Yesterday, Congressman Tom Barrett of Michigan’s 7th Congressional District engaged in a discussion with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy regarding aviation safety. The exchange took place during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing. Barrett is advocating for the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act, which aims to equip military helicopters with collision avoidance systems. This follows a tragic mid-air collision in January over Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 fatalities.
During the hearing, Barrett highlighted the importance of implementing these systems on military rotary-wing aircraft. “I flew the same Black Hawk helicopters that had that tragic collision over the airspace just a few miles from here,” he stated. He expressed interest in Secretary Duffy’s thoughts on the interoperability of such systems.
Secretary Duffy responded positively, expressing gratitude for the focus on this issue and agreeing on the need for improved regulations. “If there’s military missions, one-hundred percent, we want to be sure you can fly without notice,” Duffy noted.
The full conversation between Congressman Barrett and Secretary Duffy is available for viewing online.
