[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
____
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2024: STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES ON
IMPLEMENTATION
=======================================================================
(118-75)
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
AVIATION
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
DECEMBER 11, 2024
__________
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
GRAPHIC(S) 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
58-898 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Sam Graves, Missouri, Chairman
Rick Larsen, Washington, Ranking
Member
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford,
District of Columbia Arkansas
Grace F. Napolitano, California Daniel Webster, Florida
Steve Cohen, Tennessee Thomas Massie, Kentucky
John Garamendi, California Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Georgiaian Babin, Texas
Andre Carson, Indiana Garret Graves, Louisiana
Dina Titus, Nevada David Rouzer, North Carolina
Jared Huffman, California Mike Bost, Illinois
Julia Brownley, California Doug LaMalfa, California
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Mark DeSaulnier, California Brian J. Mast, Florida
Salud O. Carbajal, California Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Greg Stanton, Arizona, Puerto Rico
Vice Ranking Member Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Colin Z. Allred, Texas Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Sharice Davids, Kansas Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey,
Chris Pappas, New Hampshire Vice Chairman
Seth Moulton, Massachusetts Troy E. Nehls, Texas
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts Tracey Mann, Kansas
Marilyn Strickland, Washington Burgess Owens, Utah
Troy A. Carter, Louisiana Rudy Yakym III, Indiana
Patrick Ryan, New York Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
Robert Menendez, New Jersey Anthony D'Esposito, New York
Val T. Hoyle, Oregon Eric Burlison, Missouri
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
Christopher R. Deluzio, Pennsylvania Mike Collins, Georgia
Mike Ezell, Mississippi
John S. Duarte, California
Aaron Bean, Florida
Celeste Maloy, Utah
Kevin Kiley, California
Vince Fong, California
Subcommittee on Aviation
Garret Graves, Louisiana, Chairman
Steve Cohen, Tennessee, Ranking
Member
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Georgiaic A. ``Rick'' Crawford,
Andre Carson, Indiana Arkansas
Julia Brownley, California Thomas Massie, Kentucky
Mark DeSaulnier, California Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Greg Stanton, Arizona Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Colin Z. Allred, Texas Brian J. Mast, Florida
Sharice Davids, Kansas Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska, Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Vice Ranking Member Tracey Mann, Kansas
Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan Burgess Owens, Utah
Dina Titus, Nevada Rudy Yakym III, Indiana, Vice
Salud O. Carbajal, California Chairman
Robert Menendez, New Jersey Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
District of Columbia Anthony D'Esposito, New York
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Marcus J. Molinaro, New York
Christopher R. Deluzio, Pennsylvania Mike Collins, Georgia
Rick Larsen, Washington (Ex Officio) Aaron Bean, Florida
Kevin Kiley, California
Vince Fong, California
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........................................... 4
Hon. Steve Cohen, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Tennessee, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Aviation,
opening statement.............................................. 5
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Hon. Sam Graves, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Missouri, and Chairman, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, opening statement.............................. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Hon. Rick Larsen, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Washington, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, opening statement.............................. 7
Prepared statement........................................... 10
WITNESSES
Jason Terreri, Executive Director, Syracuse Regional Airport
Authority, on behalf of the Airports Council International-
North America (ACI-NA), oral statement......................... 16
Prepared statement........................................... 18
Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing Aviation LLC, oral
statement...................................................... 21
Prepared statement........................................... 23
Peter J. Bunce, President and Chief Executive Officer, General
Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), oral statement...... 25
Prepared statement........................................... 27
Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
(TTD), oral statement.......................................... 31
Prepared statement........................................... 33
SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD
Submissions for the Record by Hon. Garret Graves:
Statement of Michael Robbins, President and Chief Executive
Officer, Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems
International, and Lisa Ellman, Executive Director,
Commercial Drone Alliance.................................. 12
Statement of Robert W. Rose, Cofounder and Chief Executive
Officer, Reliable Robotics Corporation..................... 13
Letter of December 10, 2024, 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
Andre Sutton, Air Division Director, International Vice
President, Transport Workers Union of America, Submitted for
the Record by Hon. Steve Cohen................................. 40
APPENDIX
Question to Jason Terreri, Executive Director, Syracuse Regional
Airport Authority, on behalf of the Airports Council
International-North America (ACI-NA), from Hon. Brandon
Williams....................................................... 69
Question to Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing
Aviation LLC, from Hon. Dina Titus............................. 69
Questions to Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades
Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), from:
Hon. Dina Titus.............................................. 70
Hon. Christopher R. Deluzio.................................. 71
December 9, 2024
SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER
TO: LMembers, Subcommittee on Aviation
FROM: LStaff, Subcommittee on Aviation
RE: LSubcommittee Hearing on ``FAA Reauthorization Act
of 2024: Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation''
_______________________________________________________________________
I. PURPOSE
The Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure will meet on Wednesday,
December 11, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in 2167 Rayburn House Office
Building to hold a hearing entitled, ``FAA Reauthorization Act
of 2024: Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation.'' The
hearing will provide representatives of the aerospace industry
an opportunity to share their perspectives on the progress made
by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of
Transportation (DOT) in implementing the FAA Reauthorization
Act of 2024. The Subcommittee will hear testimony from
witnesses representing the Airports Council International-North
America (ACI-NA), Wing, the General Aviation Manufacturer's
Association (GAMA), and the Transportation Trades Department,
AFL-CIO (TTD).
II. BACKGROUND
On May 16, 2024, President Biden signed into law H.R. 3935,
the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (FAARA 2024; P.L. 118-
63).\1\ FAARA 2024 reauthorizes civil aviation programs within
the FAA and DOT through fiscal year (FY) 2028 and reauthorizes
the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) through the
same period. Enactment of FAARA 2024 followed a series of four
short-term extensions of authorizations after the most recent
long-term reauthorization bill, the FAA Reauthorization Act of
2018 (FAARA 2018; P.L. 115-254), expired on October 1, 2023.\2\
Support for final passage of H.R. 3935 was overwhelmingly
bipartisan in both chambers; the Senate passed an amendment to
H.R. 3935 with a vote of 88-4 and the House agreed to the
amendment with a vote of 387-26.\3\
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\1\ Press Release, The White House, Bill Signed: H.R. 3935, (May
16, 2024), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/
statements-releases/2024/05/16/press-release-bill-signed-h-r-3935/.
\2\ See Div. B, Title II of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024
and Other Extensions Act, Pub. L. No. 118-15, 137 Stat. 71; Airport and
Airway Extension Act of 2023, Part II, Pub. Law No. 118-34; Airport and
Airway Extension Act of 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-41; Airport and Airway
Extension Act of 2024, Part II, Pub. L. No. 118-60.
\3\ Concur in the S. Amdt to H.R. 3935, Clerk, United States House
of Representatives, Roll Call 200, 118th Cong., 2nd Session, (May 15,
2024), available at https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024200.; H.R. 3935,
as amended, Clerk, United States Senate, Roll Call 162, 118th Cong.,
2nd Session, (May 9, 2024), available at https://www.senate.gov/
legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00162.htm.
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III. KEY PILLARS OF THE FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2024
In developing FAARA 2024, the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure received over 2,100 unique requests from
Members of Congress and industry stakeholders and held five
hearings focused on reauthorizing civil aviation programs in
the first four months of the 118th Congress.\4\ FAARA 2024
altogether contains approximately 500 requirements for the FAA
and DOT, including mandates to take various actions, procure
equipment, issue regulations, prepare reports to Congress, and
conduct studies, among other responsibilities. This Summary of
Subject Matter highlights some of FAARA 2024's key mandates.
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\4\ FAA Reauthorization: Securing the Future of General Aviation:
Hearing Before the H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure, 118th Cong.
(Mar. 3, 2023).; FAA Reauthorization: Navigating the Comprehensive
Passenger Experience: Hearing Before the H. Comm. on Transp. and
Infrastructure, 118th Cong. (Mar. 20, 2023).; FAA Reauthorization:
Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver for the American People:
Hearing Before the H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure, 118th Cong.
(Mar. 27, 2023).; FAA Reauthorization: Examining the Current and Future
Challenges Facing the Aerospace Workforce: Hearing Before the H. Comm.
on Transp. and Infrastructure, 118th Cong. (Apr. 14, 2023).; Turbulence
Ahead: Consequences of Delaying a Long-Term FAA Bill: Hearing Before
the H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure, 118th Cong. (Nov. 27,
2023).
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UPHOLDING AVIATION SAFETY
Aviation safety in the United States has greatly improved
over the last decade. Since 2012, only three fatalities have
occurred on scheduled domestic passenger air carriers within
the United States as a result of aircraft accidents compared to
the decade prior, which saw 140 passenger fatalities.\5\ In 11
of the last 14 years, there have been no passenger fatalities
in scheduled United States domestic passenger air carrier
operations.\6\ Despite these marked improvements, an alarming
number of safety incidents have occurred in the last few
years.\7\ For example, two aircraft came within less than 200
feet of colliding at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on
February 4, 2023, when a FedEx aircraft was cleared to land on
the same runway as a Southwest aircraft was taking off,
carrying 128 passengers and crew members.\8\ The increase in
safety incidents and near misses underscores the need for
continued improvements in aviation safety. FAARA 2024 includes
nearly 80 provisions aimed at enhancing and improving America's
gold standard in aviation safety.\9\
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\5\ NTSB, U.S. Civil Aviation Statistics (2021), available at
https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/Pages/research.aspx, (last visited Dec. 4,
2024).
\6\ Id.
\7\ Sydney Ember and Emily Steel, Airline Close Calls Happen Far
More Often Than Previously Known, N.Y. Times, (Aug. 21, 2023),
available at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/21/business/
airline-safety-close-calls.html.
\8\ David Koenig, NTSB says and air traffic controllers' faulty
assumption led to a close call between planes in Texas, Associated
Press, (June 6, 2024), available at https://apnews.com/article/runway-
close-call-texas-airport-ntsb-2171cddd3c38b762872b5919344d3a02.
\9\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63.
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ZERO TOLERANCE FOR NEAR MISSES AND INCURSIONS
Section 347 requires the FAA to establish the Runway Safety
Council to develop strategies to address airport surface safety
risks, among other tasks, to improve surface safety.
Additionally, the FAA is tasked with identifying and deploying
technologies, equipment, and systems, such as surface
surveillance and detection systems that improve onboard
situational awareness for flight crewmembers, to enhance the
safety of ground operations at all medium hub, large hub, and
other airports that lack surface surveillance capabilities.
Most notably, this section requires airport surface
surveillance systems to be deployed and operational at all
medium and large hub airports within five years.\10\
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\10\ Id. at Sec. 347.
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AVIATION SAFETY INFORMATION ANALYSIS AND SHARING PROGRAM
In order to create a process for open and free-flowing
sharing of information, the FAA introduced the Aviation Safety
Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system.\11\ This
program is a comprehensive database of safety data and analysis
from government and industry sources, including data from
voluntary sources. Section 348 requires the FAA to implement
improvements to the ASIAS program with respect to safety data
sharing and risk mitigation. Specifically, the new law requires
FAA to improve ASIAS by: developing predictive capabilities to
anticipate emerging safety risks, establishing a robust process
for prioritizing request for safety information, identifying
industry segments not yet included in the program to increase
the rate of participation, establishing processes for obtaining
and analyzing aggregate data, and integrating safety data
obtained from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operators.\12\
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\11\ FAA Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing System,
FAA, available at https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=100:1.
\12\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
348.
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NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
As the independent Federal agency responsible for
investigating all civil aviation accidents, in addition to
accidents in other modes of transportation, the NTSB plays an
important role in transportation safety. The NTSB was last
authorized in FAARA 2018.\13\ In addition to reauthorizing the
Board's statutory authorities, title XII of FAARA 2024 provides
updates to the safety agency's authorization.
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\13\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. Law No. 115-254,
Division C.
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DETERRING CREWMEMBER INTERFERENCE
Amid troubling incidents involving unruly passengers in
recent years, the FAARA 2024 will help ensure flight crews and
passengers are protected.\14\ Section 432 directs the FAA to
convene a task force to develop standards and best practices
relating to suspected interference with cabin or flight crew,
security screening personnel, or flight attendants. This
section also requires the FAA to modify the required pre-flight
briefings to inform passengers that it is against Federal law
to assault or threaten to assault any individual onboard an
aircraft or to interfere with duties of a crewmember. The FAA
continues partnering with the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) and is leveraging the existing Inflight
Security Work Group to jointly develop best practices to comply
with this section.\15\
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\14\ See e.g. Mark Walker, F.A.A. Refers More Unruly Passenger
Cases to Justice Department, N.Y. Times, (Aug. 21, 2024), available at
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/21/us/politics/faa-unruly-passengers-
fbi.html.
\15\ 2024 FAA Reauthorization, Implementation Update, FAA, Power
Point Presentation to H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure staff
(Oct. 8, 2024,) (on file with Comm.).
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REVITALIZING GENERAL AVIATION
General aviation (GA) is commonly referred to as the
backbone of the aviation system as it underpins the aviation
industry and is an important part of our national economy.
According to a 2018 study, GA supported more than 1.2 million
jobs, generated $247 billion in output, and contributed $128
billion to the United States Gross Domestic Product (GDP).\16\
Given GA's importance to the aviation ecosystem, FAARA 2024
included the first-ever GA title focused on revitalizing the GA
community and improving the services FAA provides to general
aviators.
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\16\ Dan Namowitz, GA a Force in National, Local Economies, AOPA,
(Feb. 19, 2020), available at https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-
news/2020/february/19/ga-a-force-in-national-and-local-economies.
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EXPANDING BASICMED
In 2016, Congress established BasicMed, a medical
qualification that allows private pilots to be approved by a
state-licensed physician to exercise flying privileges in lieu
of receiving a third-class medical certificate.\17\ Section 828
increases the utility of BasicMed by increasing the number of
allowable passengers from five to six, increasing the number of
occupants from six to seven, and increasing the maximum takeoff
weight from 6,000 pounds to 12,500 pounds, while excluding
certain transport category rotorcraft.\18\ Additionally,
section 815 allows Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs)
administering proficiency checks or tests to airman to be able
to do so under BasicMed so long as the aircraft the flight is
being conducted in is eligible for purposes of a BasicMed
operation.\19\ The FAA issued a final rule on November 15,
2024, updating BasicMed regulations to reflect the changes made
by sections 828 and 815.\20\
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\17\ FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, Pub. Law No.
114-190, 130 Stat. 641.
\18\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
828.
\19\ Id. at Sec. 815.
\20\ Regulatory Updates to BasicMed, 89 Fed. Reg. 90572 (Nov. 18,
2024).
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FLIGHT EXAMINATIONS
Several GA operators and flight schools assert there is a
Nationwide shortage of DPEs necessary to meet the needs of
student pilots and pilots seeking additional certifications and
ratings.\21\ Section 833 requires the FAA to establish an
office to provide oversight and facilitate national
coordination of DPEs.\22\ The FAA has told Committee staff that
it is in the process of setting up an office to focus on DPE
oversight as well as working towards fulfilling the reporting
requirement found in FAARA 2024.
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\21\ Janice Wood, How much did you pay for your check ride?,
General Aviation News, (Oct. 19, 2022), available at https://
generalaviationnews.com/2022/10/31/how-much-did-you-pay-for-your-check-
ride/.
\22\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
833.
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EAGLE INITIATIVE
In February 2022, the FAA, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), fuel suppliers and distributors, airports, and
engine and aircraft manufacturers announced the Eliminate
Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) Initiative--a
collaborative initiative to permit both new and existing GA
aircraft to operate lead-free, without compromising aviation
safety and the economic and broader public benefits of GA.\23\
Section 827 requires the FAA to continue to partner with
industry and other Federal Government stakeholders to carry out
the EAGLE Initiative through the end of 2030.\24\
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\23\ Press Release, FAA, FAA, Industry Chart Path to Eliminate Lead
Emissions from General Aviation by the end of 2030, (Feb. 23, 2022)
available at https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-industry-chart-path-
eliminate-lead-emissions-general-aviation-end-2030.
\24\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
827.
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IMPROVING THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
The COVID-19 pandemic caused major difficulties for the
airline industry, with airline revenue passenger miles falling
by 96 percent from January 2020 to April 2020.\25\ As COVID-19
restrictions began to lift, air carriers experienced a greater
than anticipated increase in demand for air travel, leading to
capacity and staffing constraints, which then posed significant
operational challenges.\26\ Compounding those events, staffing
shortages at air traffic control facilities, severe weather,
and pandemic-driven changes in air traffic further contributed
to numerous delays and cancellations across the country.\27\
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\25\ Air Passenger Revenue Miles, Federal Reserve Bank of St.
Louis, available at https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AIRRPMTSID11.
\26\ Michael B. Baker, Airlines Prepare for Operational Challenges
as Demand Rebounds, Business Travel News, (Aug. 4, 2021), available at
https://www.businesstravelnews.com/Transportation/Air/Airlines-Prepare-
for-Operational-Challenges-as-Demand-Rebounds.
\27\ Taylor Rains, Flight cancellations are spiking in part because
this air traffic control center in Florida is severely understaffed,
airline group says, Business Insider, (June 24, 2022), available at
https://www.businessinsider.com/air-traffic-control-staffing-shortage-
causing-flight-cancellations-alpa-2022-6. [hereinafter Business
Insider].
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As the airline industry continues to navigate air travel
post COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee understands the
importance of continuing to improve the comprehensive travel
experience for all passengers to ensure that travelers arrive
at their destination safely and efficiently. FAARA 2024
included over 30 provisions to enhance the passenger experience
and make flying more accessible for individuals with
disabilities.\28\
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\28\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub Law. No. 118-63.
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PASSENGER EXPERIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
For commercial airline passengers, the air transportation
journey often begins at the curb or parking lot of the
departure airport and ends at the same point at the destination
airport. During that timeframe, a passenger's unique experience
is affected by myriad factors and entities including, but not
limited to, airlines, airports, airport contractors and
vendors, and air traffic management system and operations.
Section 517 creates a Passenger Experience Advisory Committee
at the DOT tasked with evaluating and providing recommendations
to improve the comprehensive passenger experience.\29\ The
Advisory Committee must submit a report to Congress on its
recommendations.
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\29\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub Law. No. 118-63, 138
Stat. 1198.
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AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER STAFFING
For several years, the FAA and the aviation industry have
reported a need for a right-sized and qualified FAA workforce
commensurate with the Agency's responsibilities. Unfortunately,
the pandemic then exacerbated the challenges felt by the
Agency's Air Traffic Organization (ATO) in hiring and training
air traffic controllers at a rate necessary to meet increased
travel demand.\30\ In the latest Aerospace forecast for the
2024-2044 period, the FAA notes that ``with robust air travel
demand growth in 2024 and steady growth thereafter, we expect
increased activity growth that has the potential to increase
controller workload.'' \31\ To directly address the controller
workforce bottleneck in the aviation system, section 437
directs the FAA to set the minimum hiring target for new air
traffic controllers, for each of FYs 2024 through 2028, to the
maximum number of individuals trained at the FAA Air Traffic
Control Academy.\32\ To date, the FAA has fulfilled one of the
two mandates incorporated in section 437 and is continuing to
work to meet the mandates set forth in this section of the
FAARA 2024.\33\
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\30\ Turbulence Ahead: Consequences of Delaying a Long-Term FAA
Bill: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Aviation of the H. Comm. on
Transp. and Infrastructure, 118th Cong., (Nov. 30, 2023) (statement of
Rich Santa, President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association).
\31\ Supra note 2, at 4.
\32\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
437.
\33\ E-mail from Lauren Dudley, Assistant Administrator for
Government and Industry Affairs, FAA, to Committee on Transp. and
Infrastructure staff (June 14, 2024, 4:55 PM EST) (on file with Comm.).
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ACCESSIBILITY
The United States Census Bureau estimates that 42.6 million
Americans, nearly 13 percent of individuals, have a disability,
which may include those related to physical mobility, hearing,
vision, or cognition.\34\ While these Americans face various
hurdles in their daily lives, air travel often presents
additional unique challenges. The FAARA 2024 included numerous
requirements for DOT to improve travel and access for people
with disabilities. Sections 542 and 543 direct DOT to issue
rulemaking to develop minimum training standards for airline
personnel and contractors who assist passengers with
disabilities using wheelchairs with boarding or deplaning a
commercial flight, as well as standards regarding the stowage
of scooters and wheelchairs used by passengers with
disabilities onboard commercial aircraft. Additionally, the
sections authorize DOT to assess civil penalties in cases where
air carriers and foreign air carriers fail to meet the
requirements. Separately, section 725 establishes a pilot
program under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) that can be
used to fund capital projects to improve airport accessibility
in ways that exceed standards and regulations under the
Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act. As
such, the FAA has been directed to develop program guidance
letter and work to stand up the pilot program in FY 2025.
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\34\ GAO, GAO-21-354, Passengers with Disabilities: Airport
Accessibility Barriers and Practices and DOT's Oversight of Airlines'
Disability-Related Training (Apr. 2021).
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HARNESSING NEW AND ADVANCED AVIATION
The FAA has the responsibility to certify, oversee, and
regulate the safety and operations of the civil aviation
sector, including integrating new entrants like Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft
into the National Airspace System (NAS).\35\ Title IX of FAARA
2024 incorporates provisions to foster the safe, efficient, and
timely integration of new entrant technologies into the NAS.
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. Provisions in FAARA 2024 ensure that the FAA
is properly positioned to support the safe integration of these
new entrant technologies into the NAS while supporting American
innovation.
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\35\ 49 U.S.C. Sec. 106(f)(3).
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BEYOND VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT DRONE OPERATIONS
UAS operating beyond a remote pilot's visual line of sight
(commonly referred to as BVLOS) presents unique challenges to
the FAA's existing regulatory framework.\36\ While the FAA has
made some progress in approving BVLOS operations over the past
several years, the Agency has faced challenges in promulgating
regulations to allow greater BVLOS operations. Section 930
directs the FAA to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
to establish a performance-based regulatory pathway for UAS to
operate BVLOS.\37\ Per the new law, the FAA was required to
issue a BVLOS NPRM by September 16, 2024, however, the Agency
has yet to issue the proposed rule; it remains at the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) awaiting final approval.
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\36\ FAA, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight
Aviation Rulemaking Committee, Final Report at 8, (Mar. 10, 2022),
available at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/
committees/documents/media/UAS_BVLOS_ARC_FINAL_
REPORT_03102022.pdf.
\37\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
930.
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POWERED-LIFT OPERATIONS FOR AAM AIRCRAFT
Currently, several AAM aircraft manufacturers are in the
process of certifying the design of their aircraft with the FAA
and plan to enter into service in the coming years. AAM
aircraft operators have long expected to use existing operating
procedures for traditional aircraft, however, the FAA has faced
challenges in leveraging existing aviation rules for a new
class of aircraft. To meet entry into service target dates for
AAM manufacturers and operators, and to establish a clear
regulatory safety framework for powered-lift aircraft, in early
2023, the FAA declared that it would publish a final Special
Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for AAM aircraft by ``the
fourth quarter of 2024''.\38\ As such, section 955 of the FAARA
2024 required the FAA to publish a final powered-lift SFAR no
later than November 16, 2024, and many stakeholders and the
Committee were pleased that the FAA accomplished the task a
month early when it announced the final SFAR on October 22,
2024.\39\
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\38\ 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).
\39\ Press Release, FAA, With New Rule, FAA is Ready for Air Travel
of the Future, (Oct. 22, 2024) available at https://www.faa.gov/
newsroom/new-rule-faa-ready-air-travel-future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT INFRASTRUCTURE PILOT PROGRAM
Some AAM operators will leverage existing aviation
infrastructure, such as airports and heliports, while others
may require new facilities, such as vertiports, to accommodate
growing operations.\40\ Section 745 establishes a five-year
pilot program allowing up to 10 eligible airports to acquire,
install, and operate charging equipment for electric aircraft
and to construct or modify related infrastructure to support
such equipment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\40\ FAA, Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure, (Oct. 15, 2024),
available at https://www.faa.gov/airports/new_entrants/
aam_infrastructure.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GROWING THE AVIATION WORKFORCE
FAARA 2024 incorporated several provisions to eliminate or
alleviate staffing, hiring, and educational bottlenecks most
commonly affecting pilots, aircraft mechanics, air traffic
controllers, aviation safety inspectors, and other key aviation
roles. These aviation professions are closely regulated,
require significant training and experience to achieve FAA
certification, and are essential to the safe operation of the
NAS. Provisions included in FAARA 2024 related to improving FAA
services and appropriately streamlining regulatory processes
are likely to be highlighted during the hearing as the aviation
industry's growth is highly dependent on adequate staffing,
robust investment in FAA resources, and timely decision-making.
Provisions of interest to aviation stakeholders range from
directing the FAA to promulgate rulemakings in a timely manner,
leveraging various Federal training initiatives, and issuing
airmen and operator certificates, among other responsibilities
and authorities carried out by the Agency.
BESSIE COLEMAN WOMEN IN AVIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
According to recent projections, there is strong demand for
aircraft mechanics and service technicians with an estimated
11,500 job openings available annually from 2021 until
2031.\41\ To help meet this aviation maintenance need, and
other workforce needs across the industry, section 403
establishes the Bessie Coleman Women in Aviation Advisory
Committee to advise the DOT and FAA on the recruitment,
retention, education and training, and career advancement of
women in the aviation industry. The Committee will consist of
various aviation stakeholders, including aviation maintenance,
repair and overhaul entities, and must submit reports to
Congress on its progress, findings, and recommendations.\42\ On
November 15, 2024, the DOT filed the charter to establish the
Committee, and on November 21, 2024, DOT published a notice for
solicitation of nominations for Committee members.\43\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\41\ U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-23-106769, Aviation
Workforce: Supply of Airline Pilots and Aircraft Mechanics, (2023),
available at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106769.
\42\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
403.
\43\ FAA, Bessie Coleman Women in Aviation Advisory Committee
Charter, (Nov. 15, 2024), available at https://www.faa.gov/
regulationspolicies/rulemaking/committees/documents/bessie-coleman-
women-aviation-advisory. See also FAA, FAA Bessie Coleman Women in
Aviation Initiative, (Nov. 21, 2024), available at https://www.faa.gov/
women-in-aviation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIRMAN MEDICAL CERTIFICATE MODERNIZATION
Pilots must obtain and maintain an FAA medical certificate
to operate aircraft, and for commercial pilots, it is a
requirement for employment.\44\ Section 411 establishes a
working group to review the FAA's medical processes, policies,
procedures, and make recommendations to the Administrator to
ensure the timely and efficient certification of airmen. Among
its tasks, this working group will assess the FAA's special
issuance process, determine the appropriateness of the list of
medical conditions under which an Air Medical Examiner (AME)
can issue a medical certificate, and review mental health
protocols and approved medications, including any actions taken
resulting from recommendations by the Mental Health and
Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee.\45\
This section establishes an aviation workforce mental health
task group responsible for overseeing, monitoring, and
evaluating the FAA's efforts to support the mental health of
the aviation workforce. The FAA has established the aeromedical
innovation and modernization working group, held its first
meeting, and is on track to stand up the Mental Health Task
Force consistent with the requirement in this section. It is
expected that the FAA will respond to the working group's
findings by taking necessary action to streamline the medical
certification process and breakdown barriers for applicants.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\44\ FAA, Mental Health & Aviation Medical Clearances ARC
Recommendation Report (Apr. 1, 2024), available at https://www.faa.gov/
sites/faa.gov/files/Mental_Health_ARC_Final_
Report_RELEASED.pdf.
\45\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
411.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPROVING SAFETY-CRITICAL STAFFING AT FAA
The FAA's Flight Standards Service (FSS) and Aircraft
Certification Service (AIR) aviation safety inspectors are
responsible for the certification, education, oversight, and
enforcement of the NAS.\46\ Given increased compliance
requirements on manufacturers and operators, ongoing supply
chain quality issues, enhanced scrutiny of safety culture
across the aviation ecosystem, and the emergence of more
advanced aerospace technologies in United States airspace, it
is critical that this safety workforce be fully staffed to meet
both present day and future industry demand. Sections 429, 430,
and 431 collectively require a wholistic review of FAA's safety
critical workforce, including staffing for safety inspectors,
to ensure the agency can efficiently and effectively fulfil its
aviation safety mission.\47\ Furthermore, section 428 directs
the FAA to utilize its existing direct hire authorities to hire
more individuals for positions related to aircraft
certification and aviation safety, including in positions that
support the safe integration of new airspace entrants.\48\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\46\ Strengthening the Aviation Workforce: Hearing Before the S.
Comm. on Commerce, Space and Transportation, 118th Cong. (Mar. 16,
2023) (statement of David Spero, National President, Professional
Aviation Safety Specialists).
\47\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63,
Sec. Sec. 429, 430, 431.
