§44813 Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Summary

The FAA must keep the Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems operating. The Center will do applied research and training to help unmanned aircraft and advanced air mobility operate safely and efficiently in the national airspace. It will bring together colleges, the FAA, other federal agencies, and industry to work together and will set goals to push technology, improve engineering, and support ongoing education. The FAA must include institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) and research institutions that offer accredited bachelor’s degrees in aeronautical sciences that lead to commercial pilot certification and include a focus on training women pilots. When validating consensus safety standards accepted under section 44805, the FAA must, as much as possible, use the research and testing resources of the Center; test ranges under section 44803; other federal and non‑federal test ranges and testbeds; NASA; and the William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aerospace.