H. R. 1758—432
having jurisdiction over an air navigation facility owned or operated
by the Government may provide, under regulations the head of
the department, agency, or instrumentality prescribes, for public
use of the facility.
(2) The head of a department, agency, or instrumentality of
the Government having jurisdiction over an airport or emergency
landing field owned or operated by the Government may provide,
under regulations the head of the department, agency, or instrumen-
tality prescribes, for assistance, and the sale of fuel, oil, equipment,
and supplies, to an aircraft, but only when necessary, because
of an emergency, to allow the aircraft to continue to the nearest
airport operated by private enterprise. The head of the department,
agency, or instrumentality shall provide for the assistance and
sale at the prevailing local fair market value as determined by
the head of the department, agency, or instrumentality. An amount
that the head decides is equal to the cost of the assistance provided
and the fuel, oil, equipment, and supplies sold shall be credited
to the appropriation from which the cost was paid. The balance
shall be credited to miscellaneous receipts.
(e) CONSENT OF CONGRESS.—Congress consents to a State mak-
ing an agreement, not in conflict with a law of the United States,
with another State to develop or operate an airport facility.
(f) TRANSFERS OF INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEMS.—An airport
may transfer, without consideration, to the Administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration an instrument landing system (and
associated approach lighting equipment and runway visual range
equipment) that conforms to performance specifications of the
Administrator if a Government airport aid program, airport develop-
ment aid program, or airport improvement project grant was used
to assist in purchasing the system. The Administrator shall accept
the system and operate and maintain it under criteria of the
Administrator.
§ 44503. Reducing nonessential expenditures
The Secretary of Transportation shall attempt to reduce the
capital, operating, maintenance, and administrative costs of the
national airport and airway system to the maximum extent prac-
ticable consistent with the highest degree of aviation safety. At
least annually, the Secretary shall consult with and consider the
recommendations of users of the system on ways to reduce non-
essential expenditures of the United States Government for avia-
tion. The Secretary shall give particular attention to a recommenda-
tion that may reduce, with no adverse effect on safety, future
personnel requirements and costs to the Government required to
be recovered from user charges.
§ 44504. Improved aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, and
appliances
(a) DEVELOPMENTAL
WORK
AND
SERVICE
TESTING.—The
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may conduct
or supervise developmental work and service testing to improve
aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, and appliances.
(b) RESEARCH.—The Administrator shall conduct or supervise
research—
(1) to develop technologies and analyze information to pre-
dict the effects of aircraft design, maintenance, testing, wear,
and fatigue on the life of aircraft and air safety;
H. R. 1758—433
(2) to develop methods of analyzing and improving aircraft
maintenance technology and practices, including nondestructive
evaluation of aircraft structures;
(3) to assess the fire and smoke resistance of aircraft mate-
rial;
(4) to develop improved fire and smoke resistant material
for aircraft interiors;
(5) to develop and improve fire and smoke containment
systems for inflight aircraft fires;
(6) to develop advanced aircraft fuels with low flammability
and technologies that will contain aircraft fuels to minimize
post-crash fire hazards; and
(7) to develop technologies and methods to assess the risk
of and prevent defects, failures, and malfunctions of products,
parts, processes, and articles manufactured for use in aircraft,
aircraft engines, propellers, and appliances that could result
in a catastrophic failure of an aircraft.
(c) AUTHORITY
TO
BUY
ITEMS
OFFERING
SPECIAL
ADVAN-
TAGES.—In carrying out this section, the Administrator, by negotia-
tion or otherwise, may buy or exchange experimental aircraft, air-
craft engines, propellers, and appliances that the Administrator
decides may offer special advantages to aeronautics.
§ 44505. Systems, procedures, facilities, and devices
(a) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.—(1) The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration shall—
(A) develop, alter, test, and evaluate systems, procedures,
facilities, and devices, and define their performance characteris-
tics, to meet the needs for safe and efficient navigation and
traffic control of civil and military aviation, except for needs
of the armed forces that are peculiar to air warfare and pri-
marily of military concern; and
(B) select systems, procedures, facilities, and devices that
will best serve those needs and promote maximum coordination
of air traffic control and air defense systems.
(2) The Administrator may make contracts to carry out this
subsection without regard to section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31.
(3) When a substantial question exists under paragraph (1)
of this subsection about whether a matter is of primary concern
to the armed forces, the Administrator shall decide whether the
Administrator or the Secretary of the appropriate military depart-
ment has responsibility. The Administrator shall be given technical
information related to each research and development project of
the armed forces that potentially applies to, or potentially conflicts
with, the common system to ensure that potential application to
the common system is considered properly and that potential con-
flicts with the system are eliminated.
