The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to consider a long-term FAA reauthorization bill tomorrow, breaking a logjam that had been in place since last June over issues including the 1,500-hour rule and slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. However, the markup is not without controversy as a dispute continues surrounding an effort to raise the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67.
FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker weighed in against such a proposal in a letter to the committee, saying: “As Congress considers policies that affect the pool of pilots that may serve Part 121 commercial operations, we strongly encourage preceding that type of change with appropriate research so that the FAA can measure any risk associated with that policy and define appropriate mitigations.” Whitaker further said it is “crucial” that the agency have an opportunity to conduct research first.
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