Category Filtering: 'washington-reports'
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aiming to release a plan for regulating eVTOL aircraft operations in May. In a Nov. 17 speech at the Aero Club of Washington, Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said that the agency will release an “implementation plan” that will enable the FAA to match the level of activity occurring in industry.
Momentum is building on Capitol Hill to provide the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with directives on how to regulate the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry.
The US Congress has a new advocacy group for the promotion of advanced air mobility (AAM). On June 23, 2022, more than 20 members of Congress joined to launch the Advanced Air Mobility Caucus.
On March 12, the West Virginia Legislature passed two pieces of legislation aimed at encouraging future AAM operations. House Bill 4667 prohibits county and local jurisdictions from creating restrictions on AAM operations or aircraft, while House Bill 4827 promotes the development of public-use vertiports, among other conditions.
On June 22, Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) and Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) introduced the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite 14 Communications Act of 2021 (RETAIN Act).
On Feb. 25, Representatives Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) introduced H.R.1339, the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act, in the US House of Representatives. This was followed on March 1 in the US Senate by S.516 with the same name, introduced by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona).
On Nov. 13, VFS was a signatory of a letter sent to the Trump Administration in support of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) research and development. The letter was written in response to the Aug. 30, 2019, White House Policy Memorandum, “Fiscal Year 2021 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities,” which included eVTOL.
