The current acting head of the FAA is Daniel K. Elwell, who took over for Michael Huerta after he stepped down in January of 2018. before that, he was Deputy Administrator for the FAA, appointed by President Trump. Mr Elwell is currently overseeing a budget of 16.8 billon dollars. One of the major current focuses he is overseeing is the implementation of NextGen air traffic control, which will change from ground based radar to new satellite technology (Daniel K. Elwell).
Elwell earning 6,000 hours combined, civilian and military, flying for the air force. He then spent 16 years with american airlines and served as managing director for international and government affairs. Elwell worked at the FAA as the Assistant Administrator for policy, Planning, and Environment from 2006 to 2008. He then became vice president of the Aerospace Industries Association from 2008-2013. From 2013 to 2015 he served as Senior Vice President for Safety, security, and Operations at AA. His latest work was being appointed by President Trump to Deputy Administrator of the FAA in June of 2017 (Daniel K. Elwell). Elwell, serving as acting head of the FAA is in the running for official status of head of the FAA in the next election.
Other candidates include Bobby Sturgell, former Acting Administrator under President George W. Bush, and Representative Sam Graves, who wasn't aware he was up for the position and currently seeking another position as chairman of the House Transportation Committee, which will be coming available within the year. (Wise, L.)
Lastly, In the running, we have John Dunkin, current pilot for President Trump.
President Trump has made it clear that he would like Dunkin to take the position of head of the FAA. Dunkin has flown with Trump since his airline company in 1989, which went under in 1992 when the company wasn't turning a profit and Trump couldn't afford to keep the company alive with all of his other businesses also not turning a profit. Durning the 2016 elections, Dunkin flew the president around and organized the travel schedule during that period. Trump supports him Because Dunkin said to him, "sir, the equipment they're putting on is just the wrong stuff. If we're going to modernize our system we should be using the right equipment" (Lanktree, G.). Trump believes he's a good candidate because he's a smart enough person and we need a "sophisticated person for the job" (Lanktree, G.). To me, if Dunkin was a part of the decision making process during Trumps airline business, which went under financial hardship early on it's career, then maybe he isn't the right man for the position of the Head of the FAA. Someone who'd be handling billion dollar budgets and is currently working and colluding with president Trump, who himself, hasn't shown a good history with the aviation industry.
Former Heads of the FAA:
Jerome Babbitt (2009-2011) (Randy Babbitt)
- Pilot for Eastern Airlines for 25 years
- For the ALPA; he served as Executive Administrator from 1987 to 1990 and then President from 1990 to 1998
- He formed an airline management and financial consulting firm name Eclat Consulting, which merged into the aircraft management division of Oliver Wyman
Lynne Osmus (Acting) (June 2009- December 2009) (Osmus, L)
- Deputy Associate Administrator for civil Aviation Security (2001-2002)
- Senior Advisor to the Deputy Administrator (2002-2003)
- Assistant Administrator for Security and Hazardous Materials (2003-2010)
Daniel K. Elwell. (2018, January 10). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://www.faa.gov/about/key_officials/elwell/
Lanktree, G. (2018, February 26). Who is John Dunkin? Trump wants his personal pilot to head America's aviation regulator. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from http://www.newsweek.com/who-john-dunkin-trump-wants-his-personal-pilot-head-faa-819300
Osmus, L. (n.d.). Lynne Osmus. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynne-osmus-06714994
Randy Babbitt. (2018, February 17). Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Babbitt
Wise, L. (n.d.). Is White House considering Sam Graves for FAA chief? It's news to him. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article202727444.html
I didn't realize how qualified Elwell is. Dunkin is sure going to have a hard time attaining FAA administrator with the comparisons just between the current acting FAA admin and himself, let alone other candidates. I also found it exciting that Dunkin was complaining about the current equipment. If he becomes the FAA admin, I can see a lot of new technology being standard. Usually I am for cost reduction and less bureaucracy, however new technology is definitely exciting to see in Aviation, a field that still utilizes a lot of stuff from the good old days.
ReplyDeleteI am all for the push of the Next Gen systems. Right now it seems like Dunkin (and President Trump) is the only candidate (That I know of) that is really pushing for more technology. If we could find a way to fund it reasonably I am all for it, even though its going to eventually have to happen here soon. Whatever makes our skies safer and allows more activity, go for it.
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