Statement of Kelvin B. Coleman, Associate Administrator, Commercial Space Transportation FAA Hearing Before The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation

Chair Cantwell, Chair Sinema, Ranking Member Cruz, Ranking Member Schmitt, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to be here today to discuss the important role the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) play in ensuring the safety and economic competitiveness of U.S. commercial space activities. We are committed to continuing to enable safe space transportation and keeping pace with the growth of the commercial space sector while prioritizing U.S. leadership.

U.S. commercial space capabilities and innovation are vitally important to our Nation. The U.S. commercial space transportation industry is rapidly developing new technologies that will assure our Nation access to space, take us back to the moon and to other interstellar destinations, connect global communities, help us better serve the planet, and improve the daily lives of our citizens. Commercial space activity worldwide surged in the past decade, resulting in a half-trillion dollar global space economy that will nearly double in the next decade. The United States contributes roughly half of all commercial activity, and the U.S. commercial space industry will continue to be an extremely important contributor to the growth of this space economy. My testimony focuses on DOT’s authorities and responsibilities for commercial space, the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposal to establish additional regulatory roles and responsibilities for DOT and FAA regarding new and novel U.S. in-space activities that will
ensure the U.S. remains the world’s preeminent commercial space country of choice, and ongoing efforts to streamline and improve our commercial space regulatory framework.

Overview of the Office of Commercial Space Transportation and its Responsibilities

The Secretary of Transportation (Secretary), in accordance with Title 51 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), regulates and oversees U.S. commercial space transportation operations, which include launch and reentry operations worldwide, the operation of launch and reentry sites, and human space flight missions. This authority has been delegated by the Secretary to the FAA. The FAA, through the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST), which I have led as Associate Administrator since September of last year, carries out these authorities to protect the public health and safety, the safety of property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. In addition to these important responsibilities, the FAA is also responsible for encouraging, facilitating, and promoting commercial space launches and reentries by the private sector and facilitating the strengthening and expansion of U.S. space transportation infrastructure. To put it simply, consistent with these responsibilities, our mission is to enable safe commercial space transportation, and we recognize and embrace the central role the DOT and the FAA play in ensuring the U.S. continues to be the global leader in space.

Since 1989, the FAA has licensed or permitted nearly 700 commercial space transportation operations, more than any other country in the world by far. To put the growth of the commercial space sector into perspective, in fiscal year 2023, AST oversaw the safety of 113 operations, tripling the number of licensed operations since fiscal year 2020. Additionally, we have received a 186% increase in license applications since fiscal year 2020. And in the last few years, we’ve seen an increased use of reusable launch vehicle technology, new manufacturing techniques, and other innovation. The FAA has leveraged its licensing and regulatory capabilities
and other various programs and initiatives to enable the growth of the U.S. commercial space industry in a manner that has resulted in an impressive safety record for this rapidly growing industry. No FAA-licensed launch or reentry operation has resulted in a fatality or injury to a member of the public, nor has there been any significant public property damage. Looking forward, we expect the total number of licensed commercial space operations to double by fiscal year 2026. This is fantastic growth, and the FAA is committed to seeing it continue.

Additionally, the FAA's involvement in commercial space transportation operations is extensive; it also includes license modifications and license renewals, conducting payload and policy reviews with our interagency partners, conducting an assortment of safety analyses, safety inspections, mishap investigations, and more. We’ve seen significant increases in all of these activities. For example, since fiscal year 2020, we’ve increased safety inspections by 124%.

Currently, about two-thirds of the AST organization is dedicated to working on these important activities. The FAA’s impressive safety record and ability to keep up with this rapidly growing industry are in large part because of the incredible staff that I have in AST. Thanks to recent support from Congress in fiscal year 2023, which allowed us to expand our team, we were able to hire an additional 33 new employees using various hiring and recruiting authorities, raising our total staff size to a current level of 147 individuals, which allows us to address many of the growing demands that have been placed on our office.

