; unmanned aircraft The terms unmanned aircraft system and unmanned aircraft have the meanings given those terms in section 331 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 ( 49 U.S.C. 40101 note). (6) X- P lane The term X-Plane means an experimental aircraft. 4. Experimental plane projects (a) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) developing high-risk, precompetitive aerospace technologies for which there is not yet a profit rationale is a fundamental NASA role; (2) near-full-scale to full-scale vehicle flight test experimentation and validation are necessary for— (A) transitioning new technologies and materials, as well as their associated manufacturing processes, for general aviation, commercial, and military aeronautics use; and (B) capturing the full breadth of benefits from the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate’s investments in priority programs called for in— (i) the National Aeronautics Research and Development Plan issued by the National Science and Technology Council in February 2010; (ii) the NASA 2014 Strategic Plan; (iii) the Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan; and (iv) any updates to the programs called for in the plans described in clause (i) through (iii)