Air Tour and Skydiving Safety Improvement Act of 2020

Air Tour and Skydiving Safety Improvement Act of 2020

This bill revises Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety requirements for commercial air tour operators.

The bill sets forth certification and safety requirements for commercial air tour operators, including requiring that all operators establish safety management system programs such as (1) the installation of crash-resistant flight data recording devices capable of supporting the requirements of the Flight Operational Quality Assurance Program, (2) a performance-based standard for remote flight data monitoring, and (3) a structured flight data monitoring program that reviews all available data sources to identify deviations from established norms and procedures and other potential safety issues.

The FAA must (1) develop and implement a single set of national standards and operations for all commercial air tour operators conducting flights in powered airplanes or rotorcraft, (2) issue new or revised regulations governing parachute operations conducted in the United States, and (3) revise its guidance materials relating to sport parachute jumping to include guidance for parachute operations in implementing training and testing programs required under regulation issued by this bill.