Former pilot Babbitt picked to lead FAA

Former pilot Babbitt picked to lead FAA    The White House on Friday announced that President Barack Obama intends to nominate former airline pilot and union chief Randy Babbitt to be the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
   Babbitt, 62, once headed the Air Line Pilots Association and is now a partner at aviation consulting firm Oliver Wyman.
   Babbitt has an understanding of the FAA bureaucracy having been appointed by President Clinton in 2000 to the agency's Management Advisory Council. Last year he served on an independent review team of aviation and safety experts that examined the FAA's approach to safety following several disclosures of lax enforcement.
   In 1993 he served as a presidential appointee on the National Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry.
   One of the most pressing matters confronting Babbitt will be repairing relations with the air traffic controllers union and agreeing on a new contract. He also must work on modernizing the nation's antiquated aviation system.
   His nomination received strong praise from many quarters, but the National Air Traffic Controllers Association was more lukewarm in its endorsement.
   'Randy Babbittt is a superb choice to lead the FAA. He has both the experience and the leadership skills to drive the modernization of our aging air traffic management system and to improve relations with air traffic controllers,' said James May, president of the Air Transport Association representing airlines.
   'While NATCA has concerns about the actions of the FAA Management Advisory Council under Mr. Babbitt’s leadership that contributed to our current labor problems, our focus right now is putting an end to those problems and looking forward. We have placed our trust and confidence in President Obama, who has supported NATCA’s safety-first interests for more than three years. Therefore, we support the president’s selection and pledge our cooperation,' the union said.
   The FAA has been without a full-time administrator since Marion Blakey's term expired in September 2007.
   Babbitt must be confirmed by the Senate before he can take office.