Aviate, Navigate, Communicate
An Interview with FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker
By Tom Hoffmann, FAA Safety Briefing Magazine
Michael Whitaker was appointed FAA Administrator in October of 2023. You may recall Michael as the former Deputy Administrator from 2013 to 2016. In addition, he has experience as an airline and advanced air mobility (AAM) industry executive and is an active general aviation (GA) pilot. This background has provided an excellent foundation for understanding the complex and dynamic world that makes up aviation transport.
The FAA Safety Briefing magazine team got the opportunity to sit down with Administrator Whitaker in early January. We were eager to hear about his priorities for the aviation industry and his vision for the future of GA as he embarks on his five-year term.
Tell us a little bit about your background and what experiences have prepared you for your role as FAA Administrator.
My dad was in the Army, so I moved around a lot as a kid and kept moving around as an adult. I don’t have a natural home base, although I do consider New England home, specifically Vermont, where I’ve spent the last 20 years. I took ground school and my first flying lesson in college, but unfortunately, that project wound up being put on hold for about 30 years. I’ve always had an interest in aviation though and have been in the industry full-time for about 32 years. After law school I practiced for a short period of time, then joined TWA [Trans World Airlines]. I later worked with United Airlines in Chicago, starting out in regulatory matters, and ended up in charge of commercial alliances, joint ventures, and international affairs.
The purpose of getting my certificate and instrument training was to help me understand the system better from all sides. It was very useful in being able to understand how ATC works and better appreciate the role of GA.
I learned to fly 10 years ago when I was the Deputy Administrator, flying out of Freeway Airport in Maryland. I later worked on my instrument rating back in Vermont. I passed my written exam and was preparing for my checkride when COVID-19 hit. I have suspended that training for now, but I do plan to get back to it. The purpose of getting my certificate and instrument training was to help me understand the system better from all sides. It was very useful in being able to understand how ATC works and better appreciate the role of GA. It connected a lot of dots for me.
For our readers, this article might serve as your introduction to them. What would you like them to know about your stance on the importance of GA?
I think there are a number of layers to that answer. We have 5,000 airports across the U.S. that are a national treasure. As new forms of aviation are developing, like AAM or electric fixed-wing aircraft, those airports are going to become increasingly important. I think they’re going to be a boon to GA and should lower the cost of becoming a pilot. Electric aircraft are much cheaper to operate, much simpler in design once they’re in the market, and of course, there are the environmental advantages. From a workforce point of view, we need to do everything we can to encourage a robust GA ecosystem along with flight training and all the components that go with it. GA is a really important part of our system.
(Editor’s note: Michael enjoyed visiting the annual Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Fla., during his tenure as Deputy Administrator and hopes to attend again to meet more members of the GA community.)
How do you envision a national airspace system (NAS) that safely integrates new entrants given the complexity and diversity of GA operations?
Some of the new entrants out there, like eVTOL [electric vertical takeoff and landing] aircraft, can be incorporated into the NAS under the existing rules. But to fully accommodate and integrate what those sectors may become, we’re going to need a vision for how we accomplish that, which will be heavily reliant on technology. Part of my role will be to work with stakeholders and industry to help fill in the blanks on what that’s going to look like going forward. And that will certainly be part of what we tackle starting this year.
What do you think will be the most challenging task?
My principal focus is safety. Because things are changing so quickly, it’s important we don’t just rely on doing things the way we’ve always done them. While that may have delivered a safe outcome in the past, we can’t count on it doing so in the future. So, I think we must become a culture of continuous improvement and be alert for clues that maybe what we’re doing isn’t enough and that we may need to go above and beyond that.
We must become a culture of continuous improvement and be alert for clues that maybe what we’re doing isn’t enough and that we may need to go above and beyond that.
Can you talk about your first 100 days at the FAA?
So far, it’s been safety, safety, safety. My discussions with the management team and employees at the FAA have been framed using the aviation mantra pilots learn early on in training: aviate, navigate, communicate. That’s in order of priority. And the first 100 days have been all about aviating. For us this means asking ourselves: Are we meeting our mandate on safety, are we identifying the risks in the system, how are we addressing close calls, and how are we dealing with controller fatigue? If you look at the things we’ve done in the first 100 days, from 25-hour cockpit voice recorders to drug and alcohol testing at foreign repair stations, everything has been safety-focused. I’ve also met with a fair number of employees so far. I have been to control towers in Boston, Philadelphia, D.C., and Dallas, and visited our Tech Center in New Jersey. We’ve focused our attention where it needed to be these first 100 days, but this year we’ll start to focus on some of our longer-range priorities as well.
What do you most enjoy about working at the FAA?
I had a very positive experience before and enjoyed working closely with former Administrator Huerta. I learned a lot from his management style, and I think we had a well-run organization during that time. Not only did the people here know me, but I knew them. I really enjoy meeting and spending time with employees, and that’s truly my happy place. The extent that people go above and beyond at the FAA is just extraordinary.
You’ve been Administrator for a few months now. What’s been your biggest surprise so far in this role?
I think it’s being in the limelight even more than when I was here before. I’ve been here 10 weeks, and we’ve been the lead story in the New York Times twice. That’s a lot of public attention. I don’t think that’s necessarily a good or bad thing, it’s just how it is and something you have to manage. My preference is to be down in and do the work. I try to limit distractions that come from outside and give the significant work we do the attention it needs.
We need to do everything we can to encourage a robust GA ecosystem along with flight training and all the components that go with it. GA is a really important part of our system.
This issue will be focused on the importance of aviation weather. Can you recall a time when your personal weather know-how and/or technology played a significant role in the safe outcome of a flight?
Weather is a topic I pay a lot of attention to. When I was learning to fly and training for my instrument rating, I found weather to be a complex and sometimes challenging topic. I have a lot of respect for those who intuitively understand it or can easily explain what to expect with cold or warm fronts or temperature inversions before you even get into the deep analytical matters.
My focus at FAA before, and again now, is to make sure we’re pushing as much of that data out to pilots as possible and letting the marketplace develop apps or programs that can be used inflight.
My first “ah-ha” moment about weather technology occurred when I was getting my certificate 10 years ago and was with my instructor for a cross-country evening flight. We got up in the air and were able to look at ADS-B In data — we were flying to Lancaster, Pa. — and saw the enroute weather was not as forecasted. We realized the risk of complications on the return leg, so we ended up scrapping the trip and coming back.
I think having that information at your fingertips is really key so you don’t get in a situation where you’re not just able to avoid weather, but also anticipate what it’s going to look like two hours ahead so you can adjust your plans accordingly. It’s hard to overstate the importance of getting that data out in a usable format to pilots.
What are some things you like to do in your free time?
I have always wanted to make sure I saw the world from every angle since I was a kid. I’ve kind of systemically explored all those areas by doing some deep-sea diving, sailing, skydiving, mountain climbing, and of course, flying. It’s not really a bucket list thing but rather a genuine desire to explore the world. I’m focused on what I’m doing in my new position, so I enjoy just walking the dog more than anything else at the moment.
Is there anything that we didn’t ask you about that you’d like to share with our readers?
Go to faa.gov/jobs! We’re hiring. We need pilots, we need mechanics, we need all kinds of folks. I know a lot of people spend their careers in aviation, and I hope we could become a place where people say: “I’ve done a lot of things in aviation, and I’d like to spend a few years at the FAA.” We want to make it easier to come work here and make it a place of choice to work.
