
your service and appreciate this unique opportunity to serve my country 
in return.
Attachments for Reference:
    1.  Statement of Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility Expert & 
Community Advocate, Before the Subcommittee on Aviation Hearing on 
``FAA Reauthorization: Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver 
for the American People'' [Editor's note: See pages 85-91]
    2.  Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) as a Foundation of Community 
Resiliency: A Visionary Response to the USDOT Request for Information 
on AAM Integration [Editor's note: See pages 143-149]

 Questions from Hon. Dina Titus to Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility 
                     Expert and Community Advocate

    Question 1. Climate change is already impacting millions of 
Americans and noise impacts are a constant concern for many 
communities, including in Las Vegas. Many advanced air mobility (AAM) 
aircraft are expected to use either low- or zero-emissions technology 
and be much quieter than traditional aircraft.
    Question 1.a. Based on your expertise, how do you anticipate this 
will impact community acceptance for this new technology?
    Answer:
Community Acceptance Now:
    At present, I anticipate that community reactions to Advanced Air 
Mobility (AAM) will be dominated by skepticism. Given the historical 
context of aviation's environmental impact and its perceived 
exclusivity, community members are likely to be cautious about any 
claims made by the AAM industry. This skepticism stems from a broader 
distrust in new technologies that promise environmental benefits but 
often fall short in practice.
Community Acceptance in 5 Years:
    Should the AAM industry fulfill its promises of low- or zero-
emissions and quieter aircraft, I anticipate a complex evolution in 
community concerns within the next five years. As noise pollution 
becomes less of a focal point, attention will shift to grid 
sustainability, equitable access to services, and escalating safety 
concerns. The increasing operational intensity of AAM services will 
heighten worries about public safety, especially with more aircraft 
occupying the skies. Concurrently, questions will arise about the 
strain AAM technologies might place on the electrical grid, a concern 
amplified by the limited access most residents will have to these 
services. In essence, the dialogue will expand from environmental 
impact to encompass a broader spectrum of issues, including 
infrastructure resilience and public safety.
Community Acceptance in 10 Years:
    A decade from now, if the AAM industry successfully integrates into 
the broader transportation system, I anticipate a notable increase in 
community acceptance. This acceptance will largely depend on AAM's 
ability to complement a safe, reliable, and interconnected mass transit 
network, providing an economically viable alternative to private 
vehicle ownership. Despite this progress, evolving concerns about 
safety, grid resilience, and equitable access will persist. While 
technological advancements and proactive industry efforts may mitigate 
these issues to some extent, they will remain central to public 
discourse. The industry's effectiveness in addressing these enduring 
concerns will be pivotal for both sustaining and enhancing community 
acceptance.

    Question 1.b. What should companies be doing today to increase 
community engagement before entering into service?
    Answer. Community members often first encounter AAM through 
sensational headlines fulfilling promises of `flying cars,' obscuring 
the fact that AAM is fundamentally an aviation technology. When viewed 
through the lens of aviation, AAM emerges as the latest chapter in a 
century-long effort to democratize aviation services while reducing 
noise, environmental impact, and accessibility barriers. While this is 
a milestone worth celebrating, it can only be fully appreciated when we 
are transparent about the technology and its potential opportunities.
Proactive Community Outreach and Educational Initiatives:
    To cut through the sensationalism surrounding AAM, companies must 
initiate honest dialogues with community members, addressing both the 
opportunities and challenges the technology presents. Alongside this, 
investments in educational and outreach programs are crucial. This dual 
approach not only clarifies misconceptions but also provides accurate 
information, fostering trust in the process. By channeling community 
concerns constructively, the industry can fine-tune its technology to 
serve as a viable solution for gaps that current transportation systems 
struggle to fill.
Collaboration, Equity, and Long-Term Commitment:
    Companies must forge strong partnerships with local authorities to 
seamlessly integrate AAM into existing transportation infrastructures. 
This collaboration should be underpinned by an equity-focused approach 
to ensure that AAM services are accessible and affordable for all 
community members. Moreover, a long-term commitment to safety and 
sustainability is essential. This involves not only adhering to 
stringent safety protocols but also voluntarily investing in 
sustainable technologies and practices. By aligning these three 
pillars--collaboration, equity, and sustainability--the industry can 
address evolving community concerns and contribute to a more inclusive 
and resilient transportation ecosystem.
Transparency and Demonstrable Actions:
    The AAM industry has a unique opportunity to substantiate its 
commitments through transparent data sharing and public demonstrations. 
Companies should openly disclose data on emissions, noise levels, and 
safety protocols, thereby providing tangible evidence of their progress 
and accountability. Public demonstrations can act as real-world test 
cases, providing communities with firsthand experience of AAM 
technologies. However, these demonstrations should not be limited to 
exclusive, invite-only events, conferences, or trade shows. Rather, 
they should be genuinely public experiences to offer communities direct 
exposure to AAM technologies. These transparent and demonstrable 
actions not only validate the industry's claims but also serve as a 
powerful testament to its dedication to collaboration, equity, and 
long-term sustainability. Now is the time for the industry to move 
beyond promises and show, through transparent and accessible actions, 
how it is fulfilling its commitments to communities.

