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EAA AirVenture Remarks

Good morning, everyone. It's great to be back in Oshkosh. Looking forward to a discussion in a little while, a few minutes, about general aviation with our FAA Leadership Team.  

One of my favorite parts is starting off with some awards that are richly deserved by people who have contributed to the general aviation sector in really, really incredible ways. So, let's get started.  

I'd like to start with the 2024 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year Award. That award goes to Adam Magee.  

Adam is an aviation professional who teaches more than 100 students each year through the Balloon Training Academy and runs the Lighter Than Air webinars. His aviation experience includes flight instruction, checkride prep, and private and commercial ground school instruction. Adam holds multiple FAA Basic, Advanced, and Master Wings and is a member of the National Association of Flight Instructions Board of Directors. Congratulations, Adam. Adam, please come up to accept your award. 

The next award is the 2024 National Aviation Technician of the Year. The awardee is Marty King. Marty, come on out. Great to see you. 

Marty, too, has an incredibly impressive record. He overhauled his first engine at the age of 15 and built his first airplane in high school. He established a GA service restoration and fabric shop, King Arrow Inc., in 1991. He started an intern in training programs at several colleges and universities and developed a STEM program to teach 13- to 18-year-olds how to build a plane. Then they flew the planes that they built, which is truly remarkable. As I said, these were middle school and high schoolers and is generally hard to get their attention. So, well done. Well done. Marty. Thank you for all that you're doing to encourage the next generation of aviation technicians and congratulations on earning the 2024 National Aviation Technician of the Year Award. 

The next award goes to the 2024 FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year. We'd like to recognize Cary Grant. Carey is the 2024 FAASTeam Representative of the year. He has been an FAA Safety Team Representative since 2009. He's a Flight Instructor and Assistant Professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He's also a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and was a flight instructor for numerous military aircraft, including T-37s, C-141 Starlifter Transport, and Gulfstream G-IIIs.  Following his military career, Cary was a civilian pilot and flew Boeing and Airbus aircraft as a captain with United Airlines. After that, Carry finally discovered general aviation. He also volunteers with Young Eagles, Navajo Airlift, and Sky Kids. Congratulations, Carry. Please accept your award as FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year. 

Well, first, let me say it again. It's really a privilege to be here for my second year at Oshkosh, and my second year having the opportunity to address the group in this forum. FAA Administrator Whittaker had hoped to be here, but had some unexpected issues arise and needs to be home to take care of those. 

So, it is a privilege and honor for me to be with our leadership to talk to you about some of the issues that we know you're most concerned about and interested in within general aviation, and then we'll have a dialogue with our FAA leadership. 

I know that many of you came from great distances to be here this week. As you continue to fly this summer to see family and friends, make sure you're ready to fly. You know the conditions at the airport that you're leaving from; the conditions in the airspace that you're flying to; and the conditions at the airport at which you will arrive.  

We urge you to take advantage of the many user-friendly tools available for GA pilots from the FAA. Like our popular From the Flight Deck video series on YouTube. These short videos use aircraft mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage, as well as provide diagrams and visual graphics to highlight hotspots in the system. We currently have over 100 videos in the series and we cover airports in 40 different states. We have a lot of more a lot more videos in development. We do urge you to go there, take a look at the content, and please make suggestions about additional content that we should add. 

To further help with the pre-flight planning. We also publish Pilot Handbooks for airports nationwide. Currently, there are more than 70 handbooks available for airports across the National Airspace, and they include airport specific cautions, airspace details, and information local controllers want pilots to know. 

We continue to post arrival alert notices. These were developed to address wrong surface events at airports with a history of misalignment risk, where an aircraft could line up or land on the incorrect runway, taxiway, or airport. We've done a lot over the years to manage runway safety and we continue to step up those efforts in partnership and collaboration with you. 

When it comes to safety, we know that the general aviation sector has a strong commitment to continuing safety improvement and safety culture. It starts long before the pilot gets in the aircraft and starts the engine, and it doesn't stop until they leave the airfield. At the FAA, we work tirelessly to ensure the skies are safe for everyone - from the commercial airlines soaring at high altitudes to the single engine Cessna taking off from your local airport to drones and eventually Advanced Air Mobility aircraft. We know safety doesn't happen in a vacuum.  

