Skift Take
John Boccieri, a United Airlines pilot, vice commander of the Pittsburgh U.S. Air Reserve base and a previous U.S. Congressman from Ohio, is among the more intriguing names being discussed to prosper outbound Steve Dickson as the FAA Administrator.
Ted Reed
Steve Dickson is leaving a legacy focused heavily on safety as the departing Federal Aviation Administration Administrator. Dickson announced his resignation last week, leaving the aviation industry buzzing about who would change the previous Delta pilot in possibly among the most vital regulatory positions on the globe.
“We operate the most safe aerospace system on the planet, we wish to ensure that it remains that method,” Dickson stated in a farewell video last Friday.
That practically summarizes the task ahead for Dickson’s replacement who will deal with exceptional difficulties coming out of the pandemic. So who should be successful Dickson and tackle the concerns?
At least 4 names are being mentioned, according to air travel sources. The names include Deborah Hersman, the former chairman of the National Transport Security Board; Bradley Mims, deputy administrator of the FAA; Sully Sullenberger, the United States Airways hero pilot who was verified in December to be the U.S. agent on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Company board, the United Nations air safety body,.
And after that there is John Boccieri, a United Airlines pilot and former U.S. Congressman from Ohio.
A Washington expert, who asked not to be named, said that Josh Earnest, a previous spokesperson for President Barack Obama and now United Airlines chief communications officer, is most likely advocating with White Home authorities for a visit that United authorizes.
Dickson was a previous Delta Air Lines pilot. Delta and United pilots are the 2 largest groups in the Air Line Pilots Association, the effective pilots’ union.
Todd Insler, chairman of the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, is an advocate for Boccieri.
“The position of administrator is complex,” Insler stated. “It deals not only with piloting and the accreditation of pilots, commercial and other pilots, however likewise with producers, government and countless FAA employees. It requires to be filled by someone who examines more than one box and who is a known quantity.”
Insler stated Boccieri is not only a former U.S. Congressman, however is also a Cleveland-based United 737 very first officer and a vice leader of the Pittsburgh Air Reserve base. “His resume shows he is qualified and proficient,” Insler said. “We require somebody who knows the ins and outs of federal government and the ins and outs of security,” Insler stated.
Market authorities state whoever takes the top FAA job, it will be important to carry on Dickson’s work.
“We can’t squander the momentum” that originates from Dickson’s work, stated Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots.
“This has to do with ensuring that aviation security precedes and the business interests follow,” Tajer said. “The trend has been set and it must be strengthened. We’ve discovered that too cozy a relationship with industrial interests can just lead to disaster.”
Dickson’s two and a half years on the job might have been among the hardest ever for an FAA administrator. He battled Boeing. He battled Covid and disruptive travelers and anti-maskers. He battled mobile phone giants AT&T and Verizon on the rollout of 5G cell phone service, perilously near to airports.
He may be winning all 3 fights, however it is clear that none have ended.
Two weeks prior to Dickson announced his organized departure, AT&T CEO John Stankey appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box. Stankey stated the Federal Communications Commission “informed the FAA, we do not consider your concerns to be valid and you ought to go back and do the important things you require to do to resolve them.
“When we get to the spectrum shifts and we have actually displaced somebody who’s a current resident and in part of the spectrum band, there’s always characteristics that go on,” he stated.
Possibly the final straw for Dickson was the idea that air travel safety and faster computer game processing are equivalent occupants of the spectrum. In any case, he will be gone March 31.