\48\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
428.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL AVIATION WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
FAARA 2018 established the Aviation Workforce Development
(AWD) Grants program to fund outreach and educational efforts
focused on growing the United States aircraft pilot and
aviation maintenance workforce. This program enjoys broad
support from many aviation stakeholders, as it encourages
collaboration between government, industry, and local entities
to address skills gaps while encouraging more Americans to
pursue good-paying careers in aviation.\49\ Section 440 of
FAARA 2024 not only builds on the successes of the AWD Grants
program for the pilot and maintenance talent pools, but it also
establishes a new eligibility for aviation manufacturing to
ensure the manufacturing sector has a robust talent pool to
recruit from in the coming decades. FAARA 2024 authorizes
funding levels for the aviation maintenance, aircraft pilot,
and aviation manufacturing development programs at $20 million
respectively for each of FY 2025 through 2028. This section
also invests $12 million annually in the new Willa Brown
Aviation Education Program to expand outreach and aviation
education opportunities in low-income and underrepresented
communities.\50\ The FAA has informed Committee staff that the
adjustments to the AWD grant programs will be reflected in the
next round of grants; a process which will start after Congress
enacts its FY 2025 appropriations bill.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\49\ Pub. L. No. 115-254 Sec. 625, 132 Stat. 3405.
\50\ FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. Law No. 118-63, Sec.
440.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. WITNESSES
LJason Terreri, Executive Director, Syracuse
Regional Airport Authority, on behalf of the Airports Council
International-North America (ACI-NA)
LAdam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing
LPete Bunce, President and Chief Executive
Officer, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades
Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
Key Provisions in FAARA 2024
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mandate Statutory Deadline Status
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 202. Assistant PENDING--FAA has
Administrator for informed the Committee
Rulemaking and of a need to reprogram
Regulatory funding to facilitate
Improvement. the creation of a
standalone office.
To FAA: The Effective upon
Administrator shall enactment
appoint an Assistant
Administrator for
Rulemaking and
Regulatory
Improvement. (202(a))
To FAA: Assistant November 17, 2026
Administrator for
Rulemaking and
Regulatory
Improvement shall
brief the appropriate
committees of
Congress within 30
months of enactment.
(202(b))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 205. Regulatory COMPLETED--FAA
Materials Improvement established the review
team and is working
towards developing and
publishing an action
plan.
To FAA: Establish a September 14, 2024
process review team
to provide the
Administrator with
recommendations to
improve the
promulgation of
regulatory materials
by the Agency.
(205(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 208. Application PENDING--FAA has time to
Dashboard and work towards fulfilling
Feedback Portal. this mandate.
To FAA: The Deputy November 17, 2026
Administrator shall
provide the
Administrator a
recommendation
regarding the need
for or benefits of a
dashboard by which an
applicant can track
their application
status. (208(b))
To FAA: The December 2026/January
Administrator shall 2027
brief the appropriate
committees of
Congress after
receiving a
recommendation from
the Deputy
Administrator.
(208(c))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 336. Consistent November 12, 2024 COMPLETED--FAA created
and timely pilot the part 135 check
checks for air pilot workgroup and
carriers. added the group to the
ACT ARC.
To FAA: Establish a
working group for
purposes of reviewing
and evaluating all
regulations and
policies related to
check airmen and
authorized check
airmen for air
carrier operations
conducted under part
135 of title 14, Code
of Federal
Regulations. (336(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 347. Zero IN PROGRESS--The Runway
Tolerance for Near Safety Council has been
Misses, Runway established and is
Incursions, and working to fulfill
Surface Safety Risks. subsection (c), the
identification of
surface safety
technologies.
To FAA: The November 15, 2024
Administrator shall
establish a Runway
Safety Council to
develop a systematic
management strategy
to address airport
surface safety risks.
(347(b))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 353. Ramp worker IN PROGRESS--FAA has
safety call to initiated the work on
action. the Call to Action and
finalized its scoping.
To FAA: Administrator November 12, 2024
shall initiate a Call
to Action safety
review of airport
ramp worker safety
and ways to minimize
or eliminate
ingestion zone and
jet blast zone
accidents. (353(a))
To FAA: Administrator 180 days after the
shall submit a report conclusion of the
to Congress on the Call to Action safety
review and any review.
related
recommendations.
(353(c))
To FAA: Administrator 6 months after the
shall develop and completion of the
publish training and Call to Action safety
related education review.
materials about
aircraft engine
ingestion/jet blast
hazards for ground
crews. (353(d) and
(f))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 355. Tower COMPLETED--The FAA
Marking Notice of issued the tower
Proposed Rulemaking marking NPRM in
November.
To FAA: The May 17, 2025
Administrator shall
issue a notice of
proposed rulemaking
to implement section
2110 of the FAA
Extension, Safety,
and Security Act of
2016 (49 U.S.C. 44718
note).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 372. Enhanced DELAYED
Qualification Program
for Restricted
Airline Transport
Pilot Certificate.
To FAA: Within six November 16, 2024
months, the
Administrator shall
establish the
requirements for a
program to be known
as the Enhanced
Qualification
Program.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 403. Bessie IN PROGRESS--The FAA
Coleman Women in filed the Committee
Aviation Advisory charter and published
Committee. in the Federal Register
the Notice of
Solicitation for
Nominations for
Appointment to the BCWA
Advisory Committee. The
FAA is on track to make
appointments by
February 2025.
To DOT: Secretary November 16, 2024
shall establish the
Bessie Coleman Women
in Aviation Advisory
Committee. (403(a))
To DOT: Secretary February 16, 2025
shall make
appointments to the
Committee. (403(e))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 411. Aeromedical IN PROGRESS--The FAA
Innovation and established the working
Modernization Working group which held its
Group. first meeting on
November 13, 2024. The
FAA is also on track to
stand up the Mental
Health Task Force.
To FAA: The November 12, 2024
Administrator shall
establish a working
group to review the
medical processes and
policies and make
recommendations to
the Administrator on
modernizing such
processes and
policies. (411(a))
To FAA: Administrator 120 days after the
shall also establish establishment of the
a task group to Aeromedical
oversee, monitor, and Innovation &
evaluate the FAA's Modernization working
efforts to support group.
the mental health of
the aviation
workforce. (411(d))
To FAA: The working May 16, 2025, and
group shall submit a annually thereafter.
report to Congress on
its findings and
recommendations.
(411(f))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 425. Joint IN PROGRESS--DOT has
Aviation Employment reached out to the DOD
Training Working to coordinate this
Group. effort.
To DOT: Secretary September 13, 2024
shall, in
coordination with the
Secretary of Defense,
establish an
interagency working
group, to advise on
increasing awareness
of the eligibility,
training, and
experience
requirements needed
to become an FAA-
certified or a
military-covered
aviation professional
in order to improve
career transitions
between the military
and civilian
workforces.
To DOT: Secretary May 16, 2025
shall submit to
Congress an initial
report on the
activities of the
working group; and
submit subsequent
reports to Congress
annually thereafter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 428. Direct-Hire DELAYED--FAA has not
Authority briefed the Committee
Utilization. yet.
To FAA: The No deadline
Administrator shall
utilize direct hire
authorities to hire
individuals on a non-
competitive basis for
positions related to
aircraft
certification and
aviation safety.
(428(a))
To FAA: The November 12, 2024
Administrator shall
brief the appropriate
committees of
Congress on the
utilization of the
direct-hire
authorities. (428(b))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 430. Staffing PENDING--FAA has time to
Model for Aviation work towards fulfilling
Safety Inspectors. this mandate.
To FAA: Administrator May 16, 2026
shall review and, as
necessary, revise the
staffing model for
aviation safety
inspectors. (430(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 431. Safety- PENDING--FAA has 2 years
Critical Staffing. from date of enactment
to complete section
430, so there is ample
time for the agency to
complete section 431.
To FAA: Administrator Due upon completion of
shall take the staffing model
appropriate actions review in Sec. 430
in response to the
number of aviation
safety inspectors,
aviation safety
technicians, and
operation support
positions that are
identified in the
staffing model to
meet the
responsibilities of
the Flight Standards
Service and Aircraft
Certification Service
each fiscal year so
long as such staffing
increases are
measured relative to
the number of
individuals serving
in safety-critical
positions as of
September 30, 2023.
(431(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 437. Air Traffic IN PROGRESS--FAA entered
Control Workforce into an agreement with
Staffing. the National Academies
TRB in June. The FAA
anticipates the TRB
will submit its report
in the spring or summer
of 2025.
To FAA: Administrator Effective upon
shall set, as the enactment
minimum hiring target
for new air traffic
controllers, the
maximum number of
individuals able to
be trained at the FAA
Academy. (437(a))
To FAA: Administrator June 15, 2024
shall submit an
attestation to the
appropriate
committees of
Congress
demonstrating an
agreement entered
into with the
National Academies
Transportation
Research Board (TRB).
(437(b))
To FAA: Administrator May 16, 2025. FAA to
shall take such then brief Congress
action that may be on revised staffing
necessary to model 90 days after
implement and use the implementation.
staffing model
identified by the
TRB, including any
recommendations for
improving such model.
The Administrator
must brief Congress
on the revised
staffing model.
(437(c))
To FAA: Administrator As the TRB conducts
is directed, in the the study and prior
interim, to adopt and to the required
utilize the staffing implementation of
models and revised air traffic
methodologies controller staffing
developed by the CRWG standards.
that were recommended
in a report submitted
to the FAA and
referenced in the
2023 Controller
Workforce Plan.
(437(e))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 439. FAA Academy IN PROGRESS--FAA began
and Facility developing the plan in
Expansion Plan. August.
To FAA: Administrator August 14, 2024
shall initiate the
development of a plan
to expand the overall
capacity of its
facilities,
instruction,
equipment, and
training resources to
grow the number of
developmental air
traffic controllers
enrolled per fiscal
year and support
increases in FAA air
controller staffing
to advance the safety
of the national
airspace system.
(439(a))
To FAA: Administrator May 16, 2025
shall submit to
Congress the plan.
(439(b))
To FAA: Administrator 180 days after the
shall brief Congress submission of the
on the implementation plan to Congress.
of the plan. (439(c))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 440. Improving PENDING--Provision is
Federal Aviation effective upon
Workforce Development enactment, subject to
Programs. appropriations and DOT/
FAA establishing the
new manufacturing
program.
To DOT: Establish a No deadline
program to provide
grants for eligible
projects to support
the education and
recruitment of
aviation
manufacturing
technical workers and
aerospace engineers
and the development
of the aviation
manufacturing
workforce.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 511. Bureau of DELAYED
Transportation
Statistics.
To DOT: Initiate a July 15, 2024
rulemaking to revise
section 234.4 of
title 14, Code of
Federal Regulations,
to create a new
``cause of delay''
category that
identifies and tracks
information on delays
and cancellations of
air carriers that are
due to instructions
from the FAA Air
Traffic Control
System. (511(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 517. Passenger PENDING--DOT has not
Experience Advisory established the
Committee. advisory committee.
To DOT: Secretary No deadline
shall establish an
advisory committee to
advise the Secretary
and the Administrator
in carrying out
activities related to
the improvement of
the passenger
experience in air
transportation
customer service.
(517(a))
To DOT: Secretary May 16, 2025
shall submit a report
to Congress on
consensus
recommendations made
by the advisory
committee. (517(g))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 519. Seat COMPLETED--FAA briefed
Dimensions. the Committee in July.
According to the FAA,
the agency determined
that additional
regulations on seat
dimensions are not
necessary for the
safety of passengers.
However, FAA plans to
study improvements to
the safety and
efficiency of
evacuation standards,
as well as conduct an
ARC, pursuant to
section 365 of the law.
To FAA: Administrator July 15, 2024
shall either initiate
a rulemaking on
minimum dimensions
for passenger seat
sizes or make a
determination that a
rulemaking is not
necessary. In the
event of the latter,
the FAA shall brief
the appropriate
committees of
Congress on the
justification of such
decision.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 546. DELAYED--DOT has not
Accommodations for issued the ANPRM.
Qualified Individuals
with Disabilities.
To DOT: The Secretary November 12, 2024
shall issue an
advanced notice of
proposed rulemaking
regarding seating
accommodations for
any qualified
individual with a
disability. (546(a))
To DOT: The Secretary May 16, 2028
shall issue a final
rule pursuant to the
rulemaking in this
section. (546(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 619. NextGen IN PROGRESS--FAA
Programs. officials have started
program evaluation and
planning for the
deadlines contained in
this section.
To FAA: The November 12, 2024
Administrator shall
convene FAA officials
to evaluate and
expedite
implementation of
NextGen programs and
capabilities.
(619(a))
To FAA: The November 12, 2024
Administrator shall
develop an action
plan to utilize
performance-based
navigation (PBN)
procedures as a
primary means of
navigation to reduce
dependency on legacy
systems within the
NAS. (619(b))
To FAA: The July 16, 2025
Administrator shall
develop a 2-year
implementation plan
to further
incentivize the
acceleration of the
equipage rates of
certain NextGen
avionics within the
fleets of air
carriers. (619(g))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 622. Audit of IN PROGRESS--FAA
Legacy Systems. initiated an audit of
legacy systems in
September and is
working towards
completing the audit
and reporting to
Congress.
To FAA: The August 16, 2024
Administrator shall
initiate and complete
an audit of all
legacy systems of the
NAS to determine the
level of operational
risk, functionality,
security, and
compatibility with
current and future
technology. (622(a))
To FAA: The February 12, 2026
Administrator shall
provide a report to
the appropriate
committees of
Congress on the
findings and
recommendations of
the audit. (622(d))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 745. Electric IN PROGRESS--The FAA
Aircraft intends to stand up the
Infrastructure Pilot pilot program in
Program. FY2025.
To DOT: Secretary may No deadline, however,
establish a five-year the pilot program
pilot program would expire in
allowing up to 10 October 2028.
eligible airports to
acquire, install, and
operate charging
equipment for
electric aircraft and
to construct or
modify related
infrastructure to
support such
equipment. (745(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 767. PFAS- IN PROGRESS/DELAYED--FAA
Related Resources for is finalizing a
Airports. programmatic framework
to establish the
program.
To DOT: Secretary August 14, 2024
shall, in
consultation with the
Environmental
Protection Agency
(EPA), establish a
reimbursement
program, to replace
aqueous film forming
foam (AFFF) and
related firefighting
equipment with non-
fluorinated
firefighting agents.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 783. Expedited IN PROGRESS
Environmental Review
and One Federal
Decision.
To DOT: Any airport Effective upon
capacity enhancement enactment
project, terminal
development project,
or general aviation
airport construction
or improvement
project shall be
subject to the
coordinated and
expedited
environmental review
process requirements
of this section.
(783)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 786. Part 150 IN PROGRESS/ANTICIPATED
Noise Standards DELAY--The FAA briefed
Updates. the Committee in August
stating that the agency
anticipates the
regulatory update will
be delayed until after
the Aircraft Noise
Advisory Committee
(sec. 792) is
established and has an
opportunity to review
the update.
To FAA: Administrator May 16, 2025
shall review and
revise, as
appropriate, federal
airport noise
regulations under
Part 150 of title 14,
Code of Federal
Regulations.
To FAA: Administrator August 14, 2024
shall brief Congress
regarding the review.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 788. Categorical IN PROGRESS
Exclusions.
To FAA: Increases the No deadline
number of FAA
activities that are
presumed to be
covered by
categorical
exclusions for
purposes of
compliance with the
National
Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA). (788)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 815. BasicMed COMPLETED--FAA
for Examiners promulgated revised
Administrating Tests rules to enact changes
or Proficiency to BasicMed in November
Checks. 2024.
To FAA: Administrator May 16, 2027
shall issue a final
rule to update part
61 of title 14, Code
of Federal
Regulations to allow
an examiner to
administer a
practical test or
proficiency check if
the examiner meets
the medical
qualifications
requirements under
part 68 of title 14,
Code of Federal
Regulations. (815(b))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 827. EAGLE IN PROGRESS--The FAA
Initiative. began partnering with
industry through the
EAGLE initiative in
2022.
To FAA: Administrator No deadline
shall continue to
partner with industry
and other Federal
Government
stakeholders in
carrying out the
EAGLE initiative
through the end of
2030. (827(a))
To FAA: The May 16, 2025
Administrator shall
submit to the
appropriate
committees of
Congress a report
that contains an
updated strategic
plan, describes the
structure and
involvement of all
FAA offices, and
identifies policy
initiatives needed to
improve and enhance
timely and safe
transition to
unleaded aviation
gasoline for the
piston-engine
aircraft fleet.
(827(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 828. Expansion COMPLETED--FAA
of BasicMed. promulgated revised
rules to enact changes
to BasicMed in November
2024.
To FAA: Update November 12, 2024
regulations to
reflect the changes
to BasicMed made by
the section. (828(b))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 833. National IN PROGRESS
Coordination and
Oversight of
Designated Pilot
Examiners.
To FAA: Establish an No deadline
office to provide
oversight and
facilitate national
coordination of
designated pilot
examiners (DPE's).
(833(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 930. Beyond IN PROGRESS--DELAYED
Visual of Line of Proposed rule is
Sight Operations for awaiting OMB final
Unmanned Aircraft approval. FAA
Systems. anticipates release of
the proposed rule no
later than January 2025
as reflected in the
Spring 2024 Unified
Agenda.
To FAA: The September 16, 2024
Administrator shall
issue a notice of
proposed rulemaking
establishing a
performance-based
regulatory pathway
for UAS to operate
beyond-visual- line-
of-sight. (930(a))
To FAA: The Not later than 16
Administrator shall months after
issue a final rule publishing the NPRM
based on the proposed
rule under this
section. (930(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 933. Special IN PROGRESS--A public
Authority for meeting was held in
Transport of August to obtain input
Hazardous Materials on changes necessary to
by Commercial Package implement this section.
Delivery Unmanned
Aircraft Systems.
To DOT: The Secretary November 12, 2024
shall hold a public
meeting to obtain
input on changes
necessary to
implement this
section. (933(e))
To DOT: Secretary November 12, 2024
shall use a risk-
based approach to
establish the
operational
requirements,
standards, or special
permits necessary to
approve or authorize
an air carrier to
transport hazardous
materials by UAS.
(933(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 955. Rules for COMPLETED--FAA published
Operation of Powered- the final rule in
Lift Aircraft. October 2024.
To FAA: The December 16, 2024
Administrator shall
publish a final rule
for the Special
Federal Aviation
Regulation of the FAA
titled ``Integration
of Powered-Lift:
Pilot Certification
and Operations;
Miscellaneous
Amendments Related to
Rotorcraft and
Airplanes''
establishing
procedures for
certifying pilots of
powered-lift aircraft
and providing
operational rules for
powered-lift aircraft
capable of
transporting
passengers and cargo.
(955(a))
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2024: STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES ON
IMPLEMENTATION
----------
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2024
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Aviation,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:02 a.m., in
room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Garret Graves
(Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. The subcommittee will come to
order. I ask unanimous consent the chair be authorized to
declare a recess at any time during today's hearing. Without
objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. Cohen. 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.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Without objection, without
objection, so ordered. As a reminder, if Members wish to insert
documents into the record, please also email them to
[email protected].
I now recognize myself for the purposes 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 the witnesses for
being here today, and I want to thank all the Members for the
extraordinary work that was done in this Congress on the FAA
reauthorization bill. Like everyone here can talk about things
that were frustrating and problems this Congress. I certainly
have my robust list of items, but when I think back to some of
the top five accomplishments, this bill is in the top five.
This was something that in my opinion, really demonstrates how
this place is supposed to work and especially how this
committee is supposed to work, and I want to give a big shout
out to Chairman Sam Graves--the last time I get to do this: my
father--and to Ranking Member Larsen and my good friend Steve
Cohen, because this was a complicated process.
As Hunter and the entire team will tell you, well over
2,000 submissions from stakeholders from Members of Congress
making requests for identifying problems in the aviation space.
Over 2,000. This bill addressed the far majority of those. This
legislation, despite the dysfunctional, polarized, divisive
Congress that we have, this bill passed the House of
Representatives--let me start. It passed out of this committee
unanimously. It passed out of the House of Representatives by a
vote of 351 to 69, and ultimately the conference report, and
passed out of the House of Representatives by a vote of 387 to
only 26 confused or otherwise misunderstood folks. And so, I
mean, that is huge in this polarized environment. I will say it
again, 387 to 26, which really was amazing.
Look, when we started this, when we started this even
before we knew who was going to be in the majority, it was an
agreement among all that we were going to do this on a
bipartisan basis, and we were going to do this in an agreement
that made sure that we addressed the key issues in aviation,
and we are really excited about the progress that has been
made.
I want to remind you, people said the margins are too
narrow, you are not going to get a bill, you will never make it
bipartisan. How many extensions, or how many years of
extensions will we be looking at before we actually do a bill?
And the other thing is, with the amazing pace of innovation
based upon a lot of the folks that you are representing here
today, the amazing pace of innovation, there was so much stuff
that needed to be done, and folks said that you will never be
able to address all the needs in this bill, so, we got it
right. At least 90-plus percent right. We are really excited.
But having it in the law is only the first step in the
process. The next thing is actually having the FAA abide by the
law, having the FAA stick with the deadlines and timelines and
the priorities that we have identified in this legislation,
because all of us here can tell stories about the FAA, about
the Corps of Engineers, about FEMA, and many other agencies
that completely ignore the laws or write it in ways that are
not consistent with congressional intent. So, that is
absolutely critical, and that is why we are having this hearing
today.
This is my final hearing as Aviation Subcommittee chair,
and I want to emphasize some points about the implementation to
be able to help Members who carry forward in the 119th Congress
and beyond.
First of all, it is critical for implementation of the law
and for American leadership in aviation, the FAA better step up
and lead on the integration of new aviation technologies. Our
aviation leadership in the past is no guarantee of leadership
in the future, and too often, FAA spends too much time looking
for every reason to say no when it has every reason to actually
say yes.
Other countries sense weakness right now, and they are
circling like vultures to permanently shut this country out
from the next golden era of aviation. Our bill provides a
roadmap to respond to this challenge, but unless the FAA starts
the car, a roadmap is just that: a roadmap.
Second, we have to center on average Americans, the
passenger, and their experience in everything this subcommittee
does. I talk about this at every hearing, and I am going to
keep doing it, because I think, oftentimes, we silo or look at
only different components of the passenger experience. It may
be the parking lot; it may be checking in bags; it may be the
TSA experience; it may be going through concessions; it may be
the experience at the gate; it may be what they are getting on
the app in terms of air traffic control information; it may be
their experience on the plane.
My good friend, Mr. Cohen, likes to talk about seats all
the time. It may be on the back end in baggage claim. No one is
looking at that comprehensive experience, and we have got to do
a better job, because that is our job in Congress is looking at
that common experience, the common process, and that passenger
experience to make sure that it is actually sewn together in a
way that makes sense. I think that is absolutely critical.
Things like air traffic control, having the best data, the best
technology. Procurement and acquisition has been a massive
problem.
And finally, this subcommittee and stakeholders also need
to hold the FAA accountable for actually implementing the law,
or the accomplishment this year will simply evaporate. I have
made no secret of my frustrations with the FAA missing
deadlines and having failed to complete mandates from 2018, or
even the 2016 FAA laws, and that can't happen again. If history
is any guide, the FAA will resist any uncomfortable change, no
matter how necessary, without robust oversight from the
subcommittee and call outs from the industry.
We finished all of our victory laps of getting the bill
passed. Now it is time to make sure that the FAA is
implementing the bill in accordance with the letter of the law
and congressional intent.
So, I want to say again, huge thanks. Sorry for going over
time. Huge thanks to Chairman Sam Graves. Sam, thank you for
trusting me with this absolutely important or critical
subcommittee. Thank you for the mentorship. There is not a
chairman of the Transportation Committee in the history of this
Congress, probably in the future of this Congress, that is
going to have the aviation experience or knowledge as Chairman
Sam Graves.
I want to give a huge shout-out to some of the wise and
passionate staff directors: Holly Woodruff Lyons, and, of
course, Hunter. The team, Laney Copeland, Julie Devine, Chris
Senn, Andrew Giacini, Will Moore, Corey Sites, and Jamie
Hopkins. T&I Comms Director Justin Harclerode. Justin, thanks.
I know that I rarely read things, and it makes it a pain in the
rear to do the statements, so, thanks to you for your efforts
there to try and put words to my diatribes.
And lastly, to our witnesses for being here today. Tell us
where the FAA is doing well, where they have already managed to
fall behind and helping to identify priorities and triage in
moving forward. Ensuring that the FAA is able to carry through
on the promise the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 will be a
full-time job, but I have no doubt the subcommittee will rise
to the challenge and continue to do great things.
[Mr. Graves of Louisiana's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Garret Graves of Louisiana, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Aviation
I want to start off by thanking all the witnesses here today and
our members for the extraordinary work that was done by this
subcommittee this Congress, and specifically on the FAA Reauthorization
Act. It is one of the greatest achievements of the 118th Congress and
demonstrates how this place is supposed to work. Big shout out to
Chairman Sam Graves, Ranking Member Rick Larsen, and my good friend,
Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen.
Our original legislation passed the House of Representatives by a
vote of 351 to 69, and the final product we worked on with the Senate
passed 387 to 26. When we started this, there was an agreement among
all four corners that we would pursue this effort in a bipartisan way.
Our detractors told us, things like: ``The margins are too narrow, you
can never make it bipartisan,'' ``How many years of extensions should
we expect?'', or ``There's too much to do, you'll never be able to
address all the needs.'' But we got to work anyway, and we were
successful.
But, having it written in law is only the first step. The next
thing is actually having the FAA abide by the law, and have the FAA
stick with the timelines and deadlines we have identified in this
legislation because all of us here can tell stories about the FAA, the
Corps of Engineers, FEMA, and many other agencies that completely
ignore the laws or implement them in ways that are not in line with the
way Congress intended. That's why it is critical and why we are having
this hearing today.
This is my final hearing as Subcommittee Chair, and I want to
emphasize some points on implementation of the bill that I hope members
will carry forward into the 119th Congress and beyond.
First off, it's critical for American leadership and aviation and
FAA to better step up and lead on the integration of new aviation
technology. Our aviation leadership in the past is no guarantee of our
leadership in the future. And too often the FAA spends too much time
looking for every reason to say ``no'' when it actually has every
reason to say ``yes.'' Other countries sense a weakness right now; they
are circling like vultures to permanently shut this country out of a
golden era of aviation. Our bill provides a road map to respond to this
challenge, but unless the FAA starts the car, a road map is only that:
a road map.
Second, we have to put average Americans, the passengers, and their
experience interacting with the aviation system at the heart of
everything this subcommittee does. I talk about this at every hearing,
and I will continue to do so because often I think we silo or look at
only different components of the passenger experience instead of the
comprehensive process. That means shining a light on the failures in
acquisition, procurement, implementation, and operations of air traffic
control technologies which cause so many delays and inefficiencies in
the National Airspace System.
Finally, the entire Committee and our stakeholders need to hold the
FAA accountable for actually implementing the law, or the
accomplishments we have made will simply evaporate. I have made no
secret about my frustration with the FAA for missing deadlines and
failing to complete mandates for the 2018 or 2016 laws. If history is
any guide, the FAA will try to resist any uncomfortable change, no
matter how necessary, without robust oversight from this subcommittee
and callouts from industry. We finished our victory laps in getting the
bill passed; now it's time to make sure the FAA is implementing the
bill in a way that is in accordance with the letter of the law and
congressional intent.
I want to say again huge thanks to Chairman Sam Graves for trusting
me with this extremely important and critical subcommittee. Thank you
for your mentorship. There is not a chairman in the history of this
Congress or most likely the future of this Congress that has the
aviation experience or knowledge of Sam Graves. I want to give a huge
shout out to my wise and passionate staff directors, Holly Woodruff
Lyons and Hunter Presti, and to our team: Maggie Ayrea, Laney Copeland
Allen, Will Moore, Chris Senn, Andrew Giacini, Julie Devine, Corey
Sites, Jamie Hopkins, and the Committee's Communications Director,
Justin Harclerode.
Lastly, thank you to our witnesses for being here to tell us where
the FAA is doing well and where they are already falling behind to help
identify priorities moving forward to ensure the FAA can carry through
on the promise of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. That will be a
full time job for this subcommittee that I have no doubt will rise to
the occasion and continue to do the right thing.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. I now recognize my great friend,
Steve Cohen, for 5 minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. STEVE COHEN OF TENNESSEE, RANKING
MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And it has been an honor
to serve alongside you here on this subcommittee the past 2
years. It has been the most important subcommittee I have
served on in my 18 years in Congress. And working with you has
allowed us to work together in a bipartisan fashion along with
Mr. Graves and my ranking member, my leader, Mr. Larsen, in
getting this bill passed. Your leadership on this committee has
been phenomenal, and when they go back, in my opinion, and they
look at Louisiana, they will think of Billy Cannon, Harry
Connick, the Mannings, and Mr. Graves.
While the 118th Congress is on track to become one of the
least productive in U.S. history, that is not the case of this
committee, where earlier this year, we passed, with
overwhelmingly bipartisan support, the long-time and long-term
FAA reauthorization bill. It has been over 6 months since the
FAA reauthorization was signed into law, and it's time to
ensure compliance with the instructions contained therein.
The bill aimed to address numerous challenges facing our
aviation system, and these include the modernization of safety
and technology infrastructure; the integration of new entrants
into U.S. skies, including drones that are called airplanes;
the shortage of air traffic controllers; and the poor treatment
of airline passengers, especially passengers with disabilities.
Our witnesses today come from across the aviation sector,
and they will provide valuable insights into the status of
various provisions of the law. One provision particularly
important to me, other than seat sizes, is to implement the
overdue NTSB recommendation requiring airplanes flying long
overwater routes to have better black box technology, which
will allow investigators to recover flight data and cockpit
recordings without the need to search the ocean floor.