The administrator is fond of saying, and I think many of you say this too, that safety is a team sport and it requires collaboration. That's where all of us, all EAA members, and the general aviation pilots come into play. 

We continue to make steady and consistent progress in reducing the GA fatality accident rate year over year. Our current goal is zero point eight nine general aviation fatalities per 100,000 flight hours by 2028. We're currently experiencing zero point six one accidents per 100,000 flight hours. But our collective goal should be to reduce that number over time to zero. With the safety technologies, the education, and the mentorship that we see across the general aviation community - we believe that’s possible. 

So, you have a critical role to play, as do we, along with our FAA webinars; educational activities and outreach efforts by our FAA Safety Team (or what we call “FAASTeams”); and other FAA programs. We partner very closely with industry to take deep dives into safety data to prevent problems before they occur. 

We continue to use GA flight data in the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing Database, or what we call and many of you know as ASIAS, to improve decision making and make better, more informed decisions - sooner.  

We currently have more than 2.3 million hours of flight data for light GA, voluntarily submitted into ASIAS. This includes data from operators, flight schools, and even the Civil Air Patrol. We've identified several risk areas using this data, including risks related to too low of an airspeed on climb out and geographic areas where the risk of a mid air collision is increased. 

In the General Aviation Joint Safety Committee, or GAJSC, government and industry teams are also constantly on the lookout for new ways to prevent GA accidents. Today the committee has deployed nearly 50 risk mitigations, officially called safety enhancements, designed to address issues with a high safety risk - maintaining control during unusual attitudes, spatial disorientation, and engine failures to name just a few. 

We are also continuing to work with you all on reducing pilot deviations in GA aviation. The Runway Safety Team examined specific safety issues at airports throughout the NAS. A product of this team includes the From the Flight Deck videos that I mentioned a few moments ago.  

The “FAASTeam” Program has been offering operational presentations online and in person to increase awareness and insight. FAASTeam program managers participate in 300 plus Runway Safety Action Team meetings each year. Since March 2020, they have hosted nearly 200 seminars and 100 webinars on runway safety and avoiding pilot deviations. This is part of all of our ongoing efforts to make sure that GA pilots and the GA Community have the resources they need to better understand conditions at the airports and in the airspace as they fly their planes. 

Pilots, your dedication - I should say your continued dedication to safety - is paramount. Please continue to hone your skills. Stay up to date on regulations and advocate for a strong General Aviation Community. We at the FAA value your feedback and your insights.  

I want to talk next about the future of the NAS.  It's a really exciting time.  

As I was talking to Jack Pelton earlier today and EAA leadership - I said one of the things that I really, really love about AirVenture is the fact that you can see the past, present, and the future come together with all aspects of general aviation. It's always an exciting time to be in aviation, but it's never more exciting than it is today and it will be tomorrow.  

The GA community has been an indispensable partner to the FAA in safely integrating new technologies into the NAS. We like to say that you are the incubators for the innovators. Innovation, almost across the spectrum, is happening in GA first and it's demonstrated in all the booths and everywhere you visit today. As you know, whether it's technology or its pilot competencies, it starts with the General Aviation Community. Then you see gradual uptake into commercial aviation and more sophisticated and complex operations, and that's a testament to your creativity and ingenuity. So, everything from electronic flight bags, automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (which we know is ATSB), composition construction technology. These are all examples of technologies that began in general aviation.  

With the arrival of Advanced Air Mobility, or AAM, it's including air taxis, drones and smaller aircraft that can carry more people. This partnership will continue to be as critical as ever.  

We are working now to enable the safe integration of AAM into the airspace through operating rules, aircraft certification, and pilot certifications.  We expect to have some really exciting announcements over the next six months to one year, so stay tuned for that.  

Last year when we were here, Acting Administrator Trottenberg had the pleasure of announcing our proposed rule on modernization of special air airworthiness certification rule, or what we all know is MOSAIC. That will significantly enhance the 2004 sport pilot, light sport aircraft rule and expand the scope of light sport aircraft certification and operations, including electric propulsion.  

What that is going to do is provide more flexibility while ensuring a safe level of safety across the system. We received more than 3,500 comments on the proposal. The response was overwhelmingly positive both here at Oshkosh and through the comments we received. We're currently working through those comments to put together the final rule that we hope and expect to release by May of 2025. So, we will have a lot to talk about next year as well.  

