Trump wants his personal pilot to run the FAA - after spending decades at the controls of Trump Force One

President Donald Trump has put forward his longtime personal pilot to run the Federal Aviation Administration – and the White House is championing his experience moving Trump around the country during his campaign.

John Dunkin, who became Trump's personal pilot in 1989, is on a short list of candidates, Axios first reported Monday. 

If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Dunkin would oversee a sprawling agency with a $16 billion budget. 

According to the agency's web site, it is tasked with '45,000 daily operations as well as enforcing safety standards for all equipment and aerospace professionals within the aviation industry.'

Trump is pushing for Dunkin, although other names also are being floated. A White House official provided a justification to Axios for including the former Trump Organization employee to the senior bureaucratic post.

'John Dunkin isn't just a pilot. He's managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from start-up under FAA regulations, and oversaw the Trump presidential campaign's air fleet, which included managing all aviation transportation for travel to 203 cities in 43 states over the course of 21 months,' according to the official.

Dunkin was a pilot on the Trump Shuttle, an airline Trump created that ultimately folded.

Other names being floated include Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves, who chairs a highway subcommittee on the House Transportation Committee, and current acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell.

Dunkin is 'in the mix,' a White House official told the Washington Post Sunday night after his consideration was first floated, and has already had a preliminary interview. 

According to an article in ProPilot magazine, Dunking oversaw a department with a Boeing 757, bought second hand, a Cessna Citation X executive jet and three Sikorsky S76 helicopters.

He had a staff of two fixed-wing and two helicopter pilots, which got expanded with two more pilots during the campaign. 

'Our flight department has always been very lean and efficient. During my travels for both political events and business, I am most frequently asked what it was like to fly a Presidential campaign. 

'I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my aviation career,' he wrote. 

According to his bio posted on the agency website, Elwell 'is responsible for the safety and efficiency of the largest aerospace system in the world — a system that operates more than 50,000 flights per day. 

'He oversees a $16.4 billion-dollar budget, more than 47,000 employees, and is focused on ensuring the agency and its employees are the best prepared and trained professionals to meet the growing demands and requirements of the industry.'

Elwell previously served as deputy administrator, and was appointed to his current post by President Trump.   

He also served as a senior advisor to Transportation secretary Elaine Chao and worked as a legislative fellow for the late Alaska GOP Senator Ted Stevens.

Elwell also worked at American Airlines and for the Aerospace Industries Association, and was a commercial pilot for 16 years, and was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Force Reserve, including combat service during Operation Desert Storm. 

Last year, Trump touted Dunk during a meeting with airline executives, as he made the case for better equipment.

'I have a pilot who's a real expert,' Trump said. 'He said, "Sir, the equipment they're putting on is just the wrong stuff. If we're going to modernize our system we should be using the right equipment."'

Trump coninued: 'My pilot, he's a smart guy, and he knows what's going on.'

(Evangle Luo of TTFLY shared with you)