image: NATCA
Bruce Landsberg, who worked as a safety advocate at the AOPA Air Safety Institute for many years, has been nominated to be a member and vice chairman of the NTSB, the White House announced on Friday. Landsberg, who lives in South Carolina, served as executive director and then president of the ASI, from 1992 to 2014. Landsberg’s depth of experience, along with the recent appointment of Robert Sumwalt, who worked as a pilot for 32 years, as chairman of the NTSB, suggests that the board will have a strong presence on aviation safety issues. NATCA issued a news release on Tuesday applauding the choice, noting that Landsberg’s work at the ASI “raised the bar for pilot safety.”
“If all goes as planned, Senate confirmation will take place this fall and I’ll be sworn in and start around the first of the year,” Landsberg told AVweb in an email on Tuesday. “It’s both exciting and humbling to join this group, although I have worked with them for almost three decades. The mission hasn’t changed, just the organization, to help pilots and the traveling public get where they’re going – safely!”
Landsberg is nominated to serve as a member for a five-year term, the White House said, and also will be designated vice chairman for a term of two years. In its news release, NATCA said, “[Landsberg] created the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Flight Assist Commendation Awards, which honor air traffic controllers who displayed exceptional professionalism and dedication to safety to help general aviation pilots who needed their help. Bruce has used these types of flight assists over the years as teaching opportunities to educate other pilots to further the cause of aviation safety.” Landsberg spoke with AVweb in 2013 in a podcast interview about his work at the ASI.
