FAA Management Advisory Council takes form

18-member group to advise on aviation issues

On September 18, Mortimer L. Downey, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, announced the swearing in of the first seven members of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Management Advisory Council.

This advisory council, established by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 1996, will provide advice and counsel to the FAA's administrator on policy, spending, funding and regulatory matters affecting the aviation industry.

The council will consist of 18 members. The president appoints ten members representing aviation interests. Five members, appointed by the secretary, will serve as a subcommittee, with emphasis on air traffic services. There also is one designee each from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, and an air traffic services union.

The first seven advisory council members to be named were:

• J. Randolph Babbitt, former president of Airline Pilots Association;
  
• Robert W. Baker, vice-president of AMR Corp.;
  
• Edward M. Bolen, president of General Aviation Manufacturers Association;
  
• Geoffrey T. Crowley, president and CEO of Air Wisconsin;
  
• Robert A. Davis, former Boeing vice president;
  
• Deborah Branson, private attorney; and
  
• Kendall W. Wilson, private financial analyst.

Initially, advisory council members will serve from one- to three-year terms. Subsequent appointments will be for three years.

Edited by Bob Arguero, Managing Editor, GovCon