After 42 years of being chartered by the Federal Government and utilized as a Federal advisory committee, the US Department of Transportation has decided that they will no longer engage RTCA for this purpose. The umbrella agreement (Charter) under which RTCA provides Federal Advisory Committees (FAC) expired May 29, 2018. The DoT is issuing charters to the FAA to operate the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) and the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) as separate, stand-alone federal advisory committees.
I want to thank all of the participants in the NAC, DAC and associated subcommittees, working groups and task groups for all your work and commitment to consensus recommendations. I can speak for the entire staff at RTCA in saying we are proud of what has been accomplished over the past several years in advancing the modernization of the air traffic control system, evaluating implementations and in bringing into the aviation community an entirely new type of operator utilizing UAS.
While there will be questions about what comes next for the NAC and the DAC, those questions will best be answered by the FAA.
For questions pertaining to the NAC, please contact Pamela Gomez at [email protected].
For questions pertaining to the DAC, please contact Chris Harm at [email protected].
Looking Ahead
As indicated last week, I am happy to announce that beginning May 30, 2018, RTCA has launched the RTCA Standards Development Organization to continue its 83-year stellar track record of producing timely and robust standards and guidance documents to serve as the basis for FAA regulations. We are committed to continuing this work without any gaps and ensuring a smooth transition. Very little will change with regard to how we produce standards. We will continue to work closely with the FAA to produce standards that can be used as means of compliance for FAA regulations. RTCA Program Directors will be available to brief committees on the changes during their upcoming meetings. In the meantime, you can also click on the frequently asked questions link.
RTCA remains committed to working with government and industry to advance the state of aviation, encourage innovation, expand the marketplace of ideas and solution, and facilitate US leadership in a manner that maintains the enviable safety record of aviation in the United States.
You and your organization reflect the unique partnership and commitment to improving the aviation system. As we move ahead as an SDO, we are enthusiastic about our role in the future successes of the aviation community.
