H. R. 2115—93
SEC. 706. DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL TOOLS AND CERTIFICATION
METHODS.
The Federal Aviation Administration shall conduct research
to promote the development of analytical tools to improve existing
certification methods and to reduce the overall costs for the certifi-
cation of new products.
SEC. 707. 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 subparagraph (C)
and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
‘‘(D) research on the impact of new technologies and
procedures, particularly those related to aircraft flight deck
and air traffic management functions, on training require-
ments for pilots and air traffic controllers.’’.
SEC. 708. FAA CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE FOR APPLIED RESEARCH
AND TRAINING IN THE USE OF ADVANCED MATERIALS
IN TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration shall develop a Center for Excellence focused on
applied research and training on the durability and maintainability
of advanced materials in transport airframe structures. The Center
shall—
(1) promote and facilitate collaboration among academia,
the Federal Aviation Administration’s Transportation Division,
and the commercial aircraft industry, including manufacturers,
commercial air carriers, and suppliers; and
(2) establish goals set to advance technology, improve
engineering practices, and facilitate continuing education in
relevant areas of study.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Administrator $500,000 for fiscal year
2004 to carry out this section.
SEC. 709. AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM JOINT PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—(1) The Secretary of Transportation shall
establish in the Federal Aviation Administration a joint planning
and development office to manage work related to the Next Genera-
tion Air Transportation System. The office shall be known as the
Next Generation Air Transportation System Joint Planning and
Development Office (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Office’’).
(2) The responsibilities of the Office shall include—
(A) creating and carrying out an integrated plan for a
Next Generation Air Transportation System pursuant to sub-
section (b);
(B) overseeing research and development on that system;
(C) creating a transition plan for the implementation of
that system;
(D) coordinating aviation and aeronautics research pro-
grams to achieve the goal of more effective and directed pro-
grams that will result in applicable research;
H. R. 2115—94
(E) coordinating goals and priorities and coordinating
research activities within the Federal Government with United
States aviation and aeronautical firms;
(F) coordinating the development and utilization of new
technologies to ensure that when available, they may be used
to their fullest potential in aircraft and in the air traffic control
system;
(G) facilitating the transfer of technology from research
programs such as the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration program and the Department of Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency program to Federal agencies with
operational responsibilities and to the private sector; and
(H) reviewing activities relating to noise, emissions, fuel
consumption, and safety conducted by Federal agencies,
including the Federal Aviation Administration, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Com-
merce, and the Department of Defense.
(3) The Office shall operate in conjunction with relevant pro-
grams in the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the Department of Commerce and the
Department of Homeland Security. The Secretary of Transportation
may request assistance from staff from those Departments and
other Federal agencies.
(4) In developing and carrying out its plans, the Office shall
consult with the public and ensure the participation of experts
from the private sector including representatives of commercial
aviation, general aviation, aviation labor groups, aviation research
and development entities, aircraft and air traffic control suppliers,
and the space industry.
(b) INTEGRATED PLAN.—The integrated plan shall be designed
to ensure that the Next Generation Air Transportation System
meets air transportation safety, security, mobility, efficiency, and
capacity needs beyond those currently included in the Federal Avia-
tion Administration’s operational evolution plan and accomplishes
the goals under subsection (c). The integrated plan shall include—
(1) a national vision statement for an air transportation
system capable of meeting potential air traffic demand by 2025;
(2) a description of the demand and the performance
characteristics that will be required of the Nation’s future air
transportation system, and an explanation of how those
characteristics were derived, including the national goals, objec-
tives, and policies the system is designed to further, and the
underlying socioeconomic determinants, and associated models
and analyses;
(3) a multiagency research and development roadmap for
creating the Next Generation Air Transportation System with
the characteristics outlined under clause (ii), including—
(A) the most significant technical obstacles and the
research and development activities necessary to overcome
them, including for each project, the role of each Federal
agency, corporations, and universities;
(B) the annual anticipated cost of carrying out the
research and development activities; and
(C) the technical milestones that will be used to
evaluate the activities; and
(4) a description of the operational concepts to meet the
system performance requirements for all system users and a
H. R. 2115—95
timeline and anticipated expenditures needed to develop and
deploy the system to meet the vision for 2025.
(c) GOALS.—The Next Generation Air Transportation System
shall—
(1) improve the level of safety, security, efficiency, quality,
and affordability of the National Airspace System and aviation
services;
(2) take advantage of data from emerging ground-based
and space-based communications, navigation, and surveillance
technologies;
(3) integrate data streams from multiple agencies and
sources to enable situational awareness and seamless global
operations for all appropriate users of the system, including
users responsible for civil aviation, homeland security, and
national security;
(4) leverage investments in civil aviation, homeland secu-
rity, and national security and build upon current air traffic
management and infrastructure initiatives to meet system
performance requirements for all system users;
(5) be scalable to accommodate and encourage substantial
growth in domestic and international transportation and antici-
pate and accommodate continuing technology upgrades and
advances;
(6) accommodate a wide range of aircraft operations,
including airlines, air taxis, helicopters, general aviation, and
unmanned aerial vehicles; and
(7) take into consideration, to the greatest extent prac-
ticable, design of airport approach and departure flight paths
to reduce exposure of noise and emissions pollution on affected
residents.
(d) REPORTS.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation in the Senate and the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Science
in the House of Representatives—
(1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the integrated plan required in subsection (b); and
(2) annually at the time of the President’s budget request,
a report describing the progress in carrying out the plan
required under subsection (b) and any changes to that plan.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated to the Office $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal
years 2004 through 2010.
SEC. 710. NEXT GENERATION AIR TRANSPORTATION SENIOR POLICY
COMMITTEE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation shall estab-
lish a senior policy committee to work with the Next Generation
Air Transportation System Joint Planning and Development Office.
The senior policy committee shall be chaired by the Secretary.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the Secretary, the senior policy
committee shall be composed of—
(1) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion (or the Administrator’s designee);
(2) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (or the Administrator’s designee);
(3) the Secretary of Defense (or the Secretary’s designee);
H. R. 2115—96
(4) the Secretary of Homeland Security (or the Secretary’s
designee);
(5) the Secretary of Commerce (or the Secretary’s designee);
(6) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy (or the Director’s designee); and
(7) designees from other Federal agencies determined by
the Secretary of Transportation to have an important interest
in, or responsibility for, other aspects of the system.
(c) FUNCTION.—The senior policy committee shall—
(1) advise the Secretary of Transportation regarding the
national goals and strategic objectives for the transformation
of the Nation’s air transportation system to meet its future
needs;
(2) provide policy guidance for the integrated plan for the
air transportation system to be developed by the Next Genera-
tion Air Transportation System Joint Planning and Develop-
ment Office;
(3) provide ongoing policy review for the transformation
of the air transportation system;
(4) identify resource needs and make recommendations to
their respective agencies for necessary funding for planning,
research, and development activities; and
(5) make legislative recommendations, as appropriate, for
the future air transportation system.
(d) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out its functions under this
section, the senior policy committee shall consult with, and ensure
participation by, the private sector (including representatives of
general aviation, commercial aviation, aviation labor, and the space
industry), members of the public, and other interested parties and
may do so through a special advisory committee composed of such
representatives.
SEC. 711. ROTORCRAFT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE.
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration shall establish a rotorcraft initiative with the objec-
tive of developing, and demonstrating in a relevant environment,
within 10 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, tech-
nologies to enable rotorcraft with the following improvements rel-
ative to rotorcraft existing 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 operations.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Within 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration, in cooperation with the Administrator of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 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).