Drones: Here for Good

Remarks as Delivered

Thank you Erik for that introduction, and thank you to everyone at the FAA and AUVSI who played a part in pulling together this exciting and innovative conference. It’s great to be here—even virtually—for this, our fifth annual UAS Symposium.

As Jay Merkle said earlier, in the “old days,” it was often the case that much of the real progress in aviation took place in impromptu gatherings on the sidelines of conferences and meetings.

When we entered the virtual conference world, I worried that those connections—particularly those with our international friends and partners—would be lost. After all, regularly scheduled events were no longer regular, and sideline meetings weren’t possible.

So you can imagine how excited I was to learn that bright minds at the FAA and AUVSI innovated yet again to find a way to create those opportunities in our new virtual reality. They’ve given us the ability to have virtual sideline gatherings as part of the UAS Symposium Episode 1—our virtual conference today and tomorrow. How cool is that?

I’m optimistic, and I imagine we’ll learn from this and advance the conversation even further in Episode 2, on August 18 and 19.

That’s technology and innovation having a positive impact on society, and when you think about it, isn’t that the ultimate measure of a sea change in the long run—whether or not it ends up being beneficial for people and changes how we engage with each other and the world?

That was certainly the case for manned aviation, particularly when we entered the jet age and made just about any location on the planet accessible in about a day.

Space travel, in particular the Apollo program, gave the human race much more than Tang. For one thing, it started the hardware miniaturization and software revolution that ultimately led to our pocket-size devices and, apropos of today, drones.

And I think we’re all seeing—especially in the middle of a global public health emergency—that drones are helping people in very real ways every day.

That’s in part why the theme of this year’s symposium, “Drones—Here for Good”—is definitely on point in today’s environment. We actually selected that title back in 2019, but it is more appropriate today than we ever would have imagined.

The expansion of drones is not just happening in the U.S.—it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Consider that, with us today, are international guests from as far away as Australia, Canada, Japan, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 

It’s great to see so many international attendees, and I thank you for participating. I also want to thank Jay for his superb outreach efforts, including the regional updates he’s held with civil aviation authorities around the globe.

We realize that no one here can work in a vacuum when it comes to how we set the parameters that will enable this global industry to prosper yet remain safe for the public.

We have to develop our infrastructure in harmony so that operations can move seamlessly across borders.

And that’s why Episode 1 of this symposium is dedicated in part to highlighting our work with international partners.

I’d like to offer a special welcome to my friends and colleagues from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation—Christian Hegner and Lorenzo Murzilli—who will give a keynote address next, including a special announcement. So stay tuned for that. 

As an aside, we can thank Switzerland for playing a big role in giving us the incredibly stable, versatile, small quadcopter platforms that have become synonymous with the UAS movement. 

Swiss researchers in 2004 at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne did groundbreaking work in autonomous flight using an in-house quadcopter named OS4 (Oh-S-4). Others around the world were making similar progress.

Fast-forward 16 years, and the market is swimming with small, low-cost, quadcopters that can automatically follow along and keep watch over you while you walk your dog—in appropriate airspace, in daytime and not directly over people, of course. 

Along with international integration, the other two focus areas for Episode 1 are STEM and UAS traffic management, or UTM. 

When it comes to STEM, we have a unique opportunity right now, because young people are seeing in the news how drones are helping people.

Imagine the lasting impact of a drone coming to a young person’s house, a kid who’s probably very bored from being cooped up during a time of stay-at-home orders, and the drone drops off a book for summer reading…

That’s what’s been happening in Christiansburg, Virginia, where a local librarian came up with the idea and brought it to Wing Aviation, who made it happen.

In 2019, Wing was the first drone operator in the U.S. to earn a Part 135 air carrier certificate from the FAA. 

Students order the books through their school’s website, where they can choose from more than 150,000 titles, and the drones deliver the books to their house. 

That progress is the direct result of the Administration’s drone Integration Pilot Program, or IPP, which we’ll discuss in great detail during Episode two of this symposium, in August.

For now I’ll just say that the IPP is responsible for many drone “firsts” that have helped the public, including Wing’s book deliveries and the first routine medical package deliveries in the U.S. by another Part 135 carrier, UPS Flight Forward.

