Fri, Jul 30, 2010
Continuing Resolution Contains New Safety Measures
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate cleared
a bill late Thursday extending the authorization of the FAA for two
months. The extension includes language strengthening aviation
safety.
The new safety measures would require that every commercial
passenger airline pilot hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)
certificate, thereby increasing the minimum training from 250
flight hours to 1,500 flight hours to fly a commercial passenger
plane. It would be required of the FAA to update the minimum
standards to earn an ATP.
In addition, the extension requires the FAA to implement
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations dealing
with pilot training skills, including that pilots are trained on
stall and upset recovery and that airlines offer remedial training
to pilots if necessary.
The two-month extension also contains a mandate that the FAA
create a database of each pilot’s comprehensive training
record that includes licenses held, aircraft ratings, check rides
and other proficiency tests.
New pilot flight time and duty rules would have to be updated by
the FAA within one year.
House and Senate negotiators who are working out differences in
the multi-year reauthorization have already reached a compromise on
the aviation safety language that is to be added to the extension.
There are a few major differences between the House and Senate
versions of HR 1586, the multi-year reauthorization, including
airport fees, new service proposals and a measure that would change
labor laws making it easier for FedEx ground workers to
unionize.
Congress now has through September 30 to continue trying to
reach an agreement on the long-term bill. However,
Congress-watchers say it appears likely that a bill will not be
finished this year and a new bill will need to be re-introduced in
the next Congress and the process will begin again.
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