New First Officer Qualification Rule Set for Publication

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration expects its new first officer qualification rule for commercial pilots that require, with certain exceptions, 1,500 hours of flight time and an air transport pilot certificate to appear in the government’s Federal Register on Monday. Precipitated in large part by the 2009 fatal crash of a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 outside Buffalo, N.Y., the rule will take effect immediately upon publication, according to an agency official. The current rule allows pilots to serve as airline first officers after earning only a commercial pilot certificate, which requires just 250 flight hours.