We haven’t had a thread locked for a while, so

Some safety focused questions would have been nice.

Can you state the primary mission of the FAA?

Do you understand impact of user fees on airspace safety?

What effect would grounding a large group of aircraft have on safety?

What does it mean to safety when a pilot cannot get instruction in the aircraft they fly?

Can you name one negative impact, however small, the FAA medical system has had on safety?

No? Then can you answer why you should be appointed to an organization whose primary goal is the safety of our airspace?
 
luvflyin said:
I was gonna apply for CEO of American Airlines but I wasn't sure I could answer what is V2 on a 737 at 4000 feet on a 80 degree day at a takeoff weight of x pounds, quickly. So i said eff it.
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thats easy, go to acars and request a new TPS.....
 
In addition to criminal charges pending.... At one point a member of the committee flat out accused the candidate of lying to the committee. I saw the video 2 -3 days ago. I went looking on Youtube so I could post it and couldn't find it. Go figure.
 
bflynn said:
These weren't really hard questions

What airspace requires ADSB?
6 Types of airspace that appear on FAA charts
Operational limitations of BasicMed
What causes an aircraft to stall and spin
3 aircraft certifications required as part of the aircraft manufacturing
what is the minimum separation distances for airlines landing on runways
Difference between 44809 and part 107.
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Been a pilot for 20 years and I don't know some of that stuff. Looked like total BS to me. If someone gives me a bloody exam during my job interview I'll tell them to kindly not let the door hit my six on my way out.
 
I was dissapointed with the questions being posed... starting with his question regarding ADS-B transponders. I kind of stopped listening to the Senator after that.

ADS-B

Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast.

There isn't any transponder functionality (ya know, interogation - reply) involved.

Sure, some systems use a Mode S transponder to provide the date link. But the transponder function isn't part of ADS-B
 
Brad Z said:
To be fair, this was performative inquiry-- he knew the nominee wouldn't know the answer to technically detailed questions such as these. Even the most qualified applicants would stumble over these questions. Quizzing on the operational limitations of BasicMed? Runway distance separation? Part 107? Aircraft certification?

I'd rather him ask what the nominee believed the FAA's safety priorities should be, or how will he address industry oversight in an agency that is chronically understaffed due to the ability to hire and retain inspectors? Or perhaps how airport improvement funding could be distributed in a wait that maximizes safety benefit rather than rewarding politically compliant congressional districts? Perhaps other senators did, but unfortunately senate confirmations seem to be either Spanish Inquisitions or softball questioned congratulatory MM sessions. Not very useful.

I know hostile cross examinations for nominees is all the rage these days in the social media driven soundbite world. Heck, I love me some Josh Hawley nomination testimony YouTube clips as much as the next guy, but this was a bit over the top.

As others mentioned, the FAA administrator is an administrator, the CEO of the agency. Understanding the industry is important, but letting the non-political experts effectively lead is more important than having a know it all show up and claim to have all the answers.

Some of our best best administrators were flight-less lawyers, and some of our worse administrators were former airline pilots.

Ultimately though, the FAA administrator is the middle man (or woman) between between the White House, Secretary of Transportation and the FAA executive leadership who ultimately make the hard decisions. My observation is that the administrator has less influence than you might think they have. Especially when they continue on beyond their nominating administration.
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After reading this, I think the White House should ask FAA employees for suggestions about whom to nominate as FAA administrator.
 
Palmpilot said:
And it's important to remember that the airplane that delivered a decisive blow to the Bismark was a bi-wing.
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The Stringbag was also responsible for sinking the Italian Navy battleship Conte di Cavour and damaging two others at Taranto in 1940. It takes real valor to make a torpedo attack through heavy anti-aircraft fire at 100 MPH.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taranto
 
Ted should have asked the most important question : "How is the food at the new Pick n Pig" at BQ1. :)
 
schmookeeg said:
"Better people" doesn't match the "useful puppet" requirement.
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Nail on the head. I learned from the Meet the Administrator event at EAA last year, all you need to do is a be a good politician that can repeat "I'll look into that" "We are actively working on that" (MOSIAC) "We have some many priorities"

Did I miss any?
 
NoBShere said:
meh, leading an organization of that size is more about leadership than technical knowledge. If the guy asking the questions isn't qualified to run the FAA, then how is he qualified to vote on who should run the FAA? I'm not saying this guy is qualified or unqualified, no way to tell from that video. maybe both of these guys are clowns and should be shown the door.

