This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to buy and install certified Airborne Position Reference Tools at air traffic control towers that operate under the Contract Tower Program and do not have Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems (STARS) or other situational awareness tools. The FAA must do this within 1 year of the law taking effect. The bill also amends existing law to require purchase, installation, and maintenance of STARS or equivalent systems for such towers within 1 year, and it says maintenance should use original equipment manufacturer services or FAA services. It adds a requirement to create a training program, in consultation with contract tower operators, to train controllers to use the new equipment. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to reimburse airports or towers that already installed certified situational awareness systems before the FAA installs systems, either by reimbursement or retroactive grant funding. Finally, it adds an explicit funding authorization for acquisition, installation, and annual operating expenses of certified Airborne Position Reference Tools at eligible contract towers.
No publicly available information about total project costs or dollar amounts. The bill does add a specific authorization for acquisition, installation, and annual operating expenses of the required airborne position reference tools under the listed statutory funding section.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.