... FAA’s Associate Administrator for Airports D. Kirk Shaffer reiterates his call for change. Thing is, he’s not running for political office. On a host of issues he asks, “If what we’ve been doing in the past is so smart, why hasn’t it worked?†Good question.
Shaffer calls on the aviation industry to pull its collective head together and come up with ideas and make recommendations to Congress on how to meet the challenges of 2008 and beyond. He prefers that the ideas and direction flow from industry to Capitol Hill, not the other way around. “What are they going to do? Tell us we don’t know what we’re doing?
“We’ve got to take back the leadership of our industry.â€
Be it FAA reauthorization, slot auctions in New York, or Airport Improvement Program funding dissemination, the agency is getting pushback from all sorts of interests – notably, individual members of Congress, depending on the issue. His overriding message, perhaps, is that industry and legislators need to focus on the importance of “the systemâ€. He’s looking for input: “I’m open; I’m all ears for ideas.â€
Appointed to his current position in early 2007, Shaffer is a former director of properties and general counsel for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority; is a private pilot; has worked on various funding and environmental issues; and is a West Point graduate.
Shaffer is particularly upset by the fact that Congress has yet to pass an FAA reauthorization bill, which he now predicts won’t happen until FY2010. The agency is currently operating under a record seventh continuing resolution. Says Shaffer, “There’s no excuse for it.â€
Shaffer comes off as a person who likes to get things done. (Check out his accomplishments while at Nashville as testament.) The frustration in his voice is that of a man who has run into the brick wall that is Washington, D.C. It also signals disappointment in an industry that faces a mountain of challenges but continues to want to do business as usual.
Thanks for reading. jfi