FAA Nominee Brings Hope for Change to FAA

Randy Babbitt, long-time ALPA President, Eastern Airlines captain and aviation enthusiast, brings decades of aviation experience to the post of FAA Administrator. Although not yet confirmed by the Senate, I am confident that his nomination will fly through. He has a proven track record with unions which will serve him well with the often contentious union-management issues that have plagued the FAA for the last eight years. He has the aviation credentials to garner respect from the aviation industry and its highly skilled workforce. And his negotiating skills will come in handy when dealing with Capitol Hill or defending the FAA’s budget to OMB and the White House. But the FAA issues are a lot for one man — even one as qualified as Mr. Babbitt — to tackle. And it’s not all about NextGen — the highly-touted air traffic modernization program. Now, ATC modernization is clearly needed for survival of the nation’s airlines but there are other equally important issues that have festered unresolved for way too long. Just as efficient management of the airspace is critical to aviation’s economic survival, so to is maintaining our ground infrastructure — i.e. the airports — especially GA airports, and FBO facilities, both of which we are losing at an alarming rate. My wish list for the new Administrator would include a re-energized and re-focused effort to save GA airports. In my home state of Massachusetts alone, as many as five GA airports may disappear in the next year and we don’t have that many to start with.  I am also concerned about the continuing reduction in the number of viable FBOs. FBOs have been the backbone of GA and I would like to see a concerted federal effort led by the FAA to revitalize this segment of aviation. As small FBOs go out of business or are consumed by ever bigger conglomerates, we lose a lot of the spirit of aviation. Certainly the spirit I found at the grass strip where I learned to fly. The FBO there not only mentored me, encouraged me, but also forgave the costs of more than one flight when money was tight.  Whatever your particular wish list, I hope you let the FAA and Mr. Babbitt know. And from my knowledge of him, I think he will be listening and acting on our suggestions.