FAA Names ATO Safety Boss

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has named Robert O. Tarter as vice president of safety services for the Air Traffic Organization (ATO). The Safety Services unit is responsible for auditing safety and quality control in the ATO and facilitating safety performance and improvement. One of the unit’s main focuses is reducing the risk of runway hazards. It uses information gleaned from data, investigations and independent testing to identify risks. Safety Services is separate from the FAA’s Office of Aviation Safety, which promotes aviation safety and monitors compliance with the Federal Aviation Regulations. The Safety Services unit also serves as the liaison between the ATO and the agency’s Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, which resides in the Office of Aviation Safety, outside the ATO. The Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service provides oversight of ATO activities and approves safety standards, mitigation of safety risks and the safety management system. Tarter, who takes over duties with the FAA on April 27, is presently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander of the First Air Force, Air Combat Command, at Tyndall Air Force Base, FL. He joined the USAF in 1976 and has 3,600 hours flown in the military and 6,000 hours as a civilian, including as a pilot for Delta Air Lines.