Avionics News - October 2023 - 26

IS FAA ACTION IN THE LINE OF SIGHT?
Continued from page 24
have had plenty of time, " she said. " There are excellent
recommendations (in the report), and from our perspective,
they should be implemented as soon as possible. " These
include taking a risk-based approach to regulation to give
         
qualitative or quantitative methods or a hybrid approach.
The ARC also recommends that automated " see and
avoid " tools be allowed, that a BVLOS-rated remote pilot
         
        
third-party service organizations be permitted to participate
in supporting BVLOS operations. The FAA envisions that
third-party information technology service organizations may
        
        
    
Also present in Baltimore was a representative of the DOT
Advanced Air Mobility Interagency Working Group formed
earlier this year to coordinate U.S. government policies
supporting the AAM sector. This group is addressing safety,
operations, infrastructure, physical security, cybersecurity
and federal investment to create an AAM ecosystem in
particular for passenger-carrying aircraft. It plans to develop
a national strategy for the sector. The working group is also
      
community roles.
Carol " Annie " Petsonk, DOT assistant secretary for
        
federal agencies designated in the law passed by Congress
asked to participate in the working group and signed up. This
is an indication of how many lines of government authority
the AAM sector will cross when it is up and running.
Petsonk noted that, for example, AAM is going to be in
competition with other modes of transportation, including
electric vehicles, in using green energy. Batteries will
be needed on a large scale for AAM; thus, the Energy
Department is involved. AAM activity will cross many
boundaries.
The interagency group's 22 members include DOT, FAA,
NASA, DOJ, DOD, OMB, FCC, the State Department,
and the Departments of Energy, Interior, Agriculture,
     
and Education among other federal agencies. Interests vary
by agency. For example, the Department of Education is
interested in the workforce development aspects of what it
will take for the government to support AAM and make it a
viable sector of aviation.
Ellman thinks standing up this interagency group is a step
26 AVIONICS NEWS * OCTOBER 2023
in the right direction to get all of the government working
together on the front end of implementing AAM. " I do see
that has been a challenge for the drone industry, and if it is not
dealt with at the front end, it could become a big challenge
for AAM, " Ellman said. " It's important to take into account
lessons learned from the UAS industry where there were a
         
needed to make sure everyone was on the same page on the
policies needed. "
The interagency working group published a request for
information from stakeholders with comments due by Aug.
16. Comments were requested on what the AAM's use
case should be in the future, how it can expand safely, what
statutes, regulations or policies are needed to support its
growth, how it could expand jobs, and what environmental
impacts it will have.
The FAA said in an email response to questions that its
long-term goal is to safely integrate drones into the NAS
rather than set aside separate airspace exclusively for drones.
In the FAA Extension, Safety and Security Act of 2016,
          
management in conjunction with NASA to assist in integration
          
operations in August 2022. The agency also said it is focused
on developing a standard set of rules for BVLOS operations to
make them " routine, scalable and economically viable. "
Regarding AAM, the FAA said in an email it expects this to
be a fast-growing sector and is committed to bringing industry
and government agencies together to identify challenges and
solutions. The FAA added the AAM Summit in Baltimore was
a chance to do exactly that.
A bit of breaking news on the FAA's drone activities came
up in Baltimore regarding a mix of drone operators and UTM
service suppliers expressing an interest in participating in a
Dallas key site. A cross-industry group of six companies plans
to share operational intent data in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
        
operations while satisfying FAA requirements and increasing
airspace access for drone users.
The UTM key site operational evaluation program at
          
industry stand up an ongoing UTM ecosystem, according
to an email from the FAA. This will be a mix of operations
       
         
exchange information with service providers. It will be critical
to informing policies that will support BVLOS operations
and rulemaking, enabling predictable and consistent BVLOS
operations and near-term UTM service approvals.
Continued on page 28
Avionics News - October 2023

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