Letter Groups Laud Choice

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 03.27.09 1900 EDT: It's official. Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama named Randolph "Randy" Babbitt to be the next FAA administrator, subject to confirmation by the US Senate.

Babbitt was first named as a top candidate for the job last month. As ANN reported Wednesday, reports indicated the Obama administration formally offered Babbitt the job weeks ago, pending a detailed background and financial disclosure vetting process. That timeframe was moved up, however... as the lack of a full-time FAA Administrator has looked increasingly conspicuous in the face of a recent series of high-profile aviation accidents.

Acting Administrator Lynne A. Osmus has filled the post since January; before that, Bobby Sturgell was the Bush administration's choice to succeed Marion Blakey, but his confirmation was shot down by the Senate... leaving Sturgell to fill the job in a lame duck capacity until a new presidential administration came to town.

Babbitt served as president of the Air Line Pilots Association for much of the 1990s, and most recently served as an industry consultant -- first independently, then as part of the larger firm Oliver Wyman.

If confirmed, Babbitt faces the daunting task of finding a compromise agreement between agency interests and labor groups, chief among those being the air traffic controllers union. He will also be the agency's pointman on the contentious issue of how to fund the FAA, as well as how to proceed with the agency's oft-touted "NextGen" air traffic control system.

Two of the largest aviation "letter groups" lauded Babbitt's selection Friday.

"Randy is an excellent choice for FAA administrator," said National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen. "He's a pilot, with a thorough understanding of how our nation's aviation system works. He also has a businessperson's expertise, having started a successful aviation consulting company. He brought his business skills to his service on the FAA's Management Advisory Council, which was focused on applying good business practices at the FAA... Clearly, Randy will be able to hit the ground running at a critical point in the evolution of the nation's air transportation system."

"AOPA welcomes the announcement of Randy Babbitt as President Obama's choice to head the Federal Aviation Administration," added Craig Fuller, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "In a letter to the then-incoming President and in meetings with the transition team, AOPA said the new FAA Administrator needed to have technical and people-management skills, combined with an understanding of the aviation industry and the political acumen necessary to lead the organization as it faces multiple challenges, including the twin challenges of determining an efficient long-term funding strategy and transitioning to the NextGen satellite-based navigation system."

Babbitt's confirmation appears likely, though not guaranteed. The Wall Street Journal noted this week Babbitt's past status as a registered lobbyist might raise eyebrows on Capitol Hill, particularly in light of Obama's (ill-realized) campaign promise to keep lobbyists out of key government positions. Babbitt was a registered lobbyist for the Phoenix aviation department from 2003-2007... though he claims he never lobbied on behalf of his clients when it came to legislative matters, and says he only registered as a lobbyist "to be on the safe side."

More recently, Babbitt served on the government commission last year that investigated the FAA's oversight of airline maintenance practices, a position where he won praise and notice from a number of Washington insiders.

FMI: www.faa.gov