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.

FMI: www.faa.gov