    Question 1.c. Are you concerned about visual pollution? If so, what 
recommendations do you have to reduce visual pollution?
    Answer. My primary concerns lie in the realms of safety, equity, 
and sustainability. The cinematic portrayal of skies littered with 
aircraft is far from our current reality for several reasons. First, 
the National Airspace System imposes stringent regulations that control 
aircraft separations to mitigate hazards, such as aircraft wake 
turbulence. Second, aircraft operating under Visual Flight Rules are 
required to self-separate, allowing pilots plenty of time to visually 
identify and mitigate potential hazards. Lastly, the availability of 
landing infrastructure, whether at airports or vertiports, naturally 
restricts the number of aircraft that can operate in a given area. As 
long as these constraints exist, the number of aircraft in the sky will 
be limited, making concerns about visual pollution less immediate than 
issues of safety, equity, and sustainability.
    However, dismissing concerns about visual pollution would be 
irresponsible. This issue should be integrated into broader community 
outreach and educational initiatives. Companies can utilize existing 
technology to offer visual simulations that depict realistic scenarios, 
such as the number of aircraft that could be accommodated by local 
airports, single-pad vertiports, or multiple-pad vertiports. These 
simulations can serve as educational tools, helping to set realistic 
expectations and mitigate concerns. Transparency is key here, as with 
other aspects of AAM. Openly sharing these visual simulations can be a 
part of the industry's transparent and demonstrable actions, 
reinforcing its commitment to addressing community concerns in a 
holistic manner.
Conclusion
    In closing, the AAM industry's future is anchored in a steadfast 
commitment to equity, sustainability, and accessibility. Collaboration 
with local authorities is not merely beneficial but crucial, serving to 
create a multimodal synergy. This ensures that AAM becomes a genuine 
complement to public transportation, rather than an exclusive service 
for a select few. Transparency is key, and open data sharing, coupled 
with public demonstrations, will be instrumental in building community 
trust. By focusing intently on these core priorities, the AAM industry 
is well-positioned to address public concerns and contribute 
meaningfully to a more resilient and inclusive transportation 
landscape.
    Feel free to contact me for any further questions. I thank you for 
your service and appreciate this unique opportunity to serve my country 
in return.
Attachments for Reference:
    1.  Statement of Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility Expert & 
Community Advocate, Before the Subcommittee on Aviation Hearing on 
``FAA Reauthorization: Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver 
for the American People'' [Editor's note: See pages 85-91]
    2.  Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) as a Foundation of Community 
Resiliency: A Visionary Response to the USDOT Request for Information 
on AAM Integration [Editor's note: See pages 143-149]

                                                         Attachment
  Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) as a Foundation of Community Resiliency:
   A Visionary Response to the USDOT Request for Information on AAM 
                              Integration

