Is this a good thing or bad?

[whiskytango]

What is his experience in leadership positions?  With the current political environment in this country, we need someone who is capable of working with highly politicized competing interests and hopefully find consensus that will protect the interests of the GA world and maintain the amazing safety record of aviation in the US.  This is not an easy job under any circumstances, and is even more difficult in the current political environment.  The ideal candidate is someone who is an effective leader and has a strong background in aviation, from GA to Part 121. 

The last thing we want to see is a situation like the poor fellow who was nominated for a position as a Federal judge, but was unable to explain basic legal information, such as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, during his confirmation hearing.

[steingar]

I figure if The Donald is going to appoint all his pals to high office the least he could do is find pals who at least look qualified on paper.  His own personal pilot does not sound terribly qualified to lead a multibillion dollar agency.  And a GA pilot advocating for ATC privatization is a special kind of stupid.  What use is draining the swamp if you're just going to fill it with garbage?

[flyboy0681]

It's interesting to note that the current Acting Administrator, Daniel Elwell, is a pilot, having flown American 757/767's, DC-10 and as captain of the MD80.

[Marauder]

Trump’s pilot’s name is John Dunkin. Can’t find him on LinkedIn but found an article that says he has been flying for Trump since 1989.


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[Marauder]

And I’m pretty sure he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express at some point.

 

 

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[DXB]

I don't know anything about this guy.  I do know it takes a special kind of person to effectively lead  vast government bureaucracies in the public interest. That particular combination of inner drive, humility, moral compass, and organizational savvy doesn't come up  often. It's been instructive to watch a rare few who have it (speaking from experience within perhaps the worst federal bureaucracy - the VA).  Obviously it would be a good thing for the FAA to be led by an experienced pilot who understands GA, but those qualities are commonplace relative to the others. 

[N201MKTurbo]

Let's not forget the funding for the FAA is not decided by the administrator, but by congress.

[Tony Starke]

3 hours ago, steingar said:

I figure if The Donald is going to appoint all his pals to high office the least he could do is find pals who at least look qualified on paper.  His own personal pilot does not sound terribly qualified to lead a multibillion dollar agency.  And a GA pilot advocating for ATC privatization is a special kind of stupid.  What use is draining the swamp if you're just going to fill it with garbage?

Oh, I thought you had some inside information on this guy Dunkin. In your previous post you referred to him as a maroon and indicated that you were going to expatriate if he assumes the position. So, you do not know him or have had any kind of formal knowledge of him? Yet he is a maroon?

[jaylw314]

I think a lot depends on how close a working relationship he has had with Trump.  If he has actually had a close working relationship with him, the one thing Trump has consistently demanded from those close to him is loyalty.  If that were the case, we can be pretty sure he would fall in line with the White House positions on ATC privatization.

On the other hand, if he simply has ended up being the regular pilot for the company, we really know nothing about him.  He could certainly be a person who will try to act in good faith even if he disagrees with pressure from above.  Like @DXB pointed out above, those are hard qualities to judge, though.

[Tony Starke]

14 hours ago, jetdriven said:

I don’t see any evidence of a college degree on that site although he may have one I don’t see it, and I don’t see anything that says his management experience is sufficient to lead a $16 Billion agency especially when the president is his former boss (probably current boss as well) and we all know how this goes, he does exactly what his masters tell him to do. Maybe is the smartest pilot in the history the world flying around 200 hours a year in his 757 but I bet they’re smarter ones (sully) out there. The smells very strongly of cronyism. 

I don't get the impression that Trump wants to appoint someone and then tell him what he wants done. His success comes from surrounding himself with smart people and letting them do their job. Dunkin may or may not have a college degree. Personally, I know a lot more successful people without one then I do who have one.

[EricJ]

14 hours ago, Hank said:

Cronyism is usually giving a lucrative position to cousins, brothers and even Cousin Fred, despite a total lack of experience and zero qualifications. Hiring a qualified or semi-qualified person who you know is hardly "cronyism".

It is cronyism.   What you're describing is nepotism.  

Whether he's qualified or will do a good job or not is arguable, but nominating your personal pilot for a national administration position is definitely cronyism.
 

[Marauder]

From a Newsweek article; “John Dunkin isn’t just a pilot,” another Trump administration source told Axios.

“He’s managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from start-up under FAA regulations,” they said, pointing out Dunkin “oversaw the Trump presidential campaign’s air fleet, which included managing all aviation transportation for travel to 203 cities in 43 states over the course of 21 months.”

Wonder if he was the driving force behind Trump’s failed airline attempt?




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[Guest Mike261]

2 hours ago, Tony Starke said:

Oh, I thought you had some inside information on this guy Dunkin. In your previous post you referred to him as a maroon and indicated that you were going to expatriate if he assumes the position. So, you do not know him or have had any kind of formal knowledge of him? Yet he is a maroon?

another person who threatens to leave...but never will.

[tigers2007]

There is a neat tv special on Trump’s 757 that came out a few years ago (I think it’s on YouTube). IIRC, the pilots didn’t come out of the airlines. Trump certainly has high expectations of his flight crew. Apparently he routinely puts on a white glove to check for dust.


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[flyboy0681]

Maybe Dunkin could do something about these. They keep popping up every weekend down here.

[Guest Mike261]

I don't know him, did not judge him, don't know anything beyond this forum about him...simply stated my observation that many people threaten to leave the US when something doesn't go their way, wether its a vote, or an appointment. Its gotten tiresome, and overplayed.

Edited February 27, 2018 by Mike261
EDIT- oh, and i actually agree that its probably not the right guy for the job...

[mooniac15u]

Just now, Tony Starke said:

I don't know him but from his comments on here, I question the validity of your statement. Someone who makes a judgement call on another person without knowing them is prejudice. There is no room for prejudice in my America.

 

You don't know him or me and yet you just made a judgement...

[Mooneymite]

In my career as a pilot, I have seen FAA administrators come and go.  Not a single one made much difference in my job as a pilot.  It seems congress makes most of the big decisions, not the administrator.

Despite @Tommy's view from "over there", I hope Trump uses more outsiders.  Washington, DC is a cesspool of third and fourth generation bureaucrats.  I suspect that Dunkin will do as good a job as those who have gone before him...  If he screws it up, he can join the long list of screw-up-administrators who were put into positions way above their level of competence.  Maybe he'll surprise us and be great.

And remember Donald Trump owned the Trump shuttle, so he actually has some experience albeit short lived.

[flyboy0681]

Ladies, can we stop the insults. This is not what I intended this post to degrade to.

[Tony Starke]

4 minutes ago, flyboy0681 said:

Ladies, can we stop the insults. This is not what I intended this post to degrade to.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't believe any of my posts were insults.

 

[Guest Mike261]

6 minutes ago, flyboy0681 said:

Ladies, can we stop the insults. This is not what I intended this post to degrade to.

LOL, He insulted us while telling us to stop the insults.

[Mooneymite]

I suspect the objection to your post is that it is about a fellow poster, not the subject at hand.

Thread drift is one thing, ad hominem comments are another.

Carry on and be happy!  This is Mooneyspace.  

[flyboy0681]

4 minutes ago, Mike261 said:

LOL, He insulted us while telling us to stop the insults.

Yes, you are correct, allow me to re-phrase

 

Children, can we stop the insults. This is not what I intended this post to degrade to.

[Tony Starke]

4 minutes ago, Mike261 said:

LOL, He insulted us while telling us to stop the insults.

That is indeed classic.

[thinwing]

So what was the point of this "thread" again?....O yeah know I remember...little Timmy was a maroon