The U.S. Senate in the present day confirmed President Biden’s decide for a brand new FAA Administrator, Mike Whitaker, in a unanimous bipartisan vote of 98-0.
In welcome information for the aviation business, Mike Whitaker has been confirmed as the following FAA Administrator. After a unanimous vote to invoke cloture (transferring on to a vote, with out debate) Whitaker was confirmed. Whitaker will exchange appearing administrator Polly Trottenberg, whose tenure will expire tomorrow, October 25. It has been 18 months for the reason that final confirmed FAA Administrator, Steve Dickson, left the publish mid-way by means of his appointment.
Mike Whitaker was previously the Deputy Administrator of the FAA, appointed by President Obama in 2013 and serving till 2016. He was most not too long ago the Cheif Business Officer for Supernal, a Hyundai firm creating an eVTOL superior air mobility car.
Previous to his work on the FAA, Whitaker served as an lawyer for TWA and as SVP of Alliances, Worldwide and Regulatory Affairs at United Airways. He was then Group CEO at InterGlobe, a big worldwide journey conglomerate. Whitaker holds a non-public pilot certificates.
Whereas on the FAA, Whitaker was liable for NextGen, all kinds of applications designed to replace nationwide aviation programs. The Senate Commerce, Science and Science and Transportation Committee held a listening to on Whitaker’s nomination Wednesday, October 4. At that listening to, Senator Maria Cantwell highlighted Mr. Whitaker’s confirmed expertise taking over critical challenges at FAA, together with NextGen implementation. “I believe you had been originally of a really massive transformation. And but, now we have extra transformation to do. So, I believe you’re the man with the expertise of that NextGen implementation that offers you the depth and breadth of how massive a problem will be,” she mentioned.
In the course of the listening to, Whitaker was requested how he would construct a resilient security tradition on the FAA. “[We] must construct a powerful management staff, make certain now we have the correct folks in the correct positions, and ensure they’re everlasting. And we’d like a powerful bench.” mentioned Whitaker. “Security tradition doesn’t create itself… We’ve got to carry the road on strain to scale back requirements and ensure we’re maintaining the system as protected as attainable.”
Republican Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a rating member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Security, Operations, and Innovation, was the primary to situation an announcement:
“After greater than 550 days with out a everlasting chief on the FAA, confirming Mr. Whitaker to be administrator is a welcome and important step in direction of resolving persistent challenges on the FAA,” mentioned Sen. Moran. “I congratulate Mr. Whitaker on his affirmation, and I look ahead to working with Mr. Whitaker to make sure the FAA has the assets wanted to advertise security and innovation inside the nation’s airspace system.”
The nomination of a long run FAA Administrator was additionally applauded by stakeholders within the drone business. The Business Drone Alliance, instantly issued an announcement in assist of Whitaker’s affirmation. “The Business Drone Alliance congratulates Michael Whitaker on his bipartisan affirmation by the U.S. Senate as FAA Administrator. The devoted professionals on the FAA and your entire aviation business deserve the continuity and consistency {that a} Senate-confirmed chief supplies,” says Lisa Ellman, Govt Director. “We look ahead to working with Mr. Whitaker to handle long-overdue superior aviation regulatory issues, similar to enabling past visible line of sight drone operations. Solely then can the U.S. totally understand the numerous societal advantages of business drones and regain its place as a worldwide chief in superior aviation.”
The Affiliation for Uncrewed Car Methods Worldwide, AUVSI, additionally voiced their assist of the affirmation, with an announcement from President and CEO Brian Wynne. “The U.S. has lengthy been the worldwide chief in aviation—however lately, the phase the place the U.S. has not led is within the integration of recent entrants into the nationwide airspace system,” said Wynne. “AUVSI is selling home aviation innovation to reinforce U.S. aviation management and produce important advantages to American communities. We look ahead to working with Administrator Whitaker and the FAA to assist a twenty first century regulatory framework that permits routine, scalable and safe drone and Superior Air Mobility operations.”
The place of FAA Administrator is a 5 12 months appointment.
Learn extra:
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, an expert drone companies market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone business and the regulatory atmosphere for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles centered on the industrial drone area and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the business. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising for brand spanking new applied sciences.
For drone business consulting or writing, E-mail Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife right here.
