NBAA Marks Passing of Former FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) marked the passing of Langhorne Bond, who served as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from 1977-1981. Bond died Jan. 29 at the age of 84.

“Langhorne was a charismatic administrator with a strong focus on safety and a deep love of all things aviation,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “His leadership at the FAA helped to establish the safety-driven foundation for which our national airspace system is known today.”

Bond’s tenure at the FAA included the agency’s investigation into the safety record of the Douglas DC-10 commercial airliner. He also oversaw the initial phases of the FAA’s rollout in the 1980s of a computerized national air traffic control (ATC) system that established the groundwork for today’s modernized, next-generation ATC network.

The son of an international aviation executive, Bond served as special assistant to the under secretary of commerce for transportation from 1965 until the formation of the Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1967. He then served one year as special assistant to inaugural DOT Secretary Alan Boyd.

Bond later held leadership positions for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration and the National Transportation Center. Prior to his nomination as FAA administrator by President Jimmy Carter, Bond served as president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials from 1975-1976, and as secretary of transportation in Illinois.

In 1999, Bond received the Air Traffic Control Association’s Glen A. Gilbert Memorial Award, in recognition of his contributions to aviation safety as a “father of ATC.” He also served on the board of Embraer Aircraft Corporation.