Two technologies can make this possible. One is data
streaming through satellites, which sends black box data in
real time. The other is deployable flight data recorder, which
float on the water after a crash. A major aircraft manufacturer
is already using this technology, making it much faster and
easier for investigators to access the critical information.
With the advanced technology available today, it is a no-
brainer, so, we are happy it is now law.
The committee has taken great strides to improve
transparency for the flying public and ensure our safety
investigators have the information needed to prevent accidents.
It is important to me this provision is implemented adequately.
As we begin our 119th Congress next--which we will in
January, this subcommittee will conduct ongoing oversight of
the FAA, and we hope that if there is a change in
Administrators at the FAA, it will be somebody who has intimate
knowledge of this bill and is able to implement it and work
well with this committee.
We look forward to ensuring full compliance with the law.
We will also work to provide the resources necessary for the
FAA to carry out its statutory authority and to enact any
additional legislation necessary to ensure the safety and
efficiency of our Nation's airspace.
Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. Thank you,
Mr. Graves, for your service and your friendship, and I look
forward to our discussion.
[Mr. Cohen's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Ranking Member,
Subcommittee on Aviation
Thank you, Chairman Graves. It's been an honor to serve alongside
you on this Subcommittee these past two years. Your leadership both on
this committee and in Congress will surely be missed.
While the 118th Congress is on track to become one of the least
productive in U.S. history, that is not the case in this Committee,
where earlier this year we passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan, long-
term FAA reauthorization bill.
It has now been over six months since FAA reauthorization was
signed into law, so it is time to ensure the law is being expeditiously
implemented.
The bill aimed to address numerous challenges facing our aviation
system.
These include the modernization of safety and technology
infrastructure, the integration of new entrants into U.S. skies, the
shortage of air traffic controllers, and the poor treatment of airline
passengers, especially passengers with disabilities.
Our witnesses today come from across the aviation sector, and they
will provide valuable insights into the status of various provisions in
the law.
One provision particularly important to me is to implement the
overdue NTSB recommendation requiring airplanes flying long overwater
routes to have better black box technology, which would allow
investigators to recover flight data and cockpit recordings without
needing to search the ocean floor.
Two technologies can make this possible. One is data streaming
through satellites, which sends black box data in real-time. The other
is Deployable Flight Data Recorder, which float on water after a crash.
A major aircraft manufacturer is already using this technology,
making it much faster and easier for investigators to access critical
information.
With the advanced technology available today, this is a ``no-
brainer,'' so I am happy this is now law.
The Committee has taken great strides to improve transparency for
the flying public and ensure our safety investigators have the
information needed to prevent accidents, so it's important to me that
this provision is implemented adequately.
As we begin the 119th Congress in January, this Subcommittee will
conduct ongoing oversight of the FAA, and we look forward to ensuring
full compliance with the law.
We will also work to provide the resources necessary for the FAA to
carry out its statutory authority and to enact any additional
legislation necessary to ensure the safety and efficiency of our
nation's airspace.
Thank you to our witnesses for being here today, and I look forward
to our discussion.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
I recognize full committee Chairman Sam Graves for 5
minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SAM GRAVES OF MISSOURI, CHAIRMAN,
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mr. Graves of Missouri. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It is imperative that we conduct rigorous oversight of the
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to ensure that the FAA follows
the letter of the law and is held accountable for meeting key
deadlines that Congress has set, and I look forward to hearing
from each of our witnesses. Thank you all for being here. I
look forward to hearing your perspective on the FAA's efforts
to implement the new aviation law as we work together to
advance American aviation.
Everyone here knows that I can spend more than my share of
time identifying late provisions and talking at length about
how the FAA should do its job, but I want to use my time to
recognize that today is my colleague, Chairman Garret Graves,
this is his last hearing at the committee.
Garret's work on the committee, especially his leadership
in helping craft the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, has
solidified his legacy as a staunch advocate for aviation. Over
this Congress, he has worked to advance solutions that propel
new technologies, improve the passenger experience for all
travelers, and bolster the aviation workforce.
Anyone who knows or works with Garret and his team to push
a bill forward knows that Garret gives it everything that he
has, and then some, to get the job done. His efforts were
instrumental in getting this bill over the finish line, and I
am grateful for his partnership and his friendship over the
years.
Garret, thank you for your work on the committee and the
subcommittee, and I look forward to seeing what you do next.
And with that, I'll yield back.
[Mr. Graves of Missouri's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Sam Graves of Missouri, Chairman, Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure
It is imperative that we conduct rigorous oversight of the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024 to ensure the FAA follows the letter of the
law and is held accountable for meeting the key deadlines Congress set.
I look forward to hearing from each of our witnesses on their
perspective of the FAA's efforts to implement the new aviation law, as
we work together to advance American aviation.
Everyone here knows I could spend more than my fair share of time
identifying late provisions and talking at lengths about how FAA should
do its job, but I want to use my time to recognize that today is my
colleague's, Chairman Garret Graves', last hearing at the Committee.
Garret's work on this committee, especially his leadership in
helping craft the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, has solidified his
legacy as a staunch advocate for aviation. Over this Congress, he has
worked to advance solutions that propel new technologies, improve the
passenger experience for all travelers, and bolster the aviation
workforce.
Anyone who works with Garret and his team to push a bill forward
knows that Garret gives it his all and then some to get the job done.
His efforts were instrumental in getting this bill over the finish
line, and I am grateful for his partnership and friendship over the
years.
Garret, thank you for your work on the Committee and Subcommittee,
and I look forward to seeing what you do next.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Me, too. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I now recognize the ranking member of the full committee,
Mr. Larsen, for 5 minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICK LARSEN OF WASHINGTON, RANKING
MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I, like many of us, am disappointed that the cameras in the
hallway were not here to cover Garret Graves' last hearing.
However, it is good that we are all here to be here and honor
him, though, for his work in this committee, but also in the
House as a whole, and also for his personal friendship and our
getting to know each other over the fact that I represented his
in-laws for some time, and a lot of his family members in my
district as well.
But I want to thank you for calling the hearing today, the
implementation of the 2024 FAA law.
In response to these challenges that aviation faces over
the last few years, Congress did rise to the occasion. This
committee engaged in a thorough process. We negotiated and
compromised to reach a bipartisan and bicameral solution to
deliver for the flying public.
I want to thank today's witnesses as well for providing
critical input during that time as we worked through this
process, from the bill's introduction to the final passage.
Now, whether supporting the integration of new entrants in the
airspace or overseeing the FAA's commitment to a safer and more
efficient national airspace, your enthusiasm, Garret, your
expertise, and your partnership will be missed. We will all
miss that. So, I wish you the best of luck in your future
endeavors.
The passage of the 2024 FAA reauthorization was only the
first step in ensuring the U.S. remains the gold standard in
aviation safety, efficiency, and innovation. For instance, the
law will increase the safety and efficiency of our airspace and
help prevent close-calls and near-misses on airport runways
across the country.
An FAA NAS Safety Review Team report on this found that air
traffic controller staff shortages actively erode the margin of
safety in the national airspace. To address these workforce and
safety concerns, the law includes several provisions, including
the FAA do several things, including hiring the maximum number
of controllers annually, improving its controller staffing
model, and expanding the deployment of surface surveillance and
detection equipment at U.S. airports.
The law also calls on the FAA to take decisive actions to
address aging FAA air traffic control legacy systems.
These crucial reforms will ultimately enhance the long-term
efficiency and safety of our national airspace while creating
good-paying aviation jobs.
Passenger safety also depends on worker safety, and as we
emerged from the pandemic and air travel demand surged, there
were an alarming number of unruly passenger incidents
endangering flightcrews and passengers alike. So, to address
this threat, the law created a task force to prevent such
assaults and mandated airlines to establish employee assault
and response plans.
Meanwhile, recent flight disruptions have shaken the flying
public's confidence in air travel. For example, earlier this
year, certain air carriers were unable to cope with the global
IT outage, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
To get us back on the right trajectory, the law requires
airlines to provide full cash refunds to consumers affected by
delayed or canceled flights and develop policies addressing
reimbursement for passengers for hotel and meal costs when a
flight is canceled or significantly delayed.
So, while reimbursing passengers affected by flight
disruptions is one way to protect consumers, we have to do more
to ensure every passenger can travel safely and with dignity.
The FAA reauthorization improves training for airline personnel
and contractors to better assist travelers with disabilities
and directs the DOT to create a roadmap for airlines to reduce
damage to wheelchairs and mobility aids.
The law also increases funding for the Airport Improvement
Program from $3.35 to $4 billion annually, of which at least
$150 million in discretionary funds, the largest portion that's
ever been required before, are to be spent on airport climate,
noise, and other environmental impacts.
Moreover, AIP funding can now be used to invest in
infrastructure for alternative propulsion technologies, by
allowing airports to fund the development of hydrogen and
electrification infrastructure necessary to support new
aircraft.
Finally, the law improves the lives of neighboring airport
communities by requiring the FAA to develop a plan to
transition away from leaded fuel in general aviation by 2030
and takes actions to mitigate the impacts of aviation noise
across the country.
Lastly, I want to talk about the talent pool, because the
FAA reauthorization made robust investments in the American
aviation workforce, providing resources to expand and
strengthen the talent pool--a requirement for American
innovation. For instance, the law invests $60 million annually
in aviation workforce development grants to grow the next
generation of aviation manufacturers, manufacturing workers,
maintenance technicians, and pilots.
The current and future challenges facing the U.S. aviation
system are significant, but not insurmountable, and I believe
together we can meet these challenges. Congress did its job in
passing the 2024 FAA reauthorization this past May. Now the FAA
and the DOT need to do their jobs to effectively implement the
programs and fulfill the various provisions.
I would note, again, I want to emphasize something that the
chair said. Our vote here in the House was 387 to 26 and the
Senate was 88-4. We know where those 30 people live, but we
also know this: a strong bipartisan, bicameral support for the
FAA reauthorization. The FAA and the DOT know the job it needs
to do because Congress told the FAA and the DOT the job that it
needs to do over the next several years.
As the new administration comes on board, we want to both
help the administration move forward on the work that we assign
to the DOT and the FAA to do this, and we can all be successful
in doing that and help the administration to do that, because
they already have clear direction on what it needs to do.
So, with that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses
about implementation, and again, I will thank my good friend,
Garret Graves, for his service here at the committee and to the
House. Thanks, Garret.
[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 the hearing today on the
implementation of the 2024 FAA law.
In response to these challenges that aviation faces over the last
few years, Congress did rise to the occasion.
This Committee engaged in a thorough process, where we negotiated
and compromised to reach a bipartisan, bicameral solution to deliver
for the flying public.
I want to thank today's witnesses as well for providing critical
input to the T&I Committee during that time as we worked through this
process, from the bill's introduction to final passage.
Whether supporting the integration of new entrants in the airspace
or overseeing the FAA's commitment to a safer and more efficient
national airspace, your enthusiasm, Chairman Graves, your expertise and
your partnership will be missed. We will all miss that.
I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
The passage of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization was only the first step
in ensuring that the United States remains the gold standard in
aviation safety, efficiency, and innovation.
For instance, the law will increase the safety and efficiency of
our airspace and help prevent the close calls and near misses on
airport runways across the country.
An FAA NAS Safety Review Team report on this found that air traffic
controller staff shortages actively erode the margin of safety in the
national airspace.
To address these workforce and safety concerns, the law includes
several provisions directing the FAA to hire the maximum number of
controllers annually, improve its controller staffing model and expand
the deployment of surface surveillance and detection equipment at U.S.
airports.
The law also calls on the FAA to take decisive actions to address
aging FAA air traffic control legacy systems.
These crucial reforms will ultimately enhance the long-term
efficiency and safety of our national airspace system while creating
good-paying aviation jobs.
Passenger safety also depends on worker safety.
As we emerged from the pandemic and air travel demand surged, there
were an alarming number of unruly passenger incidents--endangering
flight crews and passengers alike.
To address this threat, the law created a task force to prevent
such assaults and mandated airlines to establish employee assault and
response plans.
Meanwhile, recent flight disruptions have shaken the flying
public's confidence in air travel.
For example, earlier this year, certain air carriers were unable to
cope with a global IT outage, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
To get us back on the right trajectory, the law requires airlines
to provide full cash refunds to consumers affected by delayed or
canceled flights and develop policies addressing reimbursement for
passengers for hotel and meal costs when a flight is canceled or
significantly delayed.
While reimbursing passengers affected by flight disruptions is one
way to protect consumers, we have to do more to ensure every passenger
can travel safely and with dignity.
The FAA reauthorization improves training for airline personnel and
contractors to better assist travelers with disabilities and directs
the DOT to create a roadmap for airlines to reduce damage to
wheelchairs and mobility aids.
The law also increases funding for the Airport Improvement Program
(AIP) from $3.35 billion to $4 billion annually, of which at least $150
million in discretionary funds--the largest portion that's ever been
required before--are to be spent on airport climate, noise and other
environmental impacts.
Moreover, AIP funding can now be used to invest in the
infrastructure for alternative propulsion technologies, by allowing
airports to fund the development of hydrogen and electrification
infrastructure necessary to support new aircraft.
Finally, the law improves the lives of neighboring airport
communities by requiring the FAA to develop a plan to transition away
from leaded fuel in general aviation by 2030 and takes action to
mitigate the impacts of aviation noise across the country.
Lastly, I want to talk about the talent pool. The FAA
Reauthorization made robust investments in the American aviation
workforce, providing resources to expand and strengthen the talent
pool--a requirement for American innovation.
For instance, the law invests $60 million annually in aviation
workforce development grants to grow the next generation of aviation
manufacturers, manufacturing workers, maintenance technicians and
pilots.
The current and future challenges facing the U.S. aviation system
are significant but not insurmountable.
I believe, together, we all can meet these challenges.
Congress did its job in passing the 2024 FAA Reauthorization this
past May.
Now we must ensure the FAA and DOT do their jobs by effectively
implementing the programs and fulfilling the various provisions.
I would note, and I want to emphasize what the Chair said, our vote
here in the House was 387-26 and the Senate was 88-4. We know that
there was strong bipartisan, bicameral support for the FAA
Reauthorization. The FAA and the DOT knows the job it needs to do
because Congress told the FAA and the DOT the job it needs to do over
the next several years. As the new administration comes on board, we
want to help the administration move forward on the work that we
assigned to the DOT and the FAA so we can all be successful in doing
the work on which Congress provided clear direction.
I look forward to hearing from today's witnesses regarding the FAA
and DOT's progress on implementation of the 2024 FAA reauthorization
law.
Thank you.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Ranking Member Larsen.
I recognize Ranking Member Cohen for a unanimous consent
request.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, sir. First, I would like to welcome
our witnesses. Thank them for being here today to help us with
this. And I would like to take a moment to explain our lighting
system. The first light is green. It has nothing to do with any
New Deal or anything. It means you are on. Yellow doesn't mean
to be chicken. It means you are running out of time, which may
be chickening out before you get the red light where you get
the buzzer.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. We wrote you a script. We wrote
you a script.
Mr. Cohen. I am like you. I ad-libbed.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Cohen. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that I be
allowed to ad-lib and that the witnesses' full statements be
included in the record.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Without objection.
Mr. Cohen. Mr. Chairman, I also 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.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Without objection, so ordered.
Mr. Cohen. 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.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Without objection, so ordered.
Mr. Cohen. As your written testimony has been made part of
the record, the subcommittee asks that you limit your oral
remarks to 5 minutes. Red light, 5 minutes. Thank you.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Mr. Cohen. I ask
unanimous consent to enter statements from AUVSI/CDA and
Reliable Robotics in the record. Without objection, so ordered.
[The information follows:]
Statement of Michael Robbins, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, and Lisa
Ellman, Executive Director, Commercial Drone Alliance, Submitted for
the Record by Hon. Garret Graves
Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, Chairman Graves, and
Ranking Member Cohen,
The Commercial Drone Alliance (``CDA'') \1\ and the Association for
Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (``AUVSI'') \2\ and our
respective memberships thank you for holding this important hearing and
appreciate the opportunity to provide our thoughts on the
implementation of critical provisions of the Federal Aviation
Administration (``FAA'') Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63).
While we and our members are focused on many key provisions in P.L.
118-63 that must be implemented in a timely manner, this Statement for
the Record focuses on the mandates included in Section 930 of the
legislation, which calls for the FAA Administrator to expeditiously
release the Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (``BVLOS'') Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (``NPRM'') and final rule, with firm deadlines. We also very
much appreciate the recent bipartisan letter sent by numerous members
of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to the executive
branch on this very topic.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The CDA is an independent non-profit organization comprised of
the leaders in the commercial drone industry. The CDA brings together
commercial drone end-users; manufacturers; third-party service
providers; advanced air mobility (``AAM'') companies; drone security
companies; and vertical markets including oil and gas, precision
agriculture, construction, security, communications technology,
infrastructure, newsgathering, filmmaking, and more. The CDA works with
policymakers across government to craft policies for industry growth
and educates the public on the safe, responsible use of commercial
drones to achieve economic benefits and humanitarian gains, including
the countless public benefits enabled by commercial drone beyond visual
line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations.
\2\ 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. AUVSI's Air Advocacy Committee (``AAC'')
sets the legislative and regulatory priorities in the air domain for
the association via input and feedback from its membership. The AAC is
comprised of a diverse group of member companies, including UAS
operators, domestic and allied UAS manufacturers, software companies,
defense contractors, counter-UAS companies, AAM companies, Drone as
First Responder (``DFR'') companies, public safety experts, and much
more.
\3\ Letter from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
to Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Administrator Michael Whitaker (Oct.
21, 2024), https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2024-10-21_--
_bvlos_letter_to_dot_faa.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our understanding is that the FAA generated the BVLOS NPRM but
progress stalled in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of
Transportation (``DOT'') when the FAA sent the NPRM upward for review.
The NPRM was held at DOT, without explanation, for ninety-plus days.
This delay consequently delayed the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs' (``OIRA'') interagency review process, as well.
Unless urgent action is taken now to issue the BVLOS NPRM to initiate a
public comment period, the result could be an indeterminate delay of
the rulemaking process as the presidential transition takes effect--
harming the American drone industry and our global leadership in
advanced aviation.
Over the last several weeks, our organizations and our combined
memberships have held a series of EO 12866 meetings with OIRA on the
BVLOS NPRM. Importantly, OIRA invited key officials from FAA, DOT, and
agencies within the Executive Office of the President (``EOP'') to
attend these meetings. During those meetings, we stressed the
importance of the draft safety rule moving forward before the change in
administration to keep progress going, and the significant economic
impact of a BVLOS rule for all Americans.
In addition to a joint AUVSI/CDA leadership meeting, we convened
industry experts from our combined memberships across six different
sector-specific groups:
1. Public Safety/Law Enforcement/Physical Security Sector
2. Third-Party Service Providers
3. Agriculture Sector
4. Critical Infrastructure/Utilities/Energy Sector
5. Package Delivery/Health Care Sector
6. Newsgathering/Filmmaking/Entertainment Sector
Each sector listed above explained the potential economic impacts
of releasing this critical rule on their industry.
In addition to this letter, we are submitting the following
supporting documents from those meetings, all included at the end of
this letter as appendices. These documents make key arguments on why
the BVLOS NPRM must move forward before January 20, with supporting
data and statistics on the economic impact a BVLOS rule will have on
each sector. These documents have been uploaded to their respective
OIRA dockets:
November 22, 2024, EO 12866 meeting between AUVSI/CDA
leadership and OIRA:
1. Levitate Capital White Paper Enterprise Market 2020
2. International BVLOS Survey--CDA AUVSI (11.27.24)
3. CDA AUVSI 12866 Submission (11.27.24)
4. AASHTO Mission Control 2019 AASHTO UAS-Drone Survey of All 50
State DOTs
5. It's Past Time to Move Drone Rulemaking Forward--AUVSI-CDA
Inside Unmanned Systems Op-Ed
December 2, 2024, EO 12866 meeting between public safety/
law enforcement/physical security sector companies and OIRA:
1. Leave-Behind--AUVSI & CDA Membership BVLOS EO 12866 Meeting--
Public Safety--Law Enforcement--Physical Security Sector
December 3, 2024, EO 12866 meeting between third-party
service providers and OIRA:
1. Leave-Behind--AUVSI CDA Membership BVLOS EO 12866 Meeting--
Third-Party Service Providers Sector
December 4, 2024, meeting between agriculture sector
companies and OIRA:
1. Leave-Behind--AUVSI & CDA Membership BVLOS EO 12866 Meeting--
Agriculture Sector
December 5, 2024, meeting between critical
infrastructure/utilities/energy sector companies and OIRA:
1. Leave-Behind--BVLOS 12866 Meeting--Critical Infrastructure
Energy Utilities Sector (12.6.2024)
2. NUAIR Economic Impact Letter
December 5, 2024, meeting between package delivery/health
care sector companies and OIRA:
1. Leave-Behind--AUVSI CDA Membership BVLOS EO 12866 Meeting--
Package Delivery and Healthcare Sector (12.6.24)
December 6, 2024, meeting between newsgathering/
filmmaking/entertainment sector companies and OIRA:
1. Leave-Behind--AUVSI CDA Membership BVLOS EO 12866 Meeting--
Newsgathering Filmmaking Entertainment (12.10.2024)
A BVLOS NPRM and subsequent final rule are critical to unlocking
the vast benefits of the commercial drone industry for all Americans.
Drones offer cost-effective solutions for critical operations including
public safety, package delivery, precision agriculture, utilities
maintenance, infrastructure inspections, and much more. Further delay
puts the United States at risk of losing its global leadership in this
new era of aviation, ceding a competitive edge to our competitors and
adversaries.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this important information,
and we look forward to working with you to ensure the FAA moves forward
with the BVLOS NPRM--and final rule--in a timely manner.
Statement of Robert W. Rose, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer,
Reliable Robotics Corporation, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Garret
Graves
Chairman Garret Graves, Ranking Member Cohen, and members of the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on
Aviation:
Thank you for your significant bipartisan efforts to enact the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024 which provides a long-term and forward-
looking flight plan for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Reliable Robotics applauds the members and staff of the United States
House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure for their tireless
efforts to achieve consensus on this legislation and the many
opportunities for stakeholder input. Throughout the bill, there are
clear examples that Congress believes innovation and safety-enhancing
technologies are crucial for the United States to retain its leadership
role in aviation. With the 5-year FAA reauthorization bill now enacted
into law, we appreciate this opportunity to provide input on
implementation and priorities.
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-integrity navigation and
aircraft autonomy. These technologies will prevent the most common
causes of fatal aviation accidents and save lives. Our company has
significant experience working with the FAA on the certification and
operational approval of innovative technologies, which directly
informed our feedback during the FAA reauthorization process.
With a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill, and the priority the
incoming Administration places on United States competitiveness, our
nation has a unique opportunity to secure leadership positions in the
aviation technologies most important to safety and national security.
To seize this opportunity, the FAA should leverage tools in the
reauthorization bill to focus policy and certification resources on
aircraft autonomy. China and the United States are in a race for
leadership in aircraft autonomy, which has significant safety and
national security implications, and demands decisive policy actions.
Taking a data driven approach that is free from outside influences and
focuses FAA policy and certification resources on those safety
technologies which will save the most lives is what should guide the
agency moving forward.
Airspace Modernization and Integration
Through Sections 206 and 207 of the reauthorization bill, Congress
provided the FAA with a detailed framework to improve the integration
of remotely piloted, autonomous and other Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)
use cases into the National Airspace System (NAS). Standing up the
Airspace Modernization Office (AMO) and transferring AAM
responsibilities to the FAA's aviation safety organization will bring
leadership-level focus to integration.
Reliable appreciated the FAA's proactive outreach to industry
stakeholders about formation of the AMO this past August. At that time,
our company participated in a FAA-led listening session to discuss
priorities for the AMO and submitted detailed written feedback.
However, we are not aware of a follow-up session, or other opportunity
for the FAA to provide responses as they process the inputs from
industry. To maintain momentum in standing up the office, it would be
helpful for the FAA to provide more regular updates on their progress
and offer a detailed schedule on upcoming milestones. Leveraging
industry trade associations that represent a broad cross section of
certification applicants and operators to organize feedback as the AMO
identifies priorities would also provide valuable perspectives.
To set the AMO up for success, it must have the authority and
resources to work across the entire Air Traffic Organization (ATO) and
other FAA lines of business. In the past, similar efforts to establish
integration or modernization functions at the FAA have failed, because
resources weren't properly allocated and there was inadequate buy-in
from agency leadership. To avoid these failures, the AMO should be
established as a separate office, outside of the ATO, with a direct
reporting line to the FAA Administrator. In addition, components of the
Program Management Organization (PMO) that focus on acquiring and
operationalizing new or modernized capabilities should be located
within the AMO.
This is crucial, as Congress intended the AMO to focus on ``the
development of an information-centric NAS,'' and to be successful, it
must be separate from maintenance and support functions, which are
important, but not aligned with objectives for the new office.
Establishing the AMO as a distinct organization, with necessary
components from the PMO and prior NextGen organizations will enable it
to coordinate with all lines of business involved in the integration of
new airspace users and technologies. While many of the prior NextGen
functions can serve as a starting point for the AMO, to achieve its
full potential, the organization should have the authority and budget
to acquire and develop new capabilities, beyond the existing ATO and
NextGen portfolios.
Working Across FAA Lines of Business to Support Innovation
Reliable Robotics appreciates how the FAA's dedicated workforce
continually engages with our team to advance the certification of
aviation safety-enhancing technologies. However, as we move rapidly
towards integrating large uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) into
controlled airspace, the work will shift from aircraft certification to
air traffic and flight standards. Through Section 229, the
reauthorization bill creates a leadership-level steering committee that
brings together the agency lines of business responsible for
integrating large UAS into the NAS. In addition, the group is charged
with creating or updating the FAA's strategy for integrating advanced
aviation technologies.
Based on our understanding, this steering committee must be
established in early 2025, but we are not aware of any updates on the
structure or priorities. Prior to standing up this group, we recommend
that the FAA consult industry stakeholders on top priorities to make
certain that there is proper representation from across the agency. In
addition, this Subcommittee should reinforce the critical importance of
selecting FAA leaders with decision making authority to serve on the
steering committee.
Also, Section 916 of the reauthorization bill requires the FAA to
establish a ``Unmanned and Autonomous Flight Advisory Committee.'' This
committee will provide a structured forum for industry experts to work
collaboratively with the FAA on policy and guidance that supports safe
autonomous aircraft operations. The timeline for implementing this
provision is based on the FAA terminating its prior ``Advanced Aviation
Advisory Committee.'' Based on our understanding, the FAA ended the
charter for the Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee, but we are not
aware of a timeline to establish the new Unmanned and Autonomous Flight
Advisory Committee. We respectfully recommend that this Subcommittee
confirm the timing for establishing the new advisory committee and
ensure there are FAA resources allocated to this activity.
Future NAS Vision
The reauthorization bill has a significant focus on leveraging
technologies available today, and those that will be developed in the
future, to integrate all segments of AAM, including remotely piloted
aircraft. For example, Section 932 requires the FAA to establish an
approval process for third-party service providers which will play an
important role in making the agency more responsive to innovation. This
provision will enable the FAA to create a repeatable approval process
for third-party providers, offering services such as ground-based
detect and avoid and secure command and control links in the NAS. These
services will leverage existing NAS infrastructure and enable
innovative companies to rapidly meet the needs of AAM operators.
Without a consistent and repeatable approval process, one off
authorizations or waivers will be necessary, which diverts limited FAA
resources and slows the adoption of innovative safety-enhancing
technologies.
We respectfully request that Congress closely track the May 2025
deadline for the FAA to establish an approval process for third-party
service providers. Clearly communicating the FAA's progress, and any
opportunities for stakeholders to provide feedback on the new process
will ensure these safety-enhancing services are delivered on time.
* * *
Reliable Robotics is proud to be developing and certifying aviation
safety-enhancing aircraft autonomy in the United States. This
technology will significantly improve aviation safety, connect more
communities with air service and help provide for our national
security. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 provides the agency with
the tools and resources to be more responsive to innovation, and we
look forward to continued engagement with the Subcommittee on Aviation
in the coming year.
Please contact Scott O'Brien, Vice President, Legislative Affairs
with any additional questions.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. With that, Mr. Terreri, you are
recognized for 5 minutes for your testimony.
TESTIMONY OF JASON TERRERI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SYRACUSE
REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY, ON BEHALF OF THE AIRPORTS COUNCIL
INTERNATIONAL-NORTH AMERICA (ACI-NA); ADAM WOODWORTH, CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WING AVIATION LLC; PETER J. BUNCE, PRESIDENT
AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS
ASSOCIATION (GAMA); AND GREG REGAN, PRESIDENT, TRANSPORTATION
TRADES DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO (TTD)
TESTIMONY OF JASON TERRERI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SYRACUSE
REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY, ON BEHALF OF THE AIRPORTS COUNCIL
INTERNATIONAL-NORTH AMERICA (ACI-NA)
Mr. Terreri. Good morning. I am Jason Terreri, the
executive director of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority
in New York. I am also here today in my capacity as chair of
the U.S. Policy Council for Airports Council International-
North America, the trade association for America's airports.
Chairman Sam Graves, Chairman Garret Graves, Ranking Member
Larsen, and Ranking Member Cohen, thank you for having me here
today to share the commercial service airport's perspective on
FAA reauthorization implementation.
