• 04 Nov 2023 10:11 PM
• 0

Washington Report, Nov/Dec 2023

Whitaker Nominated to Lead FAA
On Sept. 7, US President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Michael G.Whitaker as the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The nomination, which had been expected for several months, occurred after the Biden administration’s previous nominee, Phil Washington, withdrew from consideration (see “Washington Report,” Vertiflite, May/June 2023). Whitaker served as the Chief Operating Officer of Supernal, a California-based eVTOL developer and a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group. Previously, Whitaker served as deputy administrator of the FAA between 2013 and 2016; he also held senior roles at several airlines.

In a letter on Sept. 13, the Vertical Flight Society joined 27 other aviation industry organizations in urging the Senate to rapidly confirm Whitaker. Confirmed by the Senate on Oct. 24, Whitaker replaced Polly Trottenberg, the Deputy Secretary of Transportation. She had been serving as the Acting Administrator since June, when the previous interim FAA administrator, Billy Nolen, left the agency for eVTOL developer Archer Aviation. The FAA had been without a Senate-confirmed leader since March 2022 following the resignation of Trump appointee Steve Dickson.

New Leaders at Pentagon
Several of the highest-ranking officers at the US Department of Defense assumed their new roles at the Pentagon in late September. On Sept. 20, the US Senate voted to confirm then-Chief of Staff of the US Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This vote was followed on Sept. 21 by Senate confirmation of Gen. Randy George as Army Chief of Staff and Gen. Eric Smith as the next Commandant of the Marine Corps. The votes were delayed for months by a blockade of new appointments by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). More than 300 other military promotions remain blocked due to Tuberville’s objections to the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

Congress Passes FAA Extension
After failing to pass federal funding bills for fiscal year 2024, Congress passed a continuing resolution late on Sept. 30 that also included a 47-day extension of the reauthorization for the FAA. The continuing resolution was a stopgap funding bill Congress passed to avoid a government shutdown, which would have begun at the start of the new fiscal year the following day. In doing so, Congress extended the statutory authorities of the FAA through Dec. 31; a new five-year reauthorization package of the FAA must be passed by Congress, or it will have to extend its funding and operating authority even further into the 2024 fiscal year. While the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill in July, the Senate has, to date, been unable to find agreement on key issues (see “Washington Report,” Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2023).

EASA Publishes Proposed Regulations
On Aug. 31, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) revealed a proposal for new rules for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and drones. The document, known as Opinion No. 03/2023, would amend existing regulations and establish two new rules addressing the airworthiness of uncrewed aircraft and the operational requirements of crewed VTOL aircraft. “With this, we will achieve a harmonized regulatory framework to ensure the safe, sustainable and secure introduction of VTOL operations,” said Patrick Ky, then the executive director of EASA, in a statement. EASA had previously published a draft of the Opinion in June 2022 for public comment, the results of which were summarized in the final proposal.

In addition, EASA announced a few days later at the European Rotorcraft Forum (ERF) — see “Helicopter Town Germany Hosts 49th ERF,” Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2023 — that it plans to raise the gross weight limit for eVTOL aircraft from the CS-27 rotorcraft weight limit of 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) to 12,566 lb (5,700 kg).