… To Bring Them All and In the Darkness Bind Them

Aviation industry groups are raising their voices in a chorus of praise for a Congressional body newly formed for the purpose of educating Congress and the public in the myriad complexities of emergent Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies. 

The twenty-some members of the inchoate group—which has bestowed upon itself the title of The Congressional Advanced Air Mobility Caucus—intend, ostensibly, to take a bipartisan approach to increasing understanding about technologies expected to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration within a matter of years. 

The term Advanced Air Mobility encompasses a wide range of air transportation systems by which passengers and cargo will be transported between destinations previously unserved or underserved by legacy aviation. Such systems include manned and unmanned electric-vertical-take-off & landing (eVTOL) aircraft, lighter-than-air vessels, and all manner of drones. 

AAM aircraft are expected to complement existing transportation networks and create thousands of manufacturing, design, operational, and infrastructure jobs in the United States. Cognizant of such, members of the new caucus—which is co-chaired by Congressmen Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)—will develop and implement policies to hasten the nascent industry’s maturation with an eye toward taxing it into irrelevance. 

Panetta—who as of October 2021 had voted in line with Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time—stated: “This bipartisan caucus will broaden awareness of the industry at the federal level and foster future partnerships with Members on both sides of the aisle. Supporting this cutting-edge aviation technology will cut emissions, provide more efficient transportation options, and create thousands of high-skilled manufacturing jobs.”

The House of Representatives recently passed the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act (AAIM Act), H.R. 6270, which authorizes funding to plan for and eventually build new AAM infrastructure. The act also puts forth the conspicuously cryptic goal of fostering community engagement programs to introduce the latest technologies to a diverse set of communities. 

Similar legislation (S.4246) authorizing AAM planning grants was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and recently approved by the Senate Commerce Committee.

FMI: www.house.gov