On behalf of the airport industry, I would like to start by
saying thank you. Once fully implemented, the FAA
reauthorization bill of 2024 will have significant and positive
impacts across the entire airport system. And subcommittee
Chairman Graves, thank you for all you have done to help and
support airports.
I appreciate this opportunity to explain our position on
the act's implementation, including the work both the FAA and
Congress need to do to bring this bill's promise to fruition.
It is vital that the FAA implements the statutory provisions
consistent with congressional intent, and your rigorous
oversight through hearings like this are critical to ensure
that happens.
The $4 billion in AIP funding and formula changes included
in the act will allow airports to benefit from more AIP
entitlement dollars, allowing airports to prioritize important
infrastructure projects at their facilities for years to come.
While we wait for the resolution of the fiscal year 2025
spending bills, the FAA has not responded to the airport's
request for a general sense of how much entitlement dollars
will be allocated under the new formulas.
We understand that nothing is certain as it comes to
funding, but it is incredibly difficult to plan for projects
without having a better idea of how much money we might
receive. Also, once the appropriations process is complete, and
I emphasize again that the AIP needs a full year of
appropriated funding at the $4 billion level to ensure it
functions properly, we ask for your continued oversight to
ensure new formulas are executed in the manner you intended.
Next, I would like to highlight two provisions that
Congress had to include in the 2024 bill, because the FAA
failed to implement the provisions from the 2018 bill. First,
is section 776, which expands to all airports the streamlining
process for imposing and utilizing passenger facility charges
for infrastructure projects while maintaining all current
public consultation and comment requirements will help the
airport infrastructure projects get underway more
expeditiously.
The FAA should immediately begin rulemaking by this
legislation as airports cannot take advantage of the
streamlined process until the FAA's work is complete.
Second is section 743, which prohibits the FAA from
regulating the land use of certain airport property that was
purchased with local funds. This issue has directly impacted my
airport, and it has hurt others, too. Businesses have walked
away from economic development opportunities because FAA
regulatory determinations take far too long. The FAA should
move quickly to amend its land use policy and to account for
this new statute. I hope we get a chance to discuss this
further today.
On another matter, the airports appreciate this committee's
work to facilitate the transition to aircraft firefighting
foams that do not contain high levels of PFAS chemicals.
Directing the FAA to provide regular transition updates and
authorizing funding for airports to transition to the new foams
were key provisions in the 2024 act. We are eager to move
forward with any transition funding Congress provides, but as
with AIP, we are awaiting appropriations.
We are grateful to the many members of this committee that
signed on to the letters spearheaded by Congressman Carbajal
and Lawler on the need for this funding. We expect to talk to
you all more in the new Congress about this transition and
other issues involving PFAS at airports.
I would like to conclude with an issue that we spend a lot
of time on in Syracuse through our work with the New York Air
National Guard and NUAIR, which is the integration of new
entrants into the National Airspace System. From my experience,
as the only airport in the United States that has fully
integrated drone operations, it is essential for airport
operators to be at the table with FAA as they proceed and
develop the implementation of an updated air traffic management
system.
We also need close collaboration with both FAA and
prospective AAM and UAS operators regarding the airport and
vertiport infrastructure needed to support future operations.
And finally, we need Congress to pass updated UAS detection
and mitigation authorities to our Federal partners along with
airports and other operators of critical infrastructure with a
strong legislative framework upon which to address UAS threats.
In closing, I want to thank you for listening to our
concerns and incorporating many of our industry's top policy
issues into the recent FAA reauthorization bill. Now that the
bill has been signed, there is still a lot of work to do. We
will continue to do our part and look forward to working with
you and the FAA on the implementation of this important
legislation. Thank you.
[Mr. Terreri's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jason Terreri, Executive Director, Syracuse
Regional Airport Authority, on behalf of the Airports Council
International-North America (ACI-NA)
Good morning. I am Jason Terreri, the Executive Director of
Syracuse Regional Airport Authority in New York. Chairman Sam Graves,
Chairman Garret Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, and Ranking Member
Cohen, thank you for providing me the opportunity today to share the
commercial-service airports' perspective on FAA reauthorization
implementation. I am also here in my capacity as Chair of the U.S.
Policy Council at Airports Council International-North America (ACI-
NA), the trade association for America's airports.
On behalf of the airport industry, I want to start with a ``thank
you.'' Once fully funded and implemented, the FAA Reauthorization Act
of 2024 will have significant and positive impacts across the entire
airport system. From increasing funding for airport infrastructure to
reducing costly regulatory burdens, the new FAA law is full of
meaningful and overdue reforms to the FAA and the airport industry. We
recognize the 2024 law did not happen in a vacuum, as our industry has
been front and center with Congress and this committee through multiple
COVID-relief measures, a landmark infrastructure law, and now the
latest FAA reauthorization act. We greatly appreciate all your
commitment and assistance in helping to keep America's airports open
and growing as we are now collectively experiencing our largest
passenger volumes ever.
I appreciate this opportunity to explain our position on the
implementation of the 2024 FAA Act, including the work both the FAA and
Congress need to do to bring the bill's promise to fruition. Since the
enactment, we have been pushing the FAA to move quickly on implementing
the good work of this Congress, and we ask that moving forward you
continue your oversight to ensure that FAA will follow your intent. As
I will highlight for you today, the FAA failed to implement several
provisions from the 2018 FAA Act, including airport land use and PFC
streamlining requirements, that then had to be addressed again in the
latest law. It is vital that the FAA implements statutory provisions
consistent with congressional intent and your rigorous oversight
through hearings like this is critical to ensure this happens.
AIP Funding
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) needs a full year of
appropriated funding at $4 billion in order for the new formula changes
to work properly. The formula changes, first proposed by this committee
and included in the final bill, will allow all airports to benefit from
more AIP entitlement dollars, letting airports prioritize important
infrastructure projects at their facilities for years to come. While we
wait for a final resolution on the fiscal year 2025 spending bills,
airports have asked the FAA for specific dollar amounts of entitlement
dollars they should expect, but the FAA has been unwilling to share
this information. Although we understand that nothing is certain when
it comes to funding, it is incredibly difficult to plan for projects
without having a better idea of how much money we might receive. Even a
general idea of funding amounts would be helpful. Once the
appropriations process is complete, and I emphasize again that AIP
needs a full year of appropriated funding at $4 billion to function
properly, we ask that this committee continue oversight to ensure the
new formulas are executed in the manner the act intended.
Airport Land Use
The FAA should move quickly to implement the new congressional
instructions on dealing with airport land use included in the 2024 Act
and amend the agency's land use policy issued in early 2024 to account
for the new statutory regime.
Section 743 of the 2024 Act rewrites a provision from the 2018 Act
prohibiting the FAA from regulating, directly or indirectly, the
acquisition, use, lease, transfer, or disposal of airport property by
an airport owner or operator if the land was not purchased with federal
funds, except to ensure that the safety and efficiency of flight
operations are maintained, and that fair market value is received.
While the new provision cedes some authority back to FAA on what
type of land is subject to oversight, it places some new limits on the
agency's authority--such as prohibiting the FAA from extending its
review authority to any non-aeronautical portions of a project and
setting a 45-day review window for the FAA to raise any objections.
These new limits should help move airport projects along more quickly,
avoiding costly FAA delays that have hurt airports like Syracuse. Since
the land use provision was not implemented properly back in 2018, my
airport lost a significant revenue opportunity on a development deal.
Since getting this right is this is a top priority for airports, the
FAA should socialize the procedures to implement the new law with their
headquarters and regional offices staff and airports as quickly as
possible. Real economic opportunities are at stake if the FAA chooses
to continue to ignore congressional intent.
PFC Streamlining
The FAA should move quickly to start rulemaking on the new pilot
program that will significantly reduce the paperwork burden and federal
review times for airport infrastructure projects utilizing passenger
facility charges (PFCs).
Section 776 of the 2024 Act broadens a pilot program from the 2018
Act allowing airports, under certain conditions and with FAA approval,
to file a notice of their intent to impose a PFC rather than file a
full application with the FAA. While the pilot program maintains all
presently required air carrier consultation and comment requirements
and permits the FAA to require additional review in certain
circumstances, it also sets limits on when the FAA may object to an
airport's request. Additionally, the section leaves in place the FAA's
current process for allowing participation in the pilot program until
the FAA conducts new rulemaking to account for the new law, which is
already significantly delayed from its September 13 deadline.
Already having missed the statutory deadline, the FAA should start
the rulemaking as quickly as possible and consider the public comments
ACI-NA filed earlier this year on ways to improve the pilot program so
airport infrastructure projects can get underway more expeditiously.
FAA Operations
Our airport enjoys a strong working relationship with our FAA
representatives. However, the post-pandemic period has been difficult.
I am fortunate to run an airport that is growing, and our challenges
are mostly due to regulatory and financial constraints that limit the
pace of our expansion. We need an FAA that is present at our airports,
cognizant of the economic environments in which we operate, and
committed to expediting, not delaying, development. We have worked
through most of the issues we have experienced such as land releases,
but I would urge the committee to work with the FAA to ensure they are
on the job and focused on being partners in the mission to grow.
Firefighting Foam Transition
Airports appreciate the committee's work with airports and the
aircraft rescue and firefighting community to facilitate the transition
from aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to fluorine-free foam (F3).
Directing the FAA to provide regular transition updates to airports and
authorizing funding for airports to transition to the new foams were
key provisions in the 2024 Act. We are eager to move forward with any
F3 transition funding Congress provides, but, as with the AIP, we are
waiting for appropriations.
The Senate's transportation spending bill contains the first $70
million in transition funds. ACI-NA worked with Congressmen Carbajal
and Lawler on a bipartisan letter to House appropriators signed by over
80 members--including many on this committee--asking the House to
accept the Senate provision in a final spending bill. We ask you to
continue to weigh in with appropriators to ensure that this bipartisan
provision is properly funded in the final spending bill.
Unfortunately, airports' work on PFAS does not just end with
funding. Earlier this year the EPA finalized a rule designating PFOA
and PFOS as a hazardous substance under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Airports, as
mandated by the federal government, have used firefighting foams
containing PFOA and PFOS for decades. We have done so in good faith to
meet our federal mandate of keeping the traveling public safe. Now that
we know these chemicals have harmful health and environmental impacts,
airports are beginning the costly transition to new firefighting foams.
However, being held liable for doing what the federal government has
required us to do puts U.S. airports in an impossible position. As part
of EPA's final rule, the agency issued an administrative policy that it
did not intend to pursue entities like airports, but since this is
subject to administrative discretion it is not binding law. We ask that
Congress grant U.S. airports a specific CERCLA-liability exemption.
ACI-NA and its members strongly support S. 1433, the Airports PFAS
Liability Protection Act introduced by Senator Lummis, and we hope this
issue will be high on congressional agenda next year.
Airside Safety
Airports want to participate with the FAA in initiatives to improve
runway, taxiway, and apron safety, including implementation of the
broad provisions under Title III of the 2024 Act, as well as in
separate initiatives dealing with apron safety, FOD detection, airside
ground vehicle tracking, and continuing improvements to signage and
marking. As significant stakeholders in the U.S. aviation system,
airports want to ensure that safety measures are effective, affordable,
and appropriate.
NEPA Processes
Airports look forward to implementation of the new CatEx provision
in the 2024 Act, which hopefully will enable limited environmental
review resources to be focused on larger projects that really require
this focus. Your continued attention to these matters is appreciated.
Air Traffic Management
Airports are concerned about the current state of the U.S. air
traffic control system. Although we have seen benefits from the decade
and a half focus on modernization of the air traffic control system
known as NextGen, we have seen an array of NAS challenges causing
delays, disruption, and--most critically--adversely impact the safety
of the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). These challenges include
air traffic control staffing, training, and the sustainment of critical
NAS equipment from air traffic control towers, surveillance systems,
communications systems, and navigational aids. They also include
emerging issues such as bolstering the resiliency of the NAS to cyber
threats and the integration of new entrant aircraft.
We appreciate the provisions in the 2024 Reauthorization Act that
address these issues, which are critical to the safe and efficient
operation of the NAS.
New Entrant Integration
New entrant aircraft--inclusive of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS)
and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft--have captured the imagination
of the aviation industry and open the door to an exciting array of
innovative use cases.
Integrating both categories of new entrants into a mature and
complex airspace system is a significant undertaking that requires a
re-envisioning of how our NAS is managed. At Syracuse, we have been
proud to be on the cutting edge of this effort through our longstanding
partnership with the 174th Attack Wing of the New York Air National
Guard, which operates the MQ-9 from our airport, as well as through our
partnership with NUAIR, who managed the New York FAA-designated UAS
Test Site for over a decade and recently relocated their operations to
our airport as they advance their UAS operations and expand into AAM.
Through this work with our key partners, I have had a front row
seat to the challenges we need to confront in integrating new entrant
aircraft into the NAS. It is essential for airport operators to be at
the table as the FAA proceeds with developing and implementing unmanned
air traffic system management and integration of AAM into the current
air traffic management system. Airport operators have critical equities
in the safety, efficiency, and community impacts these integration
efforts. We also see the need for close collaboration with both the FAA
and prospective AAM and UAS operators regarding the airport and
vertiport infrastructure needed to support future operations. Although
airports were not specifically named in the 2024 FAA Act as a
stakeholder in sec. 916, it is important for airports to have a seat on
the Unmanned and Autonomous Flight Advisory Committee created by this
section.
Challenges and risks associated with these new entrant aircraft--
particularly UAS--have multiplied as UAS technology has matured and
become increasingly accessible to all, posing numerous risks. We
believe it is essential for airport operators to have both regulatory
and statutory foundations that enable us to protect aviation
infrastructure from such bad actors. Unfortunately, provisions that
address rapidly maturing provisions were not included in the 2024 Act.
I urge you and your colleagues in the Senate to move to resolve
differences between House and Senate versions of UAS detection and
mitigation provisions and provide airport operators--along with other
operators of critical infrastructure--a strong legislative framework
upon which to address UAS threats.
Finally, both UAS and AAM will rely on fundamentally different
energy sources than today's general aviation and commercial aircraft,
with a heavy focus on electricity and an emerging focus on hydrogen. We
encourage you to work closely with your colleagues on the Energy and
Commerce Committee going forward to address critical energy supply and
distribution challenges that increasing UAS and AAM operations will
drive.
* * * *
In closing, thank you for listening to our concerns and
incorporating many of our industry's top policy issues into the recent
FAA reauthorization law. Airports realize that even though the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024 has been signed into law, much work
remains. We will continue to do our part and look forward to working
with you and the FAA on the implementation of this important
legislation.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Mr. Terreri, thank you, and I want
to say, I think I can speak for the full panel here that we
have great frustration with the FAA's lack of clarity to you as
well in regard to the 5-year authorization levels, and the
reason we do a 5-year bill is to provide that clarity and
certainty moving forward, and so, just know that you have a
number of allies. We did it for a reason. We wrote it for a
reason, and we are pushing them to get the information out to
airports as soon as possible.
Mr. Woodworth, thank you for being back. You are recognized
for 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF ADAM WOODWORTH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WING
AVIATION LLC
Mr. Woodworth. Good morning, members of the subcommittee,
and thank you, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen,
subcommittee Chairman Graves, and subcommittee Ranking Member
Cohen for inviting me to offer my perspective on the
implementation of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. I am
here in my capacity as the chief executive officer of Wing, a
logistics company focused on package delivery by drone of
retail goods, food items, and medical supplies. My testimony
will offer a broad overview of where we have been, where we are
going, and what you can do now to help American industry.
A year and a half ago, as this committee was ramping up its
efforts to assemble an FAA reauthorization bill, I testified
about the need for a predictable and pragmatic approach to
drone integration and a regulatory framework that will allow us
to fly by rule rather than by exception. For several years, the
United States progress had stalled. This committee recognized
that and acted in a bipartisan fashion to provide oversight and
craft sensible policy solutions to advance safe drone
integration.
I am thankful to Congress and to this committee's
leadership that the Reauthorization Act of 2024 includes
numerous provisions that enable the FAA to move the drone
operations forward. This is working, and we are making real
progress again in the United States.
The FAA streamlined the waiver process and created a new
criteria for making determinations that enables timely updates
to our hardware and software. It has approved beyond visual
line of sight operations and enabled us to fly with our detect
and avoid systems without the need for visual observers. And in
north Texas, industry has implemented a UAS traffic management
structure overseen by the FAA, which provides a framework for
commercial BVLOS operators that is repeatable nationwide and
has drawn interest from stakeholders all around the globe.
This has enabled true expansion in the domestic market.
This year, Wing's delivery service has grown across the DFW
area where we currently operate from 16 partner locations to
the service area covering an estimated population of over 2
million people. We are operating every day with the United
States largest employer, with Walmart, and its largest food
aggregator, with DoorDash, delivering tens of thousands of
orders this year alone. We can also now field the best versions
of our service rolling out timely updates to aircraft hardware
and software that improve accessibility and capabilities to our
customers.
We have seen how drone delivery can improve the experience
of customers day-to-day and we have seen the impact drone
delivery can have when it matters most as we conducted disaster
assistance in North Carolina in partnership with Walmart after
Hurricane Helene.
We have done this while continuing to build relationships
with the communities we operate in and around. We have
participated in some of general aviation's largest events
allowing aviators and the general public to see what drone
delivery actually looks like and showing those communities how
we can safely share airspace.
We continue to have the support from the communities we
operate in, showing that there is true economic and customer
demand for these services, and this progress has given us
confidence to invest further in the U.S. market and has come
from the positive changes that we have seen at the FAA because
of your work.
Beyond our operations in Texas and Virginia, we are now
looking to further expand into more States starting with North
Carolina and then further into Florida next year. Companies
across our industry have seen similar advances in their
operations, and this progress has been truly transformative for
our businesses. So, I want to ask for your continued support
and oversight as the FAA reauthorization moves toward
implementation over the coming year.
First, we need to publish the BVLOS draft notice of
proposed rulemaking. It is critical to get this rule out to
allow for public and industry comment.
Second, the FAA must work to streamline the environmental
approval process. This remains the longest lead item for
expansion and must see a more programmatic and nationwide
approach to this process. While the FAA is making strides here,
the progress is still slow.
Third, we must consider a pragmatic approach to hazardous
material treatment. The FAA must provide a more sensible
approach for small drones to carry everyday items like
thermometers, small batteries, and over-the-counter medicine.
And fourth, the FAA must continue to focus on implementing
section 927 which calls for the FAA to streamline and improve
the process of issuing 44807 waivers.
The great news is that the FAA reauthorization bill
provides a blueprint for all of this, and your oversight is
critical to ensure that the FAA now builds the outcomes that
you intended and cements the gains that have been made so far.
Before I close my remarks, I would like to take a moment to
offer my congratulations to subcommittee Chairman Garret Graves
for his long career in committed public service. Today's
hearing is an opportunity to recognize your lifelong pursuit of
advancing sensible policy solutions. Your constituents in
Louisiana and indeed the whole aviation sector are better for
it, and we wish you well in your future endeavors.
I thank the leadership of this committee for the
opportunity to participate in today's hearing, and I will be
pleased to answer your questions at the appropriate time. Thank
you.
[Mr. Woodworth's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing
Aviation LLC
Introduction
Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, Subcommittee Chairman
Graves, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Cohen, thank you for inviting
me to offer my perspective on implementation of the landmark FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024. I offer my testimony as Chief Executive
Officer of Wing, a logistics company focused on package delivery by
drone of retail goods, food items, and medical samples and supplies.
Across the industry, commercial drone operators like Wing
prioritize safe integration of drones into the airspace while providing
our partners, customers, and communities with safe, efficient and
sustainable service. My testimony will offer a broad overview of where
we have been, where we are going, and what you can do now to help
support the continued growth of the American drone industry. We
appreciate the proactive and bipartisan approach members of this
committee have taken to address these important issues.
A year and a half ago, I testified about the need for the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) to take a predictable and pragmatic
approach to drone integration and enable a regulatory framework that
would allow us to fly by rule rather than by exception. Members of this
committee recognized that American progress in drone policy had stalled
and they acted in bipartisan fashion to provide oversight and craft
sensible policy solutions to advance safe drone integration. I am
thankful to Congress--and this Committee's leadership in particular--
for an FAA Reauthorization Act which includes numerous provisions that
addressed the challenges I discussed. Your efforts worked, and we are
now making real progress again in the United States.
Progress Since 2023
To the FAA's credit, they began working to make progress to advance
the United States' drone industry in response to your oversight. For
example, the FAA has streamlined the waiver process and has created a
Criteria for Making Determinations (CMD) process. These improvements
have enabled the agency to approve true beyond visual line of sight
(BVLOS) operations utilizing our detect and avoid system without the
need for visual observers, as well as more efficiently accept aircraft
and aircraft software changes. This allows us to field the best version
of our service, rolling out timely updates to aircraft hardware and
software that improve accessibility and capabilities to our customers.
In North Texas, Wing and industry partners have initiated a UAS
Traffic Management (UTM) governance structure overseen by the FAA that
provides a framework to introduce strategic coordination among
professional BVLOS operators that is repeatable nationwide and has
drawn significant interest from regulators around the world as a
commonsense, lightweight approach to airspace integration. All this
progress--and the value it has shown our partners and customers--has
enabled Wing to continue to grow our services throughout the past year.
We have expanded Wing's delivery service across the Dallas-Fort
Worth (DFW) metropolitan area and currently operate from 16 partner
locations, covering a population of more than 2 million people. We are
operating with the country's largest employer, Walmart, and the
country's largest food aggregator, DoorDash, every day--delivering tens
of thousands of orders this year.
We have seen how drone delivery can improve the experience of
customers day to day. And we have also seen the impact drone delivery
can have when it matters most, when we conducted disaster assistance in
North Carolina in partnership with Walmart after Hurricane Helene.
This progress has carried over outside the United States as well.
Due in part to the demonstrated safety and readiness of our technology,
we are now flying blood samples between the rooftops of two hospitals
in the heart of London. And in Australia, we have opened service in
Melbourne, furthering our progress in mature markets where regulation
allows for scaled operations.
We have seen rapid progress across the industry over the last 18
months in the United States. During our own 2024 expansion, we have
continued to see strong support from the communities we operate in and
strong customer demand:
We have averaged a 75 and above Net Promoter Score (NPS)
in the DFW metro area compared with parcel delivery services receiving
an average NPS of 21 per a recent Qualtrics XM Institute survey; \1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Qualtrics XM Institute, Economics of NPS in the Parcel Delivery
Industry, 2021, https://www.qualtrics.com/m/www.xminstitute.com/wp-
content/uploads/2021/03/XMInstitute_
DataSnapshot_EconomicsOfNPS2020_ParcelDeliveryServices-1.pdf. For
reference, a NPS above 20 is considered ``favorable'', and any NPS over
50 is considered ``excellent'' and represents a very high degree of
consumer satisfaction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 2024 alone, we conducted over 40 community events in
DFW, as well as nine Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
outreach events, and met with over 20 city councils and planning and
zoning commissions.
Most importantly we engaged with thousands of residents
and feedback collected at local events and Walmart stores reflected an
over 95 percent positive sentiment.
While doing this we've invested in continuing to build
relationships with the communities we operate in and around. We have
participated in general aviation's largest events, including EAA
AirVenture and SUN `n FUN airshows. Allowing aviators and the public to
see what drone delivery actually looks like.
The progress of the last year has given us the confidence to invest
more significantly in the US market. To maintain this momentum we have
announced our intention to further expand into additional states,
starting with North Carolina and then further into Florida.
Path Forward
The progress over the last year and a half has been transformative
and I want to ask for this committee's and Congress' continued support
and oversight as we move towards implementing the FAA Reauthorization
Act of 2024 over the coming year. We must ensure that the United States
does not fall behind other competing countries in this new era of
aviation. The good news is the Act provides the right blueprint for
these reforms, and I want to draw your attention to six specific issues
it addresses where Congress' oversight is critical:
First, the FAA must publish a notice of proposed
rulemaking establishing a framework for BVLOS operations in the United
States this year. While we are encouraged the FAA has sent the proposed
BVLOS rule to the White House, it is critical to complete the
interagency process and publish the proposed rulemaking so that
stakeholders can provide public comments on the draft rule and see how
the FAA has interpreted the bipartisan direction of this committee and
Congress;
Second, the FAA must work to streamline the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. We can do this without
compromising existing environmental standards.
+ While the FAA is making strides here, the progress is too
slow. We must see a more programmatic and nationwide approach to NEPA
as called for in the Act.
+ This is the longest lead item today when Wing wants to expand
our service to a new area and often delays our service availability.
Third, we must consider pragmatic approaches to hazardous
materials. The FAA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration must follow the direction of this committee and provide
a more sensible and pragmatic approach for small drones to carry
everyday items like thermometers, watch batteries, and certain ``over
the counter'' medicines and goods such as hand sanitizer.
+ The current aviation regulatory requirements are designed for
large airplanes with people on board carrying large quantities of
dangerous goods. We must address this burdensome regulation and enable
a more sensible framework for uncrewed aircraft carrying small
quantities of everyday items.
Fourth, the FAA should build on progress on waivers
designed to streamline and improve rulemaking processes. The FAA should
implement Section 927 of the Act to continue to improve progress on
waivers while we wait on the beyond visual line of sight rulemaking to
be adjudicated in the rulemaking process. By implementing Section 927,
applicants can have their ideas evaluated on the merits by the agency
in a more streamlined fashion, helping the pace of acceptance keep up
with the pace of demand and technological safety improvements.
Fifth, the FAA should designate Network Remote ID as a
true alternative means of compliance for the Remote Identification
Rule. As the FAA furthers its rulemaking for BVLOS operations, it
should adopt an alternative means of compliance--consistent with the
ASTM F3411 standards--following the direction provided in Section 907
of the Act. This has been utilized in several FAA demonstrations and is
being implemented in markets beyond the United States.
Sixth, the FAA must develop additional expertise on
automation. The FAA should consult with industry on Section 924 of the
Act, which calls for the FAA to develop expertise on automation.
Specifically, the FAA should identify FAA processes and regulations
that need to change to accommodate the increasingly automated role of a
remote operator of an unmanned aircraft system.
All of these steps are critical to ensuring the Act's
implementation moves the industry forward and maintains and builds upon
the progress we have made in recent years. Now is the time to keep that
momentum going strong. Delays in implementing these proposals have a
negative impact on American consumers and businesses.
Closing
To its credit and thanks to your work, the FAA has made significant
strides forward over the past year and a half by improving and
streamlining its interim approval processes. This has enabled the
industry's continuing expansion towards nationwide scaled operations,
but your oversight is critical to ensure that the FAA now cements these
recent gains. The good news is the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024
provides the blueprint for all of this. Now we must move collectively
and expeditiously to implement the vision that this committee and
Congress articulated so that consumers and businesses can benefit from
what this aviation sector has to offer.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Mr. Woodworth. You said
you are expanding to Louisiana? Is that what I heard? Thank
you.
Next, we are going to go to Mr. Bunce. Thank you for being
back in the committee. I know your punchcard is almost full in
terms of the number of times you have been here. I also know
that you are moving toward the next phase in life, and I do
want to thank you for your distinguished service, of course, in
the United States Air Force when I met you, gosh, probably 25
years ago, and for your great stakeholder representation over
the years. You have been a good ally to us in helping us
identify issues and solutions, and I want to thank you for
being back. I recognize you for 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF PETER J. BUNCE, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER, GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (GAMA)
Mr. Bunce. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and during those 25
years that you and I have known each other, I just have been so
impressed with the way you approach policy and your service to
the Nation, and I can't thank you enough. And the proof is
really in the pudding with what you all did together, you
working with Mr. Cohen and Mr. Larsen and Sam Graves all
working together and this whole committee. Those of us that
make our living in this profession, you made us proud that you
could get together when we were all in this room at the very
beginning of the Congress and they said the drama is going to
be down the hall. We are going to get our work done here, and
you did it.
And it wasn't just the bill itself. It was the hearing
process that led up to it, because the FAA started listening.
One of our big issues that we absolutely need to live on into
the new administration is rulemaking. Rulemaking was broken.
The FAA would use this ex parte as a reason not to even talk to
foreign authorities as they are going through the long
rulemaking process. Things sat on the shelf for years and
years.
And what did the FAA do? They started listening to you and
they started promulgating rules and getting the process going.
It is not perfect yet. It isn't moving fast enough, but it is
going forward, and that is why we cannot go back to that two-
for-one for aviation. That idea that we could get rid of two
rules or more for every one we promulgate works for other
agencies, and I am all for less Government regulation, but in
aviation, we can't do anything without a regulation. They are
enabling, and that goes to policy and guidance, so, we really
look to you to be able to help us make sure we emphasize to the
new administration that that is very important.
Successes that have happened because of the pressure that
you have put on the FAA, the release of the SFAR, which
basically is the operational rules that allow advanced air
mobility aircraft to enter into the system now is published,
which now once the aircraft is certified, hopefully next year,
they will start entering service.
And in companion to that is the Advanced Air Mobility
Coordination and Leadership Act that you, Chairman Graves,
along with Member Davids--when you published that, it got an
all-of-Government approach to look for advanced air mobility.
We were just briefed by DOT last week they are getting ready to
release the final report, but we need the new administration to
embrace it, because that is the way the United States will lead
in this transformation of technology. And so, we hope that you
will all emphasize to the new administration the importance of
moving that forward.
