{"id":1907026,"date":"2023-03-30T01:40:59","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T05:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/still-using-slips-of-paper-archaic-systems-faa-unfit-to-handle-next-gen-aviation-sen-cruz\/"},"modified":"2023-03-30T01:44:57","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T05:44:57","slug":"still-using-slips-of-paper-archaic-systems-faa-unfit-to-handle-next-gen-aviation-sen-cruz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/still-using-slips-of-paper-archaic-systems-faa-unfit-to-handle-next-gen-aviation-sen-cruz\/","title":{"rendered":"Still Using \u2018Slips of Paper,\u2019 Archaic Systems, FAA Unfit to Handle \u2018Next-Gen\u2019 Aviation: Sen. Cruz"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstill-using-slips-of-paper-archaic-systems-faa-unfit-to-handle-next-gen-aviation-sen-cruz%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1907026&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0329\/2bba1d47-242e-4fd1-b194-7dfdc72c2a2a\/audio.mp3?length=7558893&#038;duration=630\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The American aviation sector is abuzz with talk of air taxis, hypersonic airplanes, and cheaper, cleaner, \u201csustainable\u201d fuel sources.<\/p>\n<p>But a cloud hovers over that sunny, futuristic forecast. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) remains woefully behind the technology curve. The agency also remains entangled in its own bureaucratic web, according to statements made during a U.S. Senate committee hearing on March 29.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held the \u201cAdvancing Next-Generation Aviation Technologies\u201d session in Washington. That session is part of congressional work on a five-year spending and policy plan for the FAA, called a \u201creauthorization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The committee\u2019s latest hearing opened on an optimistic note. Its chair, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), said:\u00a0\u201cThis is about winning a competitive race for the future \u2026 Today\u2019s research will get Americans moving faster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She advocates tripling spending for research on \u201cclean\u201d energy sources for aviation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4069194\" style=\"width: 2493px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> An Air France aircraft, operated with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by TotalEnergies, is refueled before its first flight from Nice to Paris at Nice airport, France, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Eric Gaillard\/Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Critique From Cruz<\/h2>\n<p>But Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the committee\u2019s ranking member, struck a cautionary note.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s leery of spending taxpayer dollars to prop up emerging technologies. Cruz also doubts the FAA can support innovative new modes of travel. He said the agency is using outdated systems and cannot even handle existing users, let alone new ones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, the air-traffic control system is essentially using technologies designed in the 1950s,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cIt\u2019s using radar technologies; it\u2019s using little slips of paper \u2026 They\u2019re not using GPS widely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cruz also took a shot at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who oversees the FAA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust last week, Secretary Buttigieg asked airlines to cut their schedules in New York by 10 percent because the FAA couldn\u2019t keep up with the traffic. That\u2019s a failure of the job given to the department,\u201d Cruz said.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times has sought comment from Buttigieg\u2019s Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n<p>Considering the FAA\u2019s deficiencies, \u201cit seems to me that many of these new technologies will hit a major roadblock if our air traffic system can\u2019t handle the operations,\u201d Cruz said.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Can\u2019t Get Our Act Together\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Marc Scribner,\u00a0a senior transportation policy analyst at the nonprofit Reason Foundation, said all of Cruz\u2019s characterizations of the FAA were correct.<\/p>\n<p>He said discussions about revamping the FAA started during the administration of President Bill Clinton, who served from 1983\u20132001.<\/p>\n<p>But little progress seems to have been made since then because of \u201cstatus quo bias\u201d within the FAA, Scribner said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5158478\" style=\"width: 599px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Marc Scribner (L), senior transportation policy analyst with the Reason Foundation, speaks to a U.S. Senate committee in Washington, on March 29, 2023. (Janice Hisle\/The Epoch Times via screenshot of live video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Clearly frustrated by the FAA\u2019s technology deficit, Cruz said,\u00a0\u201cWhat was once supposed to be a transformative upgrade to our air-traffic systems has become a tech-refresh effort, plagued by delays and cost overruns, with limited benefit to the flying public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also cited another glaring problem at the FAA. Cruz said that companies seeking approval for new technologies get so frustrated that they leave the United States. They head for less-complex \u201cregulatory sandboxes\u201d in nations such as Australia or the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>One high-tech aviation company pulled up stakes after nine years of being hindered by the FAA, Scribner said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is antithetical to America\u2019s ethos of innovation,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s frankly embarrassing for businesses to be lost to other countries when we can\u2019t get our act together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must hold the FAA accountable for its role in certifying new aircraft and its failure to give clear and consistent regulatory guidelines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Sustainable\u2019 May Be Costly<\/h2>\n<p>Cruz said there was a \u201cprofound\u201d risk of wasting taxpayer dollars anytime government subsidies are provided.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re already seeing this happening with sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, in last year\u2019s wasteful tax-and-spend reconciliation bill,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. Department of Energy, SAFs can be produced from crops such as corn, various \u201cfats, oils, greases,\u201d and even manure.<\/p>\n<p>But SAF costs up to eight times more than traditional jet fuel, Cruz said. Few people could afford air travel if this added cost were shifted entirely to the flying public.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, he said, \u201cCongressional Democrats provided nearly $300 billion in grants and a special tax credit varying between $1.25 and $1.75 per gallon for the SAF. Without these government handouts, SAF would not be commercially viable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cESG goals, driven by politics, should not be used to harm the American consumer,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cOur priorities in aviation must be safety, reliability, and affordability.