FAA Administrator To Resign

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson is expected to resign Thursday after sending a memo to staff thanking them for their support. “Over the past several years, my family has been a…

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson is expected to resign Thursday after sending a memo to staff thanking them for their support. “Over the past several years, my family has been a source of tremendous encouragement, strength and support,” Dickson wrote in a memo that was quoted by the Seattle Times. “Nevertheless, after sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them. As I wrote in my letter to President Biden, it is time to go home.”

Dickson said he made the decision in light of his growing extended family in Georgia and Florida and the necessity of living apart from them. He reportedly made the decision over the Christmas holidays before a series of contentious appearances before Congress, the latest of which was to explain the agency's response to the potential interference of 5G cellular signals on aircraft radar altimeters. It's expected Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims will take over Dickson's duties.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.