As Ranking Member Larsen mentioned, what we've done with
workforce is critically important, and we hope the
appropriators follow through in allowing the manufacturing
workforce to benefit from the grants. Our companies have great
programs to be able to tap in to high schools, to be able to
get them into the factories and encourage them, whether they
are going to tech school or whether they are going to college
to be able to take advantage of scholarship programs and that,
but this seed money will help those institutions be able to
give us our seed corn to be able to grow our workforce.
And that applies to the FAA as well. Right now, the FAA
workforce, 40 percent have under 4 years of experience. And so,
they are having success recruiting out of colleges to be able
to build their workforce. But they are still very green, and we
all know with what has happened in our focus on production
quality, and things like that that happen in a factory, we need
very qualified people to work at the FAA. And these workforce
grants will help them to recruit the workforce that we need in
the industry to be able to do our jobs.
We also want to be able to leverage this new technology
that is out there, so, in the bill, you focus on mobile
clearances. It becomes very important that we use digital
communications to give communications to launch clearances,
especially for advanced air mobility and aircraft. And also to
be able to go in and finish the rulemaking not only on beyond
visual line of sight but what we call MOSAIC, which is
basically a new way to streamline the certification of light
aircraft that are out there, to be able to make them cheaper
and more affordable for people to get into aviation and then
grow in their experience, to be able to be our great airline
skilled workforce.
The investment facilities and equipment, Mr. Larsen
mentioned it, when you put the emphasis on having awareness of
what is happening on runways and taxiways and everything, that
becomes very important, and the FAA followed through with that
to be able to deploy more cost-effective systems that use this
ADS-B technology that we all pioneered several years ago to be
able to help with runway awareness.
So, this bill has done tremendous amount of good for this
Nation, and we just need to keep the initiative going. I look
forward to your questions.
[Mr. Bunce's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Peter J. Bunce, President and Chief Executive
Officer, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
On behalf of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, thank
you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of our membership on the
implementation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63). As the 118th Congress
concludes its work and we look toward the holiday season, our
membership is grateful and appreciative of the leadership,
determination, and bipartisan effort that culminated in passage of the
law in May.
We want to thank the leadership of the Subcommittee on Aviation,
Chairman Garret Graves and Ranking Member Steve Cohen, the full
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) leadership, Chairman
Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen, as well as all the members
of this Committee for crafting this significant piece of bipartisan
legislation. I want to express a special note of thanks and
appreciation to Chairman Garret Graves. He is held in high regard by
the GAMA staff and membership, and we look forward to continuing to
work with him as he leaves Congress and looks to take on his next great
chapter.
The 2024 FAA Reauthorization is a tremendous accomplishment that
should be lauded for its comprehensive nature and broad scope of issues
it tackles. It should have a lasting impact given the strong foundation
of consensus and bipartisan support it is built upon. If properly
implemented, it will have a meaningful and positive influence on the
aviation sector and general aviation community.
For GAMA, the legislation contains the key priorities that our
membership advocated for including policies that advance safety, jobs,
innovation, and global competitiveness in aviation. The challenge now
is to ensure that FAA prioritizes the timely implementation of the law
and both Congress and the Administration stay the course and meet the
funding and other requirements of this measure.
In the U.S., general aviation supports $247 billion in total
economic output annually and 1.2 million total jobs, with GAMA
companies having facilities in 49 states. GAMA members include more
than 140 of the world's leading manufacturers of general aviation
airplanes, rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft and their engines,
avionics, components, and related technologies. GAMA members are also
providers of maintenance and repair services, fixed-based operations,
pilot and maintenance training, and aircraft management companies.
Additionally, GAMA represents companies in the emerging sector of
advanced air mobility (AAM), which includes the development of electric
and hybrid propelled vertical take-off and landing aircraft and
autonomous systems for civil purposes. Industry activity takes place at
more than 5,000 public-use airports, connecting small and medium-sized
communities to air service across the U.S. and supporting businesses,
jobs and many diverse operations ranging from agriculture to law
enforcement, fire, medical and other emergency rescue services.
At Altitude with Tailwinds
Since the law's enactment, the FAA has met several milestones and
should be commended for their work. Some examples include the recent
publication of the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for
operating and licensing rules for powered-lift aircraft. This was an
important step forward for the AAM sector and serves as a strong basis
for bringing this innovation to the marketplace. Work remains to shape
the permanent AAM regulatory and infrastructure framework, but a strong
foundation to build on is in place thanks to the legislation.
The FAA also is moving forward on the cybersecurity provisions
outlined in the bill by releasing a notice of proposed rulemaking for
initial and continued airworthiness for transport category airplanes,
engines, and propellers. Additionally, as directed by the bill, FAA and
TSA have increased their collaboration on cybersecurity measures while
respecting the lines of jurisdiction of the respective agencies with
FAA taking the leadership role on aircraft, aircraft systems, and air
traffic. This approach aligns with National Security Memorandum 22 on
Critical Infrastructure and the direction in the reauthorization.
Awaiting Takeoff Clearance
A central tenet of GAMA's reauthorization requests was to address
challenges in the FAA's rulemaking and regulatory processes. The
cybersecurity rule mentioned earlier has finally advanced thanks to
continued attention from Congress. However, this rulemaking also
underscores the problems in the rulemaking process given the FAA
aviation rulemaking advisory committee submitted recommendations in
2016 which were promulgated and adopted by the European Union Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020. We will likely not see the FAA final rule
until 2025.
As this Committee realized, a contributing factor in preventing
safety and innovation from moving forward and benefiting the aviation
system has been significant delays in the FAA's promulgation of
rulemaking, policies, and guidance which has caused a large backlog of
technical standards, policy memos, orders, and advisory circulars
necessary for implementation. This delays the development of new
products and disadvantages U.S. manufacturers in the international
marketplace. Civil aviation is unique given that even minor changes
that enhance safety are prohibited in the absence of government
approved standards and guidance. In aviation, the biggest challenge to
enabling efficiency is not to stop rulemaking and other regulatory
materials related to the promulgation of safety and technical
standards: instead, it is to find ways to move them forward in a
timely, transparent, and accountable manner to facilitate advances in
new technology and enhance U.S. aviation safety, leadership, and
competitiveness.
One key element for addressing these obstacles was included in FAA
Reauthorization: the establishment of the new Assistant Administrator
for Rulemaking and Regulatory Improvement office. This office,
reporting to the FAA Administrator and part of the management team, is
designed to address key rulemaking challenges, improve coordination,
and yield support for safety, innovation, and international leadership.
Our understanding is the FAA is working internally to stand up this
office and implement this important position, however, reprogramming of
existing funds or specific requests for new funds may be required to
fulfill this objective.
Our membership strongly supports the creation and integration of
this office into the FAA organization, in an expeditious manner as well
as establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability. An
effective rulemaking process, which includes promulgation of policies
and guidance, is critical to ending FAA's own version of Groundhog Day
on regulatory materials where in the absence of final rulemakings, they
must promulgate the same special conditions and exemptions again and
again on project after project.
An example of the importance of an effective and efficient
rulemaking process is the FAA's Modernization of Special Airworthiness
Certification (MOSAIC). The general aviation community is eagerly
awaiting the final rule which was directed by Congress for
implementation within two years but has been contemplated for much
longer. This enabling rule will incentivize manufacturers to produce a
broader scope of light-sport aircraft that can more efficiently
incorporate safety enhancements and more versatility by expanding the
existing and proven use of industry consensus standards. These changes
will benefit many segments of our community, including manufacturers,
pilots, aircraft owners, and the flight training community. We
understand the FAA is on track to publish the MOSAIC rule, and we
recognize the important role Congress has played in moving this
forward. We encourage policymakers to continue to support the
development and implementation of this important rule.
Additional work is also ahead for the FAA is to advance a
rulemaking to normalize unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) beyond the
visual line of sight (BVLOS). GAMA is supportive of the safe
integration of BVLOS operation as noted in comments to the docket.
Integrating UAS operation into the National Airspace System (NAS)
through this BVLOS rulemaking over the next few years in addition to
follow-on rulemaking activities to address larger aircraft and
operations at higher altitudes will require that the FAA has an
efficient and effective rulemaking process. The FAA should also have a
way to evaluate and rapidly incorporate detect and avoid technology
into UAS flight control logic to manage increasing demands from
stakeholders across the aviation industry.
As an association that is also fortunate to represent companies
that are headquartered all over the world, GAMA has also been a
consistent advocate for safety cooperation and harmonization between
bilateral partners to support the flow of commerce into the global
marketplace. The FAA must ensure that aviation safety agreements,
especially with leading aircraft states of design, deliver on their
promise to enhance regulatory effectiveness and efficiency and support
product delivery into the domestic and international marketplace. This
remains critical as aviation products and safety enhancing technologies
must be type certificated by the FAA to enter the domestic marketplace
and validated with foreign authorities before being accepted into
global markets. U.S. aviation has benefited from a long-standing system
that has facilitated the flow of aviation products based on aviation
safety agreements rather than economic considerations. Strengthening
that system should be a continuing focus of FAA and other aviation
authorities. Recent decisions by FAA and other aviation authorities to
establish performance metrics and make other improvements in the system
are encouraging. We thank the Committee for helping to drive that
progress.
In Chocks Awaiting Engine Start
There are also several important areas of interest where we are not
yet seeing tangible progress, despite direction in the FAA
Reauthorization to do so. GAMA advocated for many provisions that are
critical to safety and technical expertise of the government and
industry workforce, as well as efforts to better leverage federal
investments and technologies to move the aviation sector forward.
For example, GAMA has consistently been a proponent of the FAA
Aviation Workforce Development Program and strongly supports the FAA
Reauthorization, which added an aviation manufacturing component to
complement the existing pilot and maintenance programs. The industry
faces a critical workforce shortage which must be addressed to maintain
industry leadership. Prioritizing this investment will support the
education and recruitment of aviation manufacturing workers and
aerospace engineers as well as enhancing industry training and
technical competence the aviation industry demands. While we celebrate
the addition of manufacturing to this program, the reality is that
appropriations funding is needed to move forward.
Continued training for FAA personnel and knowledge-sharing
opportunities with industry are also crucial to bolstering the
technical expertise of the FAA and enhancing their oversight
capabilities. The FAA's technical competencies and resources correlate
directly with the industry's ability to bring new products and safety
enhancements to the marketplace. Continued strong funding is needed for
FAA's aviation certification and safety activities and we urge the
Congress and Administration to provide these resources and facilitate
critical hiring and training.
We also applaud the reauthorization's focus and scrutiny of the
Department of Transportation's (DOT) and FAA's telework policy. To
properly conduct the agency's mission, the safety workforce should be
physically located where and when they can effectively collaborate in-
person and develop their professional and technical expertise through
on-the-job knowledge transfer and to enable timely decision making for
safety certification and conducting oversight activities. We look
forward to the agency moving to address this directive.
The FAA Reauthorization also recognizes the importance of planning
ahead to ensure that FAA is prepared to support the U.S. aviation
activities of tomorrow. The FAA needs to work with industry to launch
the Future State of Type Certification Process study mandated in the
law. This study will propose ways to improve the safety, effectiveness,
and efficiency of the certification process by better leveraging the
use of digitization, modeling techniques, and software systems and
developing a more robust risk-based approach for compliance and
oversight activities. Additionally, the study will look at how to
introduce safety improvements and corrective actions into the
certification process and evaluate best practices and tools used by
other certification authorities outside the U.S. This work has the
potential to illustrate how technology and ingenuity can better serve
the FAA's critical safety role in a more effective manner. This study
will also complement other reauthorization provisions regarding
utilization of advanced tools and modernization of transport airplanes
and propulsion certification.
The pro-technology and innovation basis of the FAA Reauthorization
is underscored by the provision that creates a pilot program to deliver
clearances via mobile devices (e.g. tablets) through Internet Protocol.
Previous FAA funded trials have illustrated this technology delivers
functionality and can be enabled safely and securely while
simultaneously delivering fuel savings and operational efficiencies.
The FAA needs to ramp up this pilot program, which builds upon prior
agency research efforts, and will have great benefit for general
aviation pilots and controllers as well as the overall system by making
operations at key airports more predictable.
Managing Ground and Air Traffic
The reality is for our membership and the broader aviation sector
to flourish we must also have a strong and sound U.S. air traffic
system. This is a vital public good, supporting national security,
small communities, and businesses across the country. A forward-looking
vision for the FAA's management of the air traffic control system is
essential. This is critical as FAA must keep pace with an evolving
industry with current users and new entrants placing new and changing
demands on the system. The FAA Reauthorization, if properly
implemented, provides such a road map for increasing the efficiency of
the system, enhancing the air traffic workforce, evaluating system
capital investment needs and examining the consolidation or
reorganizing of facilities and equipment.
The FAA Reauthorization required the creation of a program to
further system design and operational approvals for remote towers,
prioritizing airports without permanent towers and small and rural
communities to expand air traffic services. We hope the Committee will
continue its focus on this program.
As part of these continuing modernization efforts, GAMA strongly
believes that the Administration and Congress should consider making
changes to the administration of the Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF)
that will give the FAA the ability to more effectively utilize the AATF
balance, collected from aviation users, for facility upgrades and
technology modernization. This initiative has broad stakeholder
support, which is notable given past efforts to improve the air traffic
system have not achieved such consensus and, therefore, hindered the
ability to address these investments in a direct and constructive
fashion.
Additional Flight Benefits
Collaboration has also been prevalent between government and
industry in other areas. For example, recommendations of the federal
interagency working group established by the bipartisan AAM
Coordination and Leadership Act (P.L. 117-203) are likely forthcoming
and represent a whole-of-government approach to integration and
adoption of AAM. Our membership strongly supports this effort and hopes
Congress will keep the Administration focused on the timely delivery of
this report and its recommendations.
In a similar fashion, we also encourage consideration of the
recommendations of the congressionally created Aerospace Supply Chain
Resiliency Task Force to support supply chain stability and industry
growth and competitiveness. This remains a challenge for our
membership, and commerce, and is critical to address for the health and
vitality of the international aviation marketplace.
Important Vector Check
On behalf of the membership of the GAMA, thank you for the role
this committee and its leadership played in facilitating consideration
and passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The steady hand and
strong leadership of all involved to achieve this important milestone
is to be commended and is deeply meaningful to the aviation sector and
broader U.S. economy and commerce.
As we move forward, hearings and congressional oversight will
continue to serve an important purpose--to highlight where there is
success, where work remains, where focus needs to be placed, and where
there are unanticipated challenges. It also serves as a compelling
reminder to stay focused on implementation of this law especially
during this time of transition. For this reason, thank you for the
opportunity to provide a vector check for the FAA, industry,
policymakers, and those who benefit from the robust aviation sector the
U.S. is fortunate to have and must maintain. The fruits of your FAA
Reauthorization labor have already been successful but there is work
ahead to ensure that your vision can be more fully achieved, and the
law's important direction becomes reality.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Mr. Bunce. I appreciate
it
Next, we are going to go to Mr. Regan. You are now
recognized for 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF GREG REGAN, PRESIDENT, TRANSPORTATION TRADES
DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO (TTD)
Mr. Regan. Thank you, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member
Cohen, and other members of the committee. On behalf of the
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and our 37
affiliated unions, I want to thank you all for this opportunity
to testify on this important legislation.
As the largest transportation labor federation in the
country representing hundreds of thousands of aviation workers,
we are confident that proper implementation of this bipartisan
bill will strengthen aviation safety standards, sustainably
grow our skilled workforce, and enhance the quality of service
that travelers deserve.
A number of significant aviation labor parties are codified
in this bill, including protections for airline employees
against assaults, efforts to close existing safety gaps, and
provisions to address the shortage of air traffic controllers.
Now these provisions must be implemented quickly and
accurately. Airline workers, including flight attendants, gate
agents, pilots, and other personnel, face an alarming increase
in workplace assaults and have reported unprecedented levels of
verbal abuse, threats, physical violence since the pandemic.
It is encouraging to see Congress take meaningful steps to
address this situation through a number of provisions in the
2024 FAA reauthorization. A key measure includes setting
minimum standards for self-defense training for front-line
workers empowering them to protect themselves.
From the ramp to the radar room, aviation professionals
ensure the safety and reliability of American air travel
through their dedication, training, and expertise. This bill
specifies several ways in which working conditions can and
should be improved, including addressing airport ramp worker
safety concerns, initiating studies in cabin air safety and
radiation exposure, and promulgating lactation standards for
pilots and flight attendants.
This legislation also addresses a critical safety gap on
the global scale. It mandates essential safety improvements for
global aircraft maintenance by requiring annual unannounced
inspections at foreign repair stations and establishing minimum
qualifications for mechanics working on U.S. aircraft.
While the 2024 reauthorization includes many important
safety actions, there are long overdue safety measures like
this one from previous reauthorizations. One of the most
troubling remaining loopholes in the regulation of aircraft
maintenance is the disparity between drug and alcohol testing
for workers at domestic maintenance facilities, and for those
at foreign facilities who are exempt from this requirement.
The 2012 reauthorization directed the FAA to issue a
proposed rule requiring all repair station employees
responsible for safety-sensitive maintenance on U.S. aircraft
to be subject to an alcohol and controlled substance testing
program within 1 year. The FAA did not issue the proposed rule
until last year. That is a solid 13 years later. And has yet to
be finalized. It is unacceptable that it has taken over a
decade for the FAA to implement a congressionally mandated
safety measure.
In the 2018 reauthorization, Congress passed a statute
requiring the FAA to issue a rule that all new aircraft for
delivery to passenger air carriers have installed physical
secondary barriers within 1 year.
Five years later, in June of 2023, the FAA finally issued a
long-awaited final rule to mandate the installation of
secondary barriers in all newly manufactured aircraft within 2
years. I urge you all to exercise your oversight authority to
ensure the FAA takes a swifter approach to implementing the
2024 reauthorization than they did in some of the previous
versions.
In addition to safety, staffing shortages have also been a
major concern for some of our Nation's aviation workforce. Air
traffic controllers keep our skies safe as they efficiently
move thousands of aircraft every day throughout the National
Airspace System. Yet, a decade of insufficient hiring has
created a pressing staffing crisis among certified professional
controllers leaving our controller workforce severely strained.
To address this problem, this law directs the FAA to set a
stronger minimum hiring target for new controllers and
similarly, the legislation directs the FAA to conduct a
comprehensive review and as necessary, revise the FAA staffing
model for aviation safety inspectors.
Airport service workers from baggage handlers to wheelchair
agents to cabin cleaners form the backbone of daily aviation
operations. Yet their vital contributions remain undervalued
and underprotected. This legislation requires the GAO to
complete a comprehensive review of the domestic airport service
workforce, reinforcing the importance of treating all segments
of the aviation workforce as integral to the industry's
success.
From its very outset, the history of aviation has been
written in hard-earned lessons shaped by a sober in reality. It
can take a tragedy to reveal an unknown engineering flaw or
systemic vulnerability in established protocols. But it is also
a tragedy when solutions to safety challenges, like mandating
flight deck barriers, or greater foreign repair station
oversight, languish for decades after Congress requires them.
When a regulatory directive mandating FAA action within 12
to 18 months stretches to 12 to 18 years on an implementation
timeline, it should be equally unacceptable.
For ramp workers facing jet blast hazards, for the airline
crew managing cabin air quality concerns, and for every
aviation safety professional who ensures our system runs
smoothly and safely, implementation of this bill must happen
now.
We were proud to endorse this bill. We are proud to be in
an industry where we can develop these bipartisan solutions and
move our industry collectively better for workers and for
participants, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your
labor when this bill is finally implemented. Thank you.
[Mr. Regan's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades
Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD),
and our 37 affiliated unions representing hundreds of thousands of
aviation professionals, I thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Member
Cohen for inviting me to testify on the implementation of the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024.
As the largest transportation labor federation in the country,
representing hundreds of thousands of aviation workers, we are invested
in ensuring a robust, modern, and successful FAA. We are confident that
proper implementation of the bipartisan 2024 FAA reauthorization
legislation will strengthen aviation safety standards, sustainably grow
our skilled workforce, and enhance the quality of service that
travelers deserve.
The aviation workers represented by TTD-affiliated unions maintain
the highest safety standards in global aviation through their
dedication and expertise. Swift and precise implementation of this
legislation will strengthen their ability to meet evolving challenges
by providing essential tools, resources, and protections that directly
support their safety-critical work. These members have witnessed
firsthand how underinvestment in critical infrastructure, inadequate
FAA staffing levels, and outdated safety protocols directly compromise
both worker and public safety. They understand firsthand the risks
these issues pose to the safety and efficiency of the aviation system.
Expeditious implementation of this legislation will not only safeguard
the well-being of aviation workers but also ensure that the United
States continues to set the global standard for aviation safety and
reliability. Empowering these dedicated professionals is essential to
maintaining public trust and advancing the future of air travel.
This FAA bill enhances safety standards, works to ensure
sustainable growth of the federal aviation workforce, facilitates
improvements to infrastructure and service, rejects any policy changes
to pilot training, qualification and retirement age, and ensures the
current, correctly tailored balance regarding the Airline Deregulation
Act's focus on consumer-facing matters. We were proud to work closely
with Congress on a pro-worker, pro-safety bill that will positively
impact the aviation industry for decades to come. TTD and our affiliate
unions were glad to see a number of critical priorities codified in
this legislation, including provisions to address the shortage of air
traffic controllers, protections for airline employees against
assaults, and efforts to close existing safety gaps. Now, it is
critical that the provisions enumerated below are implemented quickly
and accurately.
Delaying implementation of these safety-critical provisions creates
dangerous regulatory gaps that directly impact frontline workers while
increasing the risk of preventable accidents and disruptions. This
inaction puts both safety and economic stability at risk, threatening
the foundation of an industry that is essential to our national
transportation network and economic prosperity.
Global Aviation Issues
One of the most glaring and troubling loopholes in the regulation
of aircraft maintenance is that workers at domestic facilities must
undergo extensive drug and alcohol testing while foreign mechanics
working on U.S. aircraft are exempt from this requirement. To address
this core safety issue, the 2012 FAA Reauthorization bill directed the
FAA, within one year, to issue a proposed rule requiring all repair
station employees responsible for safety-sensitive maintenance on U.S.
aircraft to be subject to an alcohol and controlled substance testing
program. While the FAA issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(ANPRM) on drug and alcohol testing in 2014, no further action occurred
until last year, a decade later. While the required rule is expected to
be finalized by the end of this year, decade-long delays in
implementing congressionally-mandated safety measures represent an
unacceptable risk to aviation safety and workers' well-being.
Similarly, this legislation mandates critical safety improvements
for global aircraft maintenance, requiring annual unannounced
inspections at foreign repair stations and establishing minimum
qualifications for mechanics working on United States-registered
aircraft. These standards address longstanding disparities between
domestic and foreign maintenance requirements and ensure the safety of
our aircraft, regardless of where the maintenance occurs. Requiring
annual unannounced inspections of foreign repair stations helps ensure
these facilities adhere to the same rigorous safety standards as
domestic repair stations, preventing lapses in oversight. Establishing
minimum qualifications for mechanics and other workers ensures that
only highly trained professionals handle critical maintenance tasks,
safeguarding the integrity of U.S. aviation operations.
The 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act imposes critical limits on foreign
interchange agreements to ensure competitive fairness in the U.S.
airline industry. Currently, foreign interchanges can be of indefinite
duration according to the FAA. In the past, the duration of interchange
agreements would last a few days, but now can last for a year or more.
As a result for example, a Canadian-registered carrier is taking
advantage of the absence of hard limits for interchange agreements. The
FAA must remedy this by promulgating a rule establishing limitations on
interchange agreements, minimum breaks between renewals, and a limit
for no more than one agreement between airlines.
Assault Prevention
Airline workers, including flight attendants, gate agents and other
personnel, face an alarming increase in workplace assaults and have
reported unprecedented levels of verbal abuse, threats, and physical
violence since the COVID-19 pandemic. TTD and our affiliate unions were
encouraged to see Congress take meaningful steps to address this
situation through a number of provisions included in the 2024 FAA
Reauthorization Act.
Key measures aimed at mitigating this unacceptable reality include
setting minimum standards for self-defense training for flight
attendants and pilots, empowering them to protect themselves and de-
escalate conflicts in high-stress situations. Additionally, the
requirement for passenger-carrying air carriers to submit Employee
Assault Prevention and Response Plans to the FAA will ensure that
airlines implement proactive and comprehensive strategies to address
and mitigate these incidents. Importantly, the legislation clarifies
that federal protections against interference with security personnel
extend to airline employees performing critical ground functions such
as ticketing, check-in, baggage claim, and boarding.
These provisions mark a significant step forward in safeguarding
aviation workers, reinforcing their vital role in the aviation system,
while also ensuring a safer environment for both employees and
passengers.
Staffing
Air traffic controllers keep our skies safe as they efficiently
move thousands of aircraft every day throughout the National Airspace
System (NAS). Their professional standards are rigorous: new hires
undergo extensive training for at least 18 to 36 months depending on
their facility assignment. Controllers worked throughout the COVID-19
pandemic, and without their ongoing efforts, air travel could not have
rebounded as quickly as we have seen in recent months.
A decade of insufficient hiring has created a critical staffing
crisis among certified professional controllers (CPCs), leaving our air
traffic control workforce severely strained. Today's workforce of CPCs
has declined by 1,000 positions compared to 10 years ago, forcing many
controllers to work six-day, 10-hour weeks just to keep our airspace
safe. There are 1,000 fewer CPCs today than 10 years ago, and over 10
percent of the CPC workforce is eligible to retire. This has led to
staffing shortages at certain facilities and some controllers working
six days per week.
Importantly, this legislation directs the FAA to set as the minimum
hiring target for new air traffic controllers for each of fiscal years
2024 through 2028 the maximum number of individuals trained at the FAA
Air Traffic Control Academy. The bill also requires the FAA to revise
its staffing standards to adopt the best staffing model identified by
the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and allows the FAA to implement
any necessary TRB recommendations. Similarly, the bill directs the FAA
to conduct a comprehensive review and, as necessary, revise the FAA's
staffing model for aviation safety inspectors. The FAA is further
authorized to address staffing challenges revealed by this analysis.
In addition to air traffic controllers, airport service workers are
another essential component of the aviation system. Airport service
workers, from baggage handlers to wheelchair agents to cabin cleaners,
form the backbone of daily aviation operations, yet their critical
contributions remain undervalued and under-protected. This bill
requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete a
comprehensive review of the domestic airport service workforce and
examine the role and importance of this workforce to the aviation
economy. Such a review can provide valuable insights into the working
conditions, wages, training, and career opportunities of airport
service workers, many of whom operate in demanding environments with
minimal job security. Highlighting their contributions and needs can
pave the way for improved labor standards, fair compensation, and
better working conditions. Moreover, it reinforces the importance of
treating all segments of the aviation workforce as integral to the
industry's success, ensuring these workers are no longer invisible but
recognized and valued for their essential contributions.
Working Conditions
The safety and reliability of our aviation system depend entirely
on the skilled professionals who operate it, from the ramp to the radar
room. These aviation professionals ensure the safety and reliability of
American air travel through their dedication, training. and expertise.
Ensuring their working conditions match their critical
responsibilities, that they are fair, safe, and supportive benefits
both the workforce and the traveling public. The 2024 FAA
Reauthorization Act specifies a number of ways in which working
conditions for employees across the industry can and should be
improved.
For example, airport ramp workers face significant hazards such as
jet blasts, engine ingestion, tire explosions, and other vehicular
accidents, often with limited protection. By initiating a comprehensive
review and providing targeted training, as required by this bill, the
FAA will address critical safety gaps and empower workers with the
knowledge and tools needed to prevent accidents. The inclusion of
hazard training for all relevant employees ensures a unified, well-
informed workforce that can effectively respond to potential dangers.
The legislation also addresses two critical worker health concerns:
cabin air safety and radiation exposure. It directs the FAA to develop
a standardized system for flight attendants, pilots, and aircraft
maintenance technicians of air carriers to voluntarily report fume and
smoke events promulgating a rule, where appropriate, on training,
standardized reporting, and investigative procedure for oil and
hydraulic events, and the installation of AQ monitoring equipment.
Additionally, the bill directs the DOT to enter into an agreement
with the National Academies to conduct a study on radiation exposure to
crewmembers onboard various aircraft types operated under Part 121.
Finally, the bill stipulates that the FAA must issue, at a minimum,
guidance for lactation standards and rights for flight attendants and
pilots to pump safely during flight. This provision is a meaningful
step forward for working parents as it will facilitate balance between
professional responsibilities and caregiving needs, promote better
retention and job satisfaction, and set a precedent for workplace
rights and support.
Safety Provisions
While safety underlies every provision of the 2024 FAA
Reauthorization Act, several critical safety measures demand immediate
implementation attention.
In the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Congress passed a statute
requiring, at a minimum, the FAA to issue a rule that all new aircraft
for delivery to passenger air carriers have Installed Physical
Secondary Barriers (IPSB) within one year. However, no meaningful
action was taken to implement the rule until nearly five years after
enacting the Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2018 (i.e., Section 336 of
P.L. 115-254). Finally, in June 2023, the FAA issued a long-awaited
final rule to mandate the installation of secondary barriers on all
newly manufactured aircraft within two years. Following the passage of
the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, FAA should not only implement the
Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) for secondary flight deck doors but
also mandate through a final rule, secondary barriers on all flight
deck doors not covered by the 2018 FAA Bill and attendant regulatory
mandate. This would ensure all aircraft, including those that require a
retrofit, have secondary flight deck barriers for passenger aircraft
under FAR Part 121.
