Edition: Model Aviation - 2022/08
Page Numbers: 8
Portrait of Tyler Dobbs

CONGRESSIONAL
MEETINGS CONTINUE
TO RAMP UP

By Tyler Dobbs, Senior Director of Government Affairs | tylerd@modelaircraft.org

Portrait of Tyler Dobbs

THE AMA GOVERNMENT Affairs team traveled to Washington, D.C., in June to continue congressional meetings regarding U.S.C. 44809 implementation and the upcoming FAA Reauthorization. Many offices were discouraged at the slow pace of the implementation of current rules and showed an appetite to work with AMA on streamlining current altitude waiver processes.

AMA staff members standing beside the Robert J. Collier Trophy at a dinner in Washington, D.C.
(L-R): Chrystal Pearson, AMA director of government relations; Chad Budreau, AMA executive director; Matt Keennon, project manager for AeroVironment, Inc.; and Tyler Dobbs, senior director of government affairs, attended the NAA’s Robert J. Collier Trophy Dinner in Washington, D.C.
Four people standing together at the Robert J. Collier Trophy Dinner
(L-R) Chrystal, Chad, Christopher Senn, subcommittee on aviation counsel, and Tyler.

Additionally, AMA was asked to submit a list of priority “fixes” regarding our current legislative requirements for the 2023 FAA Reauthorization. When it is completed, this list will give Congress insight into the biggest obstacles facing our hobby and the actions that can be taken to reduce our current burdens. It is a testament to our membership that Congress values our input during the legislative process.

While in Washington, D.C., AMA staff attended the annual Robert J. Collier Trophy Dinner on June 9, 2022, honoring the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team. This team includes AMA member Matt Keennon.

AMA was honored to attend the award ceremony and genuinely enjoyed spending the evening with Christopher Senn, Counsel for the Subcommittee on Aviation, and Ranking Member Sam Graves, of Missouri. Christopher holds a degree in UAS and has frequented AMA flying sites throughout his career.

Matt and Christopher are perfect examples of how model aviation is truly a stepping-stone into extraordinary career paths. A child picking up a model aircraft today just might be flying one on a distant planet decades from now, or advising our leaders on how to make such a thing possible.