FAA in Disarray

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in disarray--under fire from all sides. And it is justified.

There have been too many close calls between planes lately, both in the air and on the runway, to suggest that perhaps the oversight isn’t as stringent as it should be.

The beleaguered agency still has an acting administrator instead of a full-time head to run the department. While its acting administrator Billy Nolan is not doing a bad job, it is obvious that the agency is shorthanded.

Perhaps it is time for a change. Maybe it’s time to turn the entire agency over from government control. Perhaps it is time for the FAA to become a civilian agency.

That is not to imply that Nolan is doing a bad job. He isn’t. But you know the old Washington saying – the buck stops here. Perhaps it’s time for someone with more permanency, someone who isn’t fighting for the job, but who will DO the job.

There have been too many near-misses and close calls, and someone has to be ultimately responsible.

We know the aviation industry is in the middle of a pilot shortage, and in the middle of a staff shortage. You can’t magically go out and hire qualified people tomorrow. But the public is still flying. And they will continue to fly, and the airlines will continue to make flights available.

Nolan has called for a summit to tackle the problem but, as we have seen with Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, talk is not enough, and these hearings and summits go nowhere. We need action, not talk.

Perhaps this is the time to revamp the FAA.