IB 
Union Calendar No. 231
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2734
[Report No. 108–405, Part I] 
To authorize appropriations for the civil aviation research and development 
projects and activities of the Federal Aviation Administration, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 15, 2003
Mr. FORBES (for himself, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, 
and Mr. GORDON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science 
DECEMBER 8, 2003
Additional sponsor: Mr. BOEHLERT
DECEMBER 8, 2003
Reported with an amendment and referred to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure for a period ending not later than December 
8, 2003, for consideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment 
as fall within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to clause 1(q), 
rule X 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
DECEMBER 8, 2003
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; committed 
to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and or-
dered to be printed
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 15, 2003] 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations for the civil aviation research 
and development projects and activities of the Federal 
Aviation Administration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration Research and Development Reauthorization 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 48102(a) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘to carry out sections 44504’’ 
and inserting ‘‘for conducting civil aviation research 
and development under sections 44504’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(7); 
(3) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (8) and inserting a semicolon; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new para-
graphs:
‘‘(9) for fiscal year 2004, $371,317,000, includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) $190,000,000 for Research, Engineer-
ing, and Development, of which—
‘‘(i) $65,000,000 shall be for Improving 
Aviation Safety; 
‘‘(ii) $24,000,000 shall be for Weather 
Safety Research; 
‘‘(iii) $15,000,000 shall be made avail-
able to the Next Generation Air Traffic 
Management Research and Development 
Joint Program Office established under sec-
tion 3 of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion Research and Development Reauthor-
ization Act for the Next Generation Air 
Traffic Management Research and Develop-
ment program under such section 3; 
‘‘(iv) $27,500,000 shall be for Human 
Factors and Aeromedical Research; 
‘‘(v) $30,000,000 shall be for Environ-
mental Research and Development, of which 
$20,000,000 shall be for research activities 
related to reducing community exposure to 
civilian aircraft noise or emissions;
‘‘(vi) $7,000,000 shall be for Research 
Mission Support; 
‘‘(vii) $20,000,000 shall be for the Air-
port Cooperative Research Program; and 
‘‘(viii) $1,500,000 shall be for carrying 
out subsection (h) of this section; 
‘‘(B) $163,900,000 for Facilities and Equip-
ment, of which—
‘‘(i) $42,800,000 shall be for Advanced 
Technology Development and Prototyping; 
‘‘(ii) $30,300,000 shall be for Safe 
Flight 21; and 
‘‘(iii) $90,800,000 shall be for the Cen-
ter for Advanced Aviation System Develop-
ment; and 
‘‘(C) $17,417,000 for Airport Improvement 
Program Research and Development, of which—
‘‘(i) $9,667,000 shall be for Airports 
Technology-Safety; and 
‘‘(ii) $7,750,000 shall be for Airports 
Technology-Efficiency; 
‘‘(10) for fiscal year 2005, $396,192,000, includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) $206,600,000 for Research, Engineer-
ing, and Development, of which—
‘‘(i) $65,705,000 shall be for Improving 
Aviation Safety; 
‘‘(ii) $24,260,000 shall be for Weather 
Safety Research; 
‘‘(iii) $30,000,000 shall be made avail-
able to the Next Generation Air Traffic 
Management Research and Development 
Joint Program Office established under sec-
tion 3 of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion Research and Development Reauthor-
ization Act for the Next Generation Air 
Traffic Management Research and Develop-
ment program under such section 3; 
‘‘(iv) $27,800,000 shall be for Human 
Factors and Aeromedical Research; 
‘‘(v) $30,109,000 shall be for Environ-
mental Research and Development, of which 
$20,000,000 shall be for research activities 
related to reducing community exposure to 
civilian aircraft noise or emissions; 
‘‘(vi) $7,076,000 shall be for Research 
Mission Support; 
‘‘(vii) $20,000,000 shall be for the Air-
port Cooperative Research Program; and
‘‘(viii) $1,650,000 shall be for carrying 
out subsection (h) of this section; 
‘‘(B) $172,000,000 for Facilities and Equip-
ment, of which—
