Is Sarah Palin the answer for FAA modernization?

by Charlie Leocha on October 2, 2008

On the eve of the vice-presidential debate and after writing for several days about the demise of any change at the FAA and continuing problems our air traffic control system, Sarah Palin is beginning to look like just what the air traffic doctor ordered — a politician that might actually get change happening when it comes to air traffic.

Imagine Barack Obama or John McCain climbing into their car, opening their garage door and then having to wait for a half hour to drive out of their driveway because of traffic congestion. Imagine this happening every other day. On some days the wait would be two or three hours.

I’ll bet that traffic congestion problem would be taken care of quickly.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the only portion of Amtrak that has high-speed trains and relatively frequent service is the corridor between Washington D.C., New York and Boston. Those are the rail lines that politicians use. Heck, Michael Dukakis, a former presidential candidate has been on the Amtrak board and may return.

Joe Biden, if faced with an hour delay on every other Amtrak train he boarded and if he sometimes had to spend eight hours sitting in the Wilmington, Del., train station, would figure out how to fix the problem.

Now, if a pilot from a state where airplanes are as important as cars for transportation was a heartbeat away from the Presidency, I’ll bet heads would soon be rolling at federal agencies that are supposed to be keeping our air traffic system fluid.

Sarah Palin, a pilot from Alaska, might be just the person who understands the need for FAA and ATC modernization. I’m sure that if she were to fly on a commercial aircraft through the NYC airspace or sit on the tarmac for an hour after landing or wait two hours for take-off, she would be appalled.

Things might change. At least she understands.

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Tagged as: air traffic, FAA, sarah palin

  • Karen

    Seems total speculation or perhaps just wishful thinking on your part that she might do something positive for the FAA or ATC — “Sarah Palin …might be just the person who understands the need for FAA and ATC modernization” — with your article offering no concrete example of her actually saying or doing anything along those lines.

  • mindy

    Because she can pilot a small plane? Come on….

    The only possible reality here is that if elected, McCain will delegate her off to some “project” anyway and she’ll have little to nothing to do with actually running the government. She’d probably get invited to the first three Cabinet meetings and then get forgotten….

  • Ann

    Charlie, you’re biased and it shows. Please stick to facts and not speculation.

  • Robert Smith

    I think there is a good chance that a Vice President Palin would give some weight to straightening out the air traffic control system and taxation of private aircraft.

    It is interesting that the primary responses so far chastize Mr.Leocha for his so-called speculation when two of the replies are speculation and 99% of the so-called main stream news is speculation. My proof – Look at the number of headlines or opening statements on the nightly news that end with a question mark. Facts don’t end with a question mark.

    And opinions with which one does not agree can be debated but they do not need to be silenced.

  • http://www.yodio.com Clay Loges

    Charlie, you are absolutely correct that first person association with the pain is much more likely to foster a drive toward solving the problem. Your argument is well-framed — politicians tend to view their personal experiences as the problems most important to the greater world. And you are right on to describe air travel as a potential area of concern for primary transportation…in the eyes of an Alaskan pol. It is certainly in interesting and hopeful view.

  • kina

    This article is completely redundant, unless of course the author wanted to take advantage of their position at Tripso to use their column as a platform to voice their own political affiliation.

  • Holly

    “Sarah Palin, a pilot from Alaska, might be just the person who understands the need for FAA and ATC modernization.”

    It’s her husband Todd who is the pilot, not Sarah Palin herself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Palin

    Maybe Palin will just build a bridge from Alaska to D.C. If she can support a 398 million dollar bridge to nowhere, why not one to Washington? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge

  • Joel Wechsler

    You can’t be serious, Charlie. This is like saying that soemone who drives a car understands traffic problems and therefore would be the right person to solve highway gridlock. You may want Mrs. Palin for Vice President but surely you can come up with a better reason than this.

  • Carrie Charney

    No agreement from me. I’ve always said she could stop traffic…

  • Ann

    Well, she did get the Road to Nowhere built…..

  • Robert Bergman

    Charlie – I think you may have a valid point about “the squeaky wheel getting the grease” when it comes to politicians and if Mrs. Palin is elected VP, she may be a squeaky wheel on some issues. But my concerns regarding the election of President and VP lie elsewhere with issues like the economy, home foreclosures, and and the US standing in the world. I think that whoever is elected will delegate someone work on issues regarding the FAA and ATC. It is that person, whoever it will be, that will have their hands full working with congress on this issue. Regardless of who wins the election next month, I seriously doubt if that person wil be Mrs. Palin.

  • Skip

    Charlie, this was a fun read and you make a good point. It’s high time for the FAA to receive a serious overhaul if we are to maintain anything resembling traffic efficiency, let alone safety, in the air. The roads are too crowded as it is and we need more and better management.

    But the others said it before me: not only is your solution based on pure speculation, it isn’t supported by facts. Gov. Palin isn’t a pilot and I know of no legislation or even speeches where she has addressed the FAA or any air traffic control issues.

  • Phil

    Is Tripso really the place to be campaigning? Let’s stick to travel issues, please.

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