President Obama Officially Nominates Capt. Randy Babbitt For FAA Administrator
In a Press Release issued on Friday, March 27, 2009, announcing selections for several positions in his Administration, President Obama nominated J. Randolph Babbitt to be the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. This nomination has been expected for some time since Capt. Babbitt emerged as a "compromise" candidate.
The Press Release gave the following as Capt. Babbitt's bio:
J. Randolph Babbitt, Nominee for Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
J. Randolph Babbitt, known as Randy, is a partner in the worldwide aviation consultancy of Oliver Wyman. He was the former Chairman and CEO of Eclat Consulting until they were acquired by Oliver Wyman in 2007. Babbitt is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of aviation safety and policy, and labor relations with almost 40 years of experience in the industry. Babbitt began his aviation career as a pilot for Eastern Airlines and flew for more than 25 years. He served as President and CEO for US ALPA, the world’s largest professional organization of airline pilots. In 1993 he served as a Presidential appointee on the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry. In 2008 Babbitt was named by the Secretary of Transportation to an independent review team of aviation and safety experts tasked with evaluating and crafting recommendations to improve the FAA's implementation of the aviation safety system and its culture of safety. Babbitt attended both the University of Georgia and the University of Miami.
We all wish Capt. Babbitt well, and look forward to working with him and his colleagues at the FAA in the future.
Will Randy Babbit address one of the primary causes of pilot fatigue, commuting?
Commuting - the time spent travelling before duty, but not counted as Duty Time, is a well-publicised factor in causing fatigue in pilots, sometimes with deadly consequences for pilots and passengers.