The U.S. Department of Transportation appointed 12 new members, representing a cross-section of the industry, to the FAA Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC). Among the dozen are National Business Aviation Association president and CEO Ed Bolen, Helicopter Association International president and CEO James Viola, and Blade Air Mobility president and general counsel Melissa Tomkiel.
They join the more than three-dozen industry, research, academia, retail, technology, and state and local government representatives of the committee, which advises the FAA on drone and advanced air mobility key integration issues and policies.
The DOT said the expansive reach of the committee will help raise awareness of potential impacts on communities and emerging aviation models. “AAM and UAS hold tremendous promise, but it’s extremely important that we bring these aircraft to market safely, and with full consideration of community concerns,” Bolen said, adding that he appreciated the opportunity to bring a business aviation perspective to the models.
He also said that moving forward on advanced aviation will require a lot of coordination, communication, and collaboration. “Through the AAAC, we can approach issues in the interest of all stakeholders, address questions upfront and mitigate potential concerns while these emerging technologies are still in development.”
Other new appointees include Jeffrey Keith Antonio Brown, from the Port of Seattle; Kevin Cox, Ferrovial Vertiports; Karthik Duraisamy, University of Michigan and Geminus.AI; Amit Ganjoo, ANRA Technologies; James Grimsley, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Andrew LeBovidge, National Air Traffic Controllers Association; Okeoma Moronu, Zipline; and Yolanka Wulff, Community Air Mobility Initiative. Houston Mills, who is v-p of flight operations and safety for UPS, is chairing the advisory committee.