John Dunkin, is no doubt, a very competent pilot. In his journey in aviation, Mr. Dunkin has managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from the startup under the regulations of the FAA, and had oversaw Trump's fleet throughout the presidential campaign (Naylor, 2018). There is no reason to believe why Mr. Dunkin isn't capable of being the head administrator of the FAA what so ever. Although, the fact that this marks the second time in which president Trump seems like he is pushing his personal pilot into such position raises many concerns to me personally. The FAA does not only regulate the aviation industry in the united states, it is also oversees foreign carriers that fly into into our domestic airspace. We currently have one of the safety industries and the FAA is who we should thank. I don't want to further explain how important the department is to every aspect of our current aviation system, as many of you would alread know. I just want to simply state that it is insane to even think of the how qualified a person must be to be place in such position.
I am one of the people that don't think very badly of Trump, like many others of course. I agree and disagree with some of the changes he had made ever since he got into office. There is a reason behind every move of our "precious" president as he is evilly smart. President Trump, thinking like the business man he is, has been trying to modernize our air traffic control system by privatizing it. So my aviation friends, as soon as you hear that Mr. Dunkin is elected the head administrator of the FAA, be certain that you will see such change. While there is no doubt that Mr. Dunkin has all the experience in the world to captain the FAA, it is to believe that he may lack the judgement qualification factor to carry out the role (Negroni, 2018).
Dan Elwell, acting FAA Administrator after Hureta's departure back in January, is also a candidate to take on the job full-time (Lanktree, 2018). Elwell is a former pilot, served various roles in the FAA, and worked as an executive representing the airline industry's trade association. On the other hand, Republican Representative Sam Groves, who is a member of the aviation subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is also a candidate for the position (Lanktree, 2018). I personally think that all candidates qualify for the job but I lean more towards Elwell and Groves. The reason being that both of the names mentioned above have had experience in a governmental structure and therefore would know how to guide the FAA properly. The position requires a person with very strong leadership qualifications.
Thus far, the FAA have been captained by very qualified personnel who were labeled great leaders after the impact they had on the system. The past candidates are whom we should thank for the success in terms of safety as well as other economical and regulatory factors in our current industry. Former FAA Administrator, Michael Huerta, was a very qualified man. "Prior to his appointment he ran his own consulting firm, advising clients on transportation policy, technology, and financing. He also served as a member of President Obama's transition team for the Department of Transportation" (FAA, 2018). J. Randolph Babbitt, who was in office before Huerta, was also a competent administrator. He was the head representative of all Airline Pilot Contract Negotiating Committee and later elected as the president before being appointed (FAA, 2018). As I have perviously mentioned, the administrator of the FAA is the back bone of our aviation industry and therefore he/she must obtain all the qualities needed to handle all responsibilities associated with the job.
My research on what is the actual job responsibility of an FAA Administrator came empty. I was unable to find what he/she are exactly responsible for. Do they just sign papers or are they involved in day to day operations of the field? Would love to find more information out. Although, I can make some assumptions. Besides the numerous tasks associated with such leader ship position, the FAA Administrator is responsible for promoting safety in the industry as well as work with the budget given to the administration by our government. I would hope that those head management people do not only sign papers as we will all be screwed one day. It is very important to choose the right person for this position. Their vision and leadership will phase the future of many aviators, multi-billion dollar companies, and the United States' aviation industry as a whole. In my opinion, the FAA has been very successful in creating the world's best and safety aviation industry.
References
FAA. (2018, January 03). History. Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.faa.gov/about/history/
Lanktree, G. (2018, February 26). Who is John Dunkin? Trump wants his personal pilot to head america's aviation regulator. Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.newsweek.com/who-join-dunkin-trump-wants-his-personal-pilot-head-faa-819300
Naylor, B. (2018, February 26). Trump reportedly considering his personal pilot to captain FAA. Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.npr.org/2018/02/26/588957046/trump-reportedly-considering-his-personal-pilot-to-captain-faa
Negroni, C. (2018, February 27). In pushing his personal pilot for FAA, Trump shows disregard for air safety. Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinenegroni/2018/02/27//in-pushing-his-personal-pilot-for-faa-trump-shows-disregard-for-air-safety/2/#beafe6b11db7
Ehab,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on John Dunkin almost getting the golden pass from Trump for this job. Yes he is a well accomplished pilot and has done a lot between managing aviation companies but I also don't believe that he is ready for the job. I honestly think that Dan Elwell is more suited for the job because he is already been working in the FAA for quite some time while John Dunkin hasn't. I think that if you are applying for a big position in the company, you have to already be working in the company for years.
Pilot Gano it was really interesting reading your blog. I, like you, think that the next FAA administrator should be a highly qualified and competent person, since he or she is going to be the one overseeing all the aspects of civil aviation especially the safety of it. I personally think that the person that will be nominated should not only have previous experience within the aviation field, such as being a pilot, but should also have held a position within the federal government environment prior of becoming the administrator. This because if the person has both those experiences he or she has a hands-on of how both worlds work, thus making the integration of the two more smooth. I personally think that it would be really hard for a person to show the best of him or herself as the FAA administrator without he or she having prior experience in a government position. However, that is just my personal opinion and besides the base line requirements to be on the list of the possible FAA administrator includes only three requirements, and none of them state anything regarding having a previous position within the government.
ReplyDelete-Nenne 747-
Pilot Gano-
ReplyDeleteI must say that I feel the same way you do regarding President Trumps decision in choosing his personal pilot as the Acting Administrator of the FAA. The notion of Trump’s pilot as FAA chief is drawing skepticism from people in the industry and your classmate, Nenne747 who also is skeptical, note that recent leaders of the technocratic, $16 billion-a-year agency have typically been people with long experience either in the government or running large organizations. Dunkin is the Trump Organization’s director of aviation operations for a fleet that includes a Boeing 757, a Cessna Citation X business jet and three Sikorsky helicopters. At the end of the day, it’s all about who will continue to oversee the safety of tens of millions of air travelers in the U.S.
Pilot Gano-
ReplyDeleteWell written blog. As I believe that John Dunkin is a well competent pilot as well and a good manager, I do not believe he is ready to take over the FAA. Managing a couple planes (that he does everything for, as cleaning, planning, etc.) is not as great as managing the whole aviation sector of the United States. Including any foreign aircraft coming here. I believe Dan Elwell (current acting administrator) would be the perfect fit for the job. He knows what it entails as he has been duputy administrator since middle of 2017.
Pilot Gano,
ReplyDeleteI have no strong opinions for or against any of the potential candidates for the FAA Administrator position. This is because I haven’t fully researched their personal backgrounds and without so would be only making an uninformed decision at best.
The role however is very important and comes with responsibility for the potentiality of great impact, positive or negative, upon the aviation industry as a whole. The FAA has generally been recognized as the baseline standard for national aerospace system infrastructure.
For this reason, I believe it’s important that our next FAA Administrator be exceptionally qualified in experience beyond the positions minimums and possesses broad understandings of the intricacies of the aviation industry.
-Aviator in Progress
I'd like to start off by saying I enjoyed this blog. I can see where you're coming from, and I understand where you're coming from. I didn't think of the current FAA projects that need the proper oversight from the most qualified individual in this time of extensive development. Your blog gives me that oversight and opinion on that. This is a great write and I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDelete