Press Releases

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Members Sam Graves (R-MO) and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) commended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today for actions it is taking to safely provide regulatory relief for the general aviation (GA) community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson today signed a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) that provides relief related to training, recent experience, testing, renewal, and checking requirements.

“The U.S. aviation system is critical to the Nation’s ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in our small and rural communities,” said Rep. Sam Graves.  “The FAA rightly took immediate action to safely provide regulatory relief for commercial air carriers, and Ranking Member Garret Graves, Members of the GA Caucus, and I have been working to ensure the same relief would be provided to general aviation.  GA operations are delivering medical equipment, masks, and other personal protective equipment, sustaining agriculture, monitoring infrastructure, and more, and I commend Administrator Dickson for taking these important steps.”

“It’s important that we continue adapting our aviation systems to the evolving coronavirus conditions to prevent paralyzing the important role of our general aviation community.  I commend the FAA, our committee, and all levels of stakeholders for engaging in this solution to ensure we can respond, recover, and grow stronger as we work to overcome this global health challenge,“ said Rep. Garret Graves.

The FAA’s action safely provides regulatory relief to operators, pilots, and other FAA certificate holders who have been unable to comply with certain training, recency-of-experience, testing, and checking requirements due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.  It also safely provides relief to certain people and flight schools that are unable to meet duration and renewal requirements, including extending the validity period of FAA medical certificates.  More details are available here.