Wed, Oct 07, 2009
On July 30th, 2009, Randy Babbitt took to the podium for the
first time as the FAA Administrator, addressing EAA AirVenture
attendees in the Honda Pavilion.
With nearly 70,000 operations every day, and over 753 million
people transported each year, the job of FAA Administrator is no
simple task; yet, as Babbitt explained, he understands there are
numerous ways in which the FAA can address current issues and
improve the way in which the FAA regulates and connects with the
general aviation community.
When asked what general aviation pilots can do to support better
communication with the FAA, Babbitt reiterated the value of public
input stating that the general aviation community has more eyes and
ears to monitor the FAA than the FAA has to monitor itself.
The FAA’s “Consistency and Standardization
Initiative,” for example, provides a process for which an
individual who is dissatisfied with a decision made by the FAA
Aviation Safety Office to have that decision reviewed by higher
levels of management without fear of retribution.
In addition, Babbitt emphasized the importance of upcoming
efforts to ensure consistent regulatory implementation and timely
communication. On September 17th, the FAA formerly announced
the development of two new offices to improve transparency and
responsiveness, the Office of Audit and Evaluation (developed to
handle all public safety concerns more effectively) and the
Accident Prevention Office (APO).
As an EAA member himself, Babbitt has an impressive background
in aviation; receiving his certificate at the age of 16, Babbitt
continued his flying career piloting such aircraft as the Douglas
DC-9, Boeing B-727, and the Airbus A300. After his years at
Eastern Air Lines (EAL), Babbitt served as president of the Air
Line Pilots Association before being appointed to the FAA’s
Management Advisory Council in 2000 by President Clinton. On
June 1st, the Senate confirmed Babbitt as the FAA’s 16th
Administrator, following Marion Blakey after the completion of her
term in 2007.
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