During my 6-year tenure as president of AOPA, I have dealt with six Federal Aviation Administration leaders, including two acting administrators. That's an average of one year per leader of this $9-billion-a-year, 50,000-employee government agency. It's no wonder that we often criticize the agency for accomplishing little.
I've often said that it takes most people 6 months in a new job just to figure out where the restroom is, let alone delve into the operations of a complex agency like the FAA. However, since August 1993 we have had the consistency of one man at the helm: David R. Hinson, AOPA 1032404. This businessman and aviation professional took his demanding assignment with the express purpose of staying for only one presidential term. Having worked with him almost as long as with the other five administrators combined, I felt that general aviation lost a key advocate when he stepped down from this position on November 9.
I clearly remember my first private meeting with then newly appointed Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena, shortly after President Clinton was inaugurated in 1993. (It's hard to forget, since this is when the secretary and I were still talking to each other.) The conversation quickly turned to the most topical aviation subject at the time: Who would be the next FAA administrator?
AOPA strongly supported David Hinson, I told the secretary, because of his background. Several past leaders of the FAA had distinguished military careers, and Hinson was a naval aviator. In addition, his work experience covered the full range of the aviation industry. Hinson has been flying since the early 1950s, and after his discharge from the Navy, he flew for several airlines; owned an FBO; started Midway Airlines; and, most recently, gained knowledge in the manufacturing side by serving as an executive vice president at McDonnell Douglas.
More important, like all of us, Hinson loves to fly anything and everything. He has logged well in excess of 8,000 hours in more than 70 types of aircraft. On several occasions, the administrator traveled to our Frederick, Maryland, headquarters — often on a weekend — and flew with me in a Cessna Skyhawk for demonstrations of GPS approaches and datalink. Just recently, at AOPA Expo '96, Hinson and his son flew a Socata Trinidad from Southern California to our Northern California location for one of his last public appearances as administrator.
The news reports at the time of Hinson's retirement cited his leadership on a host of air carrier initiatives. In addition, new personnel and acquisition rules have helped the agency to accelerate these two important processes. His calm manner during public appearances was most important to the traveling public as he responded to two major airline accidents, ValuJet and TWA Flight 800.
AOPA concerns at the FAA are often quite different from those of the airlines. Hinson was truly an administrator who served all of aviation. He understood general aviation and therefore dealt with our issues with a deep-seated desire to do right by us. While appointed by a Democratic administration, Hinson also had Republican ties. This served GA well, particularly in August 1994, when Congress passed the General Aviation Revitalization Act and sent it to the White House for signature. President Clinton had openly stated when he took office that he would "veto any tort reform" that crossed his desk. Toiling behind the scenes, Hinson educated those above him as to the importance of this legislation to maintaining U.S. leadership in the manufacture of light airplanes.
During his watch, Hinson was responsible for accelerating the GPS approach program and he was highly supportive of the early development of datalink for our size aircraft.
On the regulatory front no single issue was more important to all of us than the changes announced in the medical area — FAR Part 67. Throughout the notice of proposed rulemaking process, Hinson and I communicated often, with AOPA citing the absurdity of many of the FAA-suggested changes. The final rule was fair and addressed AOPA member concerns.
The "Jessica affair," April's tragic deaths of young Jessica Dubroff, her father, and flight instructor Joe Reid, AOPA 597794, triggered a storm of rulemaking ideas from Congress. We worked together with enlightened members of Congress to craft a bill that addressed the specific problem with child record-attempting flights, yet retained a pilot-in-command's right to allow young people to manipulate the controls.
Hinson has been an important ally in preserving GA airports and has directed his staff to enforce the federal grant assurances at places like Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Reid-Hillview in Santa Clara County, California. He also warned us about the unique legal situation at Meigs Field in Chicago a full year before anything happened.
The political process will now produce another administrator, and AOPA will attempt to ensure that the choice will be someone with the background to be an administrator for all of aviation. We won't lose track of David Hinson, because many of the contributions he has made will shape the future of aviation in this country for decades. Hinson will also stay in touch with AOPA — since he loses access to the government's aircraft fleet, he's in the market for a Beech Baron and will seek the assistance in buying an airplane that we offer to our members. Although Hinson has said, "I haven't learned much about aviation in this job, but I sure have learned a lot about politics," general aviation has done well under this enlightened administrator.
Related Articles
