President Donald Trump’s nominee to oversee the U.S. air safety system moved a step closer to Senate confirmation despite opposition from one of the nation’s best-known and most beloved pilots. Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, who safely landed a damaged airliner in what became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” has strongly criticized the nominee, airline executive Bryan Bedford.
The Senate Commerce Committee voted along party lines on Wednesday, June 25, to advance Bedford’s nomination to lead the Federal Aviation Administration to the full Senate.
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Critical moment for aviation safety
Bedford is chief executive of Republic Airways, a regional carrier based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the Commerce Committee, said Bedford is “just as familiar with aviation safety as previous nominees, if not more so.”
The nomination comes at a critical time for aviation safety. The system’s failings attracted scrutiny after a series of accidents and mishaps, beginning with the fatal crash in January of an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter outside Washington and continuing with communications outages at Newark and other airports.
The Trump administration wants Congress to authorize $20 billion to upgrade outdated computers and communications systems, replace aging radar units and hire and train more than 2,000 air traffic controllers.
Sullenberger, who was credited with saving the lives of 155 passengers and crew members when he landed US Airways Flight 1549 in New York City’s Hudson River in 2009, is among the most prominent critics who say Bedford is not the right person to modernize the FAA.
Sullenberger’s criticism
In a post on LinkedIn, Sullenberger accused Bedford of misrepresenting his qualifications as a pilot and of failing to support pilot training requirements adopted after a fatal airliner crash in 2009.
Pilots now must complete 1,500 hours of in-flight training before they can be certified to fly commercial aircraft. Before 2009, the FAA required only 250 hours of flight time.
“Let me be crystal clear: Mr. Bedford will not commit to the current 1,500-hour pilot experience rule,” Sullenberger wrote.
As a result, he said, “Airline pilots would have far less experience, and would not be seasoned, literally, not having experienced flying in all the seasons of the year, the crosswinds of spring, the thunderstorms of summer, the frost and fog of fall and the ice and snow of winter. The first time a pilot experiences real weather should not be with paying passengers onboard, unwitting and unwilling guinea pigs.”
Sullenberger also complained that Bedford has said he would give airlines a greater role in self-regulation.
“That’s insane,” Sullenberger said.
“Today’s aviation system is stressed,” Sullenberger added, “and we need an experienced aviation safety expert that we can all trust.”
‘I don’t believe safety is static’
Aviation industry groups have mostly supported Bedford’s nomination. In testimony before the Commerce Committee, Bedford said his focus as administrator would be on updating the air traffic control system. However, he declined to answer repeated questions about whether he would ease training requirements for pilots.
“I don’t believe safety is static,” Bedford said under questioning by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., during his confirmation hearing.
“Now is not the time for less actual cockpit time for a pilot,” Duckworth said. “This is a perilous moment for aviation safety. After a rise in close calls coming out of the pandemic, we had our first major commercial crash in more than a decade… Well-trained pilots are our last line of defense.”
Duckworth flew a Blackhawk helicopter in Iraq during her service with the Illinois National Guard. In 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade struck, and she lost her legs and partial use of her right arm.
Meanwhile, Cruz dismissed the concerns before the panel’s vote.
“Bryan Bedford is ready to be FAA administrator,” he said. “Over his 25-year tenure at Republic Airways, he has demonstrated a laudable commitment to aviation safety.”