In May, UPS Flight Forward began delivering items from a CVS to a nearby senior living community in Orlando, Florida, so that residents with a high risk of contracting COVID-19 did not have to go out.  

The reality that drones are helping, even saving lives, is a powerful tool for capturing the imagination of our youth and pointing them toward STEM. It’s going to be our job—everyone’s here—to ignite their imaginations and help them see the rewards of becoming the next generation of aerospace professionals.

In addition to boosting the social benefits that drones can provide, and getting out the STEM message, we at the FAA are also keeping our eye on the long-term goal of integrating, not segregating, this new entrant into our National Airspace System.

We continue to work with NASA and many of our partners here on UTM concepts, which rely, in part, on a new rulemaking for remote identification.

Remote ID means the drone would provide identification and location information that can be received by UAS service providers and the FAA. We received 53,000 comments on the proposed rule by the time the public comment period closed in March, and we plan to issue a final rule in December this year.

In case you’re wondering, that’s a lot of comments—people are passionate about this topic, and we’re listening.

Meanwhile, the Remote ID Cohort that we formed with industry is developing technology requirements for the UAS service suppliers that will manage the data exchange between a drone and the FAA.

Stick around today and tomorrow, and you’ll hear about all of these topics and more, including our vision on Advanced Air Mobility.

We’ve got the experts here—from the FAA, other government agencies, and industry. In particular, please note that FAA Air Traffic Organization COO, Teri Bristol, will provide an airspace integration update at 2 pm today, and tomorrow morning at 10 am, FAA Associate Administrator for Safety, Ali Bahrami, will offer more insight on UTM, Advanced Air Mobility, IPP and other topics.

Other senior FAA officials are also on the agenda, including a closing keynote tomorrow by Kirk Shaffer, FAA Associate Administrator for Airports.

I’ll close by saying it’s very uncharacteristic for me to get this far into my remarks with so few mentions of the word….safety. Obviously, I’ve saved the most important for last…

If you’ve heard me speak, you know that I always have a few bedrock things to say about safety—one, that it’s job number one for the FAA, and two, that safety is a journey, not a destination. You never stop watching, evaluating and correcting your operation to improve safety.

We at the FAA are here to help the drone community prosper. Consider that we enabled drone use for COVID-19 within our existing regulations and emergency procedures, as well as through special approvals—some in less than an hour. But safety is always our highest priority.

To be successful, safety has to be your highest priority as well. You’ve heard it before, and I’ll say it again, one clueless, careless or reckless flyer, in the wrong place at the wrong time, could ruin everyone’s day, both recreational and commercial, by threatening others in the airspace or on the ground.

If we all do our part, we’ll ensure that drones will be… Here for Good.

So thanks for listening and for spending your time with us today and tomorrow, and hopefully for two days next month.

Have a great symposium.

U.S.–Swiss Drone Agreement

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces Nearly $800 Million in Airport Grants

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces Nearly $800 Million in Grants to 347 Airports in 46 States and 4 Territories

Commercial Space Transportation Activities

View the Virtual Drone Advisory Committee Meeting on Friday, June 19

Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate concerning Examining the Federal Aviation Administration's Oversight of Aircraft Certification

Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Members of the Committee:

Thank you for inviting me here today to speak with you about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) oversight of aircraft certification and to provide you with an update concerning the Boeing 737 MAX. At the outset, on behalf of the United States Department of Transportation and everyone at the FAA, I would like to acknowledge, as we have before, the families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air accidents and extend, once again, our continued deepest sympathies and condolences to them. These tragic accidents should not have happened, and thus underscore and reaffirm the seriousness with which we approach aviation safety every day. We want the families, and the world, to know that we continue to work tirelessly to see that the lessons learned from these accidents will result in a higher margin of safety for the aviation industry globally.

Before I continue to the focus of this hearing, I want to digress for a moment to address some of the challenges the aviation industry has faced during the ongoing public health emergency. Aviation employees have worked diligently these past months — despite the risks to themselves — to safely transport supplies and passengers at a time when our nation has needed them.

