Press Release

U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced S. 3360 today, a bill to establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation.

The National Center for the Advancement of Aviation would serve as a national, independent forum to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between all sectors of aviation and aerospace stakeholders and related partners, with a particular focus on aviation and aerospace workforce development. It would allow these sectors to coordinate, promote, and support the future of aviation and ensure that the United States remains a global aviation and aerospace leader.

“I am proud to introduce this bill to establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation with Sen. Duckworth today,” Inhofe said. “In the more than 100 years since Wilbur and Orville Wright conducted their historic flights at Kitty Hawk, our nation has seen aviation in the United States grow, powered by the individual passions of pilots, aviators and countless others. To continue this legacy, our bipartisan legislation would create an independent, stakeholder-led national center where all aviation and aviation-related stakeholders can work in concert to address the demands and challenges associated with a safe and vibrant national aviation system. As a national forum for cross-disciplinary collaboration, this center would: support aviation and aerospace education and curriculum efforts; leverage industry expertise to develop and deploy the needed workforce of trained and qualified pilots, engineers and maintainers; and serve as a central repository of economic and safety data for all stakeholders. The NCAA will advance a collaborative process to promote aviation in the United States and assist in the development of the next generation of aviation and aerospace workers. I appreciate all the input and support from stakeholders across the aviation community that have made today’s legislation possible.”

“As a pilot, I know that investing in aviation-focused education and workforce development programs helps attract and retain the best talent and keeps our nation at the forefront of global aviation innovation,” said Duckworth. “I’m proud to introduce the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation Act with Sen. Inhofe to support the development of next-generation aviators and foster collaboration in the aviation and aerospace industries to help meet the demands and challenges of tomorrow.”

This legislation is strongly supported by a large cross-section of stakeholders representing hundreds of thousands of individuals, companies, schools and other entities involved in all segments of aviation and aerospace. Those stakeholders wrote a letter of support for this legislation, which can be viewed here. 

For full text of the bill, click here.

For more information on the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation, click here.

In July of 2019, Inhofe announced a discussion draft of the legislation and requested comments and feedback from the general aviation community.