Deal made on hours of training for co-pilots
 

By Jerry Zremski
NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF
Updated: March 13, 2010, 6:44 am / 2 comments
Published: March 13, 2010, 12:30 am


WASHINGTON — Senators have reached a compromise to dramatically increase the number of flight hours new commercial copilots need to get a license, though the figure falls short of what the group Families of Continental Flight 3407 was seeking.
Under a deal brokered by Sen. Charles E. Schumer and announced Friday, new co-pilots would have to have 800 hours of flight experience in specific, rigorous conditions, up from the current 250 hours of general experience.



Deal made on hours of training for co-pilots : The Tragedy of Flight 3407 : The Buffalo News

I wonder whether 'multi-pilot' would require a plane that actually requires two pilots on its type certificate, or can two guys just hop in a C-152? One will log instrument and the other PIC, of course. :D Most flight schools are in places where the weather is great, so there's no icing. Anyone ever heard of an aircraft certified for known icing typically used in civilian training? This will be interesting if it actually passes.

Will the high priced flight schools get a carve out? I hope not. Good ground instruction is worthless if not practically applied.

Sounds like this bill will improve the experience of the average new pilot significantly if it passes in its proposed form - thank you families of 3407.

I've spent my entire career trying hard to AVIOD icing conditions and I do not have much experience flying in icing conditions either, so am I not qualified to sit right seat in an airliner either then? This seems strange overall, but I guess not so much in light of what event is helping push this bill. Personally, I think it falls short (the 800 hours), but then again compromise is the name of the game.

USMCFLYR

I haven't been convinced the ATP shouldn't be a requirement. Of course, my faith in congress is exceeded only by my faith in the FAA - if you know what I mean. Aren't they the same idiots who are contemplating monitoring CVRs for punitive measures? Air Transport aircraft should require an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, seem sort of obvious. Spare me the shrill cries from the Riddle grads...

Deleted... thanks

The law of unintended consequences will undoubtedly come into effect here. When, in a few years, the regional airlines need to hire in significant numbers there will be very, very few pilots with the requisite experience.

What could this mean? Foreign pilots being imported en masse to operate US equipment.

Don't think this can't happen? It happens all over the world.

They should just make it 1500TT. Unfortunately I know flight schools in Central Florida (and the students that go there) that are not only pencil whipping but also 'selling' pencil whipped hours. Very unfortunate and makes me very angry after I know that I (and the general pilot populous) have worked quite hard to get their hours legitimately.

I don't understand this argument. Why would foreign pilots want to work in the US, where we have the worst work rules and pay in the world for pilots? We ARE the third world labor in the aviation world.

Hi!

They'll get the foreign pilots from Africa...oh wait, there is a shortage, so no.
They'll get the foreign pilots from the Middle East...oh wait, there is a shortage, so no.
They'll get the foreign pilots from Asia...oh wait, there is a shortage, so no.
They'll get the foreign pilots from S./Central America...oh wait, there is shortage, so no.
They'll get the foreign pilots from Antarctica???
Europe is even importing experienced pilots, and the T&Cs there are way better than the US, so I don't see that happening.

Alien pilot training on Mars will provide the pilots???

cliff
NBO