The Senate Thursday confirmed Randolph Babbitt to sit at the helm of the Federal Aviation Administration. Babbitt, a former president of the Air Line Pilots Association and an aviation consultant, now faces the immediately popular concerns of pilot training scheduling and fatigue, along with the enduring problems of labor relations (particularly those between the FAA and the air traffic controllers union) as well as air traffic control modernization. Among early congratulatory notes, the Air Transport Association (ATA) "heartily" congratulated Babbitt. "With the right leadership, we know we can begin to see real benefits from NowGen/NextGen within a few years," said ATA president James C. May.