Dozens of air medical services personnel from across the country will be gathering in the nation’s capital March 11-13 to draw greater attention to issues affecting the emergency medical transport community. As part of their visit, these air medical services leaders will meet with key policy- and lawmakers on Capitol Hill on March 12 to educate them about the need for federal funding to support the low-altitude aviation infrastructure and other issues related to air medical services. The meetings are part of the annual Spring Conference of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) set for March 11-13. The conference provides the opportunity for air medical crew members to learn about the operational and legislative issues that directly affect medical transport programs nationwide, and to effect change in the national legislative and regulatory arenas. Robert Sumwalt, NTSB board member and helicopter EMS safety hearings board of inquiry chairperson, will explore the outcome of the Feb. 3-6 NTSB hearing in Washington, D.C. Sumwalt also will discuss recent accident investigations, as well as the NTSB’s interactions with the FAA and other federal regulatory agencies regarding safety in air medical services. John McGraw, FAA, deputy director, slight standards service, will discuss the latest rules, policies and activities of the FAA as they pertain to aviation in air medical services and aviation safety. Also discussed will be developments in FAA rulemaking and FAA-led initiatives stemming from the Feb. 3-6 NTSB hearing.