                            By: Clint Harper
                            August 15, 2023
This document is intended to be freely accessible and open to the 
public. Readers are encouraged to share and distribute this work. While 
this document is provided as open access, the author kindly requests 
that proper attribution be given when citing or referencing this work.
                            I. Introduction
    Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) represents more than just a novel means 
of transportation; it holds the transformative potential to unite, 
uplift, and connect communities in unprecedented ways. Beyond serving 
as a mere novelty for the affluent, AAM is envisioned as a practical 
and affordable solution that can address a wide range of community 
needs, from daily commuting to emergency response. This vision 
positions AAM as a key tool for enhancing overall community resilience. 
However, realizing this vision requires substantial effort to equip 
communities with advanced tools and knowledge. For AAM to be genuinely 
integrated into the fabric of our communities, proactive engagement and 
education are essential. This involves more than just words; it calls 
for transparent dialogues, educational initiatives, and, most 
importantly, public demonstrations of vehicles that allow people to see 
and understand AAM in action.
    My journey in aviation and community service spans over two 
decades, beginning with military service and extending through fire 
service, aviation planning, transportation planning, and economic 
development. These diverse roles have been more than just jobs; they 
have been a continuous education in the intricate relationship between 
technology, community, and service. My passion for serving communities 
has been the compass guiding me to explore innovative ways to better 
integrate aviation within our daily lives. Working alongside local and 
state officials has been not just a professional duty, but a personal 
privilege. I see advanced air mobility as an opportunity to contribute 
to sustainable community development efforts that are already underway.
    There are several well-thought-out responses detailing valid 
concerns and issues regarding the integration of Advanced Air Mobility 
(AAM) technologies; I fully support their careful and thoughtful 
consideration. However, I have chosen to steer my response in a 
different direction. I aim to propose a vision--a vision that outlines 
how we can tailor AAM to work harmoniously within our communities. My 
hope is to inspire positive change within the aviation industry, to 
advocate for a future where air mobility is more sustainable and 
accessible, and to encourage the industry to become better stewards of 
the communities they serve. In doing so, I hope that the aviation 
industry can position itself as a part of the solution to existing and 
ongoing efforts aiming to rectify the harm inflicted by past 
transportation decisions. It is these goals that inform the vision 
proposed here.
            II. Vision for AAM: A Community-Centric Approach
    Integrating Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) into our national 
transportation fabric is more than a technological milestone; it is a 
profound opportunity to reimagine aviation as a catalyst for equitable 
and sustainable community development. While the urban air taxi use 
case is glamorous and groundbreaking, AAM should serve more than just 
large metropolitan areas and those who can afford steep ticket prices. 
It should extend to applications like medical logistics and emergency 
response, thereby enhancing overall community resilience.
    Let's envision vertiports and UAS infrastructure as vibrant, 
multifaceted hubs--integral parts of our communities rather than 
isolated, purely functional, and mechanical sites. These Resiliency 
Hubs should fulfill at least three core roles: they must serve as 
multimodal transportation centers, act as energy hubs contributing to 
community resilience and sustainability, and function as digital nerve 
centers, enhancing digital connectivity for all. These hubs, whether 
arising from private investment or public funding, should harmonize 
with and complement local businesses, enrich public spaces, and respect 
the natural and cultural character of our communities.
    For AAM to be genuinely integrated into communities, proactive 
engagement and education are essential. Addressing misconceptions and 
fears requires transparent dialogues, educational initiatives, and 
public demonstrations of vehicles. By actively involving communities in 
the AAM conversation, we can foster a sense of ownership and 
partnership. This ensures that the development of AAM aligns with 
community values and aspirations, rather than being perceived as an 
imposition.
         III. Resiliency Hubs: The Heart of AAM Infrastructure
An Introduction to Resiliency Hubs
    Resiliency Hubs are envisioned as vibrant, multifaceted centers 
that are integral parts of our communities. More than just functional 
sites for AAM, they are conceived as community partners contributing to 
broader sustainability and resilience goals.

