FAA Head Says "It is Time to Go Home" 

FAA Head honcho Steve Dickson has announced his resignation from the FAA, effective March 31.

He said the rationale is that the pandemic has caused lengthy separation from his family, made more common by the rise of travel restrictions along his Georgia to D.C. commute. While premature, he said his tenure has guided the administration into becoming a better version of itself than it was when he was appointed by the Trump administration. 

His time at the FAA saw a number of controversies, from the Boeing 737 Max debacle which harmed public confidence in the FAA, as well as the rash of disruptive passengers that have continued to grow in number since 2020. The most recent crisis was the back and forth between the admin and cell carriers installing their new 5G architecture.

While the problem has been somewhat addressed, the last-minute requests for the carriers to postpone rollout were not a good look for the FAA in the public eye, reinforcing its recent reputation for sloppy handling of important duties. 

The real reason, if different from his stated excuse, has not come to light. Oddly, however, he's not the only Trump-era appointment looking to leave government service, only the most recent.

In a statement addressing the change, Dickson said it was simply time to move on. “Over the past several years," he said, "my family has been a source of tremendous encouragement, strength and support. Nevertheless, after sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them.  As I wrote in my letter to President Biden, it is time to go home.”

FMI: www.faa.gov