ADVOCATING FOR YOU continued
2024 FAA Reauthorization Impact Summary
O
N MAY 15, CONGRESS PASSED A BILL THAT REAUTHORIZES THE FAA for another five years and pro- vides the agency with lawmakers’ direction about its programs and priorities. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 offers notable enhancements for both general aviation and the vertical aviation industry. It
aligns with priorities supported by VAI in aviation safety, workforce development, and advancements in air mobility development. While we cannot cover the entire 1,000-plus-page bill in this article, we highlight below some important
provisions.
Title III – Aviation Safety Improvements Sec. 320. Crash-Resistant Fuel Systems in Rotorcraft. Directs the FAA to task the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) with review- ing and updating the 2018 report of the Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group by reviewing National Transportation Safety Board data from 2016 through 2023 on post-crash fires in heli- copter accidents and determining to what extent crash-resistant fuel systems could have prevented fatalities.
In addition, this section requires the ARAC to
develop recommendations on ways to encourage heli- copter owners and operators to expedite installation of crash-resistant fuel systems, regardless of the original certification and manufacture date of their aircraft. It also requires the FAA to implement those recommen- dations or work with the US Helicopter Safety Team, as appropriate, to implement such recommendations. Sec. 333. Helicopter Safety. Tasks the FAA’s
Investigative Technologies Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) with reviewing and assessing the need for changes to safety requirements related to flight data recorders, flight data monitoring, and terrain awareness and warning systems for turbine-powered
10 ROTOR JUNE 2024
rotorcraft certificated for six or more passenger seats. Sec. 363. Commercial Air Tour and Sport
VAI Members
Learn more about how this legislation will affect the vertical aviation industry in our members-only Legislative Action Center on
rotor.org.
Parachuting Safety. Requires the FAA to issue a final rule increasing safety regulations for commercial air tour operators based on the recommendations of an ARC. Beginning two years after the date on which the final rule is promulgated, operators are prohibited from con- ducting commercial air tours unless they either hold a commercial air carrier certificate and conduct air tours under 14 CFR Part 135 or 121, or they comply with the
FAA’s final rulemaking. Such requirements do not apply to small businesses conducting 100 or fewer commer- cial air tours in a calendar year. The FAA is also required to issue new or revised regulations that require commercial air tour operators or persons conducting aerial photography operations who seek to conduct these operations with removed or modified doors to receive FAA approval prior to con- ducting such operations.
Title IV – Aerospace Workforce Sec. 426. Military Aviation Maintenance Technicians Rule. Requires the FAA to issue, no later than 18 months after enactment of the reauthorization bill, a
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