S.Amdt. 3970

This amendment, known as the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act (or the ROTOR Act), aims to increase safety, transparency, and accountability regarding aircraft operations, specifically focusing on rotorcraft and government flights. It adds a new subtitle (Subtitle F) to the bill to reform how flight tracking and safety oversight are handled.

The primary changes and additions include:

• ADS-B Out Reforms: It narrows the definition of a sensitive government mission to prevent routine or non-classified flights—and flights of officials below the rank of Cabinet Member or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—from avoiding ADS-B Out transmissions. It also requires notification to Air Traffic Control and specific Congressional committees for certain missions.

• ADS-B In Requirements: It directs the FAA Administrator to create a rule requiring aircraft to be equipped with ADS-B In equipment by December 31, 2031, to improve situational awareness for pilots.

• Increased Oversight and Audits:

  • The Comptroller General will review the use of ADS-B Out exceptions.
  • The Inspector General of the Department of Transportation will conduct annual audits of FAA oversight.
  • The Inspector General of the Army will audit the Army's coordination with the FAA and its use of ADS-B Out.

• Airspace Safety Reviews: It establishes an Office of FAA-DOD Coordination to conduct safety reviews of flight operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and other Class B, C, and D airports to evaluate risks to commercial transport airplanes.

• Information Sharing: It requires the FAA to enter into Memorandums of Understanding with the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard to share aviation safety information.

• Legislative Cleanup: It addresses the treatment of a specific Memorandum of Agreement between the DOD and FAA and repeals certain manned rotary wing aircraft safety provisions from Section 373(a) of the Act.