Earlier this year, the FAA granted two Part 135 Operators Certificates and issued the final airworthiness criteria for two AAM aircraft.  These are important steps towards receiving certification and pilot training authorization. There are currently more than 100 companies expressing their intent to build or operate AAM. We can expect many of them to be established to grow to maturity within the incubator of general aviation.  

The FAA is preparing for the safe integration of AAM operations by reviewing our general aviation guidance documents to ensure the AAM community will have the safety information and support that it needs. We are maintaining regular contact with AAM operators, industry associations, and local authorities to understand the issues and the challenges ahead and have solutions in place. Having aircraft type certification efforts run concurrently with operational certification activities minimizes the time between aircraft achieving FAA certification and entering commercial service.  

The FAA also participates in the AAM interagency working group led by the Department of Transportation. This group is composed of more than 15 federal agencies with equities on these issues. Our objective is to develop and deliver a national AAM strategy that's cohesive, makes sense, and is scalable so that it works for the public at large. 

Our foundational goal is for the introduction of next generation aircraft into our cities, suburbs, underserved and rural communities to occur safely, and ensure that the NAS and the next generation aircraft remain accessible to everyone regardless of where they may live. 

While we champion innovation, the FAA must also regulate aviation. After all, safety remains our North Star as it does for you. We're obligated to ensure new entrants maintain the same high level of safety as traditional aircraft, appropriate to the risks they pose, which is why safety will ultimately drive the process and timeline for certification and integration of all emerging aircraft. 

We will go through the same safety-first, data driven, process-oriented, methodical approach that has served us so well in the past. Our obligation as the aviation safety regulator is to ensure the introduction of this new generation of aircraft maintains a high level of safety today and into the future.  

So, this week at AirVenture, please come visit us.  If you haven't been to the FAA Safety Center yet, we're just a little way down the road. We have representatives from across our agency addressing runway safety, medical issues, airport issues. We have lawyers there. We have folks from our weather programs. A whole array of people that are there and looking forward to taking your questions.  

We have an open-door policy, and we want to hear from you. Not just today but throughout the year. If you haven't already, please establish a good working relationship with your local FAA Field Office and your Runway Safety Teams at your home airports.  

Check out those From the Flight Deck videos on our YouTube channel and our Pilot Handbooks on our website. Stay connected with us for the latest aviation safety news on social media. Besides YouTube, you can find us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Together, we'll keep this the skies friendly, accessible, and most importantly safe. We can nurture the next generation of pilots and engineers and push the boundaries of what's possible in aviation. 

I have to tell you this is this is my third day at EAA this year. I had the chance to be all over the area, seeing home built, Light Sport aircraft, the Warbirds, and Kid Venture. I had the incredible opportunity to meet one of the Tuskegee Airmen, James Harvey, yesterday. He just celebrated his one hundred and first birthday. I even went into the hypoxia chamber this morning, just to get an experience of the range of issues that are important to the General Aviation Community. It's incredible what you're doing. It's incredible to see the passion for aviation. Please continue doing it.  

Together, the sky is no longer the limit. On that, let me bring in our FAA Leadership Team and we'll do a little fireside chat with Rob and then take questions from the audience. Thank you so much for your time. 

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Opening Session, U.S.-India Aviation Summit

Good morning, everyone. I'm honored to be here today with this very esteemed group. I want to thank USTDA (United States Trade and Development Agency) for sponsoring and AAAE (American Association of Airport Executives) for executing this really important meeting. We have a lot of government officials and industry reps here today, especially the participants from Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives. Welcome.  
  
I am especially honored to be here because for me, India, has played an important role throughout my aviation career. Almost 30 years ago, as a junior executive at United Airlines, I was tasked to get the authority to launch a Chicago-Delhi-Hong Kong service. United Flights 1 and 2, for those of you aviation geeks, or the old Pan Am around the world routes that United acquired. That allowed me to have numerous trips to India in the 90’s as part of the U.S. delegation, and also, private meetings on the commercial side. For me, it was my introduction to India, to Indian Aviation, and also to some new friendships that have endured to this day. Fifteen years ago, in 2009, I moved to the Delhi region to work on aviation, working with Interglobe as they launched the then fledgling Indigo Airlines.  
  