Looking forward – Novel Space Activities

Last month, the Biden-Harris Administration unveiled a legislative package titled the “Authorization and Supervision of Novel Private Sector Space Activities Act,” which, if enacted, will provide clear and predictable authorization and supervision for novel U.S. private sector in-space activities. The Administration's legislative package would expand the Department's licensing authority to include the operation of human space flight vehicles in outer space and the operation of space transportation vehicles if the operation is for the sole purpose of conducting in-space transportation. This is a logical extension of the Department’s existing authorities and will simplify the process for industry. The authority to license operations of human space flight vehicles in outer space would ensure consistent oversight of human space flight activities throughout a mission’s full lifecycle, addressing public safety, space sustainability, and other U.S. interests and, after the learning period expires, occupant safety from launch through reentry. AST would utilize our extensive expertise in space transportation to carry out in-space transportation licensing authority. For some missions, this authority would allow for in-space transportation operators to apply for a single license to conduct all transportation activities, including launch, in-space transportation, and reentry, which will reduce the regulatory burden on applicants and ensure consistency in transportation rules from launch through reentry.

We recognize the importance of a robust domestic commercial space transportation industry to the Nation. The Department’s approach to the authorization and supervision of these in-space activities would prioritize a clear, predictable, and flexible oversight process that promotes access to space and imposes minimal burdens on the industry. The Department would also work closely with the Department of Commerce, NASA, and other departments and agencies to ensure the application of consistent standards.

We are in full support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to fostering a policy and regulatory environment that enables the competitive and burgeoning U.S. commercial space sector, including through this legislative package, and we look forward to continued conversations with Congress on this incredibly important topic.

Efforts to Streamline and Improve FAA’s Commercial Space Regulatory Framework

At the present time, as we work to enable safe space transportation within our existing authorities and keep up with this rapidly growing industry, we have also undertaken efforts to streamline and improve our commercial space regulatory framework. These efforts include:

Part 450: In December 2020, the FAA published a final rule to consolidate, update, and streamline all launch and reentry regulations into a single performance-based part, which is found in Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 450 (Part 450). We designed Part 450 to allow a commercial space operator to obtain a license for a portfolio of operations, which enables an operator to streamline and include different vehicle configurations, different mission profiles, and even multiple sites under one license. The FAA anticipates full implementation of Part 450 will reduce the number of times an operator will need to come to the FAA for an approval. Ultimately, this will free up licensing resources and ensure there are adequate resources available for evaluating the safety of new operators, vehicles, sites, and technologies. Additionally, among other things, Part 450 enables coordination between the FAA and our Federal range partners, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense, on ground safety at Federal launch sites to eliminate gaps and duplication in oversight. By March 10, 2026, all launch and reentry licenses issued by the FAA under legacy regulations will no longer be valid, and launch and reentry vehicle operators must be in compliance with Part 450.

We are committed to ensuring this transition to Part 450 is as smooth as possible. Part 450 is a relatively new rule, and as we approach these next two years, through various initiatives,
AST is working to ensure that the FAA has the tools in place to ensure that the industry has a full understanding of how to achieve compliance with Part 450 and how to take advantage of the intended benefits of this streamlined process. Among these initiatives are:
(1) Continual Website Improvements: We have worked, and continue to work, on improving the FAA’s website to ensure that information is easily accessible for prospective license applicants. For example, we have replaced relevant portions of the website that contained licensing information with a “Getting Started with Licensing” page that provides prospective applicants with important information they will need to successfully submit an application to the FAA for a license, permit, or safety element approval. The page contains a link to commercial space regulations, a link to all active Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Circulars, a link to contact AST and provide project and operator information in order to efficiently begin the pre-application process, a link to pre-application checklists, a detailed step-by-step process for all applicants, and more. Additionally, we have added a tool to the page to guide prospective applicants in determining what type of license they will need.

(2) Application Checklists: We have developed application checklists that prospective applicants may use when applying for a launch or reentry license, experimental permit, launch site operator license, or safety element approval. These checklists provide prospective applicants with the information they need in the pre-application process to ensure they submit a comprehensive, compliant, and complete application for FAA review and approval.

(3) Virtual Tutorials and Workshops: We have posted educational videos on our website that cover various Part 450 topics, including a Part 450 modular “at your pace” training video that offers a broad walkthrough of Part 450. We have also hosted workshops to assist prospective applicants with Part 450. For example, we held a Part 450 workshop in 2020 with industry participants where we did a broad walkthrough of Part 450 and provided a crosswalk of mapping tools comparing the new rule to legacy regulations. Additionally, this summer, we held a compliance and enforcement workshop with industry participants. We plan to develop more training videos and hope to host more workshops in the future.

