Letter to Michael P. Huerta, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration - Certification Standards
Letter
Dear Administrator Huerta:
I write to express my concern about the reconvened Air Carrier Training Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that has been charged with reviewing FAA's recently established first officer qualification requirements.
The February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York claimed fifty lives and alerted the nation to the shortfalls in our aviation safety system, particularly at the regional airline level. In the wake of the tragedy, and with the help of the families who lost loved ones in the crash, my colleagues in Congress and I helped to pass the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act, which established a number of mechanisms for increasing aviation safety. One key piece of the legislation was a mandate that first officers hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which requires that the pilot log 1,500 flight hours. This rule ensures that our nation's pilots will have a strong set of skills and degree of knowledge before they get into the cockpit of a commercial plane. There are already several exceptions to this 1,500 hour rule, but some in the industry would like to water down these rules even further.
I am very concerned that this ARC may slow down and even reverse some of the progress that has been made on behalf of passenger safety. Since these meetings are closed-door, we have no idea what kinds of actions the committee may be considering. But we do know that this fifteen-member committee includes a number of representatives from the airline industry.
I urge you to reconsider the makeup of this ARC, and to ensure that representatives from safety and consumer groups are included on this committee. There are those who wish to weaken the standards surrounding pilot qualifications, and we simply cannot afford for that to happen. I know you share my concern for aviation safety, and I look forward to working with you to maintain and strengthen these standards.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
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