A contact in the US who moves in aviation union circles just bet me five pounds that the new FAA administrator will be one-time US ALPA president Randy Babbitt. He's apparently seen as a compromise candidate who's more acceptable to backers of rival candidates than another former ALPA president Duane Woerth. Woerth is the favoured candidate of the AFL-CIO union umbrella group but carries a lot of baggage, not all of it helpful.
Watch this space. (I didn't accept the bet.)
on March 25, 2009 8:00 PM | Reply
I new Randy Babbitt when he was an Eastern Airlines first officer. I flew several trips with him and I, as a Union Safety Committee member, can atest to Randy's professionalism and aviation knowledge. His father, "Slim" Babbitt, was one of the founding fathers of the Airline Pilots Association. This union has done more to promote safety in aviation than any other entity including the U.S. government.
I know that Randy will carry out his duties in a fair and equitable manner. We are lucky in the 'aviation world" to have him as our FAA Administrator, if so approved.