Former ALPA President in line for FAA Administrator Position

[Panama Jack]

This would be interesting:

Duane Woerth, the president of ALPA Int’l from 1999 to 2006, is believed to be one of the front runners to lead the Federal Aviation Administration.

Although it is not known if President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team have discussed the question of who will head the agency, Woerth is expected to be a strong favourite after the Secretary of Transport, whose job it will be to oversee the FAA, has been named.

Another name being mentioned is that of Robert Herbert who is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s senior policy advisor on transportation. However, Woerth’s experience in difficult negotiations may be a major factor when deciding on who will fill the post.

[wastafarian]

cool! :ok:

[beerdrinker]

That would be a bit of a suprise. Somebody who knows a bit about aviation in charge of the FAA

[NWPhantom]

There are a number of ALPA people who believe that Duane Woerth would be an extremely poor choice for the FAA Administrator position. I share that viewpoint. Some of us that are following this issue are afraid his appointment is going to happen because it is not a high profile appointment when you consider the appointments President-elect Obama is having to made quickly because of the financial crisis.
To get a better prospective of how many of the ALPA pilots feel about Woerth, please take a look at this blog:
The Middle Seat Terminal : Obama Transition: Could A Pilots' Union Chief Head the FAA? (http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008/11/21/obama-transition-could-a-pilots-union-chief-head-the-faa/?mod=rss_WSJBlog?mod=lifestyle)
Hopefully this will provide additional information to those of you that are interested in this issue.

[IslamoradaFlyer]

NWPhantomFormer ALPA President in line for FAA Administrator Position
There are a number of ALPA people who believe that Duane Woerth would be an extremely poor choice for the FAA Administrator position. I share that viewpoint. Some of us that are following this issue are afraid his appointment is going to happen because it is not a high profile appointment when you consider the appointments President-elect Obama is having to made quickly because of the financial crisis.
To get a better prospective of how many of the ALPA pilots feel about Woerth, please take a look at this blog:
The Middle Seat Terminal : Obama Transition: Could A Pilots' Union Chief Head the FAA? (http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008/11/21/obama-transition-could-a-pilots-union-chief-head-the-faa/?mod=rss_WSJBlog?mod=lifestyle)
Hopefully this will provide additional information to those of you that are interested in this issue.

This sounds like the rantings of one of Prater's boys. What would have been really scary would have been to read that the CURRENT ALPA President was being considered.

Duane Woerth may have had failings; but he knew how to admit mistakes and get things fixed. The incumbent ALPA President can't figure out how to do much more than smoke big stogies, drink expensive booze and prance around trying to act like a big union boss.

And then there's Prater's "secret weapon"... the blow up rat. :yuk:

Prater. What a disgrace to the profession.

[Ignition Override]

Each MEC operates as if it is on a small island, totally cut off and only given limited supllies by airdrop.
There is no standard, binding, nationwide pay for seat/longevity on a B-737, MD-83(88), 757, MD-11, 747.

In a practical sense, if you are on a ship under attack from pirates (from not all, but certain CEO low-lifes), other ALPA MECs can provide little more than moral support when you battle mgmt. about two-three years for a contract and have a stack of unresolved grievances.

An analogy might be if you were to drop packs of hundred-dollar bills onto the deck of such a besieged ship.
This does no good when you need ammo and rifles to shoot back, as is the case with merchant ships near Somalia (their insurance is voided if they offer armed resistance).

[Gumby]

Now I may be prejudice but I will take Prater over "woerthless" any day. As a former TWA pilot, my feelings toward his actions or lack thereof during our seniority integration with American Airlines bordered on criminal. If both carriers had been ALPA, then we would have at least had arbitration. Instead, we got left at the courtroom stairs waiting for financial and legal support from ALPA National to have some leverage against APA. We received zip. If he would do this to a charter member of the union figure what he would do for you.

D. Woerthe cares about one thing: D Woerthe. :mad:

[GetTheFlick]

I think we should hire an air traffic controller to run an airline. :) Makes about as much sense.

