Lance T. Gant is the FAA’s Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor (CSTA) for Rotorcraft. Gant supports rotorcraft airworthiness, certification, education, research, and works to identify risks related to the introduction of new technologies.

Gant previously served as Director of the FAA’s Safety and Performance Integration Division. This Division monitors the organizational performance of AIR, manages AIR’s incident and accident response as well as AIR’s portion of the State Safety Program, and provides leadership for strategic management, data analytics, and cross-Divisional project management within AIR. Prior to this role, Gant was the Director of the Compliance & Airworthiness Division (AIR-700) where he led the Division responsible for issuing all design approvals for both domestic and foreign manufacturers, executing continued operational safety processes, and providing flight test support.

Gant began his FAA career in 1990 in the Rotorcraft Certification Office, working on rotor wing and fixed wing certification programs. In 1995, he joined the Rotorcraft Standards Staff, revising existing standards for helicopter performance and handling qualities and new standards for the civil tilt-rotor. Gant has collaborated with industry and civil aviation authorities worldwide on type validation programs and assessments of technical capabilities.

In 2005, Gant returned as a front-line manager in the Rotorcraft Certification Office and eventually became office manager. In 2009, he took a six-month detail as special assistant to the Director of the Aircraft Certification Service in Washington, D.C., where he gained experience and knowledge about how FAA interfaces with other government agencies and Congress. In October 2010, Gant became the Rotorcraft Directorate’s assistant manager and then Directorate Manager five years later. 

Gant worked as a flight instructor while earning his bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University. After graduation, he worked as a flight test engineer for Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked on military qualification and civil certification programs. Gant holds a commercial pilot certificate.