Innovation, Safety, and Sustainability Aims Outlined Ahead of Upcoming Aviation Legislation

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen addressed Congress for purpose of providing lawmakers information and guidance germane to the development of policies beneficial to the U.S and international general aviation sectors.  

In testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee, Bolen urged lawmakers to facilitate the advancement of nascent aerospace enterprises--such as advanced air mobility--and to safeguard both the privacy of the flying public and the Earth’s environment.

Mister Bolen’s address preceded upcoming Congressional consideration of a five-year Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill.   

In addition to petitioning Congress, Bolen commended the legislative body for passing laws during the COVID-19 pandemic that enabled the continued undertaking of business aviation operations.  

“Congressional action in a crisis moment helped put general aviation on a flight path for recovery,” Bolen said.

“There is strong demand for new employees, and our industry is serving small towns and communities across the country. Aviation workers are back on the job, and in some cases, we are even seeing a return of worker shortages among pilots, maintenance workers, and other aviation professionals.”

The NBAA’s recommendations to Congress included:

• Ongoing development and implementation of the next-generation air traffic control (ATC) system.
• Continued Congressional oversight of the Aviation Funding Stability Act and Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF).
• Enactment of robust FAA and FCC measures to ensure business aviation operations are protected from both 5G telecommunications interference and cyber-stalkers seeking to compromise the privacy of general aviation air-travelers.  
• Promotion of increased production, availability, and use of sustainable aviation fuel via enactment of the blender’s tax credit proposed in the Sustainable Skies Act (H.R. 3440).
• Facilitate the expansion of advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure by means of legislation such as the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act (H.R. 6270).
• Adopt tax codes allowing electric aircraft charging stations to qualify for extant tax credits applicable to ground vehicles.
• Support the advancement of transformative technologies conducive to the development and fielding of electric, hybrid, and hydrogen powered aircraft.
• Enact policy changes and recruitment efforts to train and qualify six-hundred-thousand new pilots, aerospace technicians, and aviation administrative professionals in the next 20 years.

Cognizant of the profound degree to which the imminent FAA Reauthorization bill will impact both general and business aviation, Bolen remarked: “Our industry looks forward to continuing engagement with the committee and Congress as we develop policy solutions that safely embrace new aviation technologies and maintain the United States as the world leader in aerospace.”

FMI: www.nbaa.org