        Multimodal Transportation Centers
        Resiliency Hubs are designed to serve as multimodal 
        transportation centers, seamlessly connecting AAM with other 
        forms of transportation. This integration is essential. By 
        weaving these hubs into the fabric of our neighborhood, they 
        can enhance local transportation options and improve 
        accessibility.

        Energy Hubs
        These hubs are microgrids, designed to contribute to community 
        resilience and sustainability. They would generate renewable 
        energy, which, while likely having limited capacity to charge 
        aircraft, can significantly benefit host communities by 
        supplying power to essential local services, thereby 
        integrating AAM infrastructure into local energy resilience 
        strategies.

        Digital Nerve Centers
        Resiliency Hubs are also poised to function as data and 
        communications hubs, enhancing digital connectivity for all. As 
        AAM, and other transportation modes, moves towards more 
        autonomous operations, the digital infrastructure at these hubs 
        will be integral to ensuring the safe and efficient operation 
        of autonomous vehicles across different modes, making these 
        hubs as central nodes in a complex, interconnected, safe, and 
        reliable transportation ecosystem.

    Whether arising from private investment or public funding, these 
hubs are designed to harmonize with and complement local businesses, 
enrich public spaces, and respect the natural and cultural character of 
our communities, rather than disrupt or overshadow them.
Resiliency Hubs Envisioned
    As we examine deeper into the concept of Resiliency Hubs, it 
becomes clear that their implementation is not a one-size-fits-all 
approach. Instead, they are adaptable, designed to meet the unique 
needs and characteristics of the communities they serve. Two key forms 
of these hubs--airports and vertiports--serve as prime examples of how 
this innovative infrastructure can be tailored to different scales and 
settings, each with its own distinct opportunities and challenges. 
Let's explore these visions further:

        Vertiports: The Community Connectors
        Imagine a Vertiport located at or very near a major public 
        transit station. It is a bustling center of activity beyond 
        simply a landing pad for air taxis and drones. The integration 
        of aviation into these multimodal hubs, along with associated 
        investments, has elevated the overall character of the station 
        for all modes, making the entire transportation experience 
        safer, cleaner, and more efficient. An integrated microgrid, 
        while not robust enough to charge aircraft, funnels produced 
        energy back into the neighborhood, illuminating public spaces, 
        powering community centers, and charging micromobility options.

        Airports: Resiliency Powerhouses
        In addition to being regional multimodal transit or freight 
        hubs, existing airports are transformed into significant 
        renewable energy generators. Their expansive footprints harness 
        clean energy that powers not only airport operations but is 
        also stores energy to contribute to the local grid. In times of 
        a power outage, these airports can act as reliable backups, 
        ensuring that essential services remain uninterrupted. They 
        evolve from mere aviation hubs to critical components of the 
        community's resilience strategy.

