Purpleanga

Well one thing's for sure there hasn't been this much public or gov interest in change even after the Pinnacle 410 and the Comair wrong runway takeoff, even though I think they were just as bad if not worse. The media had something to work with on this crash and they ran with it.

CANAM

Good USA Today letter. I agree. I'm always flying with people with little experience into place like DCA and ATL. It gets pretty stressful for me at times.

Zach

You're funny. lol. Yeah, lets go and pay for 500hrs of flight time. That would be $70,000 for 500hrs at $140/hr, which is typical for a 172sp in my area, not including an instructor for an additional $40/hr. If this were the case I would not have even considered being a pilot.

KC10 FATboy

As a civilian/military pilot, I find it a bit alarming that you can fly for an airline, but you do not require an ATP license. It isn't called the Airline Transport Pilot license for nothing. Additionally, I think there should be some type of requirement for ensuring that captains meet a certain level of experience before being qualified.

I don't care about "how burdensome" this would be to the industry. Or, "this never would have prevented this crash."

Doctors spend years going through medical school and residencies making sure they are qualified. Here in the US, because of the poor leadership and oversight by the FAA, we have a "training" system that allows shortcuts. Many individuals pay to get quick-rated and even pay some companies to only learn what's on the knowledge tests. These people end up getting certified without ever having to demonstrate that they've mastered their trade.

And I will be honest and say that I indeed used a company to ensure passing the knowledge test. However, it is no wonder that many ICAO countries WILL NOT accept an FAA ATP license because they're a are pretty much worthless.

-Fatty

JetPiedmont

I still think the main problem was the easy credit available to students for the flight academies with the guaranteed interviews for graduates at the regional operators. This is what opened up the flood gates post 9/11 and allowed the cheap labor to fuel the codeshare growth. Follow the money!

Low time pilots at the commuter level is not a new thing. The difference was 25 years ago many of my peers got hired with 1,000 hrs flying 19 pax turboprops and smaller piston jobs, not 35-90 pax turboprops and jets.

There were also more accidents. One local turboprop operator crashed three times while I was attending college out west. If you look back at accident stats for the late 60's thru mid 70's, you'll find many domestic turbojet accidents flown by experienced crews, mostly involving unstable approaches in IMC or at night. The learning curve was steep, and it took a long time to get stablized approaches established as the norm. No EFIS back then, it was all done with VOR's and DME or some with RMI/ADF.

I personally think the regionals have amassed a very good safety record overall, RJ's and turboprops alike, and hopefully that will continue.

mrmak2

If the FAA required an ATP for FO's all that would happen is the 0-hero bottom-feeder pilot mills would make extra money. A large percentage of regional newhires (even during the big hiring boom) already have ATPs. 90% of my newhire class had over 1500 hrs and at least half had ATPs. The Colgan captain had an ATP and the FO could have had one if she had paid 3000 dollars one weekend to get it in a Seminole. Requiring an ATP for hiring is nonsense. There are no more 500 hour FOs. They all have a year experience now at whatever airline they went to. There probably won't be anymore either because airline economics has shifted. This is a moot point.

Raising FO pay isn't gonna help either because that will only encourage people to keep plopping down huge sums of money to fly because they can recoup it quicker.

The real fact of the matter is that flying is inherently dangerous. Yes safety is the number 1 priority always but ultimately people are going to die in flying accidents. Passengers also need to appreciate that if they want low fares on tickets then airlines are going to try and make that happen by creating a viable business model. That means cutting costs. In my opinion, the passengers are smart enough to realize this and they still choose to fly. They have no standing at all to complain. By the same token we know the job and still choose to fly so we deserve what we get as well.

2Co2Fur1EXwife

"if she had paid 3000 dollars one weekend to get it in a Seminole."

Good point, how do you explain being certified to be a 'Airline Transport Pilot' flying a light general aviation piston twin? That needs to change

jeeps

They also get paid a lot more too!

andy171773

Let me know when you can rent a CRJ to go up with a DPE. Hence why the industry currently allows airlines to hire commercial pilots into the right seat, and the company gives you your ATP when you upgrade in the airplane you're flying.

I think too many people are reading too deep into this. This crash was the result of DOZENS of different inputs, the worst being (for whatever reason, we'll never know), the Captains improper response to a shaker.

We need to stop trying to re-invent the wheel here. Just like in contract negotiations, we need to take one of the most important issues and run with it. If QOL changed in the regionals, I for one would be ecstatic.

Pay, schedules, duty limitations, commuter clauses, sick leave...all these things need to change..and they all fall in the QOL category.

Fix that, and we have a VERY different regional airline industry.

esa17

Bravo Mr. Skiles,

Most of my peers ran off to the airlines as soon as they had 500 hours. Now, they're all furloughed and dreaming of the days when they'll be eating those Ramen noodles again.

I on the other hand have spent years building time, gaining real world experience, and yes...living the dream.


I'd be just fine seeing the ATP be set as the minimum to get in the cockpit of a 121 job.