I did not see avweb with any outrage when the other side was pummeling Trump with fake charges. To me, the commentary on this article was very partisan.
I did not see avweb with any outrage when the other side was pummeling Trump with fake charges. To me, the commentary on this article was very partisan.
I wouldn’t expect Mr. Washington to answer questions that might appear on the written in any detail. But, I would expect the nominee to answer the first question with his understanding of ADS-B from the standpoint of an administrator. This is a job interview for which he was not prepared. I spent most of my career in business and found that leadership is THE most important skill for a leader. Subject knowledge at an appropriate level is always number two. Mr. Washington did not present himself as one who could think on his feet by showing he had skills as a leader. He fell into a trap that he could have avoided had he been prepared.
Well done, Raf!
Washington typifies the nominee choices presented by the current administration, so it’s no surprise that his qualification level mirrors that of the rest. Billy Nolen has stated he thinks Washington is qualified to be Administrator. Even assuming alphabet agency heads and nominees issue statements conforming to the direction of the Executive branch, this could indicate Nolen does not want to remain in the Administrator position. Which would be too bad, he’s good at his job and seems to be the kind of administrator who could effectively address the upticking safety issues.
Being a pilot for an FAA Administrator does not just mean “stick and rudder” skills. It means you have some knowledge of the system and the importance of GA also. You actually have somewhat of a love for Aviation…the middle word in FAA is aviation.
Is or is not aviation complex?
Does safety call for honesty and integrity at its core?
Tell me, who grounded the B737max after 346 innocent souls were shredded in those two crashes?
Reflect - Shredded my friend, like being thrown alive into a wood chipper run at full speed.
Shredded - you remember the Continental Airline’s 737 El Paso contract mechanic who was sucked into the engine and shredded in El Paso when haste overrode safety?
But who grounded the B737max?
If I recall the Chinese did?
The Europeans did?
Time moved on…
Was it the FAA commercial aircraft certification person?
No?
Was it the FAA Administrator?
No?
Was it the Department of Transportation Administrator?
No?
It took the actual President of the USA to have the guts to make the decision did it not?
The FAA is an organization full of arrogant and more often ignorant individuals is it not?
Was your message that you felt sadness that Washington was shown to be unsuitable to run a hyper complicated organization? Thank you folks for making that point obvious to our world.
If you’d like to discuss further call or email me. 713-385-7825 or covey42@gmail.com
Big Joe and his entire administration should be ashamed for putting this man through this. It points to their complete disregard for the responsibilities of the jobs to which they were elected and appointed, and to their priority of Politics over Service.
Having grown up in the 60s, I’d really thought our worst side was behind us. With antics like this nomination, I can hardly wait for 2024!
Perhaps, this nominee has demonstrated great management skills in prior positions? If so, they weren’t highlighted, nor heralded, during this hearing. What is readily apparent, ( even glaringly apparent ), is his “complete lack” of even a basic knowledge of aviation. What an embarrassment… And, it’s often said, that Trump’s appointees were unqualified. Well, …
Um, do you actually need the FAA? Accidents get investigated without it, and I am sure the post office could handle the admin of flying licenses…
Its total BS this tool is even a suggestion for the position.
When the whole country knows who the Secretary of Transportation is, it’s no surprise the FAA nominee was found lacking. Is it partisan to note that the party currently running this administration of mediocrities and nobodies is focused on “messaging” and not performance?
I agree the qualifications to run the FAA extend past being a pilot, but having experience on the other side, as a “customer”, seems a plus to me.
If he’s good enough for Paul, he’s good enough for me! Nominate Billy Nolan!
The problem is that unlike business, the “employer”, i.e., the government, did not conduct an exhaustive search. It merely pulled a name from its “political payback” stack of resumes and threw Washington to the wolves. From the interview, it is painfully obvious that the nominee should not even be in charge of a major airport, let alone an entire agency supposedly devoted to the safe and effective management of aviation in this country.
Truth is, gone are the days when an administration made even a half-hearted effort at trying to put forth a qualified nominee. The current Secretary of Transportation is proof of that. His entire knowledge of U.S. Transportation system comes from having ridden a bus while serving as mayor of South Bend, Ind. Not hardly a ringing endorsement to oversee one of the largest agencies in the U.S.
I’m all for Nolen only because, as Phil Washington’s confirmation hearing suggests, we could all wind up with someone worse. The FAA, as a bureaucracy, is already “so far behind the airplane, it’s likely riding in the glider being towed behind it.” It’s time to place someone in charge who can manage and provide a course correction.
Agree. I’m afraid it will not change until competence and results are things voters get more serious about.
In the meantime, we get more angertainment.
I’m seriously just planning to vote against virtually all incumbents next cycle. Previous government service in a legislature is likely a disqualifying factor. If we can get just 5% of voters to hold politicians accountable for the results, it will seriously bend the curve by providing proper incentives to do better.
Exactly. I’d say the number of modern CEO’s not knowing their industry is a symptom of too much government, but that shouldn’t be an absolute disqualification.
If you are going to use the idea that successful people can be successful though, you ought to be picking very successful people who were successful for very particular reasons. If this appointee had turned around another agency or organization with similar problems, it wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t from aviation, I’d be willing to take the chance.
So why has the Nolan appointment not already happened? Pure politics, Nolan does not check the necessary Biden admin social and political boxes, regardless of meritocracy.
You are over thinking this and giving them too much credit, Machiavalian or otherwise.
Nolan had to say he supported Washington whether he believes it or not. He would be out yesterday if he had not.
Some real experience in aviation has to be a plus—and a necessity—for the FAA Administrator. “Real” experience doesn’t mean a short term stint ostensibly running an airport—which in reality will run itself for longer than Mr. Washington’s tenure at DEN (or DIA as it’s more locally known). Knowing something about the systems that the FAA is responsible for, even if not the minute details, seems to be pretty necessary. It’s pretty hard to judge the effectiveness of those systems and the people that run them if there’s no understanding of what they do or how they work.
Perhaps relevant is an uncomfortable experience I had many years ago, after running afoul of the regs resulting in an accident. When offered the “opportunity” to meet with the investigating FAA Inspector and an FAA attorney, I found the Inspector and I both having to persuade the young attorney that what I had done was not worth a 2 year suspension, but that a much shorter and less onerous penalty was appropriate. His total knowledge of aviation was sitting behind an FAA legal desk in DC for a few months and that he’d soloed in a 152 just before joining the FAA legal staff right out of law school. In other words, his legal and aviation knowledge were both significantly lacking as was his real world experience, so that he was incapable of judging the seriousness of my offense.
I have no knowledge of Mr. Nolen’s qualifications, other than he’s in the seat at the moment. Whoever occupies that seat on a more permanent basis, though, should have enough aviation knowledge and real world experience that he (or she) can effectively communicate with and understand the folks working within the FAA. Although I don’t like the “gotcha” method used in too many confirmation hearings these days, including this one, it certainly pointed out that Mr. Washington has neither.