Secretary Chao and the Department of Transportation have been clear that passengers should wear face coverings while traveling by air, for their own protection and the protection of those around them.  Face coverings are especially important in situations where social distancing is not feasible. This comes as a health guideline from the agency responsible for public health, the CDC.

Of course, across the transportation system every mode is different. But when it comes to air travel, the DOT and the FAA expect the traveling public to follow airline crew directions and policies, which are in place for passenger protection and the health of air crews, and to take very seriously the precautions recommended by the CDC and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As we move through the phases of reopening, the FAA will continue to support airlines and their front-line employees as they implement these CDC guidelines. And we will continue to apply our aviation expertise to help lead efforts with other Federal agencies, with industry, and with our international partners to address public health risk in the air transportation system, both internationally and here in the United States.

I would also like to add that despite the public health challenges associated with COVID-19, our commitment to aviation safety has never wavered and our air transportation system remains safe, resilient, and flexible, thanks to the sustained focus and hard work of aviation professionals in the FAA and industry.

Status of the 737 MAX Return-to-Service

Safety is the core of the FAA’s mission and is our first priority. We are working diligently so that accidents like the ones that occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia—resulting in the tragic loss of 346 lives—do not occur again. The FAA continues to follow a thorough process for returning the 737 MAX to service. As we have stated many times in the past, this process is not guided by a calendar or schedule. Safety is the driving consideration. I unequivocally support the dedicated professionals of the FAA in continuing to adhere to a data-driven, methodical analysis, review, and validation of the modified flight control systems and pilot training required to safely return the 737 MAX to commercial service. I have directed FAA employees to take the time needed to do that work.

With respect to our international partners, the FAA clearly understands its responsibilities as the aviation safety regulator for the State of Design for the 737 MAX. Last fall, we met with more than 50 foreign civil aviation officials, all of whom have provided input to the FAA. We have continued to have regular dialogue with them during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Each respective nation will make its own decision for clearing the 737 MAX for flight, however, we are also conducting and planning additional outreach activities to engage with our international partners, including providing support on return-to-service issues; maintaining transparency through communication and information sharing; and scheduling meetings for technical discussions.

As I have stated before, the FAA’s return-to-service decision on the 737 MAX will rest solely on the FAA’s analysis of the data to determine whether Boeing’s proposed software updates and pilot training address the known issues for grounding the aircraft. The FAA fully controls the approval process for the flight control systems and is not delegating anything to Boeing. The FAA will even retain authority to issue airworthiness certificates and export certificates of airworthiness for all new 737 MAX airplanes manufactured since the grounding. When the 737 MAX is returned to service, it will be because the safety issues have been addressed and pilots have received all of the training they need to safely operate the aircraft.  

Actions that must still take place before the aircraft will return to service include a certification flight test and completion of work by the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB), which includes the FAA and our international partners from Canada, Europe, and Brazil. The JOEB will evaluate pilot training needs using line pilots of various experience levels from both U.S. carriers as well as international carriers. The FAA’s Flight Standardization Board for the Boeing 737 will issue a report addressing the findings of the JOEB, and the report will be made available for public review and comment. Additionally, the FAA will review all final design documentation, which also will be reviewed by the multi-agency Technical Advisory Board (TAB), made up of FAA Chief Scientists and experts from the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. 

The FAA will issue a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community providing notice of pending significant safety actions and will publish an Airworthiness Directive advising operators of required corrective actions. I will not sign off on the aircraft until all FAA technical reviews are complete, I fly it myself using my experience as an Air Force and commercial pilot, and I am satisfied that I would put my own family on it without a second thought.

Oversight of Aircraft Certification

Safety is a journey, not a destination—a journey we undertake each and every day with humility. Today’s unprecedented U.S. safety record was built on the willingness of aviation professionals to embrace hard lessons and to proactively seek continuous improvement. The FAA both welcomes and recognizes the importance of scrutiny of our processes and procedures. In addition to this Committee’s work and other congressional reviews, several independent reviews have been initiated to look at different aspects of the 737 MAX certification and the FAA’s certification and delegation processes generally. 

The unprecedented Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR), commissioned by the FAA, was the first review to be completed and entailed the participation of nine other civil aviation authorities joining the FAA to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the certification of the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX. The JATR was chaired by former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Christopher Hart and was comprised of a team of experts from the FAA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the aviation authorities of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Never before have 10 authorities come together to conduct this type of review. The JATR provided its unvarnished and independent review and we appreciated their recommendations when they were released this past fall.

The FAA has also received recommendations from the NTSB and the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee’s (KNKT) accident report on Lion Air Flight 610. Earlier this year, the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority released an interim accident report on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, with recommendations. Further, the Secretary of Transportation’s Special Committee to Review the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Process released its recommendations in January of this year. The Special Committee was established to advise and provide recommendations to the Department on policy-level topics related to aircraft certification.

The FAA recently shared with Congress its Action Plan in response to the recommendations of the Special Committee. The plan discusses in depth the FAA’s actions, both planned and underway, to address the recommendations. Importantly, the FAA developed its plan not solely in response to the Special Committee recommendations, but also in the context of the other recommendations received from the JATR, NTSB, and KNKT, as well as FAA’s own findings. The actions described in the FAA’s Action Plan are responsive to all recommendations received and apply to the entirety of the FAA’s approach to aircraft certification. The plan reflects the FAA’s commitment to improving our certification process domestically, and to improving aviation safety globally. We believe that transparency, open and honest communication, and our willingness to improve our systems and processes are the keys to restoring public trust in the FAA and in the safety of the 737 MAX when it is returned to service.

Moving Forward

Beyond the 737 MAX, the FAA is committed to addressing issues regarding aircraft certification processes and aviation safety generally, not only in the United States, but internationally as well. Over the years, the FAA has exercised a leadership role in the promotion and development of global aviation safety. We have helped raise the bar on safety standards and practices worldwide working with the ICAO and other civil aviation authorities. We have an opportunity to do even more. We are committed to expanding our efforts with other authorities around the world and to fostering safety standards and policies at ICAO to help meet the public’s expectations of the highest possible levels of safety globally, even in areas the FAA does not regulate directly. Without safety as a foundation, we cannot have a vibrant aviation industry in any country, much less between countries. Our international air transportation network is a tightly woven fabric that is dependent on all of us making safety our core value. To that end, at the 40th Session of the ICAO Assembly the U.S. presented a working paper, Pilot Training Improvements to Address Automation Dependency, with several of our international partners. The paper was accepted and in May of this year we were able to get it included in an ICAO proposal on the establishment of a Personnel Training and Licensing Panel which will be considered in July.

In our continuing efforts to raise the bar for aviation safety across the globe, it will be important for the FAA and our international partners to foster improvements in standards and approaches not just for how aircraft are designed and produced, but also how they are maintained and operated. We at the FAA are prepared to take the lead in this new phase of system safety.  As noted in our Action Plan responding to the recommendations of the Special Committee our actions will address specific areas of focus including, safety management systems, system safety, globalization, data, internal coordination between certification and flight standards teams, personnel, delegation, amended type certificates, innovation, and existing recommendations. Our strategy to implement these action items will coalesce around several major themes discussed briefly below.

Holistic Approach

In the context of aircraft certification, a holistic approach means that an aircraft system includes the aircraft itself with all of its subsystems, including the flight crew. The aircraft is not a collection of parts or systems, but should be viewed as a whole. A holistic approach to aircraft certification would not rely upon item-by-item reviews in isolation, but would take into account the interactions and interdependencies between all systems and the crew. Such an approach would link all safety requirements for type certification to other aspects of safe operation including, for example, pilot training and operational performance.

Human Factors

Human factors considerations are an important part of the machine design process, which will need to take into account safety and performance levels of human users. As aircraft systems become more complex and the level of automation increases, the integration of human factors into the design of aircraft will be increasingly important.  Human factors considerations must include trained and qualified personnel who will be responsible for operating and maintaining these increasingly safe and complex aircraft. 

Workforce of the Future

In order to meet the safety needs of a rapidly evolving aerospace system, the FAA will need to recruit, hire, maintain, and retain a workforce with the necessary technical expertise, capabilities, and adaptability. Our efforts must ensure that we are able to hire and retain the right people with the right skills and mindset, engaged at the right time, with systemic coordination between certification and operational suitability.

