Byron Dorgan

Time doesn't stand still. Time marches on.

The worst economics I would observe is for Congress not to do its job and pass an FAA reauthorization bill.

It just seems to me that you're making a case that on its face is preposterous.

I firmly believe the U.S. must maintain the safest, most efficient aviation system in the world.

I understand the value of having a financially successful industry. I think that's very important.

I believe that's important for our country; our country would not do as well as we are without a strong rail system.

Don't ever pick a fight with the railroads, because it's one you'll never win.

Both the Defense Department and the FAA have the capability to make this work. And I hope today's hearing establishes the urgency with which this gets done.

Well, a report that's submitted to us under the provision I included in the Authorization Act, will that report give us timelines?

Are we on pace to be able to meet the needs for training and for airspace necessary for that training at that point?

You mentioned operations at Kandahar and that integrates UAVs directly into a very busy airport in which fighter planes and C-130s and all kinds of aircraft are coming in and out?

And my understanding is the FAA has indicated that's too big, at this point, and the National Guard has said, anything smaller is not acceptable.

We have Homeland Security, which flies UAVs here.

I think we will run into a problem. And a problem that should not exist, because we see it ahead of us, let's fix it before we get there.

I am not diminishing the difficulty, because this has to be something we do nationally.

I'm especially interested in finding out that we're not stuck up here, trying to figure out...

But it is different than what the staff of our Subcommittee was told a month ago.

But, what I have heard the military say is that short of restricted or segregated airspace, the kinds of things you have done to accommodate Homeland Security's flights are not robust enough to allow the kind of training that's necessary…

I don't have a good, regulatory mechanism to confiscate or segregate airspace just by kind of imminent domain.

Are we moving along to accomplish what needs to be done by the time it needs to be done?

The, you talk about a third of the airplanes being ordered are UAVs, I mean, we understand that, you know, 20 years from now, we'll look in the rear-view mirror and see that the use of UAVs, integrated into the National Airspace has become…

Tell us, if you would, what, specifically do you need at this point?

So, let me interpret what you--are you worried that we may not meet that test?

And integrating it into airspace control?

I think I understand the answer to that question, but why don't you describe how that can be accomplished in a way that does not, in any way, diminish safety?