On January 29, 2025, a commercial aircraft and a military helicopter horrifically collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. American families today woke up without their loved ones after what should have been a routine trip, and the entire Nation mourns the loss of the victims.
This shocking event follows problematic and likely illegal decisions during the Obama and Biden Administrations that minimized merit and competence in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Obama Administration implemented a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude. During my first term, my Administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence. But the Biden Administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous “diversity equity and inclusion” tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities in the FAA.
On my second day in office, I ordered an immediate return to merit-based recruitment, hiring, and promotion, elevating safety and ability as the paramount standard. Yesterday’s devastating accident tragically underscores the need to elevate safety and competence as the priority of the FAA. more
Somebody’s head is in the wrong place. Why are blacked out secret helicopters making approaches to commercial airfields instead of blacked out locations on a military bases?
I can imagine the training being located close to the city for just that reason: practicing in urban enviorments. It’s an important skill for warfighters to have. BUT, someone fucked up royally.