Information and Coordinated Data Flow

Ensuring a coordinated and flexible flow of information during any oversight process is critical. In the context of aviation safety, the concept of sharing information cuts across many initiatives that the FAA continues to examine for potential expansion. These include the following important categories, all of which are part of the broader information and data flow theme: 

1. Safety Management Systems. Safety Management Systems (SMS) establish a commitment, in this case on the part of the manufacturer, to continually improving safety. SMS identifies and manages risk and provides safety assurance by continually evaluating risk controls and by creating a positive safety culture within a workforce. Integrating a safety management system into the processes for design and production, as well as operations, enables insight into the connections and interrelationship between systems.
   
2. Big Data. The FAA must continue leaning into our role as a data-driven, risk-based, decision-making oversight organization that prioritizes safety above all else. We do that by breaking down silos between organizations and implementing programs like SMS supported by compliance programs and informed by data. We look at the aviation ecosystem as a whole, including how all the parts interact: aircraft, weather, pilots, engineers, flight attendants, technicians, mechanics, dispatchers, air traffic controllers, safety inspectors, training programs, certification, passengers—everyone and everything in the operating environment. This includes building upon the successes we have had collaborating with industry and implementing voluntary safety information sharing programs. In the broader context of the overall importance of data to a safety regulator such as the FAA, we are examining the data we have, identifying data we may need, and looking for new methods to analyze and integrate data to increase safety.
   
3. Just Culture. In addition to the technical work required for truly integrated data, a key enabler of a data-driven safety organization is a healthy and robust reporting culture. A good safety culture produces the data needed to understand what’s actually happening. If we know about safety concerns and we know where threats are coming from and how errors are occurring, we can mitigate the risks and fix the processes that led to those errors. A good safety culture demands that we infuse that safety data into all of our processes from top to bottom—in a continuous loop. To be successful, a safety organization relies on a Just Culture that places great value on front-line employees and empowers those involved in the operation to raise and report safety concerns in a timely, systematic way, without fearing retaliation. A Just Culture starts at the top. It’s something leadership has to nurture, encourage, and support everywhere in the organization. Employees have to see the results, see what the data is showing, and see how the organization is using analytic tools to identify concerns and errors and put actions in place to mitigate them. Employees and organizations need to see results that come from leveraging safety data and technical expertise into a safer operation.

Initial Action

As we move ahead to implement these strategies, we have developed a budget request to address specific related needs. For example, the FY 2021 President’s Budget requests funding to recruit additional specialized skilled employees, such as more human factors experts and software engineers. The request would also fund a new system that tracks employee training, qualifications, and certifications to ensure our aviation safety workforce has the skills and knowledge required to execute our oversight functions. This action addresses some of the findings of this committee’s investigatory work that has assisted in pointing out inconsistencies with our tracking systems.

Consistent with Congressional direction, the budget request will support our new office to oversee Organization Designation Authorization (ODA). While the ODA program has been in place since 2005, the creation of a single office supports standardized outcomes and improvements across the ODA program. Further, the budget request will support improvements to voluntary information sharing programs such as Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) and the Aviation Safety Reporting Program. These programs are critical tools in the FAA’s toolbox, facilitating the collection of safety data that allows the FAA to identify trends and improve upon aviation safety. Each of these requests provide a snapshot of our concerted effort to continually improve aviation safety.

Conclusion

Aviation’s hard lessons and the hard work in response to those lessons—from both government and industry—have paved the way to creating a global aviation system with an enviable safety record. But as I mentioned earlier, safety is a journey, not a destination. We have achieved unprecedented levels of safety in the United States. Yet what we have done in the past and what we are doing now is not good enough for the future in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. We must build on the lessons learned, and we must never allow ourselves to become complacent.

The United States has been, and will continue to be, the global leader in aviation safety. We are confident that continuing to approach this task with a spirit of humility, openness, hard work, and transparency will bolster aviation safety worldwide.

This concludes my statement. I will be glad to answer your questions.

FAA Administrator Dickson Testifies before Senate on Boeing 737 MAX

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