T . Allan McArtor Trusten Allan McArtor ( born July 3 , 1942 ) was the Administrator of the U . S . Federal Aviation Administration from 1987 to 1989 . Born in St . Louis , Missouri in 1942 , McArtor is Chairman of Airbus North America Holdings , Inc . , parent company of Airbus North America Sales , Inc . and Airbus North America Customer Services , Inc . , all located in Herndon , Virginia , and Airbus North America Engineering in Wichita , Kansas . Named Chairman in June 2001 , McArtor oversees the activities of Airbus in the United States and Canada in several key areas , including governmental affairs . Airbus functions in North America include marketing and sales support for airlines and other customers , as well as product and technical support , and training for pilots , flight attendants and maintenance specialists . Before joining Airbus , McArtor was founder , chairman and chief executive officer of Legend Airlines , a regional airline based at Dallas Love Field , Texas . Prior to that , McArtor held a series of leadership and senior management positions in the military , civil and government sectors . From 1979 to 1994 , McArtor served on the senior management team of Federal Express Corporation - except for two years ( 1987 - 1989 ) when President Ronald Reagan appointed McArtor to serve as the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) . During that time , McArtor was credited with helping to regain public confidence in air transportation in the U . S . , while accelerating the modernization of air traffic control ( ATC ) . He was also active in gaining increased FAA funding for ATC and other critical programs , including Extended Twin OperationS ( ETOPS ) and Traffic Collision Avoidance System ( TCAS ) . In addition , McArtor created the standards for “ Aging Aircraft ” regulations and issued the industry ’ s Stage III noise regulations . While at Federal Express , McArtor ’ s responsibilities included oversight of maintenance , operation , training , scheduling and planning for the carrier ’ s global airline operations , including the successful merger of the Flying Tigers air cargo airline into the Federal Express operations and the development of the long - range fleet plan , which first introduced Airbus A300 - 600R freighters . Also at Federal Express , McArtor served as Senior Vice President for Telecommunications . McArtor is a 1964 graduate of the U . S . Air Force Academy ( BSE ) and was the Cadet Wing Commander . In addition , he holds a Masters Degree ( MSE ) from Arizona State University . McArtor was a highly decorated combat fighter pilot in Vietnam , an Associate Professor of Engineering Mechanics at the Air Force Academy , and capped his Air Force career as a pilot with the U . S . Air Force “ Thunderbirds ” Aerial Demonstration Team . McArtor continues to hold a Commercial Pilot ’ s license ( instrument rating , multi - engine ) and is a member of Tau Beta Pi ( engineering honorary society ) . McArtor serves on the Board of Directors of : EADS North America , Inc . ; The European Institute ; Washington Area Airports Authority ; Aviation Safety Alliance ; GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems ; Committee for Economic Development ; and Platinum Research Organization , LLC . He is a member of the International Policy Committee and Homeland Security Committee , U . S . Chamber of Commerce . He has also served on the boards of : Excel Communication , Inc . ; Teleglobe of Canada ; Learjet , Inc . ; Fairchild Space and Defense Company ( a MATRA company ) ; and Angel Technologies . McArtor serves on the boards of a number of civic , industry , charity and educational groups , including the Falcon Foundation Executive Committee , Sabre Society , Air Force Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees , and St . Jude Children ’ s Research Hospital Professional Advisory Board . Allan and Grace McArtor have two sons and five grandchildren .