D. Kirk Shaffer, a Tennessee attorney who has worked on airport issues, is the Federal Aviation Administration's new associate administrator for airports. Shaffer, whose appointment was announced by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey in late December, began his new job Jan. 8, says Marcia Adams, a spokesperson for the agency.
Shaffer's office oversees such activities as FAA's Airport Improvement Program, which provided about $3.5 billion last year in federal grants for airport construction work.