(4) Guidance: The FAA has published guidance on means of compliance with Part 450 requirements through Advisory Circulars to assist the commercial space industry. As of today, the FAA has published 18 Advisory Circulars related to Part 450 compliance, which cover topics like Space Nuclear Systems, Flight Hazard Analysis, Ground Safety, Population Exposure Analysis, System Safety Program, High Consequence Event Protection, and Computing System Safety. The FAA anticipates publishing two more advisory circulars in the near term, one that will provide guidance to the industry on elements required for a complete application and one addressing denial and tolling processes. We are working to publish more advisory circulars in the future to further facilitate applicants’ understanding of and compliance with Part 450.

(5) Licensing Electronic Application Portal: FAA is working to develop a Licensing Electronic Application Portal (LEAP), which will be used to accept, modify, exchange, and approve licensing materials under Part 450. LEAP is expected to enhance our ability to identify, track, and quickly resolve questions and issues both internally and externally with applicants.

Human Space Flight Occupant Safety: In addition to supporting industry’s efforts on voluntary consensus standards and updating a set of recommended practices for human space flight occupant safety, DOT established the Human Space Flight Occupant Safety Aerospace Rulemaking Committee (Human Space Flight SpARC) on April 21, 2023. The Human Space Flight SpARC allows us to engage with the commercial space industry and will provide consensus information, concerns, opinions, and recommendations to the Department regarding the establishment of a commercial human space flight occupant safety framework. We expect recommendations from the Human Space Flight SpARC by the summer of 2024, which we will use to plan our efforts with the industry on a future safety framework.

Financial Responsibility: On March 15, 2023, DOT established the Financial Responsibility Aerospace Rulemaking Committee (Financial Responsibility SpARC) to engage the commercial space transportation industry and solicit information, concerns, opinions, and recommendations about updating the financial responsibility regime for licensed launch and reentry operations. The financial responsibility requirements for a launch and reentry license have not been updated in years, and the Financial Responsibility SpARC’s recommendations, due in early 2024, will help the FAA modernize the financial responsibility regulations.

Conclusion

I once again would like to reiterate the importance of the commercial space transportation industry and express the strong commitment of the Department of Transportation, especially the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, to ensuring the U.S. continues to be the global leader in space. The U.S. must remain the world’s preeminent commercial space country of choice, and the Administration’s proposal on in-space authorization will ensure that. We will continue leveraging our licensing and regulatory capabilities, as well as other programs and initiatives, to enable the growth of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry, and we are committed to continued growth. Thank you again for the opportunity to be here to discuss the important role DOT plays in ensuring the safety and economic competitiveness of U.S. commercial space activities. This concludes my testimony, and I will be glad to answer any questions from the Committee.

FAA Administrator Strengthens Safety Oversight Authority

FAA Proposes to Require Drug and Alcohol Testing of Certificated Repair Station Employees Who Work on Commercial Aircraft Outside of the U.S.

FAA Statement on Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee

FAA Launches 2023 Holiday “12 Days of Drones” Safety Campaign

WASHINGTON – If you are considering a drone as a holiday gift, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants you and your loved ones to understand how to fly it safely. 

The FAA is launching its 12 Days of Drones campaign to educate people about the rules, regulations and best practices of operating a drone. This December, the agency will share important drone-safety information and resources that will help future pilots stay up to date with the latest rules....

FAA Proposes Requiring 25-Hour Cockpit Voice Recorders

FAA Takes Actions to Address Independent Safety Review Team’s Recommendations

FAA to Appoint Rulemaking Committee to Examine Pilot Mental Health

Statement of Timothy L. Arel Chief Operating Officer, Air Traffic Organization Hearing Before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation

Chairs Cantwell and Duckworth, Ranking Members Cruz and Moran, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the chance to be here today to testify about some of the significant events we have seen in the National Airspace System (NAS) this year. Before I delve into the details and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) actions to address these events and prevent them in the future, I want to emphasize the seriousness with which we approach this issue. Collectively, air traffic controllers, pilots, commercial operators, general aviation, and airports all play an important role in minimizing risk within the system. Through years of collaboration with these stakeholders, the FAA has established multiple layers of safety that protect the traveling public from the time they board an aircraft to the time they deplane. These efforts include continued pilot outreach and training, controller awareness and training, investments in surface safety and situational awareness technology tools, robust procedures managed by air traffic controllers, and the application of Safety Management Systems internally and across part 121 commercial operators as well as major airport operators.

