Last week, Max Rosen, Director of Government Affairs for AUVSI, attended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) International Aviation Safety Conference in Washington, DC. Several AUVSI and Air Advocacy Committee members were in attendance, alongside many senior officials from both FAA and EASA. The event was sponsored by AUVSI and members RTX, Boeing, Joby, and Wisk. 

The event commenced with remarks from FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker and EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet, who both touched on the importance of close collaboration between the two regulators and key steps both regulators have taken to safely regulate all users of their respective airspaces, including drones and AAM aircraft.  

Following the openings from FAA and EASA leadership, Pete Bunce, President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) moderated a fireside chat featuring Dave Boulter, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, FAA and Florian Guillermet, Executive Director, EASA. It was an eye-opening discussion about key ways the regulators are working together to stay in lockstep on international harmonization and FAA-EASA bilateral agreements. The panel also touched on the importance of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which was just enacted into law in the United States, and how important it is for the FAA to move out on the many mandates included in that legislation.  Discussion also centered around the general aviation community and how they, alongside commercial aviation, will coexist in the airspace. The fireside chat also touched on the importance of AAM and UAS certification processes and a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system effectively deconflicting aircraft.  

Following the fireside chat, attendees heard from several other FAA and EASA officials on aircraft parts, FAA’s and EASA’s strategic safety plans and regulatory outlook, spectrum issues, supply chain issues, the importance of industry standards, cybersecurity, global information exchange, simplified vehicle operations, workforce development, safety management systems, and more. 

The conference was extremely valuable and provided great opportunities for collaboration between government and industry.