The 2024 reauthorization also makes improvements in tackling long-
standing impediments for addressing mental health for pilots and
controllers. The bill sets up a working group to review the FAA's
medical processes for certification of pilots, the special issuance
process, and mental health and medication protocol, with the intent to
make recommendations for reforms. Section 411 includes requirements for
the task group to monitor and evaluate implementation of the consensus
Mental Health and Aviation Rulemaking Committee. While we are pleased
with the Committee's work, we believe the FAA must do more to implement
the ARC recommendations. As for implementation, we have major concerns
that the FAA misinterpreting Section 801 of the reauthorization bill to
significantly alter the deferral process for pilot medical certificates
that require additional information for an FAA decision. This week the
Office of Aerospace Medicine announced they intend to deny any
applicant requiring additional information for certification,
invalidating their medical and grounding pilots unnecessarily. These
denials will have a chilling effect and introduce unintended
consequences for those already under an initial denial. We believe this
interpretation is incorrect, inconstant with the spirit and legislative
history of the Act that was focused on accident and incident
investigations and requires a stay of implementation and wholesale
reinterpretation.
The bill also addresses modernization and improvements to aircraft
evacuation by requiring the FAA to conduct a study on improvements to
the safety and efficiency of evacuation standards for manufacturers and
carriers of transport category airplanes, among many other important
provisions.
Conclusion
From its very outset, the history of aviation safety has been
written in hard-earned lessons shaped by a sobering reality: it can
take a tragedy to reveal an unknown engineering flaw or a systemic
vulnerability in established protocols. But it is also a tragedy when
well-understood solutions to well-documented safety challenges--like
mandating flight deck barriers or greater foreign repair station
oversight--languish for decades in some cases after Congress required
them. It is workers, travelers onboard flights, and the public on the
ground below them who risk paying the true cost of federal inaction.
Delayed action like those discussed in my testimony are unacceptable to
both the professionals who make up our aviation workforce and the
traveling public they serve. When a regulatory directive mandating FAA
action within 12 to 18 months stretches into a 12- to 18-year
implementation timeline, it should be equally unacceptable to each of
you.
The 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act provides tools to address a number
of risks that impact the lives of workers in this industry, but tools
only matter if they're used. For the ramp worker facing jet blast
hazards, for the airline crew managing cabin air quality concerns, for
every aviation professional who ensures our system runs safely and
smoothly--implementation must happen now. The workers our federation
represents have always set the global standard for aviation excellence.
It's time for the FAA to meet that standard with swift, decisive action
to protect the workers who keep America flying.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you. With that, we are going
to go to questions, and I am going to start with a senior
member of the committee, subcommittee Chairman Crawford from
Arkansas, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Crawford. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me ask, if I
might begin by unanimous consent to enter into the record the
score from the Sunday game with Ranking Member Cohen's Memphis
Tigers versus Arkansas State University. I didn't think it was
supposed to go that way, Mr. Ranking Member, but 85-72, I
believe.
Mr. Cohen. We were generous.
Mr. Crawford. Right. Thank you for that. Anyway, appreciate
it. Back to business. We try to have fun here as much as we
can.
Mr. Woodworth, I am always concerned about how other
countries are competing against our domestic industries in
areas like drones, which you obviously have a lot of expertise
in. And one of the recurring themes in this hearing has been
rulemaking with regard to FAA and the delays associated with
that. It has been terribly delayed. Can you tell me what
effects the FAA's delay in issuing the rule has had on your
domestic drone industry? I am especially concerned about
workforce development and manufacturing and how we are falling
behind with competitors from countries like China and other
adversaries.
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, thank you for the question,
Congressman. Yes, I think that the perfect example is sort of
where I was a year and a half ago when I was before this
committee talking about, sort of, how we were stuck. Our
operations in the United States were very limited. We had a
handful of sites, and most of our operations were happening
overseas, because that was where, sort of, the regulatory
environment allowed for the operations to occur. That is
largely due to, sort of, having existed in this space of an
exemption-based set of approvals, so, rather than having rules
that you can operate by, sort of everything was going to the
agency and asking for exemptions.
That is a long process. That is an unpredictable process.
And the unpredictable timelines for us as a business meant
that, like, we had to go show progress somewhere else.
Thankfully, due to the oversight that this committee has
placed on the FAA over the last year and a half, we have seen
significant advances in both the, sort of, speed and
predictability of that process. And I think that, sort of, the
next touchpoint to check on that will be getting the BVLOS
notice of proposed rule published so that industry and other
stakeholders can look at it and see if it does match the intent
that you all put into the bill.
Mr. Crawford. Just as a followup, do you have any
recommendations for how we can ensure the FAA meets the
deadline?
Mr. Woodworth. I think a big element of it is making sure
that that process doesn't get stuck, so, the FAA will write the
rule, and then it goes into the interagency processes, then it
comes out for public comment, ensuring that there is, sort of,
the appropriate pressures on, like, let's advance the process,
get the rule out so that people can comment on it, and then
adjudicate those comments in a timely manner.
You know, it is hard to study for a test when you don't
know what, sort of, the subject is going to be, and so, we look
forward to seeing what that rule looks like.
Mr. Crawford. Excellent. Thank you. I appreciate your
comments, and I appreciate all you all being here today. Before
I yield the balance of my time, I do want to add my name to the
list of well-wishers to our chairman, our illustrious chairman,
Garret Graves. It has been an honor to serve with you, and
obviously wish you all the best in every endeavor.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you very much. I appreciate
it Thanks.
You ready to go [to Mr. Cohen]?
Mr. Cohen. Yes.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. I recognize the gentleman from
Tennessee, ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Cohen, for 5
minutes.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Regan, I would like to ask you a few questions. FAA
currently has a 90-second evacuation standard for commercial
aircraft, but that standard is based on an unrealistic study,
terribly unrealistic. The EVAC Act, which was included in the
reauthorization bill, requires a new study to consider
passengers with disabilities, airplanes with young and old
passengers as well, animals on the plane, carry-on baggage, and
other factors of realistic flights when evaluating how seat
size and configuration could impact evacuations. How important,
Mr. Regan, is it that the FAA implement this provision as soon
as possible? And what are the consequences for your members if
the FAA does not get this right?
Mr. Regan. Thank you for the question. I mean, I think it
is critical that they implement this requirement. I mean, you
are talking about, in many cases, aircraft that have been
redesigned. You've had different seating arrangements. And
we're talking about the process and requirements when there is
a crisis. And if there is a crisis where you have to evacuate
the aircraft, the entire flightcrew, the pilots, the flight
attendants, the people on the ground, first responders who are
going to be responding, need to have accurate information for
how to evacuate an aircraft safely and efficiently, and try to
avert the worst consequences when there is a disaster. So, I
think this is a really important update to our regulations that
should be implemented right away.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, sir. After public outrage over the
treatment of passengers with disabilities and their mobility
aids, such as wheelchairs, I introduced legislation to require
the Department of Transportation to evaluate complaints about
passengers with disabilities. This was included in the FAA
reauthorization law.
Mr. Regan, how much training do your airport service
workers receive on how to appropriately assist passengers with
disabilities, including both helping them on and off the
aircraft and around the airport, as well as how to handle
mobility aids, and what additional tools and guidance are
needed from the Department of Transportation to ensure your
members can meet the new requirements for handling passengers
with disabilities?
Mr. Regan. Well, I think one of the things that is often
overlooked about those workers who play that critical role at
airports in terms of boarding and deplaning, most of them are
not employed directly by the airlines themselves. Most of them
are out of subcontractors that are employing those--all of
those important parts of the job. And in most cases, these are
the lowest paid people in the entire industry. And that is
something that the GAO study that was included in the bill is
hoping to start to address, to bring up standards across the
board, because when you have a hodgepodge of different
contractors providing it, the safety training standards that
you are referring to are oftentimes different depending on who
the actual employer is and what their standards are.
So, I do think, A, raising the standard of living for the
workers who are doing those jobs, but also having
standardization across the industry for what training
priorities are necessary, and how they can do this job most
effectively to comply with Federal disability laws is a really
important priority for this committee.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, sir. I also had a provision that
requires commercial aircraft on long overwater routes that
black-box technology that allows investigators to recover the
flight data cockpit voice recordings without searching the
floor. Can you discuss the importance of having modern accident
investigation technology that do not require underwater
retrieval of the black boxes?
Mr. Regan. Yes. I mean, again, we're talking about the
unfortunate scenarios when something awful happens. I assure
you if my friend, Jennifer Homendy, the Chair of the NTSB were
here, she would have extremely extensive knowledge about what
difficulties they face in terms of properly identifying what
caused an accident, and certainly, access to the best data is
really important for that process.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Bunce, the FAA reauthorization bill included numerous
provisions to strengthen aviation workforce, including maximum
hiring of air traffic controllers, review of staffing
requirements for aviation safety inspectors, and workforce
development programs for pilots, aviation maintenance, and
aviation manufacturing. Have your members seen any progress on
those provisions in the FAA reauthorization bill?
Mr. Bunce. Yes, Mr. Cohen. As we have watched the very
positive pressure that this committee has put on the FAA, they
really embrace the fact that they need to get their workforce
out to our plants to do what we call knowledge sharing, and we
don't call it training. We have an ability to go and get our
technicians to sit together with the FAA technicians and teach
them about the newest methodology and the technology that we
incorporate into the industry, and it really does help.
As I mentioned earlier, these young people are coming
straight out of college, and the antiquated way that we do a
lot of the things with the FAA now, we still use paper. These
kids are very used to operating and manipulating 3D drawings
with a computer rotating around, and everything, and so, this
knowledge sharing also helps drive a change in the attitude in
the FAA to embrace the new technology and the digitization that
you all put into the bill to be able to go and let these young
people use the skills that they have learned in college to
properly regulate. And so, I really think what you have done in
the workforce is put a light on what we need to do. And as I
mentioned earlier, now getting these high school kids to have
an opportunity to get excited about aerospace and all the
opportunities there, these grants to be able to help high
schools, but also our tech schools, be able to prepare our
manufacturing workforce is the next element that we hope the
appropriators will fund.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you. Before I yield back the time that I
don't have, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to enter
into the record a Transportation Workers Union of America paper
on what their needs are with the FAA Reauthorization Act.
Mr. Yakym [presiding]. Without objection.
[The information follows:]
Letter of December 10, 2024, 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 Andre Sutton, Air
Division Director, International Vice President, Transport Workers
Union of America, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Steve Cohen
December 10, 2024.
The Honorable Sam Graves,
Chair,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of
Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
The Honorable Rick Larsen,
Ranking Member,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of
Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
The Honorable Garret Graves,
Chair,
Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC
20515.
The Honorable Steve Cohen,
Ranking Member,
Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC
20515.
Dear Chair Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, Chair Graves, and Ranking
Member Cohen,
On behalf of more than 155,000 members of the Transport Workers
Union of America (TWU), I am writing to thank you for your work on the
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 and to share the implementation status
of several essential provisions all of us worked hard to win in
statute. TWU flight attendants, ground workers, mechanics, dispatchers,
and other airline workers are anxiously awaiting progress on these
issues.
The TWU was proud to work with this Committee on a strong,
bipartisan FAA Reauthorization of 2024 that acknowledges the essential
work our members perform to ensure the United States retains its gold
standard in aviation safety. Throughout the final bill, the Committee
attempted to reform not only the FAA's policies but its processes to
force the agency to be more responsive to its statutory requirements.
We hope that the committee will increase its scrutiny of the FAA and
force the agency to meet its obligations in a timelier manner.
A full list of the overdue provisions important to our membership
is included below. Most urgently, the FAA seems intent to ignore
deadlines related to reshoring aircraft maintenance work, preventing
assaults within our air system, and updating ramp worker safety.
Reshoring aircraft maintenance (Sec. 302) is essential to ensuring
we truly have one level of safety across the U.S.-flagged fleet.
Longstanding regulatory loopholes at the FAA allow facilities the
agency certifies outside of the U.S. to ignore safety rules regarding
drug and alcohol testing, background checks, minimum qualifications for
aircraft maintenance technicians, and random inspections. Congress has
twice previously directed the FAA to close some of these loopholes (in
2012 and 2016); the FAA is now more than a decade overdue for any
action on this issue and if history is any indication, will likely miss
yet another deadline to correct this.
Assaults in our air system remain far too high. Gate agents, flight
attendants, and other public-facing workers continue to face increased
violence on the job with little recourse possible. Ensuring workers are
trained is critical to their safety. The FAA must convene a task force
to develop voluntary standards and best practices, including for flight
crew and cabin crew response (Sec. 432). Additionally, the FAA is now
past due to begin actions to incorporate into pre-takeoff announcements
a statement informing passengers of federal law prohibiting
interference with the duties of a crewmember.
Ramp worker safety was highlighted in the year preceding adoption
of the FAA reauthorization when four workers died on the job from
safety failures. The FAA has never reviewed or revised its ground
worker safety rules--a task the agency was directed to begin no later
than November 12, 2024 (Sec. 353). The delay in this process is putting
more and more ground workers at risk as workers in an increasingly
complicated, congested environment face poor regulatory compliance even
under the existing, lax safety rules.
As this Committee continues to fulfill its crucial oversight duties
of the FAA, we respectfully request that you ensure these provisions of
the FAA Reauthorization of 2024 are properly implemented as soon as
possible. The safety and well-being of our members, as well as the
safety of the traveling public, depend on the full implementation of
this pro-worker, pro-safety law. The TWU looks forward to continuing to
work with this Committee to advance strong policies that benefit TWU
members.
Sincerely,
Andre Sutton,
Air Division Director, International Vice President,
Transport Workers Union of America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Section(s) Deadline Status
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug & alcohol testing at FAA- Sec. 302(b)............ 11/16/2025............. NPRM closed in April
certified repair facilities outside 2024; final rule still
the U.S. pending at OMB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background checks for safety Sec. 302(b)(2)......... No deadline.
sensitive workers at FAA-certified
repair facilities outside the U.S.
rulemaking.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum AMT qualifications at FAA- Sec. 302(a)............ 11/16/2025.
certified repair facilities outside
the U.S.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random inspections at FAA-certified Sec. 302(a)............ No deadline.
repair facilities outside the U.S.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ramp safety call to action........... Sec. 353............... 11/12/2024............. Past due.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prohibition of remote dispatching.... Sec. 420(a)(2)......... 5/16/2025.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIR PUMP............................. Sec. 421............... 11/12/2024............. Past due.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report on safe uniforms.............. Sec. 409............... 5/16/2026.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deterring crewmember interference Sec. 432(b)............ 8/14/2024.............. Past due.
announcement.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOT request National Academies study Sec. 322............... 9/13/2024.............. Past due.
on radiation exposure.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study on cabin temperatures.......... Sec. 323............... 5/16/2026.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARC on installation of secondary Sec. 350............... 11/16/2024............. Established October
barriers. 2024.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bleed air study (FAA 2018 Sec. 362(a)............ 11/16/2024............. Past due.
requirement).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fume event reporting system.......... Sec. 362(b)............ 11/12/2024............. Past due.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study on evacuation standards........ Sec. 365............... 5/16/2025.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Passenger aircraft first aid and Sec. 368............... 5/16/2026.
emergency medical kit equipment and
training NPRM.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improved training standards for Sec. 542............... 11/16/2024............. NPRM closed in June
assisting passengers who use 2024; final rule still
wheelchairs NPRM. pending at OMB (due by
5/16/25).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Training standards for stowage of Sec. 543............... 11/16/2024............. NPRM closed in June
wheelchairs and scooters NPRM. 2024; final rule still
pending at OMB (due by
5/16/25).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, and I yield back that time.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you. And I now recognize myself for 5
minutes. I want to start with a few words of thanks to our
outgoing subcommittee chair, Garret Graves. He has been a good
friend of mine, someone who has mentored me in this House. We
will certainly miss your leadership, your quick wit, your
energy, and I may also say that I have described to not only
people on this committee, but other people in the House that,
Mr. Chairman, I have referred to you often as my aspirational
peer on policy. You really do understand what it is we do on
this committee, and your thoughtful leadership has left the T&I
Committee and even more specifically the Aviation Subcommittee
in very good shape going forward. I know I join my colleagues
in wishing you all the best in your next endeavor.
I also want to thank our witnesses for being here, and if
you look at everything that we have accomplished here through
the FAA reauthorization bill, we have a lot of work ahead of us
in terms of implementation.
Mr. Woodworth, I want to ask you about the beyond visual
line of sight rules or BVLOS rule for unmanned aerial aircraft
systems. As you know, section 930 of the FAA Reauthorization
Act directed the FAA to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking
on BVLOS by September 16, 2024. Unfortunately, nearly 2 months
past that deadline, we still have no notice of proposed
rulemaking. Can you talk about the importance of getting this
NPRM out as soon as possible?
Mr. Woodworth. Yes. Thank you for the question. I think it
is critically important, namely because of the progress that we
have experienced over the last year and a half. So, a lot of
that is still based on exemptions. It is still based on, sort
of, like, one of approvals. It is not sort of--it is not a
programmatic and rule-based approach, so, having a rule would
solidify that progress.
I think that the risk that we are facing right now is that
we could very easily recede on the gains that have been made
over the last year and a half. We can't comment on a rule until
the rule is out. We don't know what the rule will look like. We
don't know if it maps to, sort of, the guidance that you all
put into the Reauthorization Act, and so, the sort of critical
next step in rulemaking is to see that in the Federal Register,
so that we can continue to move forward as an industry.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you for that answer, and I really do hope
that the FAA and the Department of Transportation can act very
soon to give you the certainty that you need and deserve. Mr.
Woodworth, sticking with you, if we want to enter a new market,
do you have to conduct a new environmental assessment? Is that
correct?
Mr. Woodworth. At the moment, yes. This has been one of
the, sort of, longest lead and most unpredictable items that we
have in our plans to continue operational scale. When we first
started, it was literally if you were in one parking lot and
you wanted to move across the street to another parking lot,
you had to rego through the process, and that could be 6, 9, 12
months. Very unpredictable.
We have seen progress on that. The FAA did that for all of
the DFW area. So, the, sort of, the whole metroplex as one
assessment. And then they have done one for all of North
Carolina. So, I think the, sort of, next logical step in that
would be to do a nationwide approach. All of these assessments
are coming back with, sort of, no substantial findings, so, I
think it would be pragmatic to move forward a national
approach.
Mr. Yakym. And very briefly, every time you do one of these
environmental assessments, roughly how much does that cost?
Mr. Woodworth. I do not have the, sort of, dollar figures
available, but it is a significant time investment, and it
provides a significant amount of uncertainty in our plans to
expand.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you. Switching gears with the time I have
left to Mr. Bunce, I appreciated your testimony highlighting
how technology can improve the aviation sector. If there is any
pilot program for the mobility of clearances, which I advocated
for along with several of my colleagues on this committee, can
you talk about how this pilot program mobile clearance delivery
will advance in technology and how the FAA is doing in terms of
implementation so far?
Mr. Bunce. Yes, sir. When we try to take off in congested
airspace, what we call either class B or class C airspace, you
need to get a clearance to be able to enter into that airspace.
So, what you do now is you either use the radios, but think
about an advanced air mobility aircraft that is not in the line
of sight for the radio. So, they are going to have to call on
the phone, talk to the controller. The controller then tells
them, you can launch and here's your launch window. It is
generally about 2 minutes, and you have to be airborne during
that time.
So, think about how inefficient that is, and if the
controller is busy, that aircraft may be sitting there waiting
to take off for a long period of time versus an electronic
signal that is just--they can look on their mobile devices and
be able to say, okay, here is your takeoff clearance, here is
your time. It is going to expedite this tremendously.
We are trying to push the FAA and the air traffic control
organization to tell us where we are going to put those five
test sites, and we definitely want to have input in where we
are going to operate to start this process with advanced air
mobility.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes the ranking
member of the full committee, Mr. Larsen, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thanks, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chairman,
I yield my time to Mr. Johnson of Georgia.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. I thank the ranking member of the
full committee. And I want to thank Chairman Garret Graves and
also Ranking Member Cohen for convening this important hearing.
I also extend my gratitude to the gentlemen on the panel for
your very wise testimony today.
One of my proudest moments of the 118th Congress was the
passage of the bipartisan, bicameral Federal Aviation
Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024. This monumental
achievement reaffirms the United States as a global leader in
the aviation industry. This is just the beginning. Our task now
is to ensure that the policies we fought for are executed with
urgency and precision. The stakes are too high because more
than 20,000 airports and over 1 million aviation workers across
the United States depend on us.
Airports like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport in Georgia, one of the busiest in the country, are
waiting for these changes to enhance safety, efficiency, and
the passenger experience for millions every day. We owe it to
every worker in this industry and every passenger flying our
skies to ensure that these reforms are not just promised but
delivered.
I am proud to have worked on this law, and I look forward
to collaborating with my colleagues, stakeholders, and the
entire aviation community to ensure its successful
implementation.
Mr. Terreri, the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act directs the
FAA and the Department of Energy to led research and
development for the safe use of hydrogen in civil aviation.
This involves creating a strategy for hydrogen-powered
aircraft, developing certification standards, and coordinating
with various stakeholders.
The goal is to ensure general aviation aircraft can
transition away from leaded fuels by 2030. How can airports
collaborate with the FAA in shaping these standards to ensure
smooth implementation of hydrogen propulsion in aviation?
Mr. Terreri. Thank you for the question. From an airport
perspective, I think the question could probably be answered
better by a colleague over general aviation. But real briefly
from the airport perspective, once it is certified, once it is
allowed an aircraft, that is when the airport would have to
deal with storing at the airport or having it on site. But
other than the implementation certification, that is not
something that the airport would really he involved in.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. All right. Thank you.
Mr. Bunce, would you care to respond?
Mr. Bunce. Yes, sir, one of our advanced air mobility
companies have just demonstrated using liquid hydrogen which
you have to cool. It comes in a liquid form, but they put
basically a pod underneath the vehicle and extended the range
tremendously. Now, we don't have the infrastructure to deliver
that to all the airports, but virtually all of our companies
are looking at the potential for hydrogen whether you go and
you convert that hydrogen through a fuel cell to electricity to
operate electric motors or you actually burn that hydrogen up
at altitudes like you would petroleum-based fuel. So, there is
tremendous potential there. There are also a lot of technical
challenges of being able to cool it to a level that you can
keep it in that liquid form, because it boils off. But we have
done it before, and we are very excited about the potential of
the technology.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you.
Mr. Regan, mental health is often stigmatized in high-
stress professions like aviation. The 2024 FAA Reauthorization
Act acknowledges the importance of mental health, mandating the
FAA to update its aeromedical protocols and establish a mental
health task group to support aviation professionals. What steps
do you think the FAA and aviation companies should take to
reduce the stigma and encourage aviation workers to seek mental
health support without fear of judgment or negative
repercussions?
Mr. Regan. I appreciate the question. I think it starts
really with ensuring that we treat it as an illness, like we do
with any other condition that a pilot or a flight attendant or
an air traffic controller would face. We need to be able to
ensure that workers don't have to worry about losing their
jobs, losing their pay, losing their livelihoods and careers
because they are suffering from an illness. And that right
there, that assurance that they are going to be able to seek
treatment and move on with their lives and continue their
careers, it is a really important component. Otherwise, if you
have got that hanging over your head that you might have to
find a new line of work if I seek the treatment that I know I
need, you are not going to be able to get the right types of
treatment for the people who need it moving forward.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you. And I yield back.
Mr. Yakym. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Molinaro for 5
minutes.
Mr. Molinaro. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I, too, want to extend
my appreciation to subcommittee Chair Garret Graves. I find it
much easier to compliment him now in his absence. But I wish to
truly express my genuine appreciation for his leadership. I am
truly grateful for his friendship and frankly America is better
because Garret Graves has served this Congress in his community
and district.
Mr. Regan, I want to start with you, if you don't mind. As
you know, despite having the same certifications as U.S.
facilities, Federal regulations have allowed foreign repair
facilities to operate on lower safety standards, which of
course as we know has incentivized offshoring airline
maintenance jobs. Thankfully, section 302, which we were
successful in including FAA reauthorization, begins to remedy
those regulatory discrepancies by now requiring the FAA to
issue long overdue final rule mandating the alcohol and drug
testing of workers who maintain part 121 aircraft at foreign
repair stations within 18 months of enactment. This rule was
first mandated in the FAA reauthorization of 2012.
Late last year, the Biden administration issued a notice of
proposed rulemaking. However, as you know, as of December 10,
2024, final rule has yet to be issued.
In addition to requiring the FAA to conduct unannounced
annual inspections of foreign facilities, section 302 requires
setting minimum qualifications for mechanics at these
facilities within 18 months of enactment, as well as mandates a
rulemaking requiring the security threat assessment of these
workers.
Could you speak with some detail as to the importance of
finally leveling this playing field in the inclusion of section
302 and FAA reauthorization?
Mr. Regan. Yes. And thank you, most importantly, for your
leadership on this issue. You have been, in your time here, a
real advocate on behalf of hiring and increasing our standards
for anybody who is doing work on U.S. aircraft. And if you look
at just the standards that required for domestic aircraft
maintenance professionals, I mean, you have background checks,
drug and alcohol testing, there are higher training standards,
certification standards across the board. And we implemented
those because they make the system safer. And yet, with the
hundreds of foreign repair stations across the country who work
on U.S. aircraft, who get a FAA certification in order to do
that work on U.S. aircraft, the standards are just far, far
below. And that to me has always been perplexing: Why would we
accept a different standard somewhere else when they are doing
the same type of work and they are carrying the same U.S.
passengers on our aircraft and the safety should be the same,
held to the same standard?
In addition, it's a jobs issue. I mean, we have 20,000
fewer mechanics in the U.S. than we did in 2000. It is clear
that this is a way to save costs. We should not be sacrificing
safety at the same time and that is currently where we are at.
Mr. Molinaro. Thank you, Mr. Regan. I obviously agree and
appreciate working with you and your members.
Mr. Terreri, first thank you for your leadership of an
important airport in upstate New York. In fact, I will be
flying into Syracuse myself. But I wanted to--I only have a
minute and a half, I wanted to get to at least one point. As
you know, airlines of course have reduced service at many of
the smaller airports, certainly throughout upstate New York,
leaving many of our shared constituents in areas like
Binghamton, Ithaca, in Columbia County, and of course, even in
Syracuse, without convenience and convenient access.
Advanced air mobility certainly can play a role in solving
this problem filling those regional gaps. And I know that
Syracuse is on the cutting edge of this issue. With major
investment coming your way, the demand is going to grow.
Your testimony mentions that the 2024 FAA reauthorization
didn't include some of the more robust regulatory and statutory
provisions needed to advance AAM. And so, based on your
experience, can you talk briefly about what is needed from the
FAA and Congress to fully enable AAM advancement?
Mr. Terreri. Yes, and thank you for the question.
I think a focus on first getting the aircraft certified,
right, getting them flying. And then having the standards to
integrate them into the airspace. And as you look at what these
vehicles are capable of doing today, the short distances it
flies, advanced air mobility is a real solution to connect
disconnected communities who have lost their air service. So, a
focus on advancing that technology will help increase and speed
up those communities that are losing their air service.
Aircraft are getting larger, so, those communities are not
going to be having as much service. Advanced air mobility is
something that can solve that.
Mr. Molinaro. I was very grateful to have a provision added
to FAA reauthorization that does in fact expand the capacity to
dedicate Federal resources to airports to expand AAM VTOL and
eVTOL and frankly look forward to the advancement and hopeful
in the next administration a more streamlined and efficient
process to expand the innovation, so, thanks very much.
And I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Molinaro.
The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Indiana, Mr.
Carson.
Mr. Carson. Thank you, Chair, and fellow Hoosier and
friend.
This question is for Mr. Regan. I was very pleased to see
your written testimony that over a year ago, the FAA announced
that they were starting the implementation of secondary cockpit
barriers on new passenger aircraft. This is the requirement, as
you know, sir, that I authored in the FAA Reauthorization Act
in 2018. Labor groups have been some of the strongest advocates
for these safety devices to keep the flight decks secure and to
keep crew and passengers safe. Yet, implementation has been
painfully slow, in fact, some suggest deliberately delayed by
the industry. What is your assessment, sir, of implementation
progress so far? And can you give us an idea of the percentage
of implementation at this point? And what can our community do
to basically speed things up and get secondary cockpit barriers
installed on all new aircraft?
Mr. Regan. Thank you for the question.
You are right, this has been way too slow on the
implementation of the secondary barrier requirements. I mean,
we are talking about the very last of ``The 9/11 Commission
Report'' requirements to be implemented by Congress. And yet,
when we passed that law in 2018, despite the very clear
language about any newly manufactured aircraft should be
equipped with secondary barriers, there was a whole bunch of
hemming and hawing over what is ``newly manufactured
aircraft.''
Is it a new model? Is it just literally something coming
off the line? I thought Congress was pretty clear: It is every
newly manufactured aircraft. It doesn't matter if it is a new
model. That should be implemented fully. And furthermore, I
mean, the standard should be extended also to cargo aircraft as
well, which also a threat in that regard.
I can't give you an exact percentage in terms of the amount
that has been done. But I do think in terms of retrofitting and
the work that was done in this legislation will strengthen that
Federal requirement. But I do think it is incumbent upon
Congress to hold them accountable to actually see through the
letter of the law in terms of why this critical security
measure is necessary.