I was an early witness to the dramatic growth in travel that has occurred in India over these recent decades. 2009 also marked the second U.S.-India aviation conference. At that conference the then Secretary of Civil Aviation gave a wildly optimistic projection for the potential growth of India's aviation sector, predicting that domestic traffic would reach 160 million by 2020. Of course, it turns out that was actually a very conservative estimate. It went from 143 million to 375 million for that period of time, more than doubling. As the Secretary [Shri Vumlungmang Vualnam, Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation] mentioned, the number of airports has already doubled in India in just the last ten years, and the number of international destinations has increased from 50 to 80, a 60 percent growth during that time.  
  
IATA (International Air Transport Association) estimates that by the end of 2026 India will be the third largest single aviation market in the world. I’m here to kick off, what I know will be a very full agenda over the next few days to renew our partnership in this post-Covid environment. I just would like to make a couple of observations about what I see as opportunities for the U.S and South Asia to work on in this unique time for aviation.  
  
My first observation is that it is, in fact, a very unique time in aviation. We're going through a sort of a renaissance in aviation. Not only has traditional aviation roared back after Covid, recovering to pre-COVID levels and above, it's also a very good time to be in the aviation market. All the job categories are highly sought after. Pilots are much better paid then they were 10, 20 or 30 years ago and we have an abundance of new entrants coming into the market. What we call advanced air mobility -commonly referred to as flying cars - are a real thing. We will start to see those certified in the coming years. Supersonic aircraft are back on the drawing board. Drone delivery is going to become ubiquitous in the coming years. Rocket launches currently in the U.S. go up about the pace of three a week. That's great and is continuing to advance very quickly.  
  
So, it's a very exciting time to be in aviation. But it also means drastic changes in how people view aviation and how they interact with aviation, in ways that have never been envisioned before. So, for regulators it means new questions about how we oversee those operations. We have to find a safe, yet nimble, way to regulate these new entrants who are operating at the speed of a startup while we are operating at the speed of government. We need to figure out a way to close that gap and how to identify these risks and understand how to safely incorporate them into the airspace.  
  
My second observation is that the public has very high expectations for aviation safety. Those expectations are rising, and we have been put on notice. In the U.S., we've seen the public perception of safety and risk evolve over a long time. As more people have access to aviation, expectations have grown that the system will be completely safe. I've seen this play out in the U.S. market over the past few decades with the rise of low-cost carriers, as more people are able to afford to fly for the first time.  
  
As the Secretary mentioned, this is happening in India as well as aviation is becoming more available to all Indians and to all people.  
  
When I started aviation accidents were unfortunately not uncommon. They were all annual events. Safety regulators learned from those accidents and made the system safer. For the past couple of decades, we’ve moved beyond that model, thankfully, and accidents are now extremely rare, and they are simply unacceptable as an outcome. More recently, we have focused on analyzing failures in the system, failures that didn't lead to accidents. But failures that are no longer tolerated by the flying public. So, whether that's a plug door that failed due to a manufacturing error or a landing gear that fails due to a maintenance error, these are failures in the protective layers of our safety system, and they're simply no longer acceptable outcomes. Our challenge is to bring safety to the next level, and that means we need to proactively analyze data and find those risks of failure and mitigate those risks before they happen.  
  
That brings me to my third observation, which is that safety is a team sport. I think this would be a really good time to incorporate a metaphor about cricket. In spite of living in India for two years, I still don't understand the game. Our national systems of aviation are inextricably linked to a single global network. We have adjoining airspaces. We have integrated supply chains.  And we have international services that connect our economies and our people.   
We need to work together on issues like safety. We need to share ideas and share innovations, especially in how to safely incorporate some of these new technologies into our airspace. So, while we have different systems that will certainly take different approaches to solving the challenges that we have, we can and should work together to share best practices and learn from one another.  
  
We all have an interest in increasing safety within our respective countries, but we must work together to increase the level of safety in the global aviation system. And this means sharing data. Sharing information allows us to better identify and mitigate risks before those risks become accidents, and even before they become failures to the safety in our systems.  
  
I think we have a unique opportunity to get this right. It is my top priority, in my role as FAA Administrator. I think it's a great opportunity for us to use this forum to find ways that we can cooperate on safety and really raise it to the next level where we’re proactively looking at data and trying to predict where these failures might happen.  
  
So, with that, welcome. I'm very glad to have all of you here today and look forward to a very productive session. Thank you.