Longtime flight safety advocate, pilot and regulator Nick Sabbatini has died at the age of 88. Born in Italy, Nick emigrated with his family to the Bronx, New York, in 1938 at the age of two. Nick’s remarkable career of service began with the US Army, where he served at Fort Knox, Kentucky, from 1956 to 1958.
After fulfilling his military duties, he joined the New York Police Department (NYPD) as a patrol officer in August 1958. He transitioned to the Mounted Division in 1960 and later to the Aviation Unit in 1966, where he served until his retirement from the NYPD in 1976.
Flying was Nick’s lifelong passion and defined much of his career. After retiring from the NYPD, he joined the US Customs Drug Interdiction Air Unit in Brooklyn before joining the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1978 as an Operations Inspector in Charleston, West Virginia.
During his 30-year career with the FAA, Nick rose through the ranks, earning prestigious titles in aviation safety. He served as Flight Standards Division Manager for the Eastern Region in New York before being promoted in March 2001 to Director of Flight Standards in Washington, DC. Later that year, in October, he was appointed Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety. In this role, he oversaw 7,000 FAA employees and regulated more than 7,300 US commercial airlines and operators, serving with distinction until his retirement in January 2009. He was always proud of the team he said he was privileged to lead.
Nick’s contributions to aviation safety earned him numerous accolades. He served as an Aviation Safety Advisor to the Board of Directors for JetBlue Airways Corporation. He was also previously a member of the Auburn University Aviation Management Board. He served on the Board of Directors for Advanced Navigation and Positioning Corporation, Wyvern Consulting, Ltd., and was elected as a member to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Board of Governors.
He earned Type Ratings in the Cessna Citation CE-500. Douglas DC-9, Embraer EMB-110 and Bell Helicopter BH-206, and he logged more than 7,000 flight hours during his aviation career and was a certified flight instructor in both fixed-wing and rotorcraft.
