National Parks Airspace Management Act of 1997

National Parks Airspace Management Act of 1997 - Requires the Director of the National Park Service and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop, establish, review, and revise plans for the National Park System (NPS) units affected by commercial air tour flights to the extent the Director considers that such units require airspace management plans to minimize the adverse effects of such flights. Prohibits such an operator from flying in the airspace over a NPS unit covered by a plan unless the operator enters into an agreement with the Director and the Administrator specifying otherwise.

(Sec. 5) Requires the Director, for NPS units that, as of January 1, 1997, experienced no such overflights, to: (1) prescribe criteria to identify NPS units where such flights would be incompatible with or injurious to the units; and (2) designate the units which meet those criteria as flight-free park units.

(Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to issue a regulation governing the operation of all commercial air tour flights over NPS units. Allows the Administrator to issue regulations that prescribe separate operational rules governing flights by fixed-wing aircraft and by rotorcraft.

(Sec. 7) Directs the Administrator to initiate proceedings to revise the regulations relating to air taxi operators and commercial operators to specifically cover all commercial air tour flights over NPS units and to address safety and environmental issues.

Requires each commercial air tour aircraft to display specified identification marks.

Requires the Administrator to ensure that aeronautical charts display the boundaries, airspace management plan, operational rule, or Special Federal Aviation Regulation with respect to each unit.

Directs: (1) the Administrator to study requiring commercial air tour aircraft operating in the airspace over NPS units to have on board an automatic flight tracking system capable of monitoring altitude and ground position; and (2) the Administrator and the Director, if the Administrator determines the use of such system is feasible and advisable, to jointly develop a plan for implementing a program to monitor such altitude and position.

Requires the Administrator to establish and maintain a database concerning commercial air tour aircraft designed to provide data to be used in: (1) making determinations of the scope of commercial air tour flights, accident rates, and flight safety assessments; and (2) ensuring that each FAA flight standards district office that serves a district in which such flights are conducted is adequately staffed to carry out this Act.

(Sec. 8) Exempts from the provisions of this Act: (1) an aircraft experiencing an in-flight emergency, participating in search and rescue, fire fighting, or police emergency operations, carrying out park administration, or complying with air traffic control instructions; and (2) flights by military aircraft. Requires the Director and the Administrator to jointly develop restrictions and fee schedules for aircraft or rotorcraft engaged in commercial aerial photography over NPS units at altitudes that they determine will adversely affect the resources and values of affected units.

(Sec. 9) Establishes the National Park Overflight Advisory Council to: (1) determine the effects on the environment of NPS units of commercial tour flights and the economic effects of restrictions or prohibitions on such flights; (2) develop recommendations for means of reducing the adverse effects of such flights; (3) explore financial and other incentives which could encourage manufacturers to advance the state-of-the-art in quiet aircraft and rotorcraft technology and encourage commercial air tour operators to implement such technology; (4) provide comments and recommendations to the Director and the Administrator with respect to National Park airspace management plans and other matters relating to flights over NPS units. Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 10) Prohibits this Act from affecting the management of NPS units in Alaska or any aircraft operations over or within such units.