Bryan Bedford, President Trump’s nominee for heading the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), never obtained a valid pilot’s license for commercial aircraft. This fact contradicts his multiple claims and assertions. Instead, he only possesses a private pilot’s license. The swindle was now revealed by the magazine POLITICO, following thorough research. Until his hearing last week, before a chamber in Washington, he claimed to be holder of a license allowing him to fly commercial passenger or cargo aircraft.
What at first glance appears to be a trivial matter, should be an alarm signal for U.S. aviation and its supervisory authority, the FAA. With a boss who had presumably wittingly falsified his bio as CEO of Republic Airways, in which he describes himself as a pilot holding a “commercial” rating, the authority will be further damaged should Trump not drop him last minute. If Bedford should be confirmed, it would further drag down the reputation of the FAA, following the controversial dismissal of hundreds of aviation experts decreed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
MAX 9 issues also cause headaches for the regulator
Yet regardless of this latest turmoil, the FAA has been the source of negative headlines for years. For example, it mandated the certification process for the Boeing 737 MAX to the plane maker, in this way becoming dependent on the judgement of Boeing’s own engineers and technicians. No surprise that they confirmed that the jetliner meets all safety requirements demanded by the regulatory bodies.
A decision with fatal consequences, as evidenced by two crashes involving MAX 9 jetliners operated by the Indonesian budget carrier, Lion Air, and Ethiopian Airlines. Investigations proved that the crashes were tied to a design flaw involving the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) of the B737 MAX 9 series. As a result, all MAXs were grounded and technically updated. It is debatable if the MCAS malfunction had been discovered by independent FAA experts before Boeing was handed out the airworthiness certificate for the aircraft.
Questionable outsourcing practice
Following minor incidents, FAA received the next alarm signal from Alaska Airlines, after a door plug on one of its B737 MAX 9 jetliners was blown off during flight, causing the aircraft to descend uncontrollably. Fortunately, none of the 177 passengers and crew were harmed. The primary cause was the absence of four bolts that are crucial for securing the door plug. Investigators indicated that the bolts were removed during the manufacturing process and not reinstalled. The plane maker admitted that there were quality control problems with the MAX 9 production during the manufacturing process at its Renton plant. Regulator FAA, which is responsible for ensuring aviation safety but had outsourced the authorization process to the frame maker, remained silent on the matter.
The black streak in U.S. aviation reached its negative peak on 29JAN25, when an American Airlines passenger plane and a “Black Hawk” military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, causing 67 victims.
Trump loyalty comes first
In light of these events, thinning out the authority’s workforce and appointing a man to the agency’s top position who has obviously falsified his own CV, smacks of obstructionism. Once again, the case shows that when it comes to filling top positions in authorities, it is not the candidate’s qualifications that count, but his or her loyalty to Trump.
When asked by POLITICO about Bedford’s credibility gap, the Department of Transportation (DOT), which is responsible for the FAA, defended him. “Bryan never misrepresented his credential; it was an administrative error that was immediately corrected,” DOT said in a statement. The agency did not respond to questions about what the “error” was or how it had been fixed.
In addition, DOT said that Bedford has never claimed to be a “commercial airline pilot” but that he had passed “written and oral exams” needed to be licensed to fly commercially. This contrasts his bio and assertions maintained until the recent hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee.
POLITICO emphasizes that records examined by them prove that he never held any commercial license. Nor could any evidence be found in the FAA registry that houses data on pilot’s licenses. In the meantime, Indianapolis-headquartered Republic Airways has deleted the word “commercial” in Bedford’s file. Now it reads: [… ] “he holds multi-engine and instrument pilot ratings.”
Duffy advocates return to duty-free system in aviation
Over at Paris, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy called for the reintroduction of duty-free trade in civil aviation during his appearance at the Paris Air Show. He thus opposed the 10% tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on most imports of aircraft components and parts, vital for Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers. In doing so, Duffy supported demands of the U.S. aviation industry to return to the duty-free system agreed in1979. The politician pointed out that U.S. companies had an annual trade surplus of USD 75 billion due to exports of aircraft components. Reciprocal measures taken by countries affected by the import tariffs could lead to severe financial disadvantages harming the competitiveness of the U.S. aviation industry, Duffy hinted in Paris.
