After my purgatory in West Chicago and three mostly great years in the Indianapolis FSDO, the FAA offered a transfer to Cincinnati. It was a bittersweet decision, and my boss, Jay Peterson, rather obliquely suggested I might want to stay put. He understood I was anxious to get back home, but he also knew the Cincinnati manager’s reputation for being a hard ass. Jay was a good man and an excellent supervisor, and he was genuinely concerned about me and “Capt. Queeg.”
Unusual Attitudes: An FAA Inspector’s Winding Career Path
Key Takeaways:
- The author transferred to Cincinnati for an Accident Prevention Specialist (APS) role, a position known as a low-mobility "parking spot" for FAA employees, and immediately faced a challenging manager.
- Despite the role's reputation, the author passionately revitalized the safety program through extensive direct engagement with pilots and mechanics, often working extra hours and defying her manager's attempts to control her.
- She consistently challenged bureaucratic inefficiencies and unjustified decisions, facing multiple reprimands, until an FAA overhaul of the safety program, which moved away from local, face-to-face interaction, prompted her retirement.
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