Speech – Building the Foundation for Aviations Future

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Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims
Virtual Event

Thank you to the U.S. Chamber for inviting me to say a few words about the FAA and this nations critical aviation infrastructure. Im honored to be here.

Theres an old saying that most of you have probably heard: A mile of highway will take you one mile.but a mile of runway will take you anywhere.

Theres no hyperbole in that statement its true. And in fact, extend that runway by another mile, and you can pretty much go non-stop to anywhere.

I saw the magic of runways firsthand during my time at the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority a few years ago. We operated the Reagan National and Dulles International airports. Before that, I spent a few years as the head of government relations for the FAA.

Both jobs made it clear that runways are the launch pads that fuel world commerce and economies, and bring people.culturesand ideas. closer together.

But I also know, from my 40 years in the transportation business, that runways wont take you anywhere without the HUGE and largely UNSEEN infrastructure that supports the entire aviation system- and this nation.

Air traffic control towers; TRACONs; En route centers; the ATC command center; ground navigation aids; satellite-based navigation aids; ADS-B; ground-based communications equipment and outlets; tracking radar; secondary surveillance radar; automation systems; terminal Doppler weather radar; weather stations; weather cameras; flight service stations; airport lighting systems; instrument landing systems; runway safety toolsId keep going but I only have five minutes.

Its the FAAs job to operate and maintain all of that infrastructuremore than 12,000 facilities in total spread across all 50 states and U.S. territories. We employ a large corps of highly trained air traffic controllers and technical professionals to keep everything on track.

And by the way, over the past year, our courageous and dedicated infrastructure employees have been doing this worksafelyin the midst of a global pandemic.

They are the reason we have a resilient and robust infrastructure that did not let us down, even in darkest hours of COVID-19. We were able to keep air traffic and cargo moving around the globeinitially transporting response suppliesand more recently, life-saving vaccines.

So when we talk about infrastructure and sustainment investment in the country as a whole, its very important we do not forget about the National Airspace System and its backbonethe facilities and equipment that make the system available 24-7-365, and more importantly, when we need it the most. Aviation infrastructure must be right up there with our highways, railways and waterways in terms of importance.

The time to act is now, because the aviation infrastructure is showing its age. We have a backlog of nearly $5 billion in upgrade and modernization improvements for our facilities, and a great many of those need it nowtheyre in poor condition. And thats not even addressing the facilities that really need to be replaced.

Overall, the FAA has about $3 billion a year in unfunded infrastructure requirements through 2030, so the need is real.

As you all know, infrastructure is also jobs.

A big part of my job here at the FAA is to make sure we get the infrastructure support that we need, as well as to remove any barriers from recruiting the next generation of aerospace workers who will operate that infrastructure.

We want the best, brightest, and most diverse group of people from all walks of life, and I look forward to working with everyone here to make sure that we recruit more women, minorities, and people from underserved communities for the aerospace workforce.

With this workforce and major investments in aviation infrastructure, our aerospace system can be greener, will continue to fuel the U.S. and world economies, and once again bring people, cultures, and ideas closer together.

Thank you for listening.

News and Updates – Vaccinated and Traveling? Visit FlyHealthy.gov and Know Before You Go

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Updated information from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) about traveling by air after receiving COVID-19 vaccines is now on FlyHealthy.gov the one-stop portal for the latest pandemic-related air-travel information from multiple federal agencies.

The CDC guidance for domestic and international travel recommends delaying your trip until fully vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated and you must travel, follow the CDCs recommendations for unvaccinated people. The CDC will update these recommendations as more people are vaccinated, as rates of COVID-19 change and as additional scientific evidence becomes available.

FlyHealthy.gov walks an airline passenger througheach step of the air travel processto help everyone have a safe journey and prevent spreading the virus. The site presents travel information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), CDC, the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of State.

In addition, the FAA is strictly enforcing azero-tolerance policytoward passengers who cause disturbances on flights, fail to obey flight crew in violation of the FAAs regulations or engage in conduct that is illegal under federal law. This includes unruly behavior by refusing to wear a mask onboard the plane.

Fly Healthy, fly smart and enjoy your travel. Know before you go.