    Resiliency Hubs also function as state-of-the-art digital 
communications centers. They ensure that essential digital services 
remain operational during significant network outages. These hubs offer 
high-speed internet access, enabling workers and community members to 
remote-work effectively and reliably, thereby serving as vital 
resources in bridging the digital divide. In emergencies, they 
transform into robust command and control centers, where various 
agencies can gather to manage response efforts effectively, taking 
advantage of, and building upon, aviation's natural role in emergency 
and disaster response.
    These visions for Resiliency Hubs illustrate the transformative 
potential of integrating Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure into our 
communities. They are designed to be more than just functional sites; 
they are community partners that contribute to broader sustainability 
and resilience goals, harmonizing with and complementing local 
businesses, enriching public spaces, and respecting the natural and 
cultural character of our communities.
         IV. Regulatory Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities
    The regulatory landscape for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is complex 
and, at present, still somewhat murky. As we navigate this landscape, 
the need for a national strategy that is as dynamic as the technology 
it governs is paramount. This strategy should be expansive, inclusive, 
and agile, designed to address several key regulatory challenges and 
opportunities.
An Expansive and Inclusive National Strategy: Addressing Regulatory 
        Challenges
    Central to navigating these challenges is the development of a 
National Strategy for AAM that prioritizes equity at its core, ensuring 
that regulations are crafted to serve diverse community needs and not 
just a select few. This means welcoming the full spectrum of new and 
emerging aircraft, while embracing a rich spectrum of use cases that go 
beyond air taxis, including medical logistics, organ transport, 
emergency response, and regional air mobility.
    By adopting an expansive and inclusive national strategy, we can 
address several key regulatory challenges:
      Harmonizing Standards: A unified national strategy can 
help to harmonize standards across states and localities, reducing the 
complexity for operators and manufacturers and ensuring consistent 
safety and operational protocols.
      Equitable Access: A focus on equity within the strategy 
ensures that regulations are crafted to promote widespread access to 
AAM services, avoiding the creation of a system that serves only the 
affluent in urban areas.
      Adaptive Regulations: An agile strategy allows for 
regulations that can evolve in step with rapid technological 
innovation, ensuring that rules remain relevant and effective without 
stifling innovation.
Navigating the Dichotomy: Federal, State, and Local Regulatory Roles
    The current ecosystem for AAM presents a unique interplay between 
federal and local authorities. While the FAA clearly delineates the 
regulation of aircraft, operations, and airspace, the expected private 
development of AAM infrastructure introduces a new dynamic where state 
and local authorities play a significant role.
            Federal Role: Setting the Standards
    Performance-based regulations and standards, currently under 
development for vertiport infrastructure, present a promising path 
forward. These standards, led by the FAA, aim to establish a consistent 
safety baseline for AAM operations nationwide. They are adaptable and 
allow for local customization while maintaining a core set of safety 
and operational protocols. Performance-based regulations and standards 
should extend to vital supporting infrastructure, including 
communications, weather monitoring, and emergency response 
capabilities.
            State and Local Role: Customization and Implementation
    With much of the AAM infrastructure expected to be developed by 
private entities, state and local authorities are positioned as key 
partners in this process. They have the option to adopt federal 
regulations as they are or to adapt these policies and regulations to 
better align with local contexts and needs.
            The Importance of Informed Decision-Making
    Given the novelty and complexity of AAM, crafting effective state 
and local regulations is a nuanced task. This reflects the specialized 
nature of AAM. Collaborative efforts, involving federal agencies, 
industry stakeholders, and academic institutions, can provide valuable 
insights and resources to state and local authorities, supporting them 
in this important role.
            The Risk of Inconsistent Regulations
    The decentralized nature of this regulatory framework around 
privately developed infrastructure carries the potential for varied 
approaches across jurisdictions. This is not inherently problematic as 
each locale has unique needs but does highlight the importance of 
coordination to avoid unintended inconsistencies and consequences that 
could complicate or compromise the safety of AAM operations that occur 
over multiple jurisdictions.
            The Need for Collaboration
    This unique regulatory landscape of privately developed 
infrastructure underscores the need for clear and effective 
collaboration between federal, state, and local authorities. 
Establishing mechanisms for ongoing dialogue and coordination is 
essential, ensuring that regulations evolve cohesively as AAM 
technology advances and becomes an integral part of our national and 
local transportation ecosystems.
Adaptive and Evolving Regulations for a Dynamic Landscape
    As Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) continues to evolve, so too must the 
regulatory frameworks that govern it. The rapid pace of technological 
innovation in this sector presents both an opportunity and a challenge. 
It is an opportunity to foster innovation through regulations that are 
as dynamic as the industry they are designed to support. It is a 
challenge because it requires a level of agility and responsiveness 
that traditional regulatory processes are not always designed to 
accommodate.
    In this context, the concept of adaptive regulations emerges as a 
key theme. These are regulations designed to be flexible and 
responsive, evolving in tandem with advancements in AAM technology and 
operations. They are crafted with the understanding that as AAM 
matures, the rules that govern it may need to be updated, refined, or 
reimagined entirely. This adaptive approach is not solely the 
responsibility of federal authorities; it is a collaborative endeavor 
that involves state and local jurisdictions, industry stakeholders, and 
the public. It is about creating a regulatory environment where ongoing 
dialogue, data sharing, and joint problem-solving are the norms, not 
the exceptions.
    In conclusion, the regulatory landscape for AAM is as pioneering as 
the technology itself. It is a landscape that we, as a nation, are 
charting together--federal, state, and local authorities, industry, and 
communities alike. As we move forward, our regulations must be more 
than just rules; they must be living, evolving frameworks that enable 
safe, equitable, and sustainable AAM operations, while empowering our 
