Hoyer Receives Briefing on Small Aircrafts Program

Hoyer Receives Briefing on Small Aircrafts Program

Touts Benefit for General Aviation Airports and Local Airports

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

See photos of this event on our Photo Album Page.

Ft. Meade, MD - Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) today received a briefing on the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Program, which is based in Greenbelt, at Tipton Airport.

"I was pleased that University Research Foundation put together this briefing to update me on the progress of SATS," Hoyer said. "This is an important program that can strengthen Maryland's general aviation industry, reduce commercial airport traffic, and improve aviation safety."

SATS was created to enable expanded use of smaller airports and smaller aircraft for public transportation. SATS benefits general aviation facilities around the country and in Maryland, including College Park Airport, Potomac Airfield, and Washington Executive/Hyde Field.

The SATS program is conducted through a public-private partnership including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility (NCAM) SATS Labs. It is a vision for a new kind of air travel that will complement today's airline system. There are more than 5,400 small airports in this country that are underutilized. Most American's live within a 30-mile drive of one of these small community airfields and SATS would enable travelers to use small aircraft at these local airfields in much the same way as they do taxicabs. Manufacturers are now designing and developing small, light, fast, safe and reliable four-to-six seat passenger jets.

SATS research has focused on four operating capabilities to allow:
• Higher volume operations at airports that don't have control towers or terminal radar.
• Pilots to land safely in low visibility conditions at minimally equipped airports.
• Increased single pilot performance to enhance safety and mission reliability.
• Further integration of SATS aircraft in the national airspace system.

SATS has the potential to improve the quality of life for people wanting to travel for personal or business purposes - near or far - in a short period of time. It also has the potential to boost the economies of small communities.

"Over the past ten years, the federal government has wisely invested over $180 million in general aviation," Hoyer said. "These technology investments have resulted in an over 20 percent improvement in fleet safety and a ten percent growth in jobs."

http://www.hoyer.house.gov/newsroom/index.asp?ID=507&DocumentType=Press+Release