Mr. Carson. Thank you, sir.
This question is for everyone, this followup question. Air
traffic controllers, safety inspectors, and transportation
workers we all know perform amazing jobs, often so in very
challenging circumstances in the towers, on the ground, and
certainly in flight. So, first, I want to say thank you for
your hard work and keeping our American skies the safest in the
world quite frankly. The best in the world.
What are the most important provisions in the FAA bill, in
your mind, that will be the most helpful to these workers and
to keep our flights running very safely and on time? And
lastly, is there one thing that is not in our bill that you
believe should have been included?
Mr. Terreri. All right, I will go ahead and start. From the
airport perspective, the increase in funding in AIP. It allows
us to increase critical infrastructure, it allows us to address
safety issues at the airports, whether it be runway
construction, right, whether it is any other kind of surface
infrastructure development. So, having that additional funding
for us is what we see is making the airport environment more
safe.
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, I think from my perspective, it is
getting a BVLOS rule out and published and enacted to help,
sort of, advance the integration of new entrants into the
airspace and provide a framework from which we can keep
growing.
Mr. Bunce. I think, Mr. Carson, from my perspective on a
lot of the advisory committees that actually look at the NAS is
not only in this reauthorization but in previous ones, there
has been an ask from the Congress to give us a plan on how to
optimize the facilities and take a close look at it. Of course,
the fear is that any time that the FAA or DOT would come
forward, you know, don't do it in my district, don't do it in
my State. And so, there isn't really a mechanism by which the
executive branch can actually try to execute and think they
could ever get it through the legislative branch. And so, if I
would say anything, it is that we all work together to figure
out in this modern day of telecommunications, how many real
centers do we need? How many TRACONs?
Where can we spend the money, but also where can we build
the one of this century, wherever it is, to say let's capture
the way we now communicate digitally and be able then to say,
okay, based on that, how many do we really need and how many
TRACONs? And I think that would help the FAA and DOT actually
provide a plan forward.
Mr. Regan. All right. Well, first of all, in terms of
things that need to be implemented, I mean, the drug and
alcohol testing for foreign repair station workers, I mean,
that is an issue. Oversight of foreign repair stations is
something I have been working on for the entirety of my 13
years at TTD. It would be nice to be able move that off the
list if we get a good solid final rule that enhances the safety
of our system.
But we also need to have a Federal workforce, including
controllers and safety inspectors, that meet the growing
demands of our systems, so, meeting our minimum hiring
standards. The newly minted hiring standards for controllers is
a really important priority and one that will actually improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of our national system.
In terms of things that were not included that I would have
liked to include: stronger standards for the contract workers.
We are an industry that prides itself on being a bastion of
middle class jobs, whether you are a pilot or a flight
attendant or controller or ramp worker and you are protected by
a union, you are going to be able to make a real--and raise a
family and have a solid job that way. The workers that often
get forgotten are those who are subcontracted out, whether it
be the people making the food that is served on board the
aircraft or the people cleaning the airports or whether it be
the people doing ADA compliance, those workers need to have a
higher standard for how they are performing in the industry, an
industry that rightfully prides itself on providing middle
class jobs.
Mr. Carson. Thank you.
I yield back, Chairman.
Mr. Fong [presiding]. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Van
Drew for 5 minutes for questions.
Dr. Van Drew. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Let me start by saying a few words about Garret Graves.
It's been an honor to serve alongside him. He is a good man, he
is smart, he is focused, he is energetic, he cares about what
he does, and we will miss him. I want him to know as he looks
over these videos of this hearing that we do appreciate him,
that I wish him the very best, and that he has a great future.
He's got a lot of good things he is going to do.
What I am going to speak about today is not what I thought
I was going to speak about 1 week or 2 weeks ago, and I am
going to be very blunt. We have a serious problem with our
airspace. The recent sightings of unidentified drones in the
State of New Jersey, my home State, is justifiably causing
tremendous public concern. These drones are large, they are
sophisticated. We don't know for sure who is controlling them.
And the FAA's current capabilities cannot even locate them on
radar. We have a hole in our monitoring systems, and we have a
hole in our radar currently. And the truth is, whether people
want to hear it or not, we are vulnerable.
Our Government has failed to effectively regulate our drone
industry. And this is not an isolated incident or an isolated
phenomenon. Unidentified drones are running across the country.
And let me be blunt and again say it how it is: Foreign drone
technology, particularly China, is a full decade--10 years--
ahead of where we are. That is unacceptable in America. We are
number one. We have always been number one, but we are not now.
And they can take and they intend to take full advantage of our
vulnerabilities.
I have learned for real that there is circumstantial
evidence that there is an Iranian mothership off the east coast
of the United States. And it is launching these drone
incursions. They are from high, good sources, individuals who
are reputable, individuals who speak with authority,
unfortunately are concerned with identifying who they are at
this point we are saying this, but it is true. It is
unacceptable, and it is frightening, and our Government has to
act.
I say this not only as a Member of Congress from the State
of New Jersey, but I say this as someone who loves America,
like we all do who are in this room. We must build a national
drone infrastructure. We must control our airspace, and we must
protect the American people. The unfortunate reality is that
this current administration has allowed our Nation to fall
behind the rest of the world, and that is unacceptable.
This Congress passed the FAA reauthorization to promote a
strong and regulated drone industry. The bill included a
mandate--we worked on this, my office, as did other offices. We
did a lot on it to include a mandate for the FAA to develop
rules--and you all know what this means--for beyond visual line
of sight operations. It's a critical capability for the drone
industry that we need to have, but it's only one of the many
steps that we must take. We are already years behind the rule.
The reauthorization unequivocally directed the FAA to
advance the rulemaking process. We gave them, as some of you
know and this committee knows, until September 16, which is now
3 long months ago. But President Biden's office of management
has again delayed its release.
Frankly, this is not the only area of technology that we
have heard this about. They have failed to move from 5G to key
safety technologies. Our Nation's innovation is being hampered
by big, burgeoning, nonfunctional bureaucracy. We need a real
cultural transformation at the FAA and our Government as a
whole to come to a reality in dealing with this technology.
We need an organizational structure at the FAA that is
bold, an organizational structure that is ambitious in
advancing our American technology so that we are number one.
So, I would like to submit for the record a statement from
Robert Rose, cofounder and CEO of Reliable Robotics. Chairman,
I would like to submit this for the record. They are an
advanced aviation safety technology company that has endorsed
the proposals I put forward to reform the FAA.
This committee must work with our new President, President
Trump, to make the United States of America the most dominant
drone power in the world. We lead, we don't follow. That is
America. This is about our safety. It is about our national
security.
It's about our future as a Nation, the United States of
America, the greatest country on the face of the Earth. It is
real, and we have to get on the stick. We have to do what's
right.
So, there--no, there isn't a few seconds left. I thank you.
I gave you my speech. I know some of you know and I have spoken
to before, this is a big deal, this is a real big deal. It's
happening right now in my State as we speak, and it is a
serious threat, whether anybody wants to admit it or not.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Fong. Thank you. Without objection, so ordered.
[The statement from Reliable Robotics was previously
submitted by Hon. Garret Graves and is on pages 13-15.]
I now recognize Mr. Garcia for 5 minutes for questions.
Mr. Garcia of Illinois. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And I, too, want to express my gratitude to Garret Graves
for all of his contributions and of course his role in
shepherding the legislation that we are discussing today
forward.
And of course I am glad to see that the FAA bill contained
a workforce development programs component to it to include
aviation manufacturing. Pursuing a wider pool of talent is
necessary if we are to indeed move workforce needed to support
increased travel demand in the coming years.
I would like to begin by thanking the witnesses here today
and begin my questioning. Mr. Bunce, recognizing that the
workforce development program is awaiting funding, can you
describe what the recruitment of aviation manufacturing workers
and aerospace engineers looks like right now? And why funding
the Federal aviation workforce development programs is so
important?
Mr. Bunce. Sir, when we go and talk to parents and--think
about when we fly today, very few people even look out the
window, so, that luster that we used to have in aviation has
been tarnished just because it is ubiquitous, we do it all the
time.
So, what we have found is one of the things that you have
helped us with, this committee, is talking about this is
probably the most exciting time in aerospace since the dawn of
the jet age, because we are going to unmanned systems to be
able to deliver medicine all over the world. To be able to go
and have electric aviation, which, think about it, service to
rural communities and that we have the luxury of having a
network of 5,000 public use airports that ring around our
cities, but also in all of rural America.
No one in the Nation, on the planet, has this. And so, by
having these grants and to be able to go and show young people
that work, if you go into any of our factories, especially the
AAM companies right now, you will see young men and women--and
I am very proud of the fact that we have more and more women
entering into aviation, which has been a very male-dominated
profession up to this point, but it is just fascinating.
And these types of grants will help us share that word, not
only to high schools and middle schools, but also in those tech
centers, but also allowing folks to take advantage of the great
programs like NASA has for scholarships for engineers that
supply both Government and industry.
So, this is important. And we really need the funding out
of the Appropriations Committee to be able to go and actualize
this program.
Mr. Garcia of Illinois. And thank you for that. I strongly
believe that the aviation workforce should reflect the
diversity of the country and that the workforce development
program words toward that, fully funding the Willa Brown
aviation education programs which provides educational support.
Opportunities in underrepresented community would also help.
Next, I would like to focus on the workers who make the
flying experience possible. Mr. Regan, as you pointed out in
your testimony, airport ramp workers are faced with numerous
hazards in their day to day. FAA is currently reviewing ramp
worker safety with the goal of submitting a report to Congress
next year with recommendations.
Mr. Regan, why would addressing gaps in training and risks
on the ramp help improve the safety and well-being of workers?
Mr. Regan. Thank you for the question.
Frankly, it cannot be overstated how important having the
proper safety and training for these workers is. We have seen
the consequences of when things don't go well, and they are
fatal. And we have had a number of workers who have
unfortunately lost their lives at their workplaces and that
should never be an acceptable outcome in our country and for
our Government that we have people who are dying while doing
their jobs.
And so, I think having the proper recommendations will be
important. But then again, I think we also need Congress to
continue to hold them accountable. And too often we end up
waiting for the big authorization years to attack problems to
address problems. And when we do have the proper feedback from
the FAA on how to improve the system, Congress needs to be
prepared to act right away and not wait for the next big bill,
the next Christmas tree to try to move forward. I think it is
incumbent to act on the best information we have as it comes
in.
Mr. Garcia of Illinois. Thank you for that.
Ramp workers play a critical role in guiding aircraft to
and from their gates, loading and unloading luggage, amongst
other duties. My Good Jobs for Good Airports bill would have
ensured minimum wage and benefits for ramp workers and other
service workers.
And I look forward to working with you in the next coming
Congress and thereafter to improve the situation. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Fong. Thank you.
I now recognize myself for 5 minutes for questions.
If I can ask Mr. Woodworth, as you know, the UAV industry
is new, there are challenges that are emerging, of course, when
a new industry is operating in a new regulatory climate. What
do you see the future of UAVs? What do you see that industry
looking like 20 years from now?
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, I think that one of largest
misconceptions about our industry is that it is this thing that
is sort of super far off in the future. And I think that the
reality both for UAS and companies in UAM is that technology is
ready today and, sort of, large elements of that future are
here right now.
I think for us, we are focused on primarily package
delivery as our use case. And what that really means is, right
now, today, you have multithousand-pound vehicles driving
around small boxes, carrying people's meals, things like that,
and it makes much more sense both for our infrastructure and
for the safety of the general public to transport those goods
by a smaller, more efficient means.
So, my and our view of the future is that you have a robust
UAS ecosystem within the United States. You have operations
happening all across the Nation around the clock and that those
operations are having a real meaningful impact on the citizens
of the U.S.
Mr. Fong. So, working backwards from that vision, certainly
the regulatory climate right now was not crafted with UAV
operations in mind. What recommendations, I read your
testimony, but what specific recommendations do you have that
would improve the structure, the framework that currently
exists to allow it to be more robust?
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, I think a big element of that hinges on
what is in the BVLOS rule. So, for example, things that have
been challenging to us over the last several years are the
topic of type certification, the topic of environmental impact
assessments. A lot of things that are very much, sort of, like
square peg/round hole problems for us where we are trying to
fit into a set of aviation regulations that were built for
aircraft that weigh many tens of thousands of pounds and were
carrying around dozens or hundreds of people.
I think that if key elements of the BVLOS rule focus on
solidifying the gains that have happened over the last year and
a half or so and making those truly programmatic and truly
rule-based so that we can continue to, sort of, build on the
progress that has been made so far.
Mr. Fong. So, I think the big challenge certainly is that
you are going to see very dynamic advancements over the next 5,
10, 15, 20 years. And you will have new platforms, you will
have new--so, how do we get beyond just having to do a review
every single time there is a new technology or a new platform?
What advice do you have for Congress?
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, I think a big element, which I think
was in the Reauthorization Act and has been in the dialogues
over the last year and a half has been making things
performance-based. So, focusing on, sort of, the true risk
assessment of the systems that you are operating, the true
types of operations that they are performing and then making
sure that the regulatory framework around that can support a
whole bunch of different solutions.
So, if you go out to an airport today, you look around the
ramp, there are all sorts of different airplanes. And those
airplanes are built for different use cases, but they all
operate within the same framework. And so, I think that for
emerging technologies, to take a similar approach where you
focus on the outcome that you are trying to get to rather than
a super prescriptive method of getting there.
Mr. Fong. And do you think that culture, that mentality
exists at the FAA right now? Do you think that we are moving
toward a performance-based approach or do you think there are
still challenges that we need to work through?
Mr. Woodworth. I believe that we are moving towards that
approach, but as you know, there is always the risk of, sort
of, one step forward, one step back, one step to the side. I
think that the rulemaking is an approach to solidify those
perspectives and take it so that it can be applied for years to
come.
Mr. Fong. So, let me ask, then, a broad question with just
what you have outlined. What should this committee, what should
Congress be working on in the year ahead to support the
efforts? I know Mr. Van Drew mentioned having our country be
more dominant in the UAV/UAS space.
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, I think it really is making sure that
that rulemaking happens, making sure that it aligns with the
intent that was written into the bill and being willing to
change it if it does not.
I think that the reason that growth has been slower in the
United States is because of the uncertainty of how long will it
take to expand, is there a process that, if I go through the
whole process at the end of it, will it still be the same
checklist that I started with? Having predictability in the
process is what fosters growth.
Mr. Fong. I certainly appreciate your testimony and your
guidance and insight here.
I now recognize Representative Scholten for 5 minutes for
questions.
Ms. Scholten. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Thank you to
our distinguished witnesses for being here today.
And I would be remiss if I didn't join the course of my
colleagues in expressing appreciation for Chair Garret Graves
and his leadership on the Aviation Subcommittee. Though he is
not here at this moment, I just want to put into the record
that he has brought tremendous wisdom to this committee and our
country, so, thank you immensely.
The FAA owns and operates air traffic control towers in
airports across the country, of course this includes the
federally operated air traffic control tower at the Gerald R.
Ford International Airport in my district, our pride and joy. I
am sure it is no surprise to anyone on this committee that I am
bringing up our ATC.
At 60 years old, GRR's air traffic control tower is the
oldest among the top 75 busiest airports. However, the FAA has
yet to provide a timeline for when GRR's air traffic control
tower will be replaced, despite the fact that it has been
identified as a top two priority and the design phase is now
complete. This project is critical to ensuring that consumers
have a smooth and safe travel experience, while boosting Grand
Rapid's local economy.
That is why I am so proud to have championed two provisions
in the FAA reauthorization to ensure the transparent selection
of air traffic control towers for replacement, as well as
proper consideration of small hub air traffic control towers
above a certain age when making these determinations.
Mr. Terreri, how will these provisions provide clarity to
ensure the FAA's delays in air traffic control tower
replacements do not hinder airports' plans to expand their
operations and services for consumers?
Mr. Terreri. Well, thank you for the question. As far as
impacting airports, I think as airports look at their long-term
development plans, a lot of times the control tower might be in
a location that impedes future development.
So, having clarity on a timeline allows you in that master
planning program to time when you are building additional
terminals, moving the tower and sometimes having to raise the
tower so that you have line of sight on all the new development
and infrastructure that you have put in place.
So, having that timeline will be really helpful as we look
to continue developing our airports.
Ms. Scholten. Great, thank you. In addition to providing
insight into air traffic control tower replacements, the 2024
FAA reauthorization established $350 million in a reimbursement
program for airports to replace PFAS firefighting foam and
equipment.
This is also critically important to my district as we have
been impacted by PFAS contamination at the airport and
communities surrounding it. These Federal funds are
particularly important in my community, not only because of the
impact, but because of our location to the Great Lakes and the
Grand River. Together, they form one of the largest freshwater
estuaries in the entire world.
Again, to you, Mr. Terreri, does this provision go far
enough to support airports transitioning to PFAS-free
firefighting foams to protect our environment and public
health? And if not, how else can Congress further support PFAS
removal from airports, as well as the communities that surround
them?
Mr. Terreri. So, I think this is a great start to help with
that transition. The PFAS forms that we were required to use,
it was a requirement for airports and now having to make that
transition, this is helping transition that foam. But then you
still have, as you have mentioned, some of the mitigation
requirements that are going to be coming, right?
I think as you look forward, it is kind of really three
things I would break it down to, a little bit more
communication with the FAA on what is going to be required,
same thing with the trucks and other equipment that are coming
on. I think helping get the CERCLA liability protections for
airports would be a very big help for us. I think those are
probably two of the biggest things. I think they would really
help. But I think what we have right now is a great start, and
I think it is going to help us continue to solve this problem.
It is an industry problem that we have to address.
Ms. Scholten. Thank you, sir.
I yield back.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana [presiding]. Thank you.
I recognize the gentleman from Arkansas, Mr. Westerman, for
5 minutes.
Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the
witnesses.
I would be remiss if I didn't get on the Garret Graves
congratulations train. Garret and I came in together as
freshmen, and we served not only on this committee, but also on
the Natural Resources Committee together. And I will say,
nobody commands the facts more than Garret. I feel like I have
learned a lot from being around Garret. And I appreciate all
your hard work and the policies you have moved forward, and the
debate that you bring to Congress will be greatly missed. I
consider you a dear friend and wish you the best.
Mr. Terreri, in the FAA reauthorization bill we enacted
earlier this year, Congress directed the FAA to restore the
waterfall for terminal flight data manager to not less than 89
airports. The FAA had previously reduced that waterfall from 89
to 49 airports, removing the Syracuse airport, as well as two
airports in Little Rock and Fort Smith that serve many of my
constituents.
Since then, the FAA has not released an updated waterfall
of which 40 additional airports will receive this important
technology. Can you explain the importance of the FAA moving
forward with this directive and how airports benefit from the
implementations of technologies like TFDM?
Mr. Terreri. I am sorry, I didn't hear the question.
Mr. Westerman. Can you explain the importance of the FAA
moving forward with this directive and how airports benefit
from the implementation of technologies like TFDM?
Mr. Terreri. Which technologies? I am sorry?
Mr. Westerman. Terminal flight data managers that they are
going to add 40 more----
Mr. Terreri [interrupting]. I am not sure. We can get back
to you. I am not exactly sure what you are referring to.
Mr. Westerman. All right. Well, if you can get back to me,
I would appreciate that.
And I yield back the balance of my time to Mr. Stauber.
Mr. Stauber. Thank you very much.
I, too, want to thank Representative Graves for his
leadership as he heads out. You have been a great Member; your
policy, thoughts, and ideas are second to none.
I am going to get right to it. General aviation is the
cornerstone of the aviation sector. In Duluth, Minnesota,
Cirrus Aircraft has been one of the leaders in personal
aviation, providing opportunity aviation to not only
Minnesotans, but people around the world.
Mr. Bunce, there has been a lot of focus and rightfully so
by the incoming administration on rulemaking. Your testimony
argues that the FAA's rulemaking is unique, as opposed to other
agencies, especially in terms of enabling innovation and
industry competitiveness. Can you elaborate on why this is the
case?
Mr. Bunce. Mr. Stauber, let's take Cirrus for instance. We
are going to have to do rulemaking in the next few years, just
as we worked to eliminate the lead in the avgas. So, if we go
with a system that says you have got to get rid of a certain
number of rules before you can promulgate one, it is very hard
for DOT or the FAA to determine which rules to get rid of
because they are all enabling regulations for aviation.
So, we are very unique in that class. And it actually goes
beyond just the rules itself. It goes to policy and guidance.
So, there was a time back a couple of administrations ago
where they actually had in DOT what was called the rule of
rules and guidance on guidance, which just bogged down the
whole system. And so, we really need this committee's help to
emphasize to the new administration that aviation is unique in
that way. And we need to be able to keep promulgating rules to
keep pace with how fast technologies are advancing.
Mr. Stauber. My second question you just answered, which
was going to be: What direction should Congress and the
administration take in this critical area so that manufacturers
like Cirrus Aircraft can continue to provide opportunities in
general aviation?
Mr. Bunce. Absolutely. And you think about Cirrus is one of
the aircraft, both in the jet that they produce and the piston
aircraft that have a parachute in it, that technology is just
one of many technologies that we are promulgating.
It is now--and the jet has a button that if the pilot,
something happens physiologically to the pilot, a passenger can
push a button and that aircraft will land itself. And it tells
air traffic control what is going on. The controllers know it
is an emergency. It gives messages to the folks that are in the
aircraft, don't worry, we have got it under control.
And I have actually flown that aircraft, been able to push
that button. It is incredible technology and that is the
cornerstone to what we are going to do with automation, because
we are going to make flying in this Nation--we are going to
lead the world in being able to automate in a very safe
process, small aircraft to start with and it will build up.
And it is just like, 20 years from now, it is going to be--
we don't have elevator operators anymore; in smaller aircraft,
we probably will not have pilots, and it will be done in an
extremely safe and predictable manner.
Mr. Stauber. Thank you.
I would like to use the remainder of my time to briefly
highlight the Duluth International Airport. Duluth provides
vital service to our region in the north land. Commercial cargo
and medical service flights utilize the airport. It is home to
the previously mentioned Cirrus Aircraft and the 148th Fighter
Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard, the F-16 unit, making
the airport crucial to our economic and our national security.
And the airport supports over 6,000 jobs and contributes
roughly $760 million annually to our economy. However, the
Duluth air traffic control tower is currently deteriorating.
The existing tower is 70 years old. It is the third oldest air
traffic control tower in the country.
And it is my hope that the FAA and the next administration
make investment into this tower a top priority so Duluth can
sustain air commerce in the region and economic vitality in
northern Minnesota and throughout our entire State.
In addition, that air traffic control tower will give us
the opportunity to get that NextGen aircraft to the 148th
Fighter Wing. Those men and women are the best of the best.
Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Mr. Stauber. Look,
before I get started on questions, I am going to recognize
myself for 5 minutes, but I do want to also thank some of the
people on our team that have been amazing over the years on
this committee.
One person I didn't mention earlier is Maggie Ayrea, our
deputy chief of staff who has run most of the portfolio, policy
portfolio for this committee and our office. And Maggie, I want
to thank you very much. In addition to leading our Washington
team, she has had two kids and juggled all kinds of things.
Maggie, we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you very,
very much. And I really appreciate your friendship,
partnership. You have been awesome, so, thanks.
I also want to thank Paul Sawyer, our chief of staff and
all of the folks on the team that have worked on our
transportation portfolio. Truly a team. We have a great group
of folks and couldn't have done it without them.
Mr. Terreri, I want to ask you a quick question. You
mentioned earlier the lack of certainty moving forward. Could
you just very briefly describe why certainty is so important to
you and to the airports in terms of regulatory certainty,
numbers and things like that as you move forward?
Mr. Terreri. So, you are referencing what we talked about
with the control towers?
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. For example, AIP numbers and
things like that, just giving you regulatory certainty and
helping you understand.
Mr. Terreri. Oh, the funding aspect.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Funding numbers.
Mr. Terreri. So, right now, as we are going through and
programming our three 5-year capital plans, and you have to
prioritize your projects whether it is by safety and there is
the qualifiers that we have to use, not knowing how much
funding we have or are going to have available really limits
our ability to lay out that framework of how are you going to
develop the airport.
And in addition to that, what are you actually able to
afford? Because sometimes some of the larger projects you may
not be able to afford, so, you go and you break that into some
smaller projects. So, having that clear look ahead of what we
know will be coming really does help us plan for the future.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you.
Mr. Woodworth, the last time you were here, 2023, last
year, I think things look fundamentally different now than they
did then. For example, FAA approving your approach to detect
and avoid and sort of how you approach BVLOS, particularly in
the DFW area. Can you talk a little bit about how that
certainty has affected you and perhaps even investment
decisions in the United States?
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, I think it follows a lot of what Mr.
Terreri was saying. We are a business, we have to make plans
about, sort of, where we are going to invest our resources. And
there is a significant opportunity cost that comes with
uncertainty. Like, if I can't plan out where I will be able to
grow, what new locations I will be able to go to, it provides
an immense amount of unpredictability that sort of limits those
resources. I think that the last year and a half has been a
great success story for the United States.
When I was here the last time, the vast majority of our
operations were happening not in the United States. And today,
the vast majority of our operations are happening in the United
States, and they are growing at not an incremental level. I
think that that is the other big step.
Whenever you get into a process where the next steps takes,
sort of, less energy than the previous one, you know that you
are on a path forward.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. So, if I can paraphrase,
certainty, predictability, and efficiency attracts investment
and the opposite repels it to other countries. Is that fair?
Mr. Woodworth. One hundred percent.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you very much.
And one other thing in that regard is the NEPA process.
Once again, certainty, predictability, and efficiency, could
you talk about briefly some of the scenarios you've seen in
regard to NEPA and how that may challenge some of your
operations?
Mr. Woodworth. Yes, when we first started, everything was
done on a site-by-site basis. So, if you wanted to be at one
store and you wanted to go across the street to another store,
you had to redo the process. That could be 6, 9, 12 months or
more, with a large unpredictability of when that would come.
That makes planning expansion very difficult.
We have seen approaches become more pragmatic first by
going to across all of DFW and then North Carolina just
recently did one for a whole State. I think that we are at the
point now where all of these come back with, sort of, no
substantive finding, like, we could do one for the whole United
States. I think that would be a logical next step.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you very much. I appreciate
it.
Now, Colonel, I want to ask you, you made mention earlier
about concern about the 2 to 1. I wanted to give you an
opportunity to talk a little bit more, meaning 2 to 1
regulations. I want to talk a little bit more. Look, I'm an
awful bureaucrat. I can't stand redtape. I like to move
forward. I like to do things, build things, and make decisions.
But in the case, for example, with the powered-lift rule,
can you talk a little bit about how the right regulations
provide certainty as opposed to, sort of, creating this
uncertainty and what that does for your members?
Mr. Bunce. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Again, we could not even
begin to operate these advanced air mobility vehicles without
an operational rule, because we created what is called a
powered-lift category. We used to have a category just called
airplanes fixed-wing/helicopters, but we had nothing in
powered-lift and the FAA decided to go down a powered-lift
route without an operation rule, so, we had to do it.
But what was key is, and this applies very closely to BVLOS
and how we want to advocate for being able to get this NPRM out
because once they promulgate the notice of proposed rulemaking
and allow industry to comment, heretofore until this committee
put pressure on them, they would go an ex parte and they would
say, okay, you can't engage industry anymore. And we go, well,
wait, other Federal agencies don't do it that way.
And oh, by the way, don't you want us to talk about the
comments that we made so that we can perfect it? And the proof
was when the SFAR was released a couple months ago, NSR really
had a positive reaction to it.
And we are hoping now if they get the BVLOS SFAR out, the
industry can comment, but then they allow us--all they have to
do it docket it and they can say, we had consultation with
industry and we tried to improve upon it and that is--you all
have helped us improve this process.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Colonel, thank you. And I just
want to be clear: so, that certainty or predictability helps to
foster investments similar to what Mr. Woodworth says, it gives
you clarity.
So, with that, I want to thank very much my friend, Mr.
Carbajal, for indulging us here. And I think it is just a few
of you left. Whoever is taking over the chair, we owe you all
about 3 minutes, I am not kidding. So, feel free to be a little
more liberal.
And with that, I recognize Mr. Carbajal.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Graves. First of all, before
you leave, I just want to say thank you for your service. It's
been a real pleasure working with you. I appreciated the common
ground we oftentimes found, and I appreciated also jousting
with you when I disagreed with you. So, good luck, and thank
you for your service.
Mr. Terreri, I was successful in including two of my bills
aimed at dealing with PFAS pollution at the airports in the FAA
reauthorization that was signed into law. My PFAS Act
establishes a $350 million reimbursement program for airport
sponsors to replace PFAS firefighting foam and equipment, and
my SOAR Act would require periodic reporting from the FAA on
the transition plan to move away from PFAS. We know PFAS is
harmful to public health, and we need to move away from it.
I was glad to have my colleagues Representative Van Orden
and Representative Lawler help me push for these bipartisan
provisions. Can you tell us how airports are working with the
FAA and Congress to ensure these provisions are appropriately
implemented?
Mr. Terreri. Yes. So, we are in communication with the FAA
on what is that process going to look like. What is the
transition? How is it going to impact the equipment? And so, we
have been having a lot of open dialogue. I think making sure
that that communication continues is going to be paramount to
make sure that this is a smooth transition from the former AFFF
to the new F3.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Mr. Bunce and Mr. Terreri, an issue I continuously hear
from my constituents deals with airplane noise pollution. My
district is home to three airports in Santa Barbara and San
Luis Obispo Counties. While these airports are an important
piece of our tourism economy, my constituents have raised
legitimate issues.
