RTCA Webinar - Opening Remarks

Thanks Terry [McVenes]. Hello everyone.

I’m happy to be here, and talk with so many of you in the aerospace community throughout the world.

The FAA values our long standing relationship with RTCA and its affiliation with EUROCAE, and with global standards bodies like SAE and ASTM. Together, we’ve developed the performance standards that are critical to advance the safety, efficiency and innovation of the worldwide aerospace industry.

Our business, just like many others, is constantly evolving. And that means our safety processes must constantly evolve to keep pace. 

This past year, 5G deployment brought into sharp focus how our industry is inextricably linked to others. And there is already discussion about 6G and beyond. 

In aviation, we have to ask ourselves – how can we do our work in a quicker and more agile way? A way that anticipates the risks that emerging innovation may pose to our industry. And a way that always keeps safety as our North star.

What can we collectively do to make processes faster, and at the same time, equally thorough – like RTCA’s work to shepherd the development of a new generation of radio altimeter performance standards.

Because the aviation eco-system is expanding rapidly. And we’re seeing much shorter time horizons in tech development. We’ve become accustomed to living in a world where it takes 7-10 years to field new equipment designs. It’s no longer practical to assume that time frame. Instead, we need to be talking half that time – or even less. 

And this is not just about organizations that develop standards. Our whole industry needs to do this. We depend on industry to provide technical knowledge of how our critical systems can continue to operate safely and effectively, whether it is a concern over 5G or some other potential risk factor. We have to ensure safety, while being prepared that our way of operating will change again. 

And aviation can no longer afford to treat itself like a closed society. We have to involve other sectors – like the telecommunications industry or the electric utility providers that will help power future electric aircraft.

Your Spectrum Committee is a good example of this effort. That’s a positive thing. We need that creative tension, that exchange of philosophies, between the different industries. 

As an aviation community, we have to help other industries understand that we might go slower than they would like, because of our overriding safety mission. But we also have to move purposefully and move quickly where we can. 

And we also want to understand their needs. We’ve been doing this with the drone industry, with commercial space enterprises, and with the Advanced Air Mobility community. And because of that, we’re in a position to enable these innovations, with safety as a catalyst, not a crutch.

Thanks everyone, and I’ll turn it back over to Terry to start our conversation. 

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U.S.-Africa Space Forum Panel Remarks

Thank you, Deputy Secretary Graves. Good morning, everyone.

I was a commercial airline pilot for three decades. I’ve flown to and from the majestic continent of Africa many times.  Over my career, I’ve seen the aerospace industry grow and change quite a bit.  

But nothing quite like what we’re seeing today. We’re on the cusp of a new era in this industry. And commercial space flight is not the sole purview of the Western Hemisphere. 

I foresee a day when the headlines speak of joint U.S.-African partnerships to expand suborbital commercial space transportation in the form of crewed spaceplanes over both of our continents. 

The FAA stands ready to work with African nations to develop launch and reentry regulations, advise on the building and sustaining of spaceports, and on the expansion of GPS and Global Navigation Satellite Systems for safer and more efficient air navigation.

By establishing a common approach to regulations, and compatible forms of technology and procedures, we can eliminate duplication of work between our governments and foster an environment of growth for the global

The FAA is doing this with other nations. In December 2021, we signed a Declaration of Intent with Brazil. And in May of this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg signed a Declaration of Intent with the United Kingdom, taking the first steps towards streamlining the licensing of commercial space operations. We are working with both countries to sign full bilateral agreements in 2023, and we’re eager to do the same with African nations.

The FAA can be a valuable partner. We have safely licensed over 500 launches since 1989, and we have 14 licensed spaceports in the United States. 

Over the past few years, we’ve streamlined our regulations so we can ensure safety, while enabling the tremendous innovation we’re seeing by industry today.

We’re also developing technologies and procedures to efficiently manage airspace during space operations.

By working together, the United States and Africa can prepare for traditional suborbital launches, and perhaps one day, suborbital point-to-point travel of passengers and cargo.  

And space is just one of many areas where we can partner. Other exciting innovations like drones and electric air taxis have the potential to spread the benefits of aviation to more people in more places throughout the world. 

We’re eager and willing to work with African nations to achieve regulatory harmonization across all areas of the aerospace sector.

We’ve seen how drones are being used in African nations to deliver medicines and other important items to people. We need to exchange best practices with you, as we collectively strengthen our safety foundation for aerospace activity.

Thank you for inviting me today. The new aerospace era has begun, and we look forward to working more closely with you to seize the opportunities.