U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Thought Leadership Series “Up, Up, and Away: Innovations in Advanced Air Mobility”

Kick-off Event for FAA and U.S. DOT Volpe Center Virtual Series this Thursday

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center will partner on a virtual thought leadership program entitled “Up, Up, and Away: Innovations in Advanced Air Mobility.” 

The seven-part event series will take place from November 2023 through February 2024. Each forum features leading Federal and private sector panelists and is open to the public. Registration is required. 

“A new era of aviation is taking off,” said Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, U.S. DOT Carlos Monje. “Drones, advanced air mobility aircraft, and other kinds of innovations have the potential to help us tackle some of our most difficult challenges and achieve major breakthroughs that will lead us to a new aviation system ecosystem.”

 The series will consider how to embrace new technologies while ensuring that the aviation system of the future is safer, more efficient, equitable, and sustainable.

 “Today, commercial flying is safer than any other mode in transportation history. The next era of aviation will continue to protect our passengers and will advance our critical environmental sustainability priorities, as well,” said Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment, FAA Laurence Wildgoose. 

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center has a long tradition of facilitating knowledge exchange across the transportation community. It also brings together experts and the transportation enterprise to discuss fresh approaches to emerging transportation challenges. FAA partnered with the U.S. DOT Volpe Center and other key stakeholders to lay the foundation for the aviation system of the future for more than 50 years. 

The series kickoff event is slated for Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be moderated by U.S. DOT Volpe Center Director Anne Aylward. Featured speakers include:

• Laurence Wildgoose, Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment, FAA 
• Robert Hampshire, PhD, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer, U.S. DOT 
• Katie Thomson, Deputy Administrator, FAA 
• Carlos Monje, Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, U.S. DOT
• Elan Head, Senior Editor, The Air Current

For more information, the full line-up of events, and registration, please visit https://www.volpe.dot.gov/events/and-away-innovations-advanced-air-mobility 

###