Former Olympics Official Tapped For No. 2 Spot At FAA

The former transportation logistics manager for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002 nominated as Deputy Director for the FAA might as well have had a 30 knot tail wind behind him as he sat before the Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday.

Michael Huerta faced a very friendly panel. The Salt Lake City Desert News reports that Senator Orrin Hatch introduced Huerta as an "honorary Utahan" for his work during the Olympics.

Huerta told the committee he thinks his Olympic experience can help him in the implementation of the NextGen navigation system. He said the Olympics "taught me about how an immovable deadline can be extremely powerful in motivating and focusing a team toward a common objective. We had to be focused but flexible, and ready to adapt to the unexpected."

Committee Chair John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) concurred, saying "His experience there may give him a useful perspective as the FAA moves forward on the NextGen initiative, and I look forward to hearing his views on this critical project."

The committee's ranking Republican, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (TX) also agreed that the implementation of NextGen should be a primary focus of the FAA, but not at the expense of safety. "Recent accidents and incidents have exposed areas where improvements are needed," she said in her opening remarks. "In fact, this committee held several hearings on aviation safety last year.  We will continue our important oversight responsibilities in this area this year as well, and I look forward to working with Mr. Huerta and Administrator Babbitt to further promote the safety of the air traveling public.

I am increasingly concerned with FAA’s air traffic control modernization efforts.  The FAA’s NextGen efforts, if done effectively, will provide a tremendous leap forward in air traffic efficiency and safety.  I cannot emphasize how important it is for the FAA to get modernization done right. 

Mr. Huerta, as Deputy Administrator, you will have a very prominent role in the day-to-day operations and progress on FAA modernization.  I expect you to have an active role in meeting or exceeding short and long-term modernization benchmarks.

Recently, there has been progress, such as the announcement earlier this month that Houston air traffic controllers are beginning to utilize satellite based technology, or ADS-B, to more efficiently and safely separate aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico.  This is a promising step forward, but we have so much more to do."

Huerta must still be confirmed by the full Senate.

FMI: http://commerce.senate.gov