1500 hr rule going away??

floridabeachbum

Well-Known Member
So Byran and the RAA are seeking to do away with the 1500hr rule. Will they be successful? What are your thoughts? I have heard of the horror stories and personally witnessed the effects of this shortage. (try non reving or jumpseating these days. Aint. gonna. happen.) Honestly, IMHO it's just a matter of time before mins get reduced to 500 hrs and the shortage goes away, or so they say.

So here's the article

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RAA Asks Congress & FAA to Return Emphasis on Quality Versus Quantity Hours; Details Small Community Air Service Threat
Source: Regional Airline Association (RAA)
Created: April 30, 2014
Representing the RAA and its Pilot Supply Task Force, Republic Airways Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Bedford explained how the FAA’s new 1500 hour First Officer Qualification (FOQ) rule has sparked a pilot shortage.

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Washington, DC—The reality of the US pilot shortage is taking its toll on air service to communities and the related economic impact is being felt across the country, the Regional Airline Association (RAA) testified today during the House Aviation Subcommittee hearing on Air Service to Small and Rural Communities.
Representing the RAA and its Pilot Supply Task Force, Republic Airways Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Bedford explained how the FAA’s new 1500 hour First Officer Qualification (FOQ) rule has sparked a pilot shortage: “We cautioned lawmakers and regulators, throughout the lawmaking and regulatory process that including a largely inflexible and arbitrary flight-hour experience requirement as part of the final mandate would not only fail to improve safety, it would hasten the growing pilot shortage and imperil air service at communities across the country.”
Following the release of the recent GAO report on the Aviation Workforce, RAA urged Congress and the FAA to work together to fix the pilot supply challenges emerging from the 1500 hour rule. The extraordinary time and financial burden for the nation’s highly trained aviators attempting to enter the workforce has severed the traditional pilot supply pipeline and impacted the nation’s economy with both job cuts and community air service reduction.
“I cannot think of a single greater challenge to air service to small and rural communities than the very real and significant pilot shortage facing US regional airlines and ultimately the flying public,” said Bedford.
Bedford asked Congress to direct FAA to allow structured training credit for a greater number of the ATP’s required 1500 flight hours, expedite the approval process for all institutions seeking to provide credit for structured training academies and programs, and to consider statutory improvements, such as student funding support, in order to work with the airline industry to attract new pilots now and in the future.
“By emphasizing quality-of-training over an arbitrary flight time experience, instead of the reverse, we can pursue our goal of protecting the world’s safest aviation system, while preserving access to that system for communities large and small. At the same time, we will stimulate job creation throughout the entire aviation marketplace,” Bedford concluded.
See Bryan Bedford’s full testimony here.
Additional RAA airline CEOs submitted testimony in support of RAA’s comments:
Cape Air
CommutAir
Envoy
Piedmont Airlines
PSA Airlines
Founded in 1975, Washington, D.C.-based RAA provides a wide array of technical, government relations and public relations services for regional airlines. With safety as its highest priority, the association's 29 member airlines and nearly 200 associate members represent the key decision-makers of this vital sector of the commercial aviation industry. With more than 13,000 regional airline flights every day, regional airlines operate half of the nation’s scheduled flights with nearly 70 percent of U.S. airports relying on regional airlines exclusively.
 
Ya they always fail to mention that. I wish someone in Congress would just speak up and say "Why don't you pay them more?"

It honestly blows my mind. Unlike some other careers, the pay for pilots is listed all over the web. Pay scales aren't a secret, and there's no negotiation, so what you see is what you get. I just don't understand it, why is it never mentioned? I understand it's not common public knowledge, but the information is readily available, nobody is trying to hide it, yet it never comes up.
 
If MPL gets implemented, I think it would be implemented for the wrong reasons. An MPL holder is no better trained than a 250 hour commercial pilot with a type rating. MPL pilots still need to build up quite a bit of experience in order to get an ATP. Just my opinion
 
I actually hope it doesn't go away. Pilots with an ATP and 1500 hours are worth more than a 250 hour wonder... Maybe the requirements to get an ATP and to 1500 can change a little bit since that seems to only benefit 4 year aviation schools.
If anything change the 141 requirements, I trained at both 61 and 141 and the 141 school I was at was an abortion. Best decision I ever made was leaving that hell hole.
 
I think precedent is usually a fairly good indicator of what will happen in the future. Has the FAA ever stepped back after imposing a new licensing restriction or regulation? I suppose they could make a new license, but I don't think they'll water down the new rule they just created.
 
Who at the FAA hears these arguments and makes decisions like these? Does ALPA talk to those guys too?
 
If anything change the 141 requirements, I trained at both 61 and 141 and the 141 school I was at was an abortion. Best decision I ever made was leaving that hell hole.

Couldn't agree more. In the end, who cares if you go to an ATP, or an ERAU, you're still flying a stupid Seminole to satisfy the requirement, allow part 61 training, who cares...
 
Couldn't agree more. In the end, who cares if you go to an ATP, or an ERAU, you're still flying a stupid Seminole to satisfy the requirement, allow part 61 training, who cares...

Well, ERAU and ATP care, for starters. And Ma and Pa Kettle don't have a Legal Affairs Department...
 
As some one with 300 hrs, I think this is a slippery slope to go down. As much as I'd like to have the mins lowered and find a job, it's just not safe.

If they do drop the minimums, then hopefully they will require additional training. Hopefully at the airlines costs...

I do believe in quality over quantity. However, there's too wide of a range of type of hours that can be flown. That seems too hard to regulate.
 
Well, ERAU and ATP care, for starters. And Ma and Pa Kettle don't have a Legal Affairs Department...

ATP is part 61, except for their programs at DAB and over in Phoenix that are for their international students. So most of us who went there still need 1500. Which I'm ok with to be honest, I'm looking forward to instructing (which I'll not be doing at ATP).

Now if they reduced the mins to say 1000 hours would I be upset? Of course not, but I'm ok with instructing till I hit 1500. Hopefully it'll mean better pay for first year new hires down the road when I reach that point.
 
Well, I dunno. The republicans have killed every job bill on the table, even one designed for Veterans, killed the minimum wage, etc(and then complain too many folks are on the doles). If enough of 'em want to kill this, they will.
 
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