Robert Allan Sturgell (born August 1, 1959) is a former Acting 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 ...

(FAA), having served from September 14, 2007, to January 15, 2009. Appointed to the position on September 14, 2007, by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, he was never confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Prior to his appointment, he had served as Deputy Administrator of the FAA since 2003.Federal Aviation Administration: Robert A. Sturgell's Biography
.

. Retrieved on April 10, 2008.

Career

Sturgell has been a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

in both civilian and military capacities. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1982 and received his law degree from the

University of Virginia Law School The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

. He served as an instructor for the

United States Navy Fighter Weapons School United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

before retiring as a Commander, having flown the

F-14 The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...

, F-16, and

F-18 The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...

. After his military career, he became a flight operations supervisor and line pilot for

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

, flying

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...

757 757 may refer to: * Boeing 757: a narrow-body airliner * AD 757: a year * 757 BC: a year * 757 (number): a number * Area code 757 Image:Area code 757.png, The area colored red indicates the southeast corner of Virginia served by area code 757 po ...

s and 767s on domestic and international routes. He also practiced aviation law in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

area, and served as senior policy adviser at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In 1998 Sturgell attempted to unseat

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-m ...

majority leader

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. in the 27th legislative district. He was defeated 69% to 31%. On February 10, 2008, two Democratic United States Senators blocked the nomination of Robert Sturgell citing dissatisfaction with FAA Safety oversight and the agency's handling of claims of under staffing of

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. This procedural maneuver prevented the full Senate from voting on the appointment. Although Sturgell blamed the Block on the NY/NY/PHL Airspace Redesign, Senator

Frank Lautenberg Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was ori ...

of New Jersey had more pointed concerns. Senator Lautenberg, said in a subsequent press release "Mr. Sturgell helped create the policies that left our air traffic controllers overworked and understaffed, our runways in dangerous condition, more air noise on our communities and the worst flight delays in our history. It's time for President Bush to nominate an Administrator who solves transportation problems, rather than creating more of them." Bobby Sturgell is senior vice president of Washington Operations for

Rockwell Collins Rockwell Collins was a multinational corporation headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. It was formed when the Collins Radio Comp ...

. Sturgell's responsibilities include developing and implementing the company's governmental, regulatory, legislative, and industrial affairs strategies, and maintaining relationships with congressional members, staff, and other administration officials. He was named to this position in April 2009. In 2018,

United Technologies United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems, ...

acquired Rockwell Collins, merging it with their

UTC Aerospace Systems UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) was one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company was formed in August 2012 when parent United Technologies Corporation ...

subsidiary to form Collins Aerospace. In November of that year, Sturgell was named Collins Aerospace's Vice President for Government Programs. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the National Defense Industries Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgell, Robert Allan 1959 births Living people Administrators of the Federal Aviation Administration George W. Bush administration personnel Maryland Republicans United States Naval Academy alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni