John Hixon Shaffer (February 25, 1919 – September 14, 1997) was an administrator of the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

from March 24, 1969 until March 14, 1973. Shaffer was the administrator during an en-masse calling-in sick strike by

air traffic controller Air traffic control specialists, abbreviated ATCS, are personnel responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. Usually stationed in air traffic control centers and control ...

s during 1969. In the summer, Shaffer testified to a congressional committee that air traffic controllers were neither overworked nor underpaid. Shaffer's testimony increased pressure on controllers to return to their jobs. Celebrity lawyer

F. Lee Bailey Francis Lee Bailey Jr. (June 10, 1933 – June 3, 2021) was an American criminal defense attorney. Bailey's name first came to nationwide attention for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering ...

of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) stated, "This guy Shaffer has got to go."''Time Magazin
One Man's Slow-Motion Aerial Act
' retrieved on April 27, 2007, The FAA and Shaffer were both later attacked by the PATCO for continuing to operate the air traffic system despite the low number of controllers. On December 3, 1970, he testified to Congress about aviation safety. Following his retirement from the FAA, Shaffer was involved in a debate over the use of

microwave landing system The microwave landing system (MLS) is an all-weather, precision radio guidance system intended to be installed at large airports to assist aircraft in landing, including 'blind landings'. MLS enables an approaching aircraft to determine when it ...

s in

civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...

and which country's industry should be awarded a contract for construction of the equipment: the U.S., U.K., or Germany. Shaffer himself agreed with British assessments that the American manufactured MLS system was inferior and poorly tested.

Awards

*1972

Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy was established by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) in 1948 after a trust fund was created in 1936 by Godfrey Lowell Cabot of Boston, a former president of the NAA. It is awarded to a living American ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaffer, John H. Administrators of the Federal Aviation Administration 1919 births 1997 deaths Nixon administration personnel