‘‘(i) $43,300,000 shall be for Advanced 
Technology Development and Prototyping;
‘‘(ii) $31,100,000 shall be for Safe 
Flight 21; 
‘‘(iii) $95,400,000 shall be for the Cen-
ter for Advanced Aviation System Develop-
ment; and
‘‘(iv) $2,200,000 shall be for Free 
Flight Phase 2; and 
‘‘(C) $17,592,000 for Airport Improvement 
Program Research and Development, of which—
‘‘(i) $9,764,000 shall be for Airports 
Technology-Safety; and 
‘‘(ii) $7,828,000 shall be for Airports 
Technology-Efficiency; and 
‘‘(11) for fiscal year 2006, $412,157,000, includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) $228,289,000 for Research, Engineer-
ing, and Development, of which—
‘‘(i) $66,447,000 shall be for Improving 
Aviation Safety;
‘‘(ii) $24,534,000 shall be for Weather 
Safety Research; 
‘‘(iii) $50,000,000 shall be made avail-
able to the Next Generation Air Traffic 
Management Research and Development 
Joint Program Office established under sec-
tion 3 of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion Research and Development Reauthor-
ization Act for the Next Generation Air 
Traffic Management Research and Develop-
ment program under such section 3; 
‘‘(iv) $28,114,000 shall be for Human 
Factors and Aeromedical Research; 
‘‘(v) $30,223,000 shall be for Environ-
mental Research and Development, of which 
$20,000,000 shall be for research activities 
related to reducing community exposure to 
civilian aircraft noise or emissions; 
‘‘(vi) $7,156,000 shall be for Research 
Mission Support; 
‘‘(vii) $20,000,000 shall be for the Air-
port Cooperation Research Program; and 
‘‘(viii) $1,815,000 shall be for carrying 
out subsection (h) of this section;
‘‘(B) $166,100,000 for Facilities and Equip-
ment, of which—
‘‘(i) $42,200,000 shall be for Advanced 
Technology Development and Prototyping; 
‘‘(ii) $23,900,000 shall be for Safe 
Flight 21; and 
‘‘(iii) $100,000,000 shall be for the 
Center for Advanced Aviation System De-
velopment; and 
‘‘(C) $17,768,000 for Airport Improvement 
Program Research and Development, of which—
‘‘(i) $9,862,000 shall be for Airports 
Technology-Safety; and 
‘‘(ii) $7,906,000 shall be for Airports 
Technology-Efficiency.’’. 
SEC. 3. NEXT GENERATION AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT RE-
SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT JOINT PRO-
GRAM OFFICE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Next 
Generation Air Traffic Management Research and Develop-
ment Joint Program Office (referred to in this section as 
the ‘‘Office’’). The Office shall be jointly managed by the 
Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration. The objective of the Of-
fice shall be to carry out research and development of an
air traffic management system designed to meet national 
long-term aviation security, safety, and capacity needs. 
(b) DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—The Office 
shall be headed by a Director who shall be a senior executive 
of the Federal Aviation Administration. The Deputy Direc-
tor shall be a senior executive of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration. Not later than 120 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrators of the 
Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration shall jointly appoint the 
Director and Deputy Director of the Office. 
(c) FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE.—The Office shall 
manage air traffic management research and development 
programs and initiatives within the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration and the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration. The responsibilities of the Office shall in-
clude—
(1) establishing and managing a research and 
development program for a next generation air traffic 
management system capable of tripling capacity by 
the year 2025; 
(2) entering into grants, cooperative agreements 
or contracts, or otherwise awarding or using funds 
appropriated for air traffic management research and 
development to carry out paragraph (1);
(3) utilizing the facilities, capabilities, expertise, 
and experience of Federal agencies, national labora-
tories, universities, nonprofit organizations, indus-
trial entities, and other non-Federal entities to carry 
out paragraph (1); 
(4) coordinating with the Department of Defense, 
the Department of Commerce, the Under Secretary for 
Science and Technology at the Department of Home-
land Security, the National Security Council, the De-
partment of Transportation, and other Federal agen-
cies; and 
(5) consulting with the private sector (including 
representatives of general aviation, commercial avia-
tion, and the space industry), members of the public, 
and other interested parties on the program. 