One thing for sure, the guy asking questions proved the saying "how do you know someone is a pilot? they will tell you" is true.
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he doesn’t even have that
 
Dave Anderson said:
Nail on the head. I learned from the Meet the Administrator event at EAA last year, all you need to do is a be a good politician that can repeat "I'll look into that" "We are actively working on that" (MOSIAC) "We have some many priorities"

Did I miss any?
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Call my office on Monday ...
 
Pilots in the Senate are calling for the nominee to be pulled back.

This guy is more qualified

DEP5Z5hV0AI96D7.jpg
 
NoBShere said:
Agreed, that senator is not qualified, LOL.
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Hey, don't knock him. Russell Casse was a vietnam vet, crop duster, alcoholic not on HIMS, alien abductee, and destroyer of alien mother ships. He's a real American Hero!
 
midwestpa24 said:
Being Administrator for a major hub airport is like being CEO of Ford or any other large corporation. You aren't there because of your vast knowledge of that particular industry, you are there to be a figurehead. Its more political than practical.
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CEOs of corporations are there to maximize shareholder value. If they fail, they are held accountable by the board. Rich folks don't take kindly to losing money.
Granted the same can often be said for many government administration positions as well...
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It can almost always be said about government executive positions. They can get away with it because the government does not have competition.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I agree. Being Administrator for a major hub airport is like being CEO of Ford or any other large corporation. You aren't there because of your vast knowledge of that particular industry, you are there to be a figurehead.
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Do you really believe that?

Government appointments might be figure heads, but CEOs of large corporations are hired and retained because of their knowledge and ability to get things done in the field they are put in charge of.
 
JOhnH said:
Do you really believe that?

Government appointments might be figure heads, but CEOs of large corporations are hired and retained because of their knowledge and ability to get things done in the field they are put in charge of.
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How many CEO's are given the position having worked in a completely different field altogether. Walgreens CEO came from Starbucks...
 
Racerx said:
How many CEO's are given the position having worked in a completely different field altogether. Walgreens CEO came from Starbucks...
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And get a huge pay bump doing that.
 
bflynn said:
I do have to agree that he doesn't seem to have any aviation experience. Administering an airport for a year or two doesn't cover it. Surely there are better people to serve as Adminstrator.
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Well, it's par for the course for the latest run of FAA administrators. Huerta had even less experience. He ran a seaport and the Salt Lake Olympics. Blakey had nothing specific really prior to becoming administrator (though she took it in stride when I tried to deck her at an AIAA event). Garvey had a couple of years at Logan, mostly figuring out how to fix the roads.

Before that it was considered a requirement. But you're also going to the days where you'd take the position of FAA administrator because it was an honor and duty after your distinguished career in aviation, not aline in your government bureaucratic resume on your way to further private grifting.
 
Racerx said:
How many CEO's are given the position having worked in a completely different field altogether. Walgreens CEO came from Starbucks...
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That still doesn't make them mere figureheads, appointed for some political reason. They are hired because they are expected to protect and improve stock holder value, and they have demonstrated the ability to do that.
 
The problem with the "The administrator is just a figurehead" argument is that a lot of stuff is "at the discretion of the Administrator" or similar.

Just because past Administrators may have had enough sense to know they shouldn't wield the power of Administratorship, doesn't mean the power is not there to be wielded.

A new Administrator with a desire to make a name for themselves will certainly have the opportunity to do so. The less knowledgeable they are, the bigger mess they can make. While the damage would eventually (6 mo, 1 yr, 20 yrs?) be un done, we'd have to live with the mess until then.
 
I lost track. Did someone chime in already with asking about the flight radius of a swallow?
 
You want the thread locked?

Bonanzas suck!

GPS is for weak pilots!

Loran, DME, ADF, and a lode stone compass is enough for any real pilot!
 
WDD said:
Basic med was not an FAA achievement. It was a congressional act, taken because the FAA wasn’t getting things done.
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Actually, the FAA (in conjunction with the EAA and AOPA) did get 'er done, but the AMA blocked the rulemaking at the DOT level. I was watching it and it cleared the FAA and went up to higher level review, which is normally perfunctory, and got jammed.
 
And the Sun. Stars at night.

Edit: forgot clock and ephemeris.
 
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