FAA official replaced...

[Blacksheep]

From Rumours and News:

"Wednesday, April 25, 2001 12:50 AM ET

WASHINGTON -- One of the top-ranking safety officials at the Federal Aviation Admistration is being removed from his job amid complaints from airline executives and FAA inspectors about the agency's approach to ensuring airline safety, Wednesday's Wall Street Journal reported.


Nicholas Lacey, who oversees 4,500 inspectors and other aviation-safety workers as the FAA's flight-standards director, is being reassigned within the agency and, according to FAA officials familiar with the decision, will be succeeded by Nick Sabatini, a manager in the agency's field office in Jamaica, N.Y."

Read more on R&N.

Can any of our American colleagues comment? Is this an example of a regulatory body bowing to commercial pressure? Or just an over-bearing official getting his come-uppance? Certainly its hard to see how some of the changes going on in our regulatory environment these days contributes to flight safety. There is more than a hint of commercial pressure in this report.

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Through difficulties to the cinema

[Bus429]

Blacksheep - smacks of what we communicated about recently. This commercial pressure is omnipresent (the A & C amongst you may want to look that up!) and pervades every facet of the job. I hate to re-iterate this but a big accident may not be far away.
Take for example maintenance (or flight ops) - most are in business to make money. No problem with that. However, in undertaking maintenance to make money, certain commercial considerations must, at least morally, take a back seat to the regulatory requirements. An organisation assumes responsibilities that cannot, or must, not be abrogated. Too many are subsumed with the notion that costs must be pared. In so doing, safety may be compromised. Short term savings may be made but in the long term...? Every certifying engineer should remember - his certifications last for the life of the aircraft + 2. Every maintenance organisation should consider what they ask their staff to do and with what resources.