Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010

 

Legislative Act - Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010

After February 12, 2009 an airplane 

accident put aviation safety on the table, procedures, experience and practices were being analyzed to determine if crew member were truly qualified to operate an airline or if it was too premature to a pilot to be seated behind the controls of a passenger jet. It took a great effort from congress members, unions and airlines in general to adhere and work cohesively for the sole purpose of increasing the safety of crew and passengers.

In 2010, a legislation changed the shape 

of the aviation industry in the United States and the effect of the “1500 hour rule” bill was passes requiring new pilot certification, qualification and requirements to act as a pilot of an air carrier. The legislation act passed it required the FAA to draw up new lines on pilot experience, training and rest that mainly mandated to captains and first officers to posses an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate which one of its minimum requirements are 1500 flight hours among other additional experience and qualifications (FAA, 2013). 

The law came in effect August 1, 2013 

and the impact was mainly felt by the regional air carries whose main source of pilot acquisition were newly graduate pilots that just earned a commercial license and only posses an average of 250 flight hours, these issue created a huge struggle to adapt to an inevitable pilot shortage and leaving a huge gap between obtaining a pilot comercial píncese and being qualified to operate a regional airline. 

The real question came is whether the 

new requirement will really enhance air safety, is it worth considering that the rules needed to be changed after a single accident that even the NTSB ruled the accident as pilot fatigue and poor airmanship of the captain responding to an aerodynamic stall. Logging more time in the cockpit does not automatically translate on more pilot skills, airmanship and acknowledge. Instead, it hinders the pilot the ability to develop good aviation habits early is training in a multi crew operation rather than just logging hours likely in an operation not so well regulated developing bad habits, complacency and ineffective airmanship skills that are hard to changed after 1500 flight hours (Public Law, 2010)

There are many ways to earn the required 

flight hours, a practical and steady way to achieve the minimum flight time is by flight instructing, others chose small charter operations and simply private flying to meet the minimum, a rule that really changed the approach to become a pilot of an airline. 

References

Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010. (2010). Public Law. https://www.congress.gov/111/plaws/publ216/PLAW-111publ216.pdf. 

Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations. (2013, August 1). Federal Aviation Administration. https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/media/2120-AJ67.pdf.