The level of safety we have would not be possible without continuous transparent and collaborative communication between the FAA and industry. At the FAA, we are proud of our proactive safety culture, which emphasizes the value of nonpunitive sharing of data and safety information between the agency and industry to reduce risk and maximize safety. Nevertheless, we view even one runway incursion or other unsafe operation in the NAS as too many, and the FAA is committed to the relentless pursuit of continual improvement in everything we do. Any runway incursions or other event in the NAS, whether isolated or part of a possible trend, is a concern, and we don’t take it lightly. We appreciate the oversight and attention this subcommittee has focused on this issue, as increased awareness helps us improve safety.
 
Runway Incursions
A runway incursion is any occurrence at an airport involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. Incursions are caused by operational incidents attributed to air traffic control action or inaction, pilot deviations, or vehicle/pedestrian deviations.

We measure four categories of runway incursions based on objective, observable standards:

• Category A is a serious incident in which a collision was narrowly avoided.
• Category B is an incident in which separation decreases and there is a significant potential for collision, which may result in a time-critical corrective/evasive response to avoid a collision.
• Category C is an incident characterized by ample time and/or distance to avoid a collision.
• Category D is an incident that meets the definition of runway incursion (e.g., the incorrect presence of a single vehicle/person/aircraft on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft) but results in no immediate safety consequences.

For fiscal year 2023, of the approximately 54.4 million takeoffs and landings in the NAS, there were 1,756 total runway incursions. Approximately 60 percent of those incursions were attributable to pilot deviations, approximately 20 percent were caused by air traffic controller action or inaction, and the remaining approximately 20 percent were caused by vehicle or pedestrian deviations. It’s important to note that the total number of Category A and B runway incursions was 23. Although these statistics suggest that runway incursions account for approximately 0.003 percent of all NAS operations, and the more serious incursions in Categories A and B combined account for about 0.00004 percent of all NAS operations, we recognize that any number is an unacceptable safety risk and we are working hard to drive the number of such incursions to zero.

Overall, our data, which is regularly shared with Congress and publicly available, shows a recent downward trend in the rate of runway incursions. For example, in fiscal year 2022, there were approximately 33 incursions per one million takeoffs and landings. In fiscal year 2023, there were 32 incursions per one million takeoffs and landings. Although the change is modest so far, we are optimistic that our recent and ongoing work and collaboration with industry is bearing fruit and will lead to continued safety improvements in the NAS.

The FAA takes seriously every safety event in the NAS, whether it occurs on the surface or in the air. Through the promotion of Voluntary Safety Reporting Programs and expanded system monitoring through Aviation Risk Identification and Assessment, we identify and mitigate events that would have previously been unknown even two years ago. Our focus is on maintaining our status as the premier air navigation service provider, keeping aircraft safe, separated, and on time.

Safety Summit and Follow-on Actions
In March of this year, in response to an uptick in the most severe runway incursions, the FAA took a number of additional actions aimed at helping to drive down the incidence of all runway incursions. The Administrator’s call to action led to a safety summit that brought more than 200 safety leaders from across the aviation industry to examine ways that safety could be enhanced to prevent future occurrences. These discussions covered commercial and general aviation operations, the air traffic system, and airport and ground operations. The FAA also held a series of surface summits separately with stakeholders, including general aviation, air carriers, business aviation, and airport operators.

Since the safety summit, the FAA has taken a number of actions to enhance flight safety and reduce incursions:

• March: The FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) identifying items for safety management focus, including guidance related to runway safety, and asking all pilots, air carrier management, and operators to review processes, procedures, or training to ensure operations are conducted at the highest level of safety, including adherence to air traffic control instructions and maintaining a “sterile cockpit” to mitigate risks associated with extraneous communication.
• March: The FAA announced additional steps the agency’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) will take:
  • Ensure that supervisors devote their full attention to the operation and airfield during peak traffic periods at each facility.
  • Provide more dedicated training for unusual circumstances.
• April: The FAA named an independent safety review team to further examine ways to enhance safety and reliability in the nation’s air traffic system. The Safety Review Team began its work in May and will complete its work this fall and present concrete recommendations on how the agency can advance air traffic safety.
• June: The FAA launched the “Stand Up for Safety” Campaign. The series will provide monthly, mandatory special emphasis training for our controller workforce, including operations supervisors and managers, in collaboration with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).
• August: The FAA announced it will hold runway safety meetings at approximately 90 airports between August and the end of September. The meetings, held annually at each airport with a control tower, are the primary forum for pinpointing and addressing airport-specific risk in the surface environment and are part of the ongoing work of the Runway Safety Action Teams discussed below.
• August: The FAA issued a SAFO with reminders of practices to prevent injuries while workers are towing aircraft and guiding them to and from gates. The SAFO reminds aircraft operators that it is important for personnel to remain clear of operating engines until they are shut down.
• September: The FAA tasked the Investigative Technologies Aviation Rulemaking Committee to provide recommendations on new technologies, such as cockpit alerting systems, designed to reduce runway safety events. When aircraft land on the wrong surface, it presents risks that can lead to catastrophic events where the surface could be closed, damaged, or an unsuitable length for a safe takeoff or landing.

