Served As Pilot, Union President, Aviation Consultant, Advisory Committee Member

The president of the world's largest pilots union Friday heralded the Obama administration's nomination of Capt. J. Randolph Babbitt as the next FAA Administrator, calling him "a powerful leader who promises to direct the FAA with staunch determination and a deep understanding of the aviation industry."

"I speak for ALPA's more than 52,000 airline pilots in welcoming this news as critical progress to ensure that the US air transportation system sets the world standard for safety and efficiency now and in the future," said Capt. John Prater, ALPA's president. "Capt. Babbitt's decisive leadership will position the FAA to take aggressive action to modernize our country's antiquated airspace in the face of air traffic demand that is sure to escalate as the economy improves.

"Capt. Babbitt knows what it's like to serve as the pilot in command of an airliner and is intimately familiar with all aspects of the regulatory and industry framework," said Prater. "He will develop a flight plan to guide the FAA into the future."

Babbitt began his career as a pilot with Eastern Airlines, and flew for the carrier for more than 25 years. In two terms as president of ALPA, he helped to direct and achieve important improvements in aviation safety and to influence policy in other critical areas of the industry and its operation.

In 1993, Babbitt served the country as a Presidential appointee for the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry. He was also a Presidential appointee to the FAA Management Advisory Council, created by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 1996.

Babbitt left the Airline Pilots Association to found Eclat Consulting in Reston, Virginia, which provided economic support for regulatory, legislative, and business issues in aviation. The partners and staff of Eclat joined Oliver Wyman's global Aviation, Aerospace & Defense practice in September, 2007.

Since joining Oliver Wyman, Babbitt's client work has focused mainly on advising airlines and labor unions throughout complex restructuring initiatives and negotiations.

"Randy's understanding of the interaction among the regulatory, safety, labor, and financial aspects of the aviation sector is unrivaled," said Roger Lehman, head of Oliver Wyman's aviation practice. "It's good to see his expertise tapped for such a high level of public service."

Peter Walsh, who heads all transportation and manufacturing practices at Oliver Wyman, added, "While we are disappointed to be losing one of our key partners, it's clear that Randy is the right person for the job at the right time. Randy and this administration will advance aviation industry oversight and the development objectives of the FAA."

In 2008, Babbitt was named by then-US Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters to a blue-ribbon independent review team, tasked with evaluating and crafting recommendations to improve the FAA's implementation of the aviation safety system and its culture of safety. The panel provided detailed recommendations to the FAA in the areas of Airworthiness Directives, Voluntary Disclosure Programs, the culture of the FAA, safety management systems, and information technology and the role of FAA inspectors.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.alpa.org, www.oliverwyman.com