<\/p>\n<p>However, both <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Cantwell <\/span>and the chair of the aviation subcommittee, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), expressed continuing support of SAF. The two Democrats in the Democrat-controlled Senate expressed an opinion opposing that of their Republican colleague, Cruz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the most important things we can do to make American aviation more sustainable is increase American-grown, American-made\u201d SAF, said Duckworth, a pilot.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5158489\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) speaks during a committee hearing in Washington, on March 29, 2023. (Janice Hisle\/The Epoch Times via screenshot of live video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSAF presents an incredible opportunity to support a critical industry in our nation\u2019s heartland,\u201d she said. Farmers and \u201cblenders\u201d of the fuel benefit \u201cwhile also reducing our carbon footprints across all modes of transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cantwell also said that the aviation industry and the federal government have agreed to strive for \u201cnet-zero aviation emissions by 2050.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reaching that goal will require new fuels and \u201cbuilding aircraft made from lighter-weight thermoplastics and composites,\u201d she said. More research is needed to develop and test those materials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe feel like we must seize on the opportunity with this FAA reauthorization to strengthen America\u2019s competitiveness in aerospace,\u201d Cantwell said.<\/p>\n<h2>Hydrogen on the Rise<\/h2>\n<p>Jon Gordon, a co-founder of California-based\u00a0Universal Hydrogen, testified that there seems to be a fallacy surrounding SAF.<\/p>\n<p>Those fuels \u201chave a carbon footprint no better than the fossil fuels they displace,\u201d he said. Yet hydrogen is still playing second fiddle to SAF in U.S. government agencies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis mindset is especially risky given that the EU, UK, and China are all developing hydrogen-powered aviation,\u201d Gordon said.<\/p>\n<p>Just weeks ago, three years after his company began, Universal Hydrogen \u201cachieved the historic first flight\u201d of a 40-passenger regional aircraft, \u00a0he said.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 962px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Universal Hydrogen completes first taxi tests and is granted an experimental airworthiness certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration for a hydrogen-powered regional aircraft in a news release dated Feb. 7, 2023. (Courtesy of Business Wire via Universal Hydrogen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis is the largest aircraft ever to fly powered with a hydrogen fuel cell and the largest aircraft ever to fly principally on hydrogen,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cTo some, the promise of emission-free flight may seem a distant vision. But I hope our first flight brings that reality to each of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interest among airlines for hydrogen fuel is high, he said. So far, 16 airlines in 12 countries have committed to purchasing more than 250 aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithin a decade, you will see our hydrogen-powered aircraft flying in nearly every region of the globe,\u201d Gordon predicted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFurthermore, we have made our hydrogen fuel tanks modular. This allows us to fill them up off-site,\u201d he said, and then transport the tanks to an airport and load them on and off aircraft, \u201call\u00a0with existing infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery airport in the world is now ready to support hydrogen-powered flight. We are on the verge of a revolution in how we power aircraft,\u201d Gordon said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is good for the economy as well as the environment. We must take the right steps now to ensure that the United States is prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Desperately Far Behind\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>To achieve this, the FAA needs more resources to \u201censure that the door to certification is only open to those upholding the highest safety standards.\u201d He also suggested that government leaders must put hydrogen fuel on par with FAS. \u201cAt a recent aviation conference, participants were asked what technology will fuel the future of flight. The clear winner was hydrogen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yet, he said, the recent White House report on national aeronautics priorities \u201cdismisses\u201d hydrogen-powered aviation and favors SAF.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5158520\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript> Jon Gordon, a co-founder of California-based Universal Hydrogen, testifies to a U.S. Senate committee in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2023. (Janice Hisle\/The Epoch Times via screenshot of live video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another change is needed, Gordon said. While he has spoken with various government agencies, \u201cthey listen with interest,\u201d but \u201cthere is no follow-up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo department, agency, or division is directed to focus on hydrogen aviation.\u00a0If the U.S. is to remain a global leader in the future of aviation, then all relevant federal agencies must work together to create the proper safety certification and operational frameworks to ensure its success right now. We are desperately far behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gordon suggested that the U.S. follow Japan\u2019s lead and establish a \u201chydrogen-hybrid and electric aviation task force,\u201d separate from the \u201centrenched\u00a0status quo interests who only see SAF as worthy of consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur industry faces a tipping point,\u201d he said. \u201cWe must either innovate or fall behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another witness, Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the nonprofit Competitive Enterprise Institute, testified that Washington experts \u201care not as good as we think we are at identifying the next big thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth is we can\u2019t know where the technology is headed and what the next breakthrough is, and how resources should best be allocated,\u201d Lieberman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a process that\u2019s best left to the free market rather than attempts at central planning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The American aviation sector is abuzz with talk of air taxis, hypersonic airplanes, and cheaper, cleaner, \u201csustainable\u201d fuel sources. But a cloud hovers over that sunny, futuristic forecast. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) remains woefully behind the technology curve. The agency also remains entangled in its own bureaucratic web, according to statements made during a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1196,"featured_media":1907027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[23079,23080,14743,4105,14154,16345,6016,7025,10748,9674,19143],"class_list":["post-1907026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-next-gen","tag-archaic","tag-aviation","tag-cruz","tag-faa","tag-handle","tag-paper","tag-sen","tag-slips","tag-systems","tag-unfit"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1907026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1907026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1907026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1907027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1907026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1907026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1907026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}