Moreover, over the course of fiscal year 2023, the FAA awarded grants for 55 runway safety projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and 154 runway safety projects under the Airport Improvement Program, totaling more than $1.0 billion. These projects will reconfigure taxiways that may cause confusion, install airfield lighting, signage or markings, or construct new taxiways to enhance safety on the airfield.

Longterm Runway Safety Initiatives
The actions since March that are noted above are a small fraction of the overall sustained effort that the FAA and industry have undertaken over time to lower runway incursions. Runway safety will continue to be a high priority for the FAA, and we will continue to develop and refine initiatives to enhance runway safety. Here are some of the more significant FAA initiatives that are moving the needle on safety.

• Runway Safety Council. The FAA convened the Runway Safety Council (RSC) to fundamentally change the existing safety culture and move toward a systemic proactive management strategy that involved cooperation throughout the FAA and among the different segments of the aviation industry. By applying the formalized and proactive approach of the ATO’s Safety Management System, the RSC is advancing the shift from a compliance-based safety system to a risk-based, data-driven, integrated systems solution to runway safety.
  Collaboration with the aviation community is a key component of runway safety. The RSC includes aviation stakeholders from across FAA Lines of Business, including Airports, Aviation Safety, and the ATO, as well as FAA employee labor organizations like Professional Aviation System Specialists and NATCA, and industry representatives such as aircraft operators, airline representatives, and flight instructors.
• Runway Safety Action Teams. Runway Safety Action Teams (RSAT) bring local airport stakeholders together at least once a year at towered airports to identify risks to surface safety at individual airports and develop plans to mitigate or eliminate those risks. RSATs provide the foundation of the Runway Safety Program at individual airports. The RSAT meetings are the primary forum for pinpointing and addressing airport-specific risks in the surface environment. The product of a RSAT meeting is a Runway Safety Action Plan in which the stakeholders document and agree to pursue specific actions intended to improve surface safety.
• Runway Incursion Mitigation. The Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM) program is a national initiative at airports with a history of runway incursions to identify airport- specific risk factors that might contribute to a runway incursion. These risk factors may include unclear taxiway markings, airport signage, and more complex issues such as the runway or taxiway layout. The FAA then works with the airport sponsors to develop strategies to mitigate runway incursions at these locations. Currently, 131 unmitigated RIM locations have been identified across 80 airports. To date, the program has mitigated 99 locations. Other solutions like operational modifications or a hot spot designation (to optimize pilot awareness) are employed when physical changes are not feasible or best suited. There is a 78-percent average reduction of runway incursions at mitigated RIM locations. The RIM program continuously monitors these locations for reoccurrence and assesses incoming data for any new RIM location candidates.

Runway Safety Technologies
Investment in technology will continue to be an effective mechanism to enhance aviation safety and runway safety in particular. We are committed to the continued development and deployment of safety technologies in support of aviation safety. Here are some examples of technologies that are advancing safety.

