David Hinson, a quintessential FAA Administrator, passes
Aviation has lost a highly qualified, dedicated and genuinely good guy. FORMER FAA ADMINISTRATOR DAVID RUSSELL HINSON DIED RECENTLY. A career pilot, whose stellar resume shined in the military, airline, aircraft manufacturer and public service sectors, brought all of the attributes to the FAA which that position requires.
David was kind enough to befriend me, a notation required by current transparency standards.
Why was David well suited for his Administrator job? The 40,000 +/- career public servants are engaged in a highly technical safety mission. It is also a world class operational organization, delivering air traffic control services to about 40,000,000 operations. None of this suggests that it should or does involves politics. David’s contributions to the women and men were his abilities to drive the team to operational excellence and to exact the highest levels of safety in all dimensions of flight. HE DID THAT.
The below review of his tenure highlights tragic accidents, leading the reader to infer that David’s presence at 800 Independence Avenue somehow was involved. Such an unintentional guilt by association fails to comprehend the flow between the regulator and the regulated. Direction, evenly strongly articulated by the Presidential appointee in charge of aviation safety, transitions through the layers of governmental employees to the airlines (and other companies within the FAA’s jurisdiction), their senior management and all the way to the men/women on the line for daily performance. Sending the message does not translate to immediate comprehension or adoption. It’s a general principle of human behavior that bad habits die slowly.
Safety, we have learned, is a function of repetition, 360°vision and constant vigilance. Those were David’s gospels. Unfortunately, in a political world, high level disasters lead to designating a fall guy. EMOUGH SAID.
The image at the start of this rant should highlight the qualifications of the Honorable Mr. Hinson. Those experiences and education are essential for someone to lead the FAA. The dedicated professionals benefit from the diversity of knowledge brought by people like David. The constant concern that candidates who come from industry1 are corrupted by their history denigrates their integrity. {N.B. the head of AirNav in Ireland is an example of how prior experience is a substantial plus.] The long line of FAA political employees proves that this shibboleth is unfounded. ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO WORK IN FLIGHT HAS A CORNERSTONE OF HER/HIS CAREER THAT SAFETY IS THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL AND ONE THAT CANNOT BE DIMINISHED IN WHATEVER THE PRESENT ROLE.
David’s memory should reflect that dedication to aviation safety!!!
Former FAA Administrator David Hinson Dies
Molly McMillin December 05, 2023
David and Ursula Hinson
Credit: Hinson Family photo
Former FAA Administrator David Hinson has died at the age of 90.
Hinson, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, served as administrator for three years, from 1993 to 1996.
His tenure was marked by several major airline crashes, including the ValuJet crash, which killed 110 people in the Florida Everglades in 1996. The accident drew criticism of the FAA for its handling of the airline in its wake. Hinson also oversaw the air traffic control modernization effort, which was over budget and behind schedule when he took office, and he enacted a “One Level of Safety” program intended to raise safety standards for commuter airlines.
Hinson, a native of Muskogee, Oklahoma, and a former Navy pilot, served as a pilot for Northwest Airlines and as an instructor pilot for United Airlines. After heading a venture as a distributor for Beech Aircraft, he co-founded Midway Airlines, serving as its chairman for six years. He was appointed to the FAA while working as an executive vice president for Douglas Aircraft, a division of McDonnell Douglas.
“We are forever thankful for the services of former FAA Administrator Hinson,” says Pete Bunce, General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO. “He did a steadfast job overseeing the FAA during trying times. On behalf of the entire staff and membership of GAMA, I extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Administrator Hinson’s family, friends and former colleagues.”
University of Washington with a B. A. degree
Hinson’s son, Eric, serves on GAMA’s Board of Directors and on its Executive Committee as its 2023 chairman.
Molly McMillin a 25-year aviation journalist, is managing editor of business aviation for the Aviation Week Network and editor-in-chief of The Weekly of Business Aviation, an Aviation Week market intelligence report.
OTHER QUOTES:
“David Hinson was a great leader and aviator who, during his tenure as FAA administrator, set an enduring standard for excellence,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “He will be greatly missed by all of us who were fortunate to have worked with and been inspired by him.”
“David Hinson guided the agency with immense leadership during challenging times and is rightly credited with historic safety accomplishments including the Single Level of Safety initiative,” said former FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Hall Daschle, who served with Hinson, “He was a person of deep integrity, professionalism, and grace. It was an honor to serve with him during his tenure and I valued his friendship and collaboration greatly.”
