Marks Agency's 50th Anniversary In Message To Workers
Editor's Note:
Below is the unedited text of a speech given Thursday by Robert
Sturgell, Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration, thanking employees for their efforts in making
aviation far safer today than it was 50 years ago, when FAA was
founded (as the Federal Aviation Agency.)
The first 50 years of aviation watched as we moved from bonfires
to beacons, as fabric and long scarves were replaced by rivets and
pressurized cabins. The onset of the jet age in those first 50
years of aviation led the President to think that we could make it
to the moon. He was right, and we did. Aviation was at the heart of
that spirit then, and it remains so today.
The second 50 years of aviation brought about another transition
— a move by the United States to make sure that the resources
of aviation and our skies be guarded and allowed to grow — to
grow with certainty and with safety.
And in 1958, the Federal Aviation Agency was put in place to
help make sure that the introduction of jet airliners would fold
smoothly into an evolving system. The events that spurred our
creation, well, they’re no longer the problem that we once
feared.
And the reason for that is that the women and men of the FAA
over the years have pulled together in one direction to create the
safest transportation system in the history of the world. The
congratulations, and the credit, goes to you. Through all of the
changes and technological hurdles, you’ve made it so safe
that when asked about, "The most common cause of an accident," we
have to pause and say, "Today, there is none."
That’s quite a step. But it happened because of our
attention to detail and our dedication to the mission. Not just
with air traffic control and the way we operate and maintain the
equipment, but to the oversight by our inspectors, the training and
certification of planes, pilots and mechanics. And also to the way
we inspect and certify the equipment that’s put in place. Any
of us who’ve been to Oak City and have seen the flight
inspection fleet know what a first-class operation looks like.
And it doesn’t end there. From the red brick building in
Atlantic City to the white lab coats at CAMI, our scientists and
engineers are constantly pushing the envelope for safety’s
sake.
And when you look across the regions, you see a network of
40,000 plus who contribute to a system that’s rock solid, and
will continue to be so to and through a billion passengers.
For all of this, I say, "Thank you." To the employees of the
FAA, those who epitomize what it is to be a servant of the public,
"Thanks." Today, we mark the fiftieth anniversary of our agency,
the Federal Aviation Administration, and we salute the men and
women who’ve made it great. Yours is the great legacy of
moving America safely. It is a mission that matters. One that not
only affects the nation’s economy but has a direct impact on
the lives of millions of Americans each day. From the person flying
to a wedding to the businessperson traveling to see a client to the
kid going to see Grandma, the mission matters, and we must never
lose that focus. On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you. For
what you do each and every day.