(d) NEXT GENERATION AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT 
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN.—
(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Office shall develop a 
research and development plan to carry out this sec-
tion. 
(2) GOAL.—The goal of the plan shall be to en-
able the creation of a National Airspace System ar-
chitecture that would—
(A) be based on emerging ground-based and 
space-based communications, navigation, and 
surveillance technologies; 
(B) increase the level of safety, security, and 
efficiency of the National Airspace System; 
(C) integrate data and information flow ef-
fectively with other Federal agencies responsible 
for providing for our Nation’s defense and secu-
rity; 
(D) be scalable to accommodate and encour-
age substantial growth in domestic and inter-
national transportation;
(E) anticipate and accommodate continuing 
technology upgrades; 
(F) accommodate a wide range of aircraft 
operations, including airlines, air taxis, heli-
copters, general aviation, and unmanned aerial 
vehicles; and 
(G) incorporate noise pollution reduction 
concerns. 
(3) CONTENTS.—The plan shall describe, at a 
minimum—
(A) the most significant technical hurdles 
that stand in the way of achieving the goal de-
scribed in paragraph (2);
(B) the research and development projects 
that will be carried out to overcome the technical 
hurdles described in subparagraph (A), includ-
ing, for each project, whether it would be funded 
by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration, or 
both, and whether the work would be carried by 
the Federal Government, corporations, or univer-
sities, or a combination thereof; 
(C) the annual anticipated cost of carrying 
out the plan; 
(D) the technical milestones that will be 
used to evaluate progress in carrying out the 
plan; and 
(E) how the research and development ac-
tivities will be coordinated with other appro-
priate Federal agencies. 
(e) REPORTS.—The Director of the Office shall trans-
mit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representa-
tives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate—
(1) not later than 120 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the plan required under sub-
section (d); and
(2) annually at the time of the President’s budg-
et request, a report describing the progress in car-
rying out the plan required under subsection (d) and 
any changes to that plan. 
SEC. 4. BUDGET DESIGNATION FOR RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT ACTIVITIES. 
Section 48102 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after subsection (f) the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(g) DESIGNATION OF ACTIVITIES.—(1) The amounts 
appropriated under subsection (a) are for the support of 
all research and development activities carried out by the 
Federal Aviation Administration that fall within the cat-
egories of basic research, applied research, and development, 
including the design and development of prototypes, in ac-
cordance with the classifications of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget Circular A–11 (Budget Formulation/Sub-
mission Process). 
‘‘(2) The Department of Transportation’s annual 
budget request for the Federal Aviation Administration 
shall identify all of the activities carried out by the Admin-
istration within the categories of basic research, applied re-
search, and development, as classified by the Office of Man-
agement and Budget Circular A–11. Each activity in the 
categories of basic research, applied research, and develop-
ment shall be identified regardless of the budget category 
in which it appears in the budget request.’’. 
SEC. 5. AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
Section 44511 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f) AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Trans-
portation shall establish an airport cooperative re-
search program to—
‘‘(A) identify problems that are shared by 
airport operating agencies and can be solved 
through applied research but that are not being 
adequately addressed by existing Federal re-
search programs; and 
‘‘(B) fund research to address those prob-
lems. 
‘‘(2) GOVERNANCE.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall appoint an independent governing board 
for the research program established under this sub-
section. The governing board shall be appointed from 
candidates nominated by national associations rep-
resenting public airport operating agencies, airport 
executives, State aviation officials, and the scheduled 
airlines, and shall include representatives of appro-
priate Federal agencies. Section 14 of the Federal Ad-
visory Committee Act shall not apply to the governing 
board. 
‘‘(3) 
IMPLEMENTATION.—The 
Secretary 
of 
Transportation shall enter into an arrangement with 
the National Academy of Sciences to provide staff 
support to the governing board established under 
paragraph (2) and to carry out projects proposed by 
the governing board that the Secretary considers ap-
propriate.’’.
