Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

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FAA Administrator nominee, and current president and CEO of Republic Airways, Bryan Bedford stressed the importance of moving rapidly forward with ATC modernization rather than getting distracted by a privatization discussion. Appearing before the Senate Commerce Committee during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Bedford also committed to remaining in the position for the full five-year term, saying that “the inconsistency in leadership and the turnover that we’ve suffered over the last 25 years has to change.”
During the hearing, Bedford was repeatedly pressed by committee members who were both in favor of and opposed to his past stance on changing the 1,500-hour requirement for Part 121 pilots. He responded that his focus is on “the urgent need to modernize the air traffic control system, fix the FAA staffing shortages, and redesign the [National Airspace System] for emerging technologies and innovation,” but added that he is for “structured training” and pledged not to support actions that would compromise training or pilot safety.
As for privatization, Bedford recalled being in the White House in 2017 to discuss the overhaul of the air traffic control system. “It didn’t work out so well,” he said. “And if we’re honest, it was because industry hijacked the conversation and turned it into a privatization debate. We spent three years arguing about privatization and we missed an opportunity to fix the system. We can always have a privatization debate, and we should at some point have a debate on whatever the merits are for funding continuity and visibility, and contracting. Now is not the time for that debate.”
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) noted Bedford has grown Republic “from a fledgling regional airline to one with over $3 billion in annual revenues and more than 200 aircraft, all while maintaining a robust safety culture. The FAA is sorely in need of his steady leadership. No Senate-confirmed head of the agency has completed a full five-year term since 2018.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) said the midair collision on January 29 near Washington, D.C., “is a stark reminder of what happens when the system fails.” She added, “These failures underscore why we must have an administrator who is an unwavering champion for safety, who strengthens safety standards rather than seeking a way around them.”
Cantwell stressed the concern about the possibility of taking a light touch and said officials should not change standards if they think they can lower costs. “Multiple high-profile aviation incidents have shown us that prioritizing efficiency over safety leads to higher costs.”
In his opening statement, Bedford reiterated that the air traffic control system is showing its age, and the stresses on it especially came into view after Covid. “Chronic understaffing, controller fatigue, and outdated facilities and telecommunications technology has placed a significant strain on the men and women of the FAA. And it has absolutely frustrated travelers with excessive delays and cancellations and has caused the public to question whether it’s truly safe to fly,” he said, calling the chain of events that led to the January 29 crash “the most tragic example.”
He added that the FAA is at a crossroads. “In the years preceding that tragic night in January, there were 85 similar misses at [Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]. We asked, ‘How did this go unaddressed?’ It’s not acceptable.”
He said the failure to recognize and mitigate the risk was an oversight of the FAA safety management system, and he stressed the need for a “fully invested in, vibrant SMS culture” that fosters transparency, frequent communication, and accountability.
Bedford noted the actions already taken, including restricting nonessential helicopter traffic around the airport, exploring potential hotspots, and reevaluating the agreement governing military operations to prioritize public safety.
“This is the kind of work that should have been done years ago, and I’m encouraged,” Bedford said. He was also encouraged about work to update the air traffic control system. “I know change can be hard, but I believe the agency can get back on the right track if we can all agree first that the air traffic control system needs significant investment,” he said, noting that 90% of the FAA’s facility and equipment budget is dedicated to maintaining existing systems rather than implementing new ones.
“Airline passengers pay significant taxes, which are intended to modernize our systems and ensure that we maintain the most advanced air traffic control capabilities in the world.”
He further noted that the administration is moving forward with plans to ramp up air traffic control hiring. In moving forward with these initiatives, Bedford added, “I hope we can agree we can’t repeat the mistakes of the past. We can’t accept half measures.”
Cruz noted that the committee has agreed to furnish the FAA an additional $12.5 billion—matching the House pledge—through budget reconciliation, but asked how to make sure that money is used as intended.
Bedford said he would be the chief accountability officer and also stressed the need for the FAA to update its procurement processes to expedite the modernization efforts. “We’ll develop the project management plan with clear lines on the deliverables and the commitments,” he said.
Cantwell expressed her concerns about efforts to auction off further parts of the radio spectrum. Bedford responded that he was not informed enough on which parts would be auctioned but agreed that during the 5G implementation, “We felt very rushed in terms of spectrum sales and rolling out the technology, so I hope we’ve learned some lessons from the past and we’ll be much more collaborative and coordinated before we simply execute a plan.”

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