• Technology Sprints. The FAA has announced that we are pursuing a technology sprint by fast-tracking the deployment of three initiatives to address specific safety concerns on the airport surface.
  • The Surface Awareness Initiative will deploy a situational awareness display of airport surface traffic to tower air traffic controllers for airports that do not currently have a surface surveillance system.
  • The Approach Runway Verification will add functionality in the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Terminal System (STARS) to provide controllers with alerts of wrong runway, closed runway, and wrong airport alignments to prevent wrong surface landings.
  • The Runway Incursion Device will provide a memory aid device that generates an audible and visual alert to controllers to enhance situational awareness of occupied and closed runways, which we plan to deploy to over 70 towers.
• Runway Status Lights. The FAA developed Runway Status Lights (RWSL) technology to increase situational awareness for flight crews and airport vehicle drivers and thus serve as an added layer of safety. A RWSL system derives traffic information from surface and approach surveillance systems and illuminates red in-pavement airport lights to signal a potentially unsafe situation. Runway Entrance Lights are deployed at taxiway/runway crossings and illuminate if it is unsafe to enter or cross a runway. Takeoff Hold Lights are deployed by the departure hold zone and illuminate red when there is an aircraft in position for departure and the runway is occupied by another aircraft or vehicle and it is unsafe for takeoff. RWSL is operational at 20 U.S. airports.
• Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X. Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) integrates data from a variety of sources, including radars, transponder multilateration systems, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) to provide accurate target position and identification information and thus give controllers a more reliable view of airport operations. ASDE-X provides tower controllers a surface traffic situation display with visual and audible alerting of traffic conflicts and potential collisions. ASDE-X is operational at 35 airports in the United States.
• Airport Surface Surveillance Capability. Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) is similar to ASDE-X. It improves surface surveillance and situational awareness in all kinds of weather. With ASSC, air traffic controllers see aircraft and ground vehicles on the airport surface and on approach and departure paths within a few miles of the airport. Like ASDE-X, ASSC fuses data from multiple sources, including radars, to provide a highly accurate display for controllers with the same visual and aural alerting capabilities. ASSC is operational at nine airports in the United States.
• Runway Incursion Warning Systems and Vehicle ADS-B Transmitters. Runway Incursion Warning Systems (RIWS) and vehicle ADS-B transmitters are available for installation on airport and airline-owned vehicles that regularly operate in the movement area. These technologies enhance situational awareness for surface operators and Air Traffic Controllers. FAA has been actively encouraging airports to voluntarily equip their vehicles. Grants are available for installation of these systems. As a result, there are now over 2,100 vehicles equipped with ADS-B transmitters at airports with ASDE-X and ASSC and over 1,000 vehicles equipped with a RIWS.
• From the Flight Deck and the Runway Safety Pilot Simulator. The FAA has produced 100 site-specific “From the Flight Deck” videos to educate and inform pilots and controllers of the risks associated with operating at specific airports around the NAS. Other videos cover safety topics, including wrong surface landings, complex airfield geometry, hold short, wrong direction intersection takeoffs, and more. Additional airport videos are forthcoming.
  FAA's Runway Safety Pilot Simulator video series is a self-guided resource to assist flight instructors with teaching student pilots surface safety best practices before they step foot into the cockpit. It allows student pilots to navigate on airport surfaces while communicating with air traffic control and gain experience following instructions provided by air traffic control. The scenarios are interactive and allow viewers to make decisions based on air traffic control instructions.
• Pilot Information on Airports Across the NAS. To supplement From the Flight Deck videos, we began publishing additional information on faa.gov. This content includes details such as airport-specific cautions, information local controllers want pilots to know, airport communications, airspace details, more general best practices, lost communications tips, and other preflight planning resources. This supplemental web content is currently available for 25 airports across the NAS, with more content in development.

Controller Hiring
Finally, although eliminating runway incursions requires close coordination and collaboration with industry, we recognize the vital role we play in working to avoid and eliminate them. Part of that work is the hiring and training of air traffic controllers. The President’s FY 2024 budget request includes funding for the hiring and training of 1,800 controllers, an increase of 300 above the hiring level for FY 2023. This funding supports the continued training of the 1,500 controllers hired in FY 2023. The FAA Academy's training schedule in execution for FY 2024 will support the FAA's overall goal to hire 1,800 controllers to include the added training cost for the additional 300 controllers reflected in the FY 2024 budget request. The budget request will allow the FAA to continue progress toward attaining the necessary Certified Professional Controller staffing levels to meet current traffic demands, which have returned to, or in some markets exceeded, pre-pandemic levels. The 2023 Controller Workforce Plan released in May includes facility-specific staffing targets. As we continue to work with our labor partners, we also submitted to Congress the results of the Collaborative Resource Workgroup and look forward to continued discussion and progress as we all work toward the shared goal of staffing targets to meet traffic demands.

Conclusion
I would like to reemphasize the seriousness with which we approach this issue and assure you that although we are proud of our safety culture and the work we have done, the FAA will doggedly press for continued collaboration with industry to further enhance safety initiatives and technologies to reduce runway incursions with the goal of eliminating them. Thank you again for the chance to speak about this critical safety issue.

FAA Schedules Next Series of Runway Safety Meetings

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration continues to address runway safety risks with 16 runway safety meetings for the remainder of the year. These meetings are in addition to the 90 Runway Safety Action Team meetings across the country already held. 

The meetings, held annually at each airport with a control tower, are the primary forum for pinpointing and addressing...