Bedford Confirms Lack Of Commercial Ticket

FAA Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford has admitted he does not have a commercial rating. Politico is reporting that Bedford made the statement in a written response to a list of questions from the Senate Commerce Committee. “It is true I fully completed all my commercial flight training, including the FAA written exam and FAA oral exam,” Politico reported him as writing in the response. “However, due to weather, I was unable to complete my FAA check ride before switching jobs and therefore did not formally obtain my commercial flight license.” Politico obtained the documents from a Democratic committee aide whom it granted anonymity.

Bedford’s statement matches the Department of Transportation’s response to the initial reports that the company biography for Bedford at Republic Airways, where he is CEO, described him as a commercial pilot for most of the last 15 years. The reference was removed two weeks ago when Politico began asking questions about it. The committee questionnaire also asked him about a 2019 speech at Liberty University in which he mentioned the commercial rating. Politico said he responded by saying that “context is important in this setting” and that he was “simply trying to relate to these students my appreciation for their achievements based on my own extensive flight training experience. I still fly, as a pilot, on a regular basis.”

Bedford has not publicly commented, nor has Republic Airways, but the DOT has accused the media of a smear campaign against an eminently qualified candidate. “Desperate smears from the fake news media are nothing more than a cheap attack and disregard the importance of ensuring a safe and reliable national air system.” Bedford is awaiting a Senate confirmation hearing and Politico says the issue over his credentials is not expected to block it. Below is the full text of Bedford’s responses for the written record covering the gamut of issues facing the aviation industry.