President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration spent years falsely claiming he held a “commercial” pilot’s license, Politico reported.
Republic Airways, where Bryan Bedford currently serves as president and CEO, has scrubbed prior references stating he held a license to fly commercial aircraft amid scrutiny over his credentials.
This includes Bedford’s biography on Republic’s website, which until June 13 claimed he held “commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.”
FAA records show that Bedford is a licensed private pilot with certifications to fly single- and multi-engine planes, including in poor weather and at night. However, he is not listed in the FAA’s registry of pilots who hold commercial licenses.
In a statement to Politico, the Department of Transportation said Bedford had passed “written and oral exams” for becoming a commercial airline pilot but has never “personally nor publicly claimed” to be one.
“Bryan never misrepresented his credentials; it was an administrative error that was immediately corrected,” a DoT spokesperson added, without clarifying what the error was.
The controversy over Bedford allegedly misrepresenting his commercial pilot status doesn’t appear to have hurt his chances of becoming the next FAA administrator. Aviation news outlet The Air Current first reported in April that Bedford is “not a commercial pilot, as he has sometimes claimed to be.”
His nomination comes at a critical moment for the FAA, which is grappling with staff shortages, a string of near-miss incidents, and fallout from the January crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.
Republic removed references to Bedford’s “commercial, multi-engine, and instrument pilot ratings” from the “Executive Leadership” section of its site on March 18, one day after Trump announced him as his choice to lead the FAA.
The word “commercial” has also been scrubbed from Bedford’s biography on Republic’s “Board of Directors” page.
Meanwhile, the website of the Regional Airline Association trade group still describes Bedford as holding “commercial, multi-engine, and instrument pilot ratings.”
To obtain a commercial license, pilots must pass numerous written and oral exams, complete intensive training and flight hours, and successfully perform a “check ride” with a licensed FAA examiner to demonstrate skill and competency.
“If you haven’t successfully gone through all of that, no one should claim to have a certain rating—because they don’t have it,” one unnamed aviation expert told Politico.
“It’s like saying you’re a medical doctor without finishing medical school,” the expert added.
Republic Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
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