Quote of the Day
"The U.S. economy expanded at a faster clip than initially forecast in the third quarter, helped by more robust consumer spending and by stronger exports. The economy grew at a 2.5% annualized pace in the quarter, revised up from the initial estimate of 2.0%, the government said in its second estimate of quarterly gross domestic product. GDP growth was 1.7% during the second quarter.”
- Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, 11/23/2010
OP-ED: Tuesday, August 3, 2010
FAMILIES OF FLIGHT 3407 HELP PASS SAFETY BILL
We often wonder if anyone is listening or if one person can really make a difference. You bet they can!
H.R. 5900, the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, was recently signed into law. The bill is the strongest aviation safety legislation enacted in the last 50 years, and its passage owes a great deal to the dedicated efforts of the families of Colgan Air Flight 3407.
Tragically, Colgan Flight 3407 crashed in inclement weather short of the airport in Buffalo, New York, on February 12, 2009, killing all 49 people on board and one on the ground. The accident began a nationwide debate over the quality of training at regional airlines. As Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, I called for hearings to learn the facts and determine what, if anything, needed to be done to prevent this from happening again.
During this process, the families of Flight 3407 formed a group to advocate for stronger pilot safety standards. They immediately set to work meeting with members of Congress, and I invited them to testify at a Subcommittee hearing on the issue. As we heard from the families and other stakeholders, I introduced H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, which passed the House last October and is the basis for H.R. 5900.
Among other provisions, the new law:
- Requires all pilots to have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which requires pilots to have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours and additional training.
- Creates stronger ATP requirements such as flying in adverse weather conditions, including icing conditions.
- Directs the FAA to create and maintain an electronic Pilot Records Database to allow airlines to quickly access an applicant’s comprehensive record as part of the hiring process.
There is no doubt that H.R. 5900 is law because of the determination of the families of Flight 3407. Over the last 17 months, they traveled to Washington, D.C., over 30 times at their own expense to press the importance of this legislation. Their example is a great reminder of what a small group of individuals, working together, can accomplish. It was a pleasure to work with them, and our aviation system is stronger for it.
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