communities to thrive in this new era of aviation.
                  V. Technological Foundations for AAM
    The promise of our presented vision for AAM and Resiliency Hubs is 
deeply intertwined with the technological innovations that underpin it. 
It is essential to understand the current technological landscape, the 
hurdles that must be overcome, and the symbiotic relationship between 
AAM technology and infrastructure.
    AAM is not just about the aircraft; it's about the aircraft, 
operations, and symbiotic relationship with the entire ecosystem. The 
technology that powers AAM vehicles is deeply interconnected with the 
infrastructure that supports them. For example, the design of 
vertiports will be influenced by the energy needs of eVTOL aircraft, 
and the communications systems used by these aircraft will need to be 
integrated with broader traffic management systems and other supporting 
ground infrastructure.
Current Technological Hurdles
            Energy Challenges and Infrastructure Solutions
    One of the most significant hurdles for AAM is energy. Is the 
technology feasible, accessible, and reasonable in cost to enable the 
rapid charging of large battery systems, without inducing exorbitant 
ticket prices? The development of energy-dense and rapidly rechargeable 
batteries is critical for the widespread adoption of electric vertical 
takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This challenge extends to the 
infrastructure, where the design of vertiports and other facilities 
will need to account for these energy needs.
            Autonomy and Safety
    Achieving the levels of autonomy required for large-scale AAM 
operations is a complex challenge. Ensuring the safety of these 
autonomous operations, particularly in densely populated areas, is 
paramount. The infrastructure plays a vital role here as well, as it 
will need to be designed to support the high-speed, low-latency 
communications needed to ensure safe and efficient operations.
The Role of Resiliency Hubs in Overcoming These Hurdles
    Resiliency Hubs, as envisioned within the AAM context, are designed 
to be integral components of the AAM ecosystem, and of the communities 
they serve. In the context of these challenges, these hubs emerge as 
pivotal players, poised to address some of the key technological 
hurdles facing AAM in a thoughtful and holistic manner.
    As we move forward, it is essential that our approach to AAM 
technology and infrastructure development is comprehensive and 
harmonized. The aircraft, the vertiports, the traffic management 
systems, and the energy infrastructure must all be developed in 
concert. This coordinated development should be guided by a unified 
vision that prioritizes safety, equity, sustainability, and community 
benefit, ensuring that AAM integration into our national and local 
landscapes is transformative and responsible.
             VI. Social Acceptance and Community Engagement
    AAM integration into communities is not solely a matter of 
technological capability. It is equally a matter of social acceptance 
and actual need. Without community engagement and dialogue, AAM 
technologies present as a neat solution, without a real problem to 
solve.
    Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) original equipment 
manufacturers (OEMs) deserve a measure of appreciation for propelling 
AAM into the national spotlight. However, it is concerning that our 
leadership has responded by leaning heavily towards the air taxi use 
case. While this application is undeniably groundbreaking, its initial 
deployment is poised to serve only a select few large metropolitan 
areas, primarily catering to those who can afford the inevitably higher 
ticket prices. This approach risks setting a precedent of exclusivity 
that could prove challenging to overturn.
    Equity must be at the heart of our national strategy. To this end, 
our strategy must encompass a rich spectrum of use cases that go beyond 
air taxis, embracing roles such as medical supply delivery, organ 
transport, emergency response, mid-mile cargo movement, last-mile 
package delivery, and regional air mobility. This means welcoming a 
diverse fleet of emerging aircraft, including electric conventional 
takeoff and landing (eCTOL) aircraft, electric short takeoff and 
landing (eSTOL) aircraft, and innovative uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) 
technologies. These varied use cases hold the promise of delivering 
tangible benefits to a broad cross-section of our communities, urban, 
suburban, and rural; extending AAM's benefits to beyond a privileged 
few.
Safety
    Public acceptance of AAM is inextricably linked to safe aircraft, 
operations, and infrastructure. Comprehensive pilot training, and 
robust aircraft certification processes are foundational to this new 
era of aviation. However, safety extends beyond the aircraft 
themselves; it is deeply intertwined with the infrastructure that 
supports these operations. Communities need to be assured that the 
vertiports and other supporting infrastructure are designed, developed, 
and MAINTAINED with the highest safety standards in mind.
Noise
    Noise pollution is a significant concern for communities when 
considering the integration of AAM. While many AAM vehicles might 
produce lower overall noise levels compared to traditional aircraft, 
the nature of the noise--often higher-pitched in the case of UAS--can 
still be perceived as disruptive. The Day Night average sound Level 
(DNL) metric, which currently governs legacy aircraft, may not be 
adequately equipped to address the unique acoustic profile of AAM 
vehicles. As AAM becomes more prevalent, there is a pressing need to 
revisit and possibly recalibrate these metrics to ensure community 
comfort, compatibility with wildlife populations, and acceptance.
Energy
    With the onset of AAM operations, the demand on energy 
infrastructure will inevitably increase, posing significant challenges 
in a landscape where some energy providers already face strains. For 
instance, on hot days when air conditioning usage soars, energy 
infrastructure can be stretched thin, leading to situations where 
providers must institute policies such as rolling brownouts or requests 
for the public to refrain from charging electric vehicles during peak 
hours. A comprehensive AAM strategy must engage in a broader dialogue 
about how to enhance and stabilize the overall energy supply 
infrastructure in the U.S., ensuring that AAM can be integrated into 
communities in a way that is sustainable and equitable.
Proactive Community Engagement and Education
    For AAM to be successfully integrated into daily life, proactive 
and transparent engagement with communities is essential. This involves 
educating the public on the benefits and safety measures of AAM, 
addressing concerns, and actively involving communities in the planning 
and decision-making processes. It means not only responding to 
community concerns but anticipating them and addressing them 
proactively through open dialogue.
Public Demonstrations
    To build trust and acceptance, transparency in AAM operations is 
key. This extends beyond the aircraft themselves to encompass the 
entire AAM ecosystem, including infrastructure and operational 
procedures.