(b) RESEARCH ON HUMAN FACTORS AND SIMULATION MODELS.—
The Administrator shall conduct or supervise research—
(1) to develop a better understanding of the relationship
between human factors and aviation accidents and between
human factors and air safety;
(2) to enhance air traffic controller, mechanic, and flight
crew performance;
(3) to develop a human-factor analysis of the hazards asso-
ciated with new technologies to be used by air traffic controllers,
mechanics, and flight crews;
H. R. 1758—434
(4) to identify innovative and effective corrective measures
for human errors that adversely affect air safety; and
(5) to develop dynamic simulation models of the air traffic
control system and airport design and operating procedures
that will provide analytical technology—
(A) to predict airport and air traffic control safety
and capacity problems;
(B) to evaluate planned research projects; and
(C) to test proposed revisions in airport and air traffic
control operations programs.
(c) RESEARCH ON DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING A SAFE AND
EFFICIENT SYSTEM.—The Administrator shall conduct or supervise
research on—
(1) airspace and airport planning and design;
(2) airport capacity enhancement techniques;
(3) human performance in the air transportation environ-
ment;
(4) aviation safety and security;
(5) the supply of trained air transportation personnel,
including pilots and mechanics; and
(6) other aviation issues related to developing and
maintaining a safe and efficient air transportation system.
§ 44506. Air traffic controllers
(a) RESEARCH ON EFFECT OF AUTOMATION ON PERFORMANCE.—
To develop the means necessary to establish appropriate selection
criteria and training methodologies for the next generation of air
traffic controllers, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration shall conduct research to study the effect of automa-
tion on the performance of the next generation of air traffic control-
lers and the air traffic control system. The research shall include
investigating—
(1) methods for improving and accelerating future air traffic
controller training through the application of advanced training
techniques, including the use of simulation technology;
(2) the role of automation in the air traffic control system
and its physical and psychological effects on air traffic control-
lers;
(3) the attributes and aptitudes needed to function well
in a highly automated air traffic control system and the develop-
ment of appropriate testing methods for identifying individuals
with those attributes and aptitudes;
(4) innovative methods for training potential air traffic
controllers to enhance the benefits of automation and maximize
the effectiveness of the air traffic control system; and
(5) new technologies and procedures for exploiting auto-
mated communication systems, including Mode S Transponders,
to improve information transfers between air traffic controllers
and aircraft pilots.
(b) RESEARCH ON HUMAN FACTOR ASPECTS OF AUTOMATION.—
The Administrators of the Federal Aviation Administration and
National Aeronautics and Space Administration may make an
agreement for the use of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s unique human factor facilities and expertise in
conducting research activities to study the human factor aspects
of the highly automated environment for the next generation of
H. R. 1758—435
air traffic controllers. The research activities shall include inves-
tigating—
(1) human perceptual capabilities and the effect of com-
puter-aided decision making on the workload and performance
of air traffic controllers;
(2) information management techniques for advanced air
traffic control display systems; and
(3) air traffic controller workload and performance meas-
ures, including the development of predictive models.
(c) COLLEGIATE TRAINING INITIATIVE.—(1) The Administrator
of the Federal Aviation Administration may maintain the Collegiate
Training Initiative program by making new agreements and
continuing existing agreements with institutions of higher education
(as defined by the Administrator) under which the institutions
prepare students for the position of air traffic controller with the
Department of Transportation (as defined in section 2109 of title
5). The Administrator may establish standards for the entry of
institutions into the program and for their continued participation.
(2)(A) The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion may appoint an individual who has successfully completed
a course of training in a program described in paragraph (1) of
this subsection to the position of air traffic controller noncompeti-
tively in the excepted service (as defined in section 2103 of title
5). An individual appointed under this paragraph serves at the
pleasure of the Administrator, subject to section 7511 of title 5.
However, an appointment under this paragraph may be converted
from one in the excepted service to a career conditional or career
appointment in the competitive civil service (as defined in section
2102 of title 5) when the individual achieves full performance
level air traffic controller status, as decided by the Administrator.
(B) The authority under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph
to make appointments in the excepted service expires on October
6, 1997, except that the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration may extend the authority for one or more successive
one-year periods.
(d) STAFFING REPORT.—The Administrator of the Federal Avia-
tion Administration shall submit annually to the Committee on
Public Works and Transportation of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate a report containing—
(1) the staffing standards used to determine the number
of air traffic controllers needed to operate the air traffic control
system of the United States;
(2) a 3-year projection of the number of controllers needed
to be employed to operate the system to meet the standards;
and
(3) a detailed plan for employing the controllers, including
projected budget requests.
§ 44507. Civil aeromedical research
The Civil Aeromedical Institute established by section 106(j)
of this title may—
(1) conduct civil aeromedical research, including research
related to—
(A) the protection and survival of aircraft occupants;
(B) medical accident investigation and airman medical
certification;