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Washington, DC -- U.S. Rep. Ron Klein (FL-22) Tuesday voted in favor of H.R. 4343, the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act of 2007. The legislation would repeal an outdated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation that forces airline pilots into retirement at age 60 and allow pilots to serve in multi-crew operations until age 65, provided they meet certain professional and medical requirements. An identical measure is contained in H.R. 2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007, which passed the House on September 20 but has stalled in the Senate.
"I am pleased that the House passed H.R. 4343 today," said Klein. "With negotiations bogging down in the Senate over FAA Reauthorization, it's important that Congress pass at least this measure to prevent our experienced pilots from having to retire. Already, we're losing about 50 of our best pilots every week due to this outdated FAA regulation. This is simply unacceptable. If a pilot is healthy enough and qualified enough to fly, then he or she should be allowed to keep flying.
"To me, this is a simple matter of safety. Recent reports indicate that near-misses on runways at airports all across America are on the rise, and Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has been listed as one of that needs special attention. Simple common-sense says that we need more of our most skilled pilots in these life-or-death situations, not less. That's why I commend the bipartisan spirit in the House to push this legislation through, and call on the Senate to take up this measure as well as the other critical measures in the FAA Reauthorization Act as soon as possible."
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