Bedford’s Nomination as FAA Administrator Takes a Step Forward

Shrugging off embarrassing revelations regarding his pilot credentials, Bryan Bedford saw his nomination for FAA Administrator take a step forward this morning. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has voted to advance Bedford’s nomination by a slim 15-13 margin. The nomination will now pass to the full Senate for confirmation.

The longtime Republic Airways CEO has drawn praise from multiple aviation advocacy groups as well as lawmakers, including committee chair Ted Cruz (R-Tex) who said, “Bryan Bedford is ready to be FAA Administrator. He’s just as informed about aviation safety as other nominees—if not more. This committee understands how important it is to have an FAA administrator with ACTUAL experience. Bryan Bedford will modernize the FAA to meet today’s challenges.”

Bedford countered criticism for inaccurately claiming to hold a commercial certificate by explaining he had completed the written and oral segments of the rating, but never completed the checkride due to weather and a career shift some 15 years ago. He testified to the Senate committee that he currently flies regularly under his private pilot certificate.