Acting Chairman Appointed To Lead Board In 2006

Mark V. Rosenker, Acting Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, DC is used to being asked a lot of questions. In his role as the head of the organization charged with investigating transportation-related accidents, he also knows something about posing questions himself.

In fact... as the Wichita Aero Club's luncheon speaker at noon on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at the Wichita Airport Hilton, he might be tempted to simply skip his formal remarks and go straight to the questions and answers session because he's so used to that format. But, it's likely that his "insider's perspective" on recent notable aviation accidents like USAir 1549's "Miracle on the Hudson" or the Colgan Airways crash in Buffalo, New York will generate some interest among attendees, as well.

Rosenker, who was first nominated by President George W. Bush to be the Chairman of the NTSB in 2006, is a retired United State Air Force General whose active and reserve service career spanned more than 37 years.

Chairman Rosenker previously served as Director of the White House Military Office and as Deputy Assistant to the President. He has been NTSB's lead representative on site at events including the discovery of the Steve Fossett crash site, the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN in August 2007, and the recent downing of a single-engine turboprop in Butte, MT that claimed all 14 on board.

His professional experience also includes service in the federal government at the Department of Interior, the Federal Trade Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. In 1990, he was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) by President George H. W. Bush.

The Wichita Aero Club was founded in October of 2008 and hosted its first monthly luncheon in December. The organization was established to foster and promote interest in aviation, provide a forum focused on the industry's issues and achievements and bring together those with a passion for flight in an environment that expands and enhances professional relationships and furthers cooperation and understanding.

Future WAC luncheons will include noted aviation writer and blogger Rob Mark on May 19, AirTran Airways CEO Bob Fornaro on June 23 and Kansas Congressman and senatorial candidate Todd Tiahrt on July 13.

FMI: www.wichitaaeroclub.org, www.ntsb.gov