Federal transportation officials were in Oshkosh Tuesday, where they announced a new federal aviation rule and addressed efforts to modernize the country’s air traffic control system.
Speaking at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture event, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the federal government is finalizing a rule aimed at making recreational flying more accessible.
Duffy, a Republican who previously represented part of the state in Congress, said the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates, or MOSAIC, removes “outdated weight limits on light sport aircraft” and allows properly certified pilots to fly more aircraft.
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“For too long, our rules have been outdated, holding back our pilots, our builders and our innovators,” he said. “It’s been over 20 years since this rule has been updated. And, by the way, a lot has changed in the last 20 years.”
The transportation secretary also spoke about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ongoing efforts to modernize air traffic control.
The Federal Aviation Administration proposed the MOSAIC rule in July 2023. The agency evaluated more than 1,300 public comments on the rule.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the rule will be phased-in over the next year and the FAA will “conduct broad outreach” to ensure aviators know what’s changing and how the rule will be implemented.
“I see MOSAIC as one of those prime examples of what we can do together when we get in that room and work it out,” he said. “Together, we will continue to keep our skies safe (and) accessible.”
Murray Huling, vice president of government and regulatory affairs for the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, told WPR the new rule will replace weight limits on light sport aircraft with stall speed requirements, allowing for heavier planes with more safety features. Stall speed is the minimum speed required to keep a plane in flight.
“By removing that weight limit and going to the stall speeds, it allows the manufacturers to build a much sturdier aircraft that can withstand flight training, the numerous landings and take offs,” Huling said.
He said the rule also reduces the amount of hours required to become a licensed light sport pilot.
Tom Haines, an aviation enthusiast from Maryland, said it was significant that the secretary chose AirVenture for the announcement because “there is no larger general aviation gathering or aviation gathering, period.”
“If you’ve got a major announcement that they’ve been working on for a decade or more,” he said, “what better place to do it than here at AirVenture?”
On air traffic control, Duffy said the recently-signed GOP budget reconciliation bill included more than $12 billion to begin modernizing the nation’s air traffic control system.
That money will be primarily used for technology upgrades, like updating telecom systems to replace copper wire with fiber-optic cable, and replacing decades-old radar systems, he said.
“It is complicated to do, but if we can put a man on the moon with technology that’s less powerful than your iPhone, we can absolutely update our air traffic control system,” he said. “And we are going to make that happen.”
Duffy also joked that President Donald Trump would fire him via social media if he fails in the effort.
He said the agency is working to hire and train additional air traffic controllers to try to address a shortage of around 3,000 controllers. He says the shortage of controllers has led to flight delays and cancellations.
“We’re grateful for our current controller support, but we need to bring more people into the industry, and we want to ask those who are at the age of retirement to stay on and help us out,” Duffy said.
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and called the initial $12.5 million investment in air traffic control a “down payment.” He said modernizing the system is “going to take more money.”
In February, the FAA came under fire when hundreds of probationary employees were fired as part of an effort led by the Department of Government Efficiency, just weeks after a fatal plane crash in Washington, D.C. At the time, the agency told the BBC that it retained employees performing “safety critical functions” and it continued to “hire and onboard air traffic controllers.”
The Biden administration previously had worked to fund upgrades for airports and air traffic control. According to the FAA, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2021, included $25 billion over five years for airport and air traffic control infrastructure improvements. NPR reports the previous Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, asked Congress to provide more funding to hire thousands of new air traffic controllers, but the effort was blocked by House Republicans.
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