Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven engaged in discussions with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy regarding North Dakota's contributions to addressing the nation's aviation requirements. The dialogue focused on enhancing air travel safety and efficiency within U.S. airspace, emphasizing the role of the University of North Dakota (UND) in this endeavor.

Hoeven highlighted his collaboration with UND and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to integrate the school into the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program. This initiative allows UND graduates to be hired immediately and commence localized training at an air traffic facility, bypassing the FAA Academy in Oklahoma. Hoeven is advocating for the ATC Workforce Development Act to bolster this program further, aiming to improve recruitment and retention of air traffic controllers. Secretary Duffy expressed support for expanding ATC training capacity and endorsed Hoeven's legislative efforts.

In addition, Hoeven underscored UND’s Vets2Wings program, which extends flight training opportunities for veterans by covering costs not included under existing military educational benefits. He initially secured $2.5 million for establishing this program and later facilitated its authorization through Fiscal Year 2028 via his American Aviator Act. Hoeven urged Secretary Duffy to collaborate on making this program permanent, recognizing its potential to meet future demands for commercial airline pilots.

Hoeven also invited Secretary Duffy to visit North Dakota to observe counter-drone initiatives at Grand Sky and the Northern Plains Unmanned Aerial Systems Test Site. He emphasized completing the integration of unfiltered radar data from the FAA with these sites as essential for safeguarding against unauthorized drone activities.

"North Dakota is home to the largest flight school in the country and plays a growing role in ATC training with the Enhanced AT-CTI Program at UND," stated Hoeven. "Considering the challenges faced by our aviation industry, it is critical that we work to remove bottlenecks in training for air traffic controllers."

Hoeven continues his efforts in advancing counter-drone technologies through Project ULTRA, aimed at increasing development capabilities against UAS threats by bridging Department of Defense contracts with private sector innovations. Securing access to FAA's unfiltered radar data feed remains a priority as it will enhance detection capabilities against malicious drones, particularly around domestic military bases.