        Aircraft Demonstrations: Public demonstrations that allow 
        people to see, hear, and understand AAM vehicles in action are 
        foundational. These events provide an opportunity for the 
        public to witness the capabilities of these aircraft, 
        understand their safety features, and appreciate the stringent 
        standards they are designed to meet.

        Infrastructure Showcases: Open houses at vertiports can 
        demystify the infrastructure that supports AAM. These events 
        can educate the public on the energy-efficient designs of these 
        facilities, the renewable energy sources they may employ, and 
        the community benefits they are designed to provide as 
        Resiliency Hubs, such as emergency power during grid outages.

        Emergency Response Exhibitions: As electric and autonomous 
        technologies continue to proliferate across various industry 
        sectors, the probability of related incidents will likely 
        increase. These exhibitions could showcase how new response 
        capabilities enabled by AAM can assist local fire departments 
        and public safety officials in preparing for and responding to 
        a variety of incidents, including those involving electric 
        vehicles and related infrastructure.

        Autonomy and Safety Exhibitions: Demonstrations that showcase 
        how advanced autonomous systems can prevent incidents are 
        vital. For example, simulations or live demonstrations could 
        illustrate how autonomous systems can detect and avoid 
        obstacles, manage complex air traffic scenarios, and safely 
        handle emergency situations.

        Microclimate Sensor Technology: Public demonstrations of 
        advanced microclimate sensors can preemptively identify 
        potential hazards--such as sudden wind gusts, microbursts, or 
        severe turbulence--as well as provide a higher fidelity of data 
        to decision making processes that will optimize the airspace; 
        these demonstrations underscore a proactive commitment to 
        safety. These sensors can also be instrumental in tracking 
        hazardous plumes in emergency scenarios, or identifying areas 
        with extreme weather conditions that might impact vulnerable 
        populations.

