FAA Administrator Experiences His First EAA AirVenture Forum

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. 

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, as well as 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 her resignation in September of 2007.

With nearly 70,000 operations every day, and over 753 million people transported each year, the job of FAA Administrator is no simple task.  This year celebrates the fifth anniversary of yet another aspect of aviation, the establishment of the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule. Intended to increase safety by filling gaps in the previously existing regulations, as well as accommodating advances in technology, the LSA category now supports over 8,100 aircraft.

Most recently, in February of 2009, the FAA announced the development of a joint steering committee in cooperation with the LSA industry community.  In order to support continued upgrade and data incorporation to existing standards, the group will focus on flight safety issues, certification standards, and accident causes.  Join Aero-TV as FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt provides his unique perspective on the current status and future prospective of the LSA market.

FMI:  www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/, www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/media/, www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/media/accepted_standards_v2.pdf, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews