President Joe Biden on Oct. 17 signed the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act into law, establishing an interagency working group to more effectively engage the federal government with the goal of furthering the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector.
Under the law, the U.S. Department of Transportation must establish an interagency working group no later than 120 days after the law’s enactment date. The group will be composed of leaders from key government agencies who will review the federal role in the AAM sector, focusing on infrastructure development, potential physical and digital security risks and mitigations, and economic and workforce opportunities.
The working group will consider the views of various stakeholders including airports, aviation operators and manufacturers, consumer groups, first responders, labor groups, and state, local and tribal officials to make recommendations for how the federal government can broaden its role beyond aircraft certification and operations.
The law has the support of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), an international trade association representing more than 100 manufacturers of general aviation airplanes and rotorcraft, engines, avionics, components and related services.
“The establishment of this government working group is an important step toward the future of electric and hybrid-powered aviation,” Pete Bunce, GAMA president and CEO, said. “It builds upon the momentum that came out of this summer’s White House Advanced Air Mobility Summit, which can hopefully be carried over into this working group’s efforts as well as FAA’s work to efficiently pave the way for the certification of these vehicles. The utilization of the working group will be a critical enabler for the type of government coordination necessary to strengthen the future of aviation.”
The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act, S. 516, was introduced by U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).