Mr. Bunce, can you talk about new entrants in technologies
that will help reduce aircraft noise?
Mr. Bunce. Yes, Mr. Carbajal, I mentioned earlier that we
have the luxury of having this incredible network of 5,000
public use airports around the country. And if you just look at
the distance between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, you end
up having, I think, four airports.
I looked on ForeFlight the other day that we'll be able to
operate these aircraft out of. And think about now being able
to take people down to LAX or up to SFO for their long-haul
flights and then we take away the amount of traffic that are at
those two airports.
But with that, in addition to that, our engine companies
are doing some great work in being able to look at the nacelle,
which is the structure that surrounds the engine, reforming it
to reduce the noise signature, but also then looking at what is
called open-rotor technology where we actually free the blades
out that reduces noise, too.
So, whether it is Rolls, GE, Pratt & Whitney, Williams, all
these companies are really focusing on reducing that noise
signature. So, I think as we embrace this technology of
advanced air mobility, we are also going to--traditional
aviation will be able to make some pretty neat improvements in
noise mitigation in the years ahead.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Mr. Terreri, how are airports working with their local
communities on mitigation projects and new flightpaths?
Mr. Terreri. So, the flightpaths are with the FAA air
traffic control. And when we get complaints, noise complaints,
I will use Syracuse specifically, when we get noise complaints,
we will work with the local tower to see if there is anything
that can be done in terms of aircraft routing.
Other things that we can look at doing is using
preferential runways, keeping communities, development, working
with our local outside the airport zoning boards to make sure
that they are not putting new communities in the paths of
flights.
So, that is some of the stuff that we have done, especially
as Syracuse has continued to grow, making sure that everyone
understands the airport, the predominant flightpaths and, kind
of, what does that mean for our region.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Mr. Bunce, across the manufacturing sector, I understand
there are increasing challenges associated with supply chains.
The aviation sector is not immune to the difficulties faced
in sourcing materials and dealing with constraints. Can you
elaborate on some of the challenges general aviation
manufacturers are facing today and any recommendations to
promote stability and support competitiveness?
Mr. Bunce. Well, sir, supply chain is just not unique to
general aviation. Our commercial aviation brethren and our
military are all faced with this dilemma of supply chain. And
it really is whack-a-mole these days, because when you think
you have got it fixed.
I think one of our engine manufacturers mentioned that they
had to source over 10,000 different new parts and pieces once
the war in Ukraine happened, once the pandemic happened.
Because a lot of the small mom and pops that were providing
parts and pieces, small structures, forgings and castings, have
gone away. And they just haven't been sustainable, whether the
workforce has aged out or they are working from home.
Manufacturing has really taken a hit, that impacts our supply
chain.
So, I am hoping that we put a focus as a Nation on supply
chain. We have got to have an independence from some of the
vulnerable pieces of the supply chain. We all saw recently
China has restricted some of the precious metals that are very
important to aerospace, and we are going to have to find
different sources for that.
But supply chain is critical and it has got to be an
industrial policy for this Nation that also helps the Federal
Government to look at supply chain and be able to try and fix
this.
What we relied on before in the pandemic was called just in
time. We didn't have to keep large inventories and everything
because it was just delivered when we needed from a global
structure. That is gone now, and it is a new paradigm for all
of us.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Mr. Perry [presiding]. The Chair thanks the gentleman.
The Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from the District
of Columbia, Ms. Norton.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As a cochair of the
Quiet Skies Caucus and the Member who represents the District
of Columbia, which is plagued by airplane and helicopter noise,
I am pleased we would be able to get noise provisions included
in the FAA reauthorization of 2024. Under this law, the FAA has
a mandate to do more to combat aviation noise and to engage
more with affected communities.
Mr. Bunce, in your testimony, you mentioned that the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the companies it
represents are developing electric and hybrid-propelled
vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Would you describe the
impact that this technology could have on reducing air aviation
noise, particularly for airports, adjacent communities to
airports?
Mr. Bunce. Yes, ma'am. As we looked to this technology, one
of our companies just flew its first production aircraft. And
basically, it was outfitted the way it is going to be delivered
to one of the cargo carriers. And the pilot was up there, and
he actually is the owner of the company, he just said, it is
like flying a sailplane. You can't hear these vehicles.
And so, if we put it in the context of Washington, DC, here
where we live, we listen to a lot of noise all the time, but
these vehicles will be able to disperse the concentration in
traffic, take it out to all of the airports that ring this
city, which will help us. But also, we can't forget about the
technology that with new techniques and air traffic control
that allow aircraft, aircraft that are taking off from Reagan
for instance, to climb faster so that it reduces that noise
footprint because it has a larger ascent and the noise reduces
as it climbs faster.
But also, you can power back on your descent if you can get
a controlled continuous descent down the landing. And so, a lot
of this technology is all tied together in being able to reduce
noise when we use the airspace efficiently, but also use the
network of airports.
But you would be amazed if you were able just to see these
new types of advanced air mobility aircraft fly, because you
are looking at them and you might hear a hum, but it is
something that is no more than what we would hear on normal
street traffic. It is amazing.
Ms. Norton. That sounds excellent.
Mr. Regan, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 includes a
provision requiring the FAA Administrator to implement new
flight procedures and establish or modify aircraft arrival and
departure routes for the purposes of reducing aviation noise in
neighboring communities. Do pilots have sufficient resources
and training to safely perform new procedures and fly routes
that minimize noise impact in airports' adjacent communities?
And if not, what can Congress do to ensure that pilots have
what they need?
Mr. Regan. Thank you. Our pilots--our country's pilots are
certainly--I mean, they are the best trained in the world. They
are going to be able to handle new procedures to address things
like air noise pollution. But that is as long as Congress
maintains those high standards. And we have seen a lot of
efforts over the past--this is my third FAA bill I have done at
TTD, and every single one, we have had to fight back against
efforts to reduce pilot training and certification standards,
and that would be a dangerous and, I think, shortsighted
approach to meeting the newer challenges that are approaching
pilots and the aviation system broadly, including reducing
noise pollution.
Ms. Norton. Thank you very much, and I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The chairman thanks the gentlelady. The chairman
now recognizes Representative Mann.
Mr. Mann. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to
associate myself with the positive remarks towards honoring
Chairman Graves. He is a good friend, and he will be missed.
Thank you all for being here today. I represent the Big
First district of Kansas. Aviation is a critical industry in
the State of Kansas with roughly 100 general aviation airports,
several commercial and regional airports, and a huge footprint
in aviation and aerospace manufacturing. The FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024 included critical provisions to
ensure that our aviation industries are able to improve
services, bolster our workforce, and promote American
manufacturing and innovation. That is why it is crucial that
the FAA and DOT waste no time in implementing the provisions
set forth in the bill so that the aviation industry can
continue to get to work.
Just a handful of quick questions. First for you, Mr.
Terreri. My district has 60 primarily rural counties and we
depend on reliable air services to connect to the rest of the
world. Please speak to the importance of certain provisions in
reauthorization like the Airport Improvement Program and new
aircraft innovation that are critical to ensuring that all
communities can access air service.
Mr. Terreri. So, I think one of the biggest benefits is we
have started to really bring forward advanced air mobility, and
what you are seeing, and where the airlines and you have seen a
reduction in services to smaller communities that used to have
air service; now, using advanced air mobility, that is a
feasible business model. It can actually work to fill that gap
as airlines start to consolidate in.
So, in this bill, starting to lay the groundwork for
advanced air mobility and integrating into airports and into
airspace, that is going to be key, and then on the airport
side, the additional funding allowing--this is going to be a
different type of infrastructure, so, allowing now to build the
proper infrastructure that is needed to support these smaller
communities that ultimately need access to the airspace system.
Mr. Mann. I agree. Thank you.
Next question for you, Mr. Bunce. You rightly highlighted
the importance of FAA and industry workforce efforts in the
correlation between technical expertise and then oversight. As
a proponent of the manufacturing workforce program, please
elaborate on how this would further innovation competitiveness,
but also safety.
Mr. Bunce. Well, sir, as you know, Kansas is one of our
centers of excellence for aviation. It is not lost on anyone,
we have the aircraft world in Wichita, but also throughout the
State we have a tremendous supply base. The institutions of
learning in Kansas have really tried to develop whether it is
up in Salina or Wichita State, NIAR, all of these different
great places where we are taking young people and training
them, but we've got to keep that feedstock going, and I think
that is where, if we can get the appropriations and the money
toward the manufacturing side, it really does help us keep the
leadership that we need in the world.
The programs that are developed, I am very familiar with
the one in Wichita State where they are taking young people
that are coming out of the military at McConnell Air Force
Base, and being able to then have an apprentice program with
our companies that surround Wichita, and so, they are able to
make a living while they are going to school getting their
ratings that they need from the FAA to be able to enter and do
the manufacturing and maintenance. It is a fantastic program,
and it should be a model for what we can do throughout the
Nation.
Mr. Mann. I agree. Great for veterans. Great for the
industry. Great for everybody. One last quick question. From an
FAA perspective, why are knowledge-sharing opportunities with
industry so important? I think we often think about the
industry standpoint, but from FAA's perspective, why is that
critical?
Mr. Bunce. Sir, I mentioned earlier that we are filling a
great pool of experience that left the FAA due to retirement
and aging out, or we in the industry, we pay them more, we hire
them away. And so, we have got a bunch of young people in
there, and the young people are ready to go. They want to
learn. They want to apply the skills that they learned in
college, but they don't have that ability to draw on the
expertise that they used to.
And so, what we are doing, and the FAA supported us through
the help of this committee to be able to go and do these skills
enhancement training where we will take them to our factories
and we will have them sit down with the engineers and be able
to say, this is how we do it here. Or we host conferences.
We at GAMA just hosted a battery conference. Lithium-ion
batteries, we all know about the potential for thermal runaway
and a fire. That is why we have the procedures when we go on
the aircraft.
But there are new ways to be able to mitigate that, and we
need to be able to teach new people in the FAA what modern
technology allows us to make it very safe, that you can fly
these in the unmanned vehicles, and also, in the advanced air
mobility vehicles, so, this is absolutely critical for this
knowledge transfer that it goes from industry to Government,
but then also, Government can say, this is how I will approach
regulating this, and it allows us to have that confidence in
relationship building back and forth to make the system work.
Mr. Mann. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes himself for a period of questioning.
Mr. Terreri, I know that you have answered multiple
questions on the firefighting foam, but I have got a few more
of my own. So, I think in your testimony you referenced the
forced transition from aqueous-film forming foam, or the AFFF,
to fluorine-free foam, F3, and the desire of airports to
receive funding to assist with the costly transition and to
avoid CERCLA liability for discharge of a firefighting foam
that was federally mandated.
And so, while the EPA has issued an administrative policy
that it does not intend to pursue entities like airports, I
think it is important that Congress provide certainty to
airports that they will not be held liable in these
circumstances. As we know, administrations change, viewpoints
change. What is not palatable today becomes palatable tomorrow.
But more importantly, according to the Naval Research
Laboratory, AFFF creates both a film and a foam blanket that
remains stable longer and is more effective than foams that do
not contain the current list of chemicals. In other words, the
AFFF is more effective than its alternatives as we currently
know them.
Other observations from the Naval Research Laboratory are
that F3s are less forgiving than AFFF and require more precise
application due to the absence of the aqueous film. Fluorine-
free films can be optimized using aspirated nozzles that
improve the blanketing effect, but this application is
difficult around obstacles like the thing that is on fire, like
an airplane with people in it, and across far distances,
because heaven knows, the first thing we all want to do is run
head-long into a fire, right?
F3s require a less-aggressive application so that the foam
does not get mixed into the fuel source, and itself burn,
which, like, I just kind of think about the implications of
that. You are a firefighter. People are trying to get off of a
burning airplane. You have got to be careful because the
firefighting foam might catch on fire, right? That is kind of
mind-blowing, actually.
Environmental conditions, such as wind at an airport,
right? Windsocks are at--we are--as aviators, the wind is an
important factor, ever present, almost always, but the wind may
cause holes to open up in the F3 blanket. You can imagine what
that creates.
And, of course, repeat applications or passes may be
required to effectively extinguish a fire, which isn't helpful
either. So, the GAO also identified concerns about the
performance of alternative foams in temperature extremes. You
know, that burning stuff is hot. You get the plastic seats and
the foam, et cetera.
I certainly understand the concerns surrounding the
potential contamination issue with AFFF. We have been dealing
with that here. It is very alarming that we are rushing to a
transition at taxpayers' expense without an alternative of
comparable performance. I get the concerns, and maybe we should
minimize practice and some things like that, or practice with
something lesser, just for the sake of practice. But just
running head-long into a less effective alternative and forcing
everybody to pay for it, not providing the liability
protection, I think, is shortsighted.
Do you know how the airports plan to address the
performance gap, and what would you recommend be done to
address the concerns of the flying public that doesn't want to
burn alive in an aircraft when this alternative foam is not as
effective? It is just not as effective, right? Do you have some
recommendations?
Mr. Terreri. Well, I think definitely with the new product,
there is training that is taking place. That is what is
happening at the FAA tech center along with the ARFF Working
Groups to really understand how this chemical and this
component can be used and should be used in its application. It
is definitely different than AFFF, but that is something that
the industry professionals are all looking at to make sure that
in the event it has to be deployed, it is done in a safe manner
to protect anyone who is on that aircraft.
Mr. Perry. Would you--do you believe we should be forcing
the transition until we know what the performance concerns are
and what all the potential alternatives might be to be as
effective as the current firefighting applications?
Mr. Terreri. Forcing--well, with the FAA having required
us----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. I mean, you are kind of the
expert here, right? And so, your voice matters. So, we are
saying, we have this problem over here, we want to fix it, but
let's just do whatever we got to do to deal with this problem,
which might create a whole other problem, which includes people
trying to get off a burning aircraft that can't be put out
because--that is where we are. You have got to say it the way
it is. So, I am just wondering if you agree with our current
approach?
Mr. Terreri. Well, I agree that with this new--the testing
that is being done on the new product, it gets applied to the
aircraft, right? That they have process and policy on how it is
applied so that it is an alternative----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. We are implementing enforcing the
implementation, right? Before the testing is complete. Is that
good or not good?
Mr. Terreri. I have to know a little bit more about it. In
the firefighting foam, I guess the unique differences that you
are really speaking to here, because I am not an ARFF expert. I
am not a firefighting and chemical expert on their
extinguishing agents.
Mr. Perry. Okay. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair
now recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
Mr. Kean of New Jersey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you to our witnesses for being here today. I want to thank
Chairman Sam Graves, Chairman Garret Graves, Ranking Members
Larsen and Cohen for their work in passing this critical
legislation. I am pleased to work alongside them, all the
members of this committee, to produce and pass this bipartisan
FAA reauthorization.
Now, this committee faces the critical task of conducting
oversight on its implementation. It must ensure that these
important mandates addressing safety and passenger experience,
spurring innovation and workforce growth, and cementing our
commercial and general aviation sectors' place as a world's
gold standard are realized.
Mr. Terreri, as you may know, my district in central and
northwest New Jersey has been the epicenter of unexplained
drone sightings over the last number of weeks. What advice
would you give to the FAA to modernize and to adapt to this
emerging technology, particularly with regards to airports and
places of interest like stadiums and governmental sites?
Mr. Terreri. Thank you. So, Syracuse Airport, we were one
of the five airports that were selected to be part of the FAA's
drone detection mitigation program, and out of that they tested
different technologies that could detect drone activity in and
around the airport. One of the things that we have done in
Syracuse is we have formed the center of excellence for
advanced air mobility and what we call the new air alliance
where we actually now have a higher visibility and enhanced
visibility on drone activity in and around the airport in
Syracuse.
We have hosted the advanced--sorry, we have hosted the
Department of Homeland Security, the Under Secretary. We have
signed an MOA with the Under Secretary to help using our
technologies to do drone detection, so, there are systems that
are out right now that can help detect.
The challenge that we have is that, if I detect a drone
over my airport, I have no ability to do anything about it. The
FAA, because this technology is not FAA technology, it can't be
in the tower, so, the FAA doesn't have the same visibility that
we do as the airport on drones over our airports.
So, there are a couple things that can be done here, and it
really just becomes some of that--a lot more coordination and
collaboration of what we are seeing in the private sector into
the FAA to solve some of these.
On the issue of enforcement, if an operator is off the
airport, who is responsible for that? I am not allowed to take
a drone, do any kind of mitigation drone over our airport.
There is nothing I can do about it. Is it local law
enforcement? Who has the authority to mitigate the drones once
you have detected one?
We can detect them. What do you do with it? That is the
question that needs to get answered.
Mr. Kean of New Jersey. People across the country are
asking that very question. Thank you.
Mr. Regan, as you note in your testimony, the 2024
reauthorization took steps to address mental health procedures
among pilots and in the aviation industry, which is an issue I
have heard many concerns about. However, the Biden
administration's interpretation of these sections is unclear.
In your opinion, what initiatives should the FAA take to
clarify this element of the law, and to address mental health
challenges for pilots, mechanics, and controllers?
Mr. Regan. Thank you for the question. I think that the
first step is starting--I think in many industries, including
aviation where we have safety-sensitive responsibilities,
whether you be a pilot or controller or maintenance worker, I
think the acceptance and treatment of mental health conditions
has lagged behind the broader country when it comes to
recognition that this is a health problem that can be addressed
through treatment and with the right resources we can support
people and see them through that challenge.
Until we acknowledge that, and that people are not held at
fault, at risking their jobs because they are seeking help for
something that they are going through, then we are not going to
be able to adequately address the problem. And so, we need to
be able to clearly establish the health aspect of this and
treat it as such as opposed to the stigmatization that we have
seen in the past around these issues.
Mr. Kean of New Jersey. Thank you.
Mr. Bunce, this committee in the House will address various
workforce challenges during our hearings and in the final
reauthorization, particularly in terms of acquiring and
maintaining the expertise necessary to certify new
technologies, such as unmanned aerial systems and advanced air
mobility technology. In your estimation, how is the FAA
progressing on implementation of these rules to help the
aviation industry?
Mr. Bunce. Continue on, sir, with a program that they have
for the knowledge. Basically, the experience of being able to
get with industry, and being able to share that knowledge.
Again, I think the FAA has done a great job in trying to
attract young people, and quite frankly, that is who you are
going to attract at the wage level that you have available to
the FAA.
We in the industry are always going to be able to pay
engineers more and young people more, but it is a great
building ground for them to go into Government and be able to
learn how to be a regulator, because they become very valuable
to us in the industry. But we have to give them the experience.
And the only way that they are going to do that is if we have
this knowledge-sharing, and get them on the road and learn
about the new technologies out there and learn from the
experience that we have resident in U.S. industry.
That is probably the only way we will be able to do it, and
I do compliment the FAA for taking this seriously, going and
making the budgetary moves within their internal budget to be
able to get people on the road. And a lot of times, we in
industry will come to the FAA also and provide seminars and
that for them on this new technology, but that is the only way
it will work. And that is why it is vitally important for us to
continue on to be able to feed the FAA and feed the industry
with young people through the workforce development grants that
we need the appropriators to fund.
Mr. Kean of New Jersey. Thank you. I yield back.
Mr. Perry. Thank you. The gentleman yields. Are there
further questions from any members of the subcommittee who have
not yet been recognized? Seeing none, I do want to make just a
comment regarding my colleague Mr. Graves. While I must take
exception to--well, let me just say this: I have always enjoyed
our spirited conversations, especially the ones where I have
been right, which is most of them when it concerns Mr. Graves,
but I do wish him all the best, and I am sure we will see him
more, and the same thing for him and his family.
All right. Seeing no other questions, that concludes our
hearing for today. I would like to thank each of our witnesses
for your testimony and your time here today. This subcommittee
stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:19 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
Appendix
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Question to Jason Terreri, Executive Director, Syracuse Regional
Airport Authority, on behalf of the Airports Council International-
North America (ACI-NA), from Hon. Brandon Williams
Question 1. Mr. Terreri, in the FAA Reauthorization bill we enacted
earlier this year, Congress directed the FAA to restore the waterfall
for Terminal Flight Data Manager to not less than 89 airports. This
provision was necessary as the FAA had previously reduced that
waterfall from 89 to 49 airports, including removing the Syracuse
airport. Since then, the FAA has not released an updated waterfall of
which 40 additional airports will receive this important technology.
Can you explain the importance of the FAA moving forward with this
directive and how airports benefit from the implementation of
technologies like TFDM?
Answer. Airport operators were encouraged to see the possible
extension of the FAA's Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program to
additional airports in Paragraph 619 (e) of the FAA Reauthorization Act
of 2024. Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) is a key component of
FAA's NextGen Airspace Modernization Program and the most significant
component of the NextGen program that addresses aircraft surface
management at airports.
The program has two distinct versions--or ``configurations''--as
the FAA has termed them. The foundational version--Configuration B--
enables decades-old paper flight strips to be replaced by electronic
flight strips. These electronic flight strips enable more efficient
digital monitoring and sequencing of aircraft operations by air traffic
controllers in FAA airport traffic control towers (ATCTs). They also
facilitate more efficient and accurate data exchange with flight
operators, including airlines and general aviation pilots, allow for
real-time updates of flight information, and enable better
collaborative decision-making between air traffic controllers and
flight operators.
The more advanced version--Configuration A--included electronic
flight strips but also adds dynamic departure scheduling and metering
capabilities. Conceptually, these capabilities will enable air traffic
controllers--working in collaboration with airlines and in some cases
airport operators--to reduce departure congestion and improve
collaborative departure sequence management in cases like poor weather
when airport departure capacity is reduced.
Airports have been supportive of TFDM Configuration B
implementation, which help busy ATCT controllers manage airport ground
operations more efficiently and effectively. It also provides critical
foundational elements for collaborative management of ground operations
into the future. We have also been supportive of targeted
implementation of Configuration A at locations where flight operators
have indicated an intent to utilize the departure sequencing
capabilities TFDM would provide.
Question to Adam Woodworth, Chief Executive Officer, Wing Aviation LLC,
from Hon. Dina Titus
Question 1. In your testimony, you highlighted the progress Wing
has made receiving approval for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)
operations. And you are not alone. Just this week the LVMPD's UAS
program received approval to conduct BVLOS operations which will help
improve public safety. These are steps in the right direction, but I
have concerns that we may still fall behind other countries when it
comes to drone competitiveness. As you know, I worked with my Drone
Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Garret Graves on language to establish a national
BVLOS framework, but this proposed rule is behind schedule. That's why
I joined many of my colleagues on this committee calling on the DOT to
issue a proposed rulemaking right away.
If this rulemaking continues to fall behind schedule, what will the
implications be for the domestic drone industry and its
competitiveness?
Answer. The United States is currently in a global competition with
our peers to safely and efficiently integrate drone operations with
traditional aviation. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
has approved a number of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations
under exemptions and waivers, the United States lacks a national
regulatory or policy framework for BVLOS operations that will establish
new safety and certification criteria and remove current impediments.
The FAA recognizes that routine BVLOS drone operations are an essential
next step and as a result empaneled an Aviation Rulemaking Committee
(ARC) that submitted a nearly 400 page report that provided a specific
roadmap for a regulatory framework. The U.S. drone industry is now
mature enough to enable safe integration into both the national
airspace and our communities at scale. For example, Wing now has nearly
two dozen operating sites in Dallas-Fort Worth and continues to grow
there, with key technological advances now approved by the FAA that
allow us to safely fly true BVLOS without visual observers.
The biggest challenge we face right now is ensuring that the
regulatory framework for drones locks in recent progress--particularly
on airworthiness approval processes for aircraft changes--and continues
to advance highly automated safe operations. Importantly, that
framework must be established without losing momentum from the great
progress on approval processes implemented over the last two years,
commonly referred to as the Criteria for Making Determinations or
``CMD'' but even that method could still stand to be improved. The
BVLOS rulemaking that your legislation directed the FAA to develop is
critical to establishing that national framework, and we are eager for
the FAA to publish the draft rule they have in hand so we can move to
the important review and comment period.
After years of investing overseas due to a better regulatory
environment, Wing is ready to make significant investments in the
United States to scale up our service here in the US. In order to take
that step, we need the FAA to complete their transition from a
patchwork web of waivers and exemptions to a consolidated and
consistent regulatory framework based in codified rulemaking. That
starts with publishing the draft rule that the FAA has ready for public
review. Until that happens, we cannot comment on this important
enabling regulation, and key steps enabling drone delivery at scale
still face significant delays. BVLOS flights have the potential to
deliver numerous societal benefits that include enhancing the economy,
reducing congestion, and serving a broader range of people. And the FAA
and the Department of Transportation should move expeditiously in
moving that framework forward into public view.
If the U.S. fails to publish a workable BVLOS framework for comment
and ultimately for finalization soon, we risk American drone industry
leaders again turning to opportunities overseas to grow their
businesses, or worse yet, stagnation or reduced investment in American
development. And without a robust and healthy domestic drone industry,
the American public will be deprived of the benefits mentioned above,
our citizens will fail to benefit from the growth and development
opportunities of this promising industry, and other countries could
reap the economic, societal, and technological rewards that come with
being a true leader in the drone sector.
Now is the time for the US to shape policy at a global level as we
strive to create an optimal regulatory environment for US expansion,
both domestically and in other jurisdictions, in which we provide
right-sized frameworks, consistency, and certainty for the American
commercial drone industry.
Question to Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department,
AFL-CIO (TTD), from Hon. Dina Titus
Question 1. Frontline workers have suffered verbal abuse and
physical assaults at the hands of unruly travelers. According to FAA
data last updated on December 1, there have been 1,921 unruly passenger
reports. While this is a marked improvement from calendar year 2021
(5,973), it still represents an increase from calendar year 2019
(1,161). Along with many of my colleagues, I fought to ensure the
bipartisan FAA Reauthorization bill included multiple provisions to
combat assaults at the airport and in-flight. Unfortunately, many of
deadlines for implementing these provisions are now overdue.
How has the rise in assaults impacted recruitment and retention of
your frontline workforce, and why is it important that these provisions
be properly implemented soon?
Answer. A number of these assaults are recorded and go viral or are
on the nightly news. They certainly affect recruitment and retention,
particularly if these workers do not feel backed up by the carrier.
These provisions must be implemented soon to ensure the training
workers receive meets defined minimums. Crucially, many of these pro-
worker provisions require workers' designated labor representatives to
be consulted or seated on a task force. Workers' duly elected labor
representatives are best positioned to address any gaps in training.
Questions to Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department,
AFL-CIO (TTD), from Hon. Christopher R. Deluzio
Question 1. Pittsburgh International Airport in my district is an
overhaul maintenance base for American Airlines. More than 400 FAA-
certified aircraft mechanics work there under the industry-leading
union contract. That contract, negotiated by the Transportation Workers
Union and the Machinists, requires a super-majority of airline
maintenance work to be performed in the U.S. by union members.
Unfortunately, our own government has undermined great contracts like
this by actively encouraging airlines to offshore mechanic jobs onto
lower safety standards at FAA-certified facilities abroad. Congress
directed the FAA to close all of these incentives as part of the 2024
reauthorization bill, but so far, the agency has made very little
progress.
Mr. Regan, you mention the importance of reshoring aircraft
maintenance jobs as part of your testimony. Can you share the scale of
this issue--how many more jobs could and should be in the U.S. if the
FAA closed its loopholes that encourage airlines to offshore this work?
Answer. U.S. airlines now employ 20,000 fewer mechanics than in
2000. Some jobs were lost due to consolidation, but most have gone
abroad. More than half of all mechanics globally working at FAA-
certified facilities are outside of the U.S. Every 1% increase in the
proportion of work performed here creates nearly 3,000 good-paying
mechanic jobs. Keep in mind these are U.S. aircraft based in the U.S.
They are being flown abroad for the explicit purpose of offshoring this
work. There are no supply chain or other concerns here--the airlines
could reshore nearly all of this work tomorrow if they wanted to.
Question 2. Mr. Regan, back to you, one of these largest loopholes
allows FAA-certified facilities outside of the U.S. to use uncertified
mechanics--people with no license and no training--to repair, maintain,
and overhaul U.S.-flagged aircraft. Over here, U.S.-based mechanics are
required to both pass several tests and work in their fields for at
least 18 months prior to repairing these aircraft.
Is this safe? And is it fair to U.S. workers who are now competing
against these unlicensed workers abroad?
Answer. Transportation labor has consistently advocated for uniform
safety and security standards across all facilities that perform
maintenance on U.S. aircraft. Maintenance facilities, regardless of
their location, should adhere to the same rigorous safety standards as
domestic repair stations to prevent lapses in oversight. Establishing
minimum qualifications for mechanics and other maintenance workers is
essential to ensure that only highly trained professionals are
responsible for critical maintenance tasks, safeguarding U.S. aviation
operations' integrity. Having lower training standards for mechanics
based outside the U.S. has led airlines to hire more mechanics
internationally. This trend is evident from airlines offshoring heavy
maintenance work; even small incentives can drive profit-focused
businesses to move jobs overseas to cut costs. We urge the FAA to
consider expanding regulations to include part 121 air carrier-employed
maintenance personnel located abroad in a future rulemaking.