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.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

The U.S. Department of Transportation is undertaking a “1DOT” consolidation initiative that will involve streamlining processes, consolidating administrative functions, modernizing its own infrastructure, and bringing together modal administrations both operationally and physically, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed employees this week.
Plans call for streamlining systems, eliminating redundancies, and transferring FAA employees to the DOT headquarters at New Jersey Avenue in the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
Noting that DOT runs more than 425 information systems, Duffy called the department’s IT and HR systems outdated, expensive, unsecure, and somewhat redundant. Of those systems, 45 running across seven data centers are at the end of their lifespans. Despite the breadth of the infrastructure, DOT still has gaps in operating systems related to product management and artificial intelligence, he said.
“This complicated web of technology is more than just a nuisance. Less efficiency means longer wait times for project completion, grants signed, or safety reviews conducted,” he said. “1DOT will bring the Department into the 21st century with the consolidation of upgraded technology.”
Plans call for beginning to sunset legacy systems over the next few weeks, he said. “It’s long overdue and will have a significant impact on our ability to get the job done.”
As for the FAA relocation, Duffy said the agency has spread out over a “patchwork of federal buildings” separate from DOT. “Over the years, this dislocation has created unnecessary complexities between the department and the agency,” he said. “This distance has made responsiveness, accountability, and transparency a challenge.”
At the same time, FAA’s facilities are in a state of disrepair, he maintained. “Decrepit offices, non-potable water, and unsanitary spaces have come to define the primary agency responsible for the safety of the national airspace. The FAA’s IT and HR networks have become tangled and housed on systems incompatible with DOT,” according to Duffy. “This kind of a work environment is not fair to hard-working men and women of the FAA, and it is unbecoming of any federal agency, let alone one with a critical safety mission.”
This consolidation will occur gradually, leveraging existing space and a clear transition plan to minimize disruptions. DOT officials said the timelines and next steps would be outlined in the coming weeks, but the affected unions have been notified.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

DOT Streamlining Systems, Consolidating FAA

FAA employees spread throughout Washington will move into DOT headquarters

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2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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Controller hiring would halt

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Demolished after previous term, pad could return larger

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The FAA is seeking input and options from industry partners

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