News and Updates – Fly Safe Focus: Angle of Attack Awareness

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WASHINGTONThis months Fly Safe campaign topic looks at the importance of aircraft angle of attack awareness.

The General Aviation Joint Steering Committees (GAJSC) loss of control workgroup believes that a lack of awareness, with respect to angle of attack (AOA), has resulted in the loss of aircraft control and contributed to fatal GA accidents. The GAJSC also maintains that increasing a pilots awareness of the aerodynamic effects of AOA and available technology will reduce the likelihood of inadvertent loss of control.

Read more on this important topic on the FAA blog, Cleared for Takeoff.

The FAA launched the #FlySafe national safety campaign in partnership with general aviation groups to help educate general aviation pilots and mechanics about safety topics. Topics are shared monthly with a goal of incorporating safety into every flight.

News and Updates – Recurrent Training Courses for Drone Pilots Available Online

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Drone pilots who have Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification can now take their required training courses online. The training ensures that they have the knowledge necessary to operate in accordance with the Operations Over People rule when it becomes effective on April 21, 2021.

The training is free and available on the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) website. There are three courses:

Drone pilots who do not hold a current Remote Pilot Certification and want to operate under Part 107 must take the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Initial Aeronautical Knowledge Test online through an FAA-Approved Knowledge Testing Center. Knowledge tests may be scheduled on the Airman Certificate Testing Service (ACTS) website. The test has a fee associated with it and is valid for 24 calendar months.

After the new rule takes effect on April 21, Part 107 remote pilots who have completed the training will be allowed to operate over people, moving vehicles and at night without a waiver under certain conditions. The FAA will accept airspace authorization requests from remote pilots to operate in controlled airspace at night as long as they have completed the updated testing or training requirements. An overview of the Operations Over People rule is available on the FAA website.

The FAA is expecting an increase in traffic to the FAASTeam site with the release of this training. As such, remote pilots may experience technical difficulties while accessing the online courses and are encouraged to access the training outside of regular business days. For general inquiries on these new regulations and other UAS inquiries, please call 844-FLY-MY-UA or email the FAA.

News and Updates – General Aviation Pilots Give a Thumbs Up to Runway Safety “Previews”

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In an average year, more than 16 million aircraft fly in U.S. skies and roll safely on airport runways and taxiways. When a runway incursion stemming from a pilot error occurs, it is a rare event, but it draws scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration, no matter if it involves a commercial airline or a small general aviation (GA) aircraft.

More than 75 percent of these runway incursions related to pilot actions involve GA aircraft, so the FAA employs multiple ways to reach these pilots, including safety summits, advanced surface radar, clear signage and unique videos.

We need to reduce risk in the system by raising the awareness of general aviation pilots and providing them more understanding of local runway and taxiway configurations, explains Glen Martin, FAA Vice President of Safety and Technical Training.

This is the premise behind the expanding From the Flight Deck runway safety video initiative. The FAA has produced a series of 4- to 5-minute videos of actual approach, landing and runway taxi scenarios at small and medium-size airports using Go-Pro cameras in a Cessna to create the GA pilot viewpoint. Graphics, animation and runway diagrams also have been added along with a voice-over to fully describe and educate about runway and intersection hot spots at specific airports across the United States.

With these videos, knowledge and training is designed from the cockpit perspective, allowing pilots to visualize the approach and layout to an airport before they actually arrive, Martin adds.This experience will improve their decision-making and reduce errors and accidents.

So far, more than three dozen videos have been developed and released free to the public, which highlight runways and intersections at 33 different U.S. airports. General videos also have been created for GA operations that focus on wrong airport landings, wrong surface landings, winter weather, wrong direction departures and hold short procedures. The video series has garnered more than 170,000 views since its inception.

The FAA plans to create and release videos for 30 to 40 more airports during the next two years. Additional goals include linking every video to its corresponding airport web site and for general aviation trade associations to help build awareness and distribution of these safety videos through their own social media sites.

These are invaluable safety tools for general aviation pilots and for airports with general aviation operations, adds Martin. Getting the right information to the pilot will help make us safer.

Join the FAA today for a General Aviation Safety Town Hall from 23:30 p.m. ET. The virtual meeting will feature Administrator Steve Dickson, Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims, general aviation stakeholders and FAA experts.