![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Michael-Whitaker.jpg\")
Whitaker is currently the chief operating officer of\nSupernal, a Hyundai Motor Group company designing an electric advanced air\nmobility (AAM) vehicle. In this role, Whitaker overseas all commercial and key\nbusiness operations. Whitaker served as Deputy Administrator at the Federal\nAviation Administration (FAA) from 2013\u20132016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AUVSI praised the nomination. \u201cAt this critical moment when\nour national airspace system is becoming increasingly complex, Mike Whitaker is\nan exceptionally qualified choice to ensure the U.S. remains the aviation\nsafety gold standard, manage the Agency and its 45,000 employees and enhance\nU.S. global aviation competitiveness,\u201d said AUVSI President and CEO Brian\nWynne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to Supernal and his tenure at the FAA, Whitaker served as Group CEO of InterGlobe Enterprises, India\u2019s largest travel conglomerate and operator of its largest and most successful airline, IndiGo. There, he oversaw strategy and operations for four affiliate travel companies. Whitaker also spent 15 years at United Airlines in a variety of roles as Director, Vice President and Senior Vice President. His broad portfolio at the airline included commercial alliances and joint ventures, international and regulatory affairs, and strategic counsel to the Chairman and CEO on international matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
AOPA applauded the nomination. \u201cThe aviation industry has\nhad a significant need for a permanent leader for more than a year, and I am\nhappy that Michael has been nominated for the role,\u201d said AOPA President Mark\nBaker. \u201cOur close collaboration during his time as deputy administrator gave us\nthe unmistakable sense that Michael knows aviation, he understands how the FAA\noperates, he appreciates GA\u2019s needs as a private pilot, and I am confident that\nunder Michael\u2019s leadership, the FAA will address serious issues that have\nloomed over the agency and the aviation industry.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whitaker began his more than three-decade aviation career as a litigator, then as Assistant General Counsel of international and regulatory affairs at Trans World Airlines (TWA). He holds a juris doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He serves on the board of the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes aviation safety globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also welcoming the nomination was the National Business\nAviation Association (NBAA). \u201cMike Whitaker has long been an outspoken aviation\nsafety advocate and champion of innovation in the industry, who demonstrated\nduring his time as Deputy Administrator at the FAA that he is a proven leader\nwho delivers results,\u201d said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. \u201cWe\nenthusiastically support his confirmation as FAA administrator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Commercial Drone Alliance supports the nomination,\nciting a deep background in advanced aviation and having served as Deputy\nAdministrator of the FAA. The hardworking professionals at the FAA deserve the\ncontinuity and consistency of a Senate-confirmed leader, particularly at this\ncritical and exciting time for advanced aviation. Uncrewed aircraft systems\n(UAS), for example, are already enhancing lives in communities around the\nworld. The safety, security, efficiency, sustainability, and equity benefits of\ncommercial drones are significant, yet the U.S. lags behind other countries in\ndeveloping policy to unlock this beneficial technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are grateful to see Mike Whitaker\u2019s nomination sent to\nthe Hill, and we urge his swift confirmation by the Senate,\u201d said Lisa Ellman,\nExecutive Director of the Commercial Drone Alliance. \u201cThe commercial drone\nindustry can offer many societal benefits, but only if policy keeps up with\ntechnology. We are counting on Mike Whitaker\u2019s leadership to spur action on\nlong-awaited regulatory items such as beyond visual line of sight and expanded\ndrone operations, which will ultimately usher in the next era of advanced\naviation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other aviation associations supporting the nomination included\nA4A, NATA, NATCA and the National Association of State Aviation Officials\n(NASAO). Greg Pecoraro, NASAO President said they were pleased that the\nPresident has announced the nomination and looks forward to working with\nWhitaker if confirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Late last week the White House announced the intent to nominate Michael G. Whitaker to serve as Administrator of the FAA. Aviation Associations were quick to embrace the idea. \u201cThe FAA, the civil aviation industry and the American flying-public deserve a leader with experience in managing large organizations and an aviation background to develop an aviation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26626"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26628,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26626\/revisions\/26628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}