McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act

Key Points

• This bill requires the FAA to review safety rules for low-altitude flying. It focuses on temporary hazards like slacklines, highlines, and wires that are often hard for pilots to see from the air.
• The FAA must talk to helicopter pilots, medical flight crews, and farmers who fly planes. They will look at better ways to mark these hazards with lights or bright signs so pilots can avoid them.
• The plan aims to improve digital maps and flight tools. This would help pilots see exactly where hazards are located and how high they reach before they take off on a mission.
• The FAA will also work more closely with groups like the National Park Service and Forest Service. This helps ensure that people setting up equipment on public lands follow safety rules to protect aircraft.
• If the current rules are not strong enough, the FAA must update them within one year. This includes looking at whether fines for breaking safety rules should be higher to keep the skies safe.

Impact Analysis

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