Jokes fly over Trump alleged plan to have personal pilot head the FAA

(CNN) - President Trump has put family members in influential positions in his administration.

Now he wants his personal pilot to lead the Federal Aviation Association. When Axios reported the news, the reaction online  mirrored the comedy film "Airplane!"

Trump's pilot's name is John Dunkin. He flew "Trumpforce 1" during the campaign and told the Smithsonian Channel that at 15, he started flying before he could drive a car.

Now, he's on the short list to pilot the FAA.

"I have a pilot who's a real expert," Trump said.

Trump has praised Dunkin publicly.

If the president's pilot can be head of the FAA, why not these tongue-in-cheek suggestions from Twitter:

Axios quoted an aviation industry official equating Trump's pilot potentially leading the FAA with a "Seinfeld" episode. In the episode, Kramer relied on his caddy for legal advice.

But the pilot is no caddy. An administration source told Axios, "He's managed airline and corporate flight departments."

Other potential candidates for the job include Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri and current acting FAA administrator Dan Elwell. He took over for Michael Huerta, an Obama-era appointee whose term expired in January.

Copyright 2018 CNN. All rights reserved.