Group Welcomes Requirements For Safe And Efficient Integration Into NAS

The National Aviation Business Association, in a statement released at its 2024 Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), welcomed the FAA’s release of a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) establishing safe and efficient integration of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS).

FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker announced the SFAR during his keynote address at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, Nevada, with NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen sitting with him on the stage. Whitaker said the SFAR will be a key to making AAM flights reality and charting the path forward with the new “Powered Lift” category, the first new category of aircraft in 80 years.

The SFAR, “The Integration of Powered-Lift: Pilot Certification and Operations; Miscellaneous Amendments Related to Rotorcraft and Airplanes,” describes the requirements for airman qualification and operations for powered lift and electric takeoff and landing aircraft.

Importantly, the rule incorporates input and collaboration among government leaders, industry organizations including NBAA, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Vertical Aviation International (VAI), and the Vertical Lift Society (VLS).

Bolen said, “Advanced air mobility promises to change the very definition of on-demand aviation worldwide. Given the speed at which the technology is developing, it is critical that all stakeholders have clear, official guidance for AAM operations. We commend the FAA for providing that guidance with the publication of this new rule.”

FMI:  nbaa.org/