James Foltz

James D. Foltz is the Strategic Policy Manager for Emerging Aircraft in the FAA Aircraft Certification Service, Policy and Innovation Division. In this role, he works to inspire creativity, innovation, and out of the box thinking to develop airworthiness solutions to safely integrate new technologies and emerging aircraft into the national airspace system utilizing a risk-based approach. James leads, envisions, and directs efforts to establish the strategic direction for certification policy of emerging aircraft, which have radically novel features differentiating them from traditional aircraft, such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft. This includes providing leadership, guidance, and oversight to technical specialists responsible for the development and application of policy, rulemaking, and certification support for emerging aircraft. James also provides global leadership for emerging aircraft, guiding international efforts including serving as co-rapporteur of the airworthiness working group of the ICAO RPAS Panel. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and his Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.