An air traffic control system isn't an airplane. It isn't an airline either. Pilots know as much about air traffic control as I know about flying a B777. If the FAA had 15,000 airline pilots working for them an airline pilot might have some insight. They don't. Sorry guys.

Mr. Woerthe might make a decent Administrator. The fact that he was a union guy is a plus for me. But the fact that he's a pilot doesn't do a thing for me (or, I suspect, any other controller.) We've been led by pilots before. How's that been working out ?

Oh, and another thing. This "modernizing" that everybody is so hot about -- what do you think you want ? ADS-B ? Self-separation ? Faster, newer computers ? Data-link ? Air traffic control doesn't use the "latest greatest". We never will. We use the most stable and proven. IOW, the safest.

Lockheed modernized FSS. How's that working out ? A 50% decline in "customers". Anybody "saved" any money ?

Somebody needs to do some serious thinking.

Don Brown

[GetTheFlick]

I thought some of the FAA's employment figures might be useful in the conversation.

FY 07 -- FAA Administrator's Fact Book

-----------------------------

Controllers -- 14,874
ATC Supervisors -- 1,788
Traffic Management -- 565

Technicians -- 6,090
Engineers -- 909

Aircraft Certification -- 1,179

Flight Standards Workforce -- 4,825

-------------------

Don Brown

[RWEDAREYET]

This kind of got off topic, but I agree with you GTF. With the amount of airplanes bombing around the US, it would be impossible to downsize the contollers in the ATC system. Just look at the East Coast on any given day.

You can't compare flying in Africa or even a NYC-Moscow flight to the daily East Coast system. Apples and Oranges. And I've flown all of the above.

Getting back to the topic of DW. ALPA is politics. DW is a politician. Since I'm not a big fan of ALPA, I would not like to see him in any FAA position. But given his background, if the shoe fits.....

[Oosik]

D Worthless is a crook to the average pilot. He is in it for himself and his ex Branif buddies plus a handfull of NWA cry babbies. I have played golf with him and drank the expensive booze that ALPA pays for, plus watched his mouth in action. What I saw there opened my eyes to the deception within the organization.:ugh:

I'm not with an ALPA carrier anymore, by choice. UPS, American, and other very strong Airlines have proved that you don't need to signup with crooks to get a decent contract and you don't have to pay excessive dues so Worthless can invite you out to the course to rub nose with U.S. Senators that are drinking the expensive boose your dues just bought.

Let your Congress and Senate representitive know that you want someone to represent the industry, not Worthless's buddies.

[RWEDAREYET]

O

I agree with you, he is worthless!! I am surprised at 22 that you have rubbed shoulders with him and his buddies. If that's the case, then you know him better then I.

But as I eluded to in my previous post....who is going to look for that position but a politician???

I don't want him there, you don't want him there....but who's gonna fill the position with any political background in his absence???

[TwotterGuy]

You guys at ALPA have something like twenty k votes out there. Get together and sponser one one guy that really represents the pilots view. The "D" guy will only support whatever get's him further up the political ladder, and that my not be what the industry needs from the working aviator's prospective.

When I was , unforunately, in ALPA every time I pushed a change I was told to be quite or things would get rough for me. Well losing my retirement and job are pretty rough. Maybe I should have spoke up some more and this wouldn't have happened.

[Panama Jack]

Anybody know when we can expect the nomination of the new FAA Administrator?

[West Coast]

Yeah, but can he play basketball? Seems to be a priority these days.


An air traffic control system isn't an airplane. It isn't an airline either. Pilots know as much about air traffic control as I know about flying a B777

Perhaps not the perfect candidate but unlike many other agencies, the FAA needs to be led by someone who speaks aviation. Even if the accent differs from yours.

I recognize an outside party in some posts, who minus entrenched ideologies and blinders that accompany might be what's needed to effectively run an organization. In the case of the FAA however, a strong technical background in at least one major facet of the field should be required.

[Rotorhead1026]

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