FAA Officials Visit UND As Senator Hoeven Pushes Air Traffic Control Hiring Reform Bill

Hoeven also announced that a new Unmanned Aerial Systems Super Corridor is coming to the Red River Valley

GRAND FORKS, ND — Top officials from the Federal Aviation Administration are at UND in Grand Forks to talk about reforming the air traffic control hiring process.

Senator John Hoeven recently introduced his bipartisan ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019.

It would enable the FAA to prioritize the hiring of veterans and graduates of FAA certified schools, like UND.

The schools have a higher retention rate during ATC qualification training at the FAA Academy.

The legislation also removes the current 10 percent hiring pool limitation.

“This was a great chance for some of the top people at FAA to see the finest air traffic control school in the country, the finest aviation school in the country,” said Hoeven.

“But also to create more support for our legislation to make sure that our graduates get into the FAA Certification Program so we get more air traffic controllers employed.”

His legislation is supported by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Hoeven also announced that a new Unmanned Aerial Systems Super Corridor is coming to the Red River Valley.

The corridor will enable unmanned aircraft, both large and small, to fly beyond visual line of sight of their operators.

They’ll also be able to fly without a chase plane throughout approximately 100 miles of the valley.

It comes as the result of key technologies and authorizations that Sen. John Hoeven has worked to secure in recent years.

Hoeven made the announcement in Grand Forks along with Grand Sky and the Harris Corporation.