The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on July 22 approved a bipartisan bill co-led by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) that would update the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) type certification process for American advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft and advanced it to the full chamber for consideration.
“Streamlining the FAA’s type certification processes for advanced aviation technologies, such as advanced air mobility, is critical to bolstering America’s global leadership in aviation innovation,” Sen. Moran said. “I appreciate the bipartisan support from my colleagues for this legislation, and I’m pleased by this step forward with its passage out of committee today.”
The committee’s passage of the Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act, S. 3885, which Sen. Moran cosponsored on Feb. 12 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), aims to help bolster FAA bandwidth to prevent gridlock and increase transparency in the certification process, bolster the U.S. aviation industry, and advance American global aviation leadership.
“This legislation would support emerging aerospace technologies and strengthen the aviation industry in Kansas and across the country, and I look forward to its approval by the full Senate,” added Sen. Moran, chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation.
Specifically, S. 3885 would establish non-binding, standard expected timelines for the FAA’s type certification process for AAM aircraft for the agency to respond to petitions for exemptions of aircraft type, and to develop means of compliance for aircraft outside of the existing types of AAM aircraft, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
Among several other provisions, the bill also would set transparent non-binding, standard expected ranges of time for the issue paper process, so that type certification applicants know how long reviews will take; provide the FAA with the sole discretion to exclude safety-critical matters from established timelines to ensure airspace safety is paramount; and direct the FAA to define when an issue paper is required in the certification process, the summary says.
The legislation has been endorsed by numerous entities, including the Aerospace Industries Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the American Institutes of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beta Technologies, Boeing, the National Air Transportation Association, and Wisk Aero, among many others.