On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I and Senator Merkley and many of the Senators spent a great deal of time working on the question of slots, which, in plain English, is about the right to land a plane. I am very pleased we were able to work out our bipartisan agreement. I outlined why it was so important earlier in the morning. Given all the attention that discussion received, I want to make sure the Senate did not lose sight of another important aviation issue. Chairman Rockefeller has been very supportive of our efforts to try to expand and improve the unmanned aerial systems--what are known as UAS programs--that are so essential for the future of the aviation sector. In this part of the aviation sector, we have seen enormous growth in the last few years. A lot of folks know these systems are critical to military operations. They have been of enormous importance in Iraq and Afghanistan. But people may not be as aware that these unmanned aerial systems also have enormous potential in the civilian sector. I am talking now about firefighting, law enforcement, border patrol, search and rescue, environmental monitoring. Law enforcement in rural areas, that is much of my State, but I know other parts of the country are also very concerned about this issue. As yet, the Federal Aviation Administration has not come up with a good plan for how to integrate these unmanned aerial system vehicles into the airspace.
