General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Republicans SERIOUSLY fucked themselves with the FAA thing [View all]The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,270 posts)of what the FAA does. Mostly, it regulates and inspects airlines, pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, dispatchers, and airports. It ensures that airplanes and their component parts meet certain standards; it establishes and enforces standards for the training and certification of everybody who requires an aviation-related license; it regulates and monitors airport operations and aids to navigation, and it does a whole lot of other things (see here: www.faa.gov ). I used to work for a major airline. FAA people were always around, and they were very thorough - as they should have been. I would not want the FAA to be funded by any private corporations or organizations - if there were ever functions that the government absolutely should handle, what the FAA does would be at the top of that list.