Removing one “ACTING” from an FAA senior safety official- GOOD, more needs be done
Below is an article, published by Reuters and its aviation expert David Shepardson, announcing that after almost two years of service as the ACTING ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR OF AVIATION SAFETY, David Boulter,was named as the permanent occupant of that incredibly important FAA position. At the end of that paper in this post below, two scorecards show that the Buttigieg/Biden Administration has deleteriously held many of jobs so critical to aviation safety in limbo -from the MOST SENIOR positions, political (Appendix A) and career (Appendix B).
The FAA does not fill the OPM mold for federal agencies. First and foremost, it operates 24/7/365 over 5 time zones managing 43,000 career employees stationed in incredibly diverse locations. Second, it has highly technical missions driven by the constant, highest goal of safety. That is not unique (FDA, FCC, NRC, NOAA to name a few) have the same mantel, but THE FAA IS UNIQUE IN THAT POINTS 1 AND 2 ARE SUBJECT TO POLITICAL CONTROL– five senior executives are appointed by the White House, one is subject to Senate confirmation and its safety decisions are subject to DOT “influence”, but not “countermanding.”1
This context hopefully begins to explain the impact of ACTING tags on these jobs. As one whose job had an (A) after it, I have felt the impact of such purgatory. Having arrived at a policy or technical decision, it was never certain that the direction would be moved forward at the prescribed pace or even moved at all. When management decisions are delayed, progress can become negligible and irregular implementation harms achieving the safety goal.
In more granular terms, the impact of going years without an Administrator cascades down the organization. Acting Administrator Nolen, for example, presumably knew that Mr. Boulter was qualified to assume the AVS-1 job on a permanent basis. Nolen did not know whether the “A” would be removed; so likely felt it inappropriate to prejudge his successor.2
The Appendix B charts show how this prolonged period of ACTING has led to multiple A’s in the Aviation Safety organization—not good. Being an “Actor” on the FAA stage can have collateral damage—the temporary occupant may adopt the tactic of making no decisions that will be seen as a mistake. The “easiest” tack is not always the best for aviation safety!!!
It is time for Administration to delete the A’s from these critical safety positions and allow the career and knowledgeable political executives serve SAFETY first.
As noted aviation expert commented;
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
(act 5, scene 5, lines 26–28)
US FAA names permanent aviation safety chief
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration {insert NOTE 1 there is no press release on the FAA website for this significant position announcement. NOTE 2 usually the Administrator, even if ACTING, makes such an appointment} SAID on Monday it was naming the acting head of aviation safety to the permanent job, as the United States grapples with a series of troubling air safety near-miss incidents.
David Boulter, a long-time FAA official and pilot3, has been tapped to serve as the FAA’s associate administrator for aviation safety. The FAA said Boulter “is well qualified to carry on the important work of protecting the traveling public as we continue the FAA’s mission to make the world’s safest form of travel even safer.” The statement said that an increase in incidents “reminded us that we can never take our safety record for granted.”
…
President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the agency, Phil Washington, withdrew in March. The White House has yet to pick a new nominee.
Since June, Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg has been serving as acting FAA administrator in addition to her USDOT duties after Billy Nolen, a prior head of aviation safety, stepped down as acting administrator.
Citing federal vacancy rules, Trottenberg told employees that her last day at the FAA would be Oct. 25.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington Editing by Mark Porter and Matthew Lewis)
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B
(ONLY a few AVIATION SAFETY SERVICE offices, not include ATO, Airports, Policy & International, Administration, etc.)
