Senate Subcommittee Looks At Airspace Integration

A Senate subcommittee hearing scheduled for Sept. 28 will help to lay the groundwork for integration of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, drones and other new technology into the National Airspace System. The Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation will hear from five aviation industry witnesses, four from drone and AAM organizations and Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association. It’s the first of a series of hearings leading up to the 2023 reauthorization of the FAA.

An announcement from the subcommittee, which is chaired by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., makes it clear that figuring out how to share the airspace among all flying machines is a priority. The announcement said it “will examine issues relating to the integration into the National Airspace System (NAS) of new entrants, such as advanced air mobility (AAM) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operators. Topics such as the certification of emerging aircraft technologies, airspace management, workforce, and infrastructure needed to support the deployment of AAM and UAS into the NAS will be considered.”