        Transparent Sharing of Records and Procedures: Coupled with 
        these demonstrations, the transparent sharing of safety 
        records, operational procedures, and incident response plans 
        can go a long way in fostering public confidence. This could 
        include public forums where operators and regulators answer 
        questions and address concerns directly from the community.

    These comprehensive public demonstrations and transparency 
initiatives are designed to demystify AAM and foster public confidence 
by allowing people to see, hear, and understand the full scope of the 
AAM ecosystem in action.
Equity and Inclusivity
    To ensure that the AAM industry is reflective of the diverse 
communities it serves, intentional efforts must be made to cultivate a 
workforce that is diverse in race, gender, age, and background. This 
involves creating pathways for underrepresented groups to enter and 
thrive in the AAM sector, from pilots and engineers to policy makers 
and community liaisons.
    Comprehensive and accessible training programs are therefore 
essential. These programs should not only focus on the technical skills 
required to operate and maintain new types of aircraft and 
infrastructure, but also on community planning, economic development, 
outreach and engagement, and cultural competencies.
    The integration of Advanced Air Mobility into our communities is a 
societal shift that requires thoughtful, proactive, and transparent 
engagement with the public. This extends to fostering a diverse and 
well-trained workforce that is reflective of the communities AAM aims 
to serve. It is imperative that equity and inclusivity are central to 
this transformation, ensuring that the benefits of AAM extend beyond a 
privileged few and contribute positively to all segments of society. 
Achieving this vision demands substantial funding, resources, and 
cooperation from industry stakeholders, government agencies, and 
communities themselves. It is through this collaborative and well-
resourced approach that we can ensure AAM is introduced not as an 
imposition, but as a welcomed, beneficial, and integral part of our 
national and local transportation ecosystems. This collective effort is 
vital for enabling the AAM industry to launch, scale, and thrive in a 
manner that is safe, equitable, and sustainable for all.
                  VII. Conclusion and a Call to Action
    Integrating AAM as a catalyst for equitable and sustainable 
community development is possible through a collaborative effort. 
However, the current trajectory, leaning heavily towards the air taxi 
use case, risks setting a precedent of exclusivity that could prove 
challenging to overturn, serving only select large metropolitan areas 
and those who can afford higher ticket prices.
    For AAM to be genuinely integrated into communities, proactive 
engagement and education are essential. This involves transparent 
dialogues, educational initiatives, and public demonstrations of 
vehicles. By actively involving communities in the AAM conversation, we 
can foster a sense of ownership and partnership, ensuring that the 
development of AAM aligns with community values and aspirations, rather 
than being perceived as an imposition.
    The economic impediments facing AAM are deeply intertwined with the 
regulatory, technological, and social challenges that characterize this 
emerging industry. To chart a financially sustainable trajectory for 
AAM, a strategy must harmonize technological innovation with strategic 
infrastructure investments, offer clear and adaptive regulatory 
guidance, and maintain an unwavering dedication to community 
involvement and inclusivity. Federal investments should not just seek a 
return-on-investment in enabling safe operations, but also in how 
investments promote healthier, livable, and sustainable communities. 
These investments should not be viewed merely as costs, but as pivotal 
contributions to building stronger, more resilient communities, and 
ultimately a more resilient nation. By aligning AAM development with 
broader goals of community resilience, we can ensure that economic 
investments in this sector yield dividends that extend far beyond the 
industry itself, fortifying communities against a range of future 
challenges.

This document is intended to be freely accessible and open to the 
public. Readers are encouraged to share and distribute this work. While 
this document is provided as open access, the author kindly requests 
that proper attribution be given when citing or referencing this work.

Harper, Clint. (2023). Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) as a Foundation of 
Community Resiliency: A Visionary Response to the USDOT Request for 
Information on AAM Integration. Unpublished manuscript.

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