United FO, Air Force Commander, and Port Admin Leads the Pack in Head Administrator Candidates

A possible candidate for incoming FAA administrator has been laying the groundwork in establishing his candidacy for leadership in aviation safety. 

John Boccieri, former fighter and United pilot, Congressman, and Air Force commander, made his bureaucratic bones in his investigation of the Colgan Air Flight 3407. Now, having built a suitable resume for chief administrator of the FAA, Boccieri lies near the top of the list for the head honcho of the aviation regulator, alongside David Bourne, director of the Teamsters airline division, and Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. It should be noted, however, that Boccieri is the only one of the trio to court media and grant interviews so far, no doubt helpful when bolstering a case to receive a nomination. 

Many see him as the most likely because of his longtime airline experience and ties, supported by ALPA, who recommends that whoever is selected to govern the FAA is fine in their book - provided they're a member of their association. Their tremendous size in aviation, boasting 62,000 pilots across 38 airlines, represents a considerable portion of the aviation industry, if not the most important part of the aerospace ecosystem. Though experienced, Boccieri remains a first officer at United, being part of the 2014 class and flying out of Cleveland, Ohio in the 737. He still works as the vice commander of the Pittsburgh Air Force Base as the culmination of decades in the service. Throughout his USAF career, he logged more than 438 combat hours during his deployments to the middle east. Current administrator Steve Dickson will be stepping down at the end of March, leaving the agency about midway through an intended 5-year term. His move is understandable, as his tenure as head has been filled with seemingly endless political controversies from the Boeing 737 Max to the bungled rollout of 5G networking. 

FMI: www.faa.gov