Is advanced air mobility a generational opportunity for the U.S. to reboot its leadership in the global aviation industry or a political football? In Washington, D.C., it would seem, it can be both, with the U.S. House aviation subcommittee this week turning its attention to new market entrants, such as drones and eVTOL aircraft, as it considers its position on the pending FAA reauthorization bill.
In opening statements before industry testimony on March 30, several lawmakers accused the Biden Administration of failing to support the emerging advanced air mobility sector. Comparing the newcomers to the U.S. aviation system to runners in a marathon race who can’t find the finish line when signposts are removed after 26 miles with just two-tenths of a mile to go, subcommittee chairman Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) said the industry has been thwarted by its own government.
“Our witnesses today represent innovators, users of new technology, and have spent years investing extraordinary amounts of money, time, and effort, and they haven’t actually been able to get to the finish line because we have a government that doesn’t have a process [to regulate new aircraft] and doesn’t reflect any urgency in developing one,” Graves argued. “We don’t have a process that’s capable of delivering, capable of certifying, capable of approving, or capable of integrating new technologies into the airspace.”
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