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New FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker is bolstering safety oversight in the administration, announcing Wednesday he has directed the executive director of Air Traffic Safety Oversight to report both to him and the Associate Administrator of Aviation Safety.
The independent Safety Review Team, which was formed after the industry Safety Summit in March, recommended strengthening the connection between the Air Traffic Organization and AVS to address safety risks. The SRT has issued other recommendations to the FAA, which the new Administrator has taken seriously.
Nick Fuller is the new AOV executive director and is responsible for directing the independent, risk-based and data-driven safety oversight of air navigation services. He is a former deputy vice president of ATO Safety and Technical Training and has managed air traffic operations on various levels. Fuller started his career as an air traffic control specialist for the U.S. Navy. With the SRT recommendation, Fuller will report to Whitaker and the AVS.RELATED STORIES:FAA enhancing ATC training, deploying tower simulator systems after recommendations from safety review teamFAA forms independent safety review teamSafety alert issued after series of runway incursions, FAA urges airlines and pilots to take actionIn November the FAA shared it was taking action to improve ATC training and safety after the National Airspace System SRT released a report. The team conducted a thorough assessment and presented recommendations to enhance safety and reliability in the air traffic system and the FAA said it would take immediate action.
"Aviation is safe because we are continuously looking for ways to improve," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. "The independent safety review team made some excellent recommendations and we are adopting some of them immediately."
The report indicated several challenges faced by the industry along with a recommendation on how the FAA should address each major concern. These recommendations included bolstering FAA organizational structures, institutionalizing roles and responsibilities by pushing a proactive and data-oriented safety culture; accurately projecting and investing in hiring, training and certifying the aviation workforce; sustaining and modernizing NAS infrastructure and investing in technology to boost safety and efficiency; and properly and consistently funding the FAA to efficiently provide oversight of 24/7, 365-day-a-year operations.RELATED STORIES:Senate unanimously confirms FAA administrator after 19 month vacancyFAA achieves 1,500-controller hiring goal for 2023
With these recommendations, the FAA said it would provide additional support for the ATC training programs and announced year-round hiring for experienced controllers. The FAA shared it would work with these programs at colleges and universities to ensure graduates have the skills required to begin on-the-job training at a facility. With an increase in runway incursions nationwide, ATC operations have become a point of change. While the FAA announced in August it had achieved its hiring goal for air traffic controllers, it may not be enough to match the spike in air travel traffic along with workforce shortages.
The new admin, appointed after 19 months without a permanent leader, has taken the challenges facing the industry with stride. Whitaker has years of experience in the industry and has a background as an attorney and private pilot. Unlike the former candidate, Whitaker was met with support from both sides. After 572 days without a permanent administrator, Whitaker was confirmed with a 98-0 Senate vote. This latest decision is another move to improve the safety of the national airspace and to strengthen and improve the air traffic controller workforce.
"Direct, candid feedback is crucial to constant improvement in aviation safety," Whitaker said. "And that is why I have provided a direct line from the person who independently assesses the safety of air navigation to me, the head of the agency."