Is Washington Prejudiced Against Experienced Aviators?

DOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg has been selected to serve as acting FAA administrator, replacing the eminently qualified Billy Nolen, who announced his intention to step down from the position earlier this year. What’s more, Kathryn “Katie” Thomson will serve as the FAA’s deputy administrator, replacing Brad Mims, who is assuming a new, senior role at the DOT as head of the agency’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

The announcements come as Congress considers 2023’s FAA reauthorization bill amidst an historic restructuring of the agency’s priorities in the face of the imminent advent of a host of new technologies, aircraft, and air-transport conventions.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen opined Trottenberg’s and Thomson’s appointments are especially welcome as the aviation industry awaits the nomination of a permanent Administrator for the agency.

Mr. Bolen set forth: “It is extremely important for the FAA to have proven leaders stepping into the roles of acting FAA administrator and deputy FAA administrator. As Billy Nolen departs for the private sector, and Brad Mims assumes a new, key role at DOT, Polly Trottenberg and Katie Thomson will be excellent in those positions.”

Bolen also reasserted the need for a confirmed Administrator to lead the FAA, stating. “The U.S. has the world’s largest, safest, and most efficient aviation system, and it’s important the administration provide stability at the agency by making a timely FAA administrator nomination.”

Trottenberg has served for more than two decades in a public-sector career that included numerous positions at various levels of government. She served from 2014 to 2020 as transportation commissioner for New York City, managing a large agency tasked with overseeing the city’s roadways, as well as its maritime, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure, and preparedness for emerging transportation technologies. Trottenberg served in the Obama administration as assistant secretary and undersecretary for policy at the DOT, overseeing a portfolio that included roads, railways and aviation. That she has no direct aviation experience is worrisome.

Thompson, similarly, has no first-hand aviation industry experience. A lawyer by training, she has served as FAA chief of staff, DOT general counsel, and FAA chief counsel during the Obama administration. In her role at the DOT, Thompson served as director of bipartisan infrastructure law implementation, overseeing the pumping of more than $600-billion into U.S. transportation infrastructure.

Bolen thanked Nolen and Mims for their contributions to aviation, remarking: “Billy and Brad have brought innovative thinking and tireless dedication to their work at the FAA. We look forward to working with them in their new capacities.”

FMI: www.dot.gov