SEC. 6. DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL TOOLS AND CER-
TIFICATION METHODS. 
The Federal Aviation Administration shall conduct re-
search to promote the development of analytical tools to im-
prove existing certification methods and to reduce the over-
all costs for the certification of new products.
SEC. 7. RESEARCH ON AVIATION TRAINING. 
Section 48102(h)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 
(B); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of subpara-
graph (C) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph:
‘‘(D) research on the impact of new tech-
nologies and procedures, particularly those re-
lated to aircraft flight deck and air traffic man-
agement functions, on training requirements for 
pilots and air traffic controllers.’’. 
SEC. 8. ROTORCRAFT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INI-
TIATIVE. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration shall establish a rotorcraft initia-
tive with the objective of developing, and demonstrating in 
a relevant environment, within 10 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, technologies to enable rotorcraft 
with the following improvements relative to rotorcraft exist-
ing as of the date of the enactment of this Act: 
(1) 80 percent reduction in noise levels on takeoff 
and on approach and landing as perceived by a 
human observer. 
(2) Factor of 10 reduction in vibration. 
(3) 30 percent reduction in empty weight. 
(4) Predicted accident rate equivalent to that of 
fixed-wing aircraft in commercial service within 10 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(5) Capability for zero-ceiling, zero-visibility op-
erations.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Within 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration, in cooperation with the Ad-
ministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration, shall provide a plan to the Committee on Science 
of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate for 
the implementation of the initiative described in subsection 
(a). The implementation plan shall include—
(1) technological roadmaps for achieving each of 
the improvements specified in subsection (a); 
(2) an estimate of the 10-year funding profile re-
quired to achieve the objective specified in subsection 
(a); 
(3) a plan for carrying out a formal quantifica-
tion of the estimated costs and benefits of each techno-
logical option selected for development beyond the ini-
tial concept definition phase; 
(4) a plan for transferring the technologies to in-
dustry, including the identification of requirements 
for prototype demonstrations, as appropriate; 
(5) a plan to perform rotorcraft system architec-
ture studies to identify revolutionary technologies for 
future investments in research and development; and
(6) a plan to increase the use of vertical-take-off-
and-landing vehicles to improve transportation serv-
ice in urban areas. 
(c) FUNDING AGREEMENTS.—The Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration shall enter into appro-
priate funding agreements with other Federal agencies and 
departments linked to national rotorcraft industry and aca-
demic research and development. 
(d) CENTER
FOR ROTORCRAFT TECHNOLOGY.—The 
Federal Aviation Administration is authorized to con-
tribute up to $5,000,000 for the operation of a center for 
rotorcraft technology to house a research, testing, and train-
ing facility and administrative center in the vicinity of ex-
isting helicopter manufacturing and research for the pur-
pose of improving upon and developing new rotorcraft tech-
nologies, new design capabilities, and manufacturing tech-
niques, including the objectives described in subsection (a), 
led by helicopter manufacturers, the maintenance industry, 
retrofitters, universities, and industry suppliers. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to amounts authorized to be appropriated by the 
amendments made by this Act, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration to carry out this section—
(1) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
(2) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
(3) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; 
(4) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and 
(5) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
SEC. 9. PILOT RETIREMENT AGE STUDY. 
The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration shall conduct a research study of whether commer-
cial airline pilots between the ages of 60 and 64 who are 
employed by foreign air carriers pose a significant safety 
risk to United States passengers and airspace. The Admin-
istrator shall transmit the results of the study to the Con-
gress not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
Union Calendar No. 231
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2734
[Report No. 108–405, Part I] 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations for the civil aviation 
research and development projects and activities 
of the Federal Aviation Administration, and for 
other purposes. 
DECEMBER 8, 2003
Reported with an amendment and referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure for a pe-
riod ending not later than December 8, 2003, for con-
sideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment 
as fall within the jurisdiction of that committee pursu-
ant to clause 1(q), rule X 
DECEMBER 8, 2003
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 
printed