Remembering the Importance of Strong Pilot Training Standards


By Tim Canoll, ALPA President

On this day seven years ago, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 persons aboard, plus one on the ground. In the aftermath of this tragic accident, questions swirled, and the airline industry was put under a microscope.

At the conclusion of the official investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began to develop new pilot fatigue and first officer qualification and training rules. During this process, the FAA invited industry, labor, and government to work together on the effort to enhance safety. Through these collaborative and cohesive efforts, new regulations were implemented.

ALPA has long maintained that the best and most important safety feature on any airplane is a well-trained, highly motivated, and professional pilot. And since the rollout of these new rules, our nation has experienced some of the safest years in aviation’s history.

As we commemorate the loss of our colleagues and the lessons learned from that fateful night, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of how far we have come since 2009. Currently, our elected leaders in Washington, D.C., are continuing the important work on the FAA reauthorization bill. We are grateful that the draft released last week maintains our nation’s strong pilot training and qualification standards. As this bill continues to progress through the House and then the Senate, ALPA will keep a close watch and aggressively oppose any attempt to roll back safety provisions.

Safety must never be compromised. The rules and regulations in place today have a purpose and were established for one goal—to continue to advance the safest, most secure aviation system in the world.

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