“Our continuing mission” claims the Federal Aviation Administration “is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.” Biden’s pick to head the FAA was U.S. Army veteran Phillip Washington, who proclaimed that safety would be his top priority. People who fly, and those who don’t, have room reason for doubt.
As National Public Radio notes, Washington was first nominated in early July, 2022, but “failed to get a hearing even though Democrats controlled the Senate.” Biden re-nominated Washington in January, giving him plenty of time to study for a March 1 hearing, where he would face some basic questions.
“Mr. Washington, can you quickly tell me what kind of airspace requires an ADS-B transponder,” said Sen. Ted Budd.
“Not sure I can answer that question right now,” said Washington. Budd said the answer was a “pretty important part” of the FAA job, but quickly moved on.
“What are the six types of special-use airspace that protect this national security that appear on FAA charts?”
“Sorry Senator,” Washington said. “I cannot answer that question.” Budd duly advanced another.
“What are the operational limitations of a pilot flying under basic med?”
“Senator I’m not a pilot so . . .”
“Obviously you’d oversee the Federal Aviation Administration,” countered Budd, “so any idea what any of those restrictions are under basic med?”
“Well, some of the restrictions, I think, would be high blood pressure.”
As Sen. Budd explained, the restrictions had to do with the number of passengers per airplane, weight, altitude, and speed. So “it doesn’t have anything to do with blood pressure,” and Budd pressed on.
“Can you tell me what causes an aircraft to spin or to stall?”
“Again senator I’m not a pilot,” Washington responded. Budd then wondered if the Biden nominee knew “the three certifications the FAA requires as part of the manufacturing process?”
“Again what I would say, one of my first priorities would be to fully implement the certification act.” Budd wanted to know if the nominee could specifically identify the three types of certification.
“No,” Washington said. Budd helpfully identified them as “type certificate, production certificate, air worthiness certificate,” and he wasn’t done.
“Can you tell me what the minimum separation distance is for landing and departing airliners during the daytime?”
“I don’t want to guess on that, senator,” the Biden FAA nominee said. Budd then asked Washington if he was familiar with the difference between FAA regulations 107 and part 44809 regarding unmanned aircraft such as drones.
“Yes,” said the nominee, but when Budd pressed him on the difference, Washington said “I cannot spell that out.” For all but the willfully blind, the Biden pick is unqualified to head the FAA, but there’s more to it than safety.
Washington headed the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for six years. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department wanted to know why the Authority awarded a no-bid “sole-source” contract for a sexual harassment hotline to the Peace Over Violence organization. Phillip Washington was the subject of a search warrant and so was LA County Supervisor Sheila Keuhl, a close friend of Peace Over Violence CEO Patti Giggins, and once a national figure of sorts.
Born in 1941, Keuhl was an actress on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” on television from 1959 to 1963. Keuhl served in the California State Assembly from 1994-2000 and the state Senate from 2000-2008. The former actress moved on to the LA Board of supervisors and served on the LA Metro transportation board.
Keuhl claimed the Peace Over Violence contract did not involve her and called the search a “thuggish attempt to intimidate and silence not just me but many other public servants.” Phil Washington told reporters “all the allegations are false,” but the matter did not end there.
Sen. Ted Cruz cited “serious concerns regarding outstanding allegations of misconduct going back to Mr. Washington’s time at LA Metro. He was named in multiple search warrants in an ongoing criminal public corruption investigation and was the subject of multiple whistleblower complaints.” Washington was also named in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a former Denver airport employee.
As Cruz noted, the nominee’s failure to notify the committee of that lawsuit was one of “dozens of omissions” in his questionnaire. In Denver, Washington had stressed “sociocultural merits” and on March 1 the nominee was unable to answer basic questions about aviation safety. This failure should come as no surprise.
At all levels, the various boards and commissions serve as soft landing spots for failed politicians, party hacks and bureaucrats. Witness the pathetic Pete Buttigieg on extended leave during a supply-chain crisis and ignoring a toxic train derailment in Ohio.
In similar style, Biden labor secretary nominee Julie Su enabled billions in unemployment fraud and supports the elimination of independent freelance workers. This is what happens when people are selected for political connections and “sociocultural merits” instead of proven experience.
As NPR also noted, “Washington led Biden’s transition team for the Transportation Department,” so it’s clear the FAA post was a reward for service to Joe Biden. If anybody thought the Delaware Democrat doesn’t care about the safety of the people it would be hard to blame them.
This is what happens when diversity is deemed far more important than merit
There have long been political appointees but they seldom have been as incompetent as those in the Biden maladministration where racial and sexual identity eclipse all considerations of merit which is, after all, simply a badge of white racism, heteronormativity, and phallocentrism.
Its so hard to fly like a Eagle when your working for Turkeys
JOQ DARE YOU so viciously insult turkeys.
Western civilizational achievement requires the disciplined and unrelenting pursuit of excellence in both brain and character. Phillip Washington has neither.
Most politicians do not have private air craft, and still must live in this country, so wickedness is not the primary motivation. Are they really this stupid? All the prosperity, safety and opportunity was due to our magic dirt?
It’s what the road to hell is paved with.
Pilots, airlines, and airports will need to create their own parallel systems for self-defense.
Racists, only concerned about safety.
If Keuhl was born in 1941, she must be how old? 82 or so? Should she not be retired from public service? Is she also an intersectional virtue signaler. What other qualifications does she have. I vaguely remember the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Was that not a 50s sitcom? Did she know Maynard Krebs? the guy who was shipwrecked on an island for three years in a later sitcom? Is that her qualification?. Most readers were not even born when she was on the air..
I also noticed, (I am not a racist) that Washington is black. Is that his qualification for the FCC job? I hate to think of him at the wheel the next time I take a plane. Will we be seeing him in one of those YouTube videos by the pilot who analyzes air disasters and explains who was responsible? I bet he would get a lot of recognition of a bad sort if he gets appointed. Given how much Joe cares about real safety, I doubt if the nomination will be withdrawn and replaced by someone competent, already capable of doing a good job. Maybe Pete could be named. He did so well with the East Palestine disaster. He needs a boost in confidence. And he is gay! What more need be said. Qualified to the utmost degree. Sorry if someone is offended, I retract all I said in advance.
You are racist BECAUSE you noticed. You would be racist if you DID NOT notice.
When did you stop beating your wife?
Thanks Lloyd, I’m not planning to fly again, this lifetime anyway 🙂
While one shudders at the thought of Mr. Washington being confirmed, one can’t help but feel sorry for this utterly clueless idiot being asked basic questions concerning his future position. Let’s just hope he has a couple of very capable lieutenants running around cleaning up the mess he makes before jumbo jets start falling out of the sky.
I can understand not knowing some of the FAA regs, but this guy doesn’t know anything about the regs he’s specifically pushing. And he doesn’t even even know the century+ old basic principle of lift, or what a stall is? That’s ridiculous. But look at the nuts, vegetables, and senile geriatrics the dems put in elected office.
Washington is transparently another dim-witted, incompetent, know-nothing, empty suit, “affirmative action/diversity” pick. It’s such a manifest disgrace that this imbecile was ever nominated to lead the FAA, but, this is par for the course for the vile Dumb-o-crats, who’ve elevated the weighing of physical and identity traits above merit, intelligence, and professional competence/experience, when it comes to administrative agency nominations, judicial nominations and political appointments.
In the private sector, a job interviewee would be laughed out of the office if he/she had proffered answers that were so manifestly clueless and indicative of his/her glaring lack of basic knowledge and competence, as what Washington’s lame performance displayed. Sadly, where the federal government is concerned, and, where Dumb-o-crats are in charge of candidate evaluation, this farcical display is not automatically disqualifying.