Acting on calls for more stringent regulatory oversight of regional airlines after the February 12
crash of a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 outside Buffalo, N.Y., the House of Representatives in late July introduced a bill called the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, which, among other things, would require all first officers to carry an air transport pilot certificate to serve in the right seat of any Part 121 airliner. They would therefore need at least 1,500 hours of flight time, compared with today’s comparatively minuscule minimum of 250 hours.
Although neither the FAA nor the Regional Airline Association would directly criticize the legislation, the part of the bill that would require ATP ratings for first officers appears likely to face special scrutiny, even though it wouldn’t take effect for three years after the legislation’s effective date. “As the [FAA] Administrator [Randy Babbitt] was quoted as saying the other day, it’s important to focus on the quality of training rather than the quantity,” said RAA president Roger Cohen. “I think it’s important not to focus too much on arbitrary numbers in aviation.”
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