For anybody who flies, this may be the the MOST important news of the day, week, month and maybe the year
Brian Tumulty
Gannett Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON —Pilots of commuter planes operated by regional carriers would have tohave at least 1,500 hours of flight experience instead of the current250, under legislation approved overwhelmingly by the House onWednesday.
Thebill, a response to the Colgan Air flight that crashed outside Buffaloin February, passed 409-11. It also would require pilots to be trainedto deal with flight emergencies. Fifty people were killed when theplane experienced an engine stall and smashed into a house.
"Beinga commercial airline pilot is not an entry-level position," Rep. ChrisLee, R-Clarence, said during Wednesday's House floor debate. "Wedeserve to have them as well-trained as possible."
WesternNew York Reps. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, and Louise Slaughter,D-Fairport, also offered floor statements in support of the legislation.
Aninvestigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into theFebruary crash revealed numerous deficiencies in regulations coveringregional carriers, but the Federal Aviation Administration is notrequired to adopt the agency's recommendations.
"It came to me as a surprise that the NTSB ideas were only recommendations to the FAA," Slaughter said.
The House legislation would eliminate the possibility that the FAA will shelve those recommendations.
Instead,the FAA would have 90 days upon final enactment of the legislation toestablish a national database of pilot licenses and safety records forairlines to use in deciding whether to hire a pilot who has worked fora competitor.
Andthe FAA would have one year to update and implement a new rule on howmany hours pilots may work. This is intended to reduce pilot fatigue.
Passengerswho book flights on the Internet also would be informed up frontwhether a flight segment is being flown by a regional partner insteadof a major carrier.
Families of several of the 50 victims of February's crash traveled to Washington to follow the House vote and thank lawmakers.
A similar Senate bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is unlikely to pass as stand-alone legislation.
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is a co-sponsor of that bill. Itsprovisions probably will be inserted into an FAA reauthorization billlater this year.
Under the House-passed legislation:
Airlines would have to establish FAA-approved programs to address pilot fatigue.
Airlines would have to create mentoring programs in which junior pilots would fly with more senior pilots. FAA officials would have to form a best-practices task force to examine pilot training.
The Government Accountability Office would compare and evaluate pilot training programs at flight schools and colleges. Additional Facts
Thebill, a response to the Colgan Air flight that crashed outside Buffaloin February, passed 409-11. It also would require pilots to be trainedto deal with flight emergencies. Fifty people were killed when theplane experienced an engine stall and smashed into a house.
"Beinga commercial airline pilot is not an entry-level position," Rep. ChrisLee, R-Clarence, said during Wednesday's House floor debate. "Wedeserve to have them as well-trained as possible."
WesternNew York Reps. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, and Louise Slaughter,D-Fairport, also offered floor statements in support of the legislation.
Aninvestigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into theFebruary crash revealed numerous deficiencies in regulations coveringregional carriers, but the Federal Aviation Administration is notrequired to adopt the agency's recommendations.
"It came to me as a surprise that the NTSB ideas were only recommendations to the FAA," Slaughter said.
The House legislation would eliminate the possibility that the FAA will shelve those recommendations.
Instead,the FAA would have 90 days upon final enactment of the legislation toestablish a national database of pilot licenses and safety records forairlines to use in deciding whether to hire a pilot who has worked fora competitor.
Andthe FAA would have one year to update and implement a new rule on howmany hours pilots may work. This is intended to reduce pilot fatigue.
Passengerswho book flights on the Internet also would be informed up frontwhether a flight segment is being flown by a regional partner insteadof a major carrier.
Families of several of the 50 victims of February's crash traveled to Washington to follow the House vote and thank lawmakers.
A similar Senate bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is unlikely to pass as stand-alone legislation.
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is a co-sponsor of that bill. Itsprovisions probably will be inserted into an FAA reauthorization billlater this year.
Under the House-passed legislation:
Airlines would have to create mentoring programs in which junior pilots would fly with more senior pilots.
The Government Accountability Office would compare and evaluate pilot training programs at flight schools and colleges.
No comments:
Post a Comment