Randy Babbitt's Senate hearings for
confirmation as Administrator of the FAA started yesterday in
Washington DC. It quickly became apparent that the February 12th
crash of Continental Connections Flight 3407 will be a major issue
in the process.
The Buffalo News reports Babbitt faced several questions about ther
tragedy, in a room where some family members of victims were on
hand. He commented on the growth of regional airlines, and
declining experience levels among regional pilots. Quote - "All of
this adds together to make an environment that exposes them to a
lot higher risk levels...and I think we are probably going to have
to go back and look at some of this."
Babbitt has some credibility on the issue. In the early '90s, as
president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Babbitt sought a
single set of standards for both major airlines and the regionals,
under a program called "One Level of Safety."
In the meantime, Babbitt has gotten a thumbs-up from the NBAA --
following the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee's unanimous approval of Babbitt as the next administrator
for the FAA.. "The National Business Aviation Association commends
the Commerce Committee on its approval of Randy Babbitt's
nomination to be FAA Administrator. As a pilot, he has operational
knowledge of our air transportation system. He also brings
recognized expertise to our highly complex policy issues. As the
nation's air transportation system faces many immediate challenges,
all of us in the business aviation industry know that Randy will be
able to hit the ground running at this critical point in the
evolution of our system. We look forward to working with him to
achieve our shared goal of leading the world in aviation."
Babbitt's nomination must still be considered by the full Senate
to complete the confirmation process.
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