Areas of Focus

FAA Aviation Safety Oversight

Federal Regulatory and Standards Development

Airline and Air Agency Certification and Compliance

Airman and Designee Certification

Quality Management Systems
Education

Government Executive Education Program, Harvard University

FAA Training and Professional Development
Certifications

Private Pilot Certificate

Mechanic Certificate (Airframe and Powerplant Ratings)

Lawrence Fields Vice-President, Consulting Services

lfields@wicks-group.com
202-457-7790 (office)
516-780-4186 (mobile)

Lawrence (Larry) Fields is a Vice-President for Consulting Services at The Wicks Group (TWG). Prior to joining TWG in December 2025, Larry enjoyed a long career with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an executive, program manager, and aviation safety inspector for the FAA Flight Standards Service. In his final positions at FAA, Larry served as Executive Director of the Flight Standards Service and as Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety. As a Vice-President for Consulting Services, Larry develops and coordinates new business and advises on strategic, regulatory, and technical aspects of TWG legal and consulting matters for aviation sector clients.

Representative Experience

  • Served as Executive Director and Executive Director (Acting) of the FAA Aviation Safety Flight Standards Service:
  • Provided leadership to the 5,300 members of the Flight Standards organization in its mission to establish and maintain the safest aviation system in the world.
  • Provided executive oversight for collaborative rulemaking efforts to propose or publish high-profile rules .

  • Oversaw efforts that stretched across government and industry to ensure that the new technology of 5G networks would be integrated safely into the system.
  • Enhanced Flight Standards Service recruitment and retention strategies, talent development plans, and promotion of diverse and inclusive environments.

  • Implemented an increased focus on business acumen and data-driven analysis at all levels of the Flight Standards organization, with a special emphasis on using state-of-the-art technology to ensure safety and efficiency.
  • Directed Flight Standards efforts to address the international problem of illegal charters.
  • Directed efforts that made outstanding progress on increasing aircraft and airmen registration efficiency, achieving reductions in the aircraft registration cycle time from 6 months to 29 days and in the airmen cycle time from 68 days to 28 days.
  • Directed Flight Standards efforts to reduce a certification backlog by establishing a multi-organization working group to reduce overall wait times for initial certification of Part 145, Part 137, and Part 135 applicants whose proposed operations are of limited scope and complexity.
  • Directed and guided Flight Standards in changing Operations Aviation Safety Inspector qualification requirements to allow recruitment of more seasoned industry candidates and in revitalizing new hire training.
  • Oversaw Flight Standards’ International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) activities conducted through the international programs division, including IASA assessments of Latvia, Lithuania, and Mexico; a Technical Review of Bahrain; and technical assistance to Bangladesh, Mexico, and Thailand.
  • Oversaw a national effort to curtail unruly passengers, directing efforts to work with organizations across the FAA and forming a Flight Standards Special Emphasis Enforcement Program Team.
  • Oversaw Flight Standards development/publication of approximately 500 unique policy and guidance documents supporting the safety of the national airspace system and the implementation of critical programs.
  • Directed Flight Standards to create a streamlined operational certification process for agricultural drones.
  • Served as Associate Deputy Administrator (Acting) for FAA Aviation Safety, providing executive direction and oversight of nine service offices conducting FAA aviation safety functions encompassing international programs and agreements, aircraft registry, accident investigations, aerospace medicine programs, FAA rulemaking functions, quality and integration programs, aviation safety analysis, safety management systems, unmanned aircraft integration, and air traffic safety oversight, with a budget of $1.8B and approximately 7,800 employees.
  • Served as Deputy Executive Director of FAA Aviation Safety, Flight Standards Service, providing oversight for the development and execution of policies, standards, systems, and procedures, public rules, and regulations and executing program plans governing the operations, maintenance, and airworthiness of all U.S. civil aircraft.
  • Served as Director, General Aviation Safety Assurance Office, FAA Flight Standards Service, directing office activities to ensure consistency and standardization of general aviation certification and oversight activities by a workforce of approximately 2,500 employees.
  • Served as Division Manager or Division Manager (Acting) of the Eastern Region, FAA Flight Standards Service, providing management for an FAA regional organization that included 19 field offices and approximately 800 employees and responsible for planning, directing, and evaluating region-wide programs to ensure compliance with agency regulations, programs, standards, and procedures governing the inspection, certification, and surveillance of general aviation and air carrier operations.