NBAA’s Ed Bolen joins FAA advanced aviation committee

Ed Bolen, president and CEO of National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), is one of 12 new appointees to the FAA’s Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC).

The AAAC provides advice to the FAA on key unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and AAM integration issues and policies. Committee members consist of a range of drone and AAM stakeholders including industry, research, academia and state and local governments.

“AAM and UAS hold tremendous promise, but it’s extremely important that we bring these aircraft to market safely, and with full consideration of community concerns,” Bolen said. 

“I am honoured to be selected to participate in the AAAC and I appreciate DOT Secretary Buttigieg and FAA Acting Administrator Nolen for giving me the opportunity to bring a business aviation perspective to these issues,” he added.

The latest round of AAAC appointees includes community stakeholders to raise awareness of potential local and regional concerns with UAS and AAM.

“We have an opportunity in front of us that is going to require a lot of coordination, communication and collaboration. Through the AAAC, we can approach issues in the interest of all stakeholders, address questions upfront and mitigate potential concerns while these emerging technologies are still in development,” said Bolen.

Additional AAAC appointees include Kevin Cox, Ferrovial Vertiports; James Grimsley, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Okeoma Moronu, Zipline and Melissa Tomkiel, Blade Air Mobility.

Houston Mills, vice president for Flight Operations and Safety, United Parcel Service, will chair the advisory committee.