Mesa's Ornstein pi$$ed at Congress? Watch out...

[johnsonrod]

Yeah, I'm sure Congress really cares what he has to say... Pot calling the kettle black...

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2014-05-14/mesas-ornstein-expresses-disgust-washington

 

[General Lee]

I bet I know why......


AINonline: Aviation News, Business Aviation

Huerta Stands Firm On First Officer Qualifications

AINONLINE
by GREGORY POLEK


FAA Administrator Michael Huerta (Photo: Gregory Polek)
May 13, 2014, 8:11 PM

U.S. Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta on Tuesday made his second appearance in three years at the annual Regional Airline Association Convention. This year, however, he had to answer for what many within the RAA consider his agency's failure to allay to their concerns over perhaps the most unpopular rule to take effect since the so-called One Level of Safety mandate in the late 1990s. As the featured speaker at Tuesday's general session, Huerta spoke of the need for the FAA to ensure the integrity of the Congressional requirement for first officers to carry an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, leaving little doubt that the agency's advertised partnership with the industry comes with limitations.

Although, he said, the legislation did give the FAA the authority to allow "some flexibility" in how prospective first officers meet the new ATP requirements, it didn't give it the power to compromise the spirit of the regulation. "We broadened that flexibility as much as we could in an effort to address industry concerns," explained Huerta. "But Congress's intent was clear. They wanted to increase the qualification and experience requirements for pilots. We're open to discussing ideas on strengthening the pilot pipeline, but industry must recognize that the FAA alone cannot solve this issue."

In a pre-convention interview with AIN, RAA vice president Scott Foose dismissed charges that the shortage of pilots has resulