More Than A Gag... The Movement Says Much About The Troubled State Of Aviation

As the song goes, "We need a hero..." and that sentiment seems to be the basis of a unique move that first came to light last night with a blog post, some tweets and, now, a White House petition to nominate Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger to be the next Administrator of the FAA. and you know what? We could do FAR worse.

The blog that instigated this burgeoning movement (anonymous for the moment, but we have a good idea who started this), notes that, "Draft Sully is grassroots effort to draft Chesley Sullenberger for FAA Administrator, begun by members of the aviation community who care about restoring the FAA as the world’s gold standard in aviation safety. We are not associated with Mr. Sullenberger, but we believe that he, as a man of high integrity, is the perfect candidate for this job."

A statement posted on the blog opens the process with the following appeal:

Dear Mr. President,

We, the undersigned, wish to see a revitalized and strengthened Federal Aviation Administration.

In the wake of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash, delayed pilot fatigue rulemakings, the furlough of 4,000+ FAA safety inspectors and other employees in Summer 2011, and the continued stalemate in Congress over long-term funding, the FAA has been through a lot.

FAA needs a steady hand who can guide it through uncertain times. We can think of no better person than Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, who guided U.S. Air Flight 1549 to a safe landing on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009.

In addition to being a world-class pilot, Capt. Sullenberger is an internationally-renowned safety expert.

Mr. President, we respectfully request you nominate Capt. Sullenberger for FAA Administrator.

A petition has been started, with a goal to seek 25,000 signatures to get the President's attention. More info to follow...

FMI: http://draftsully.wordpress.com, #draftsully, https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/nominate-captain-chesley-b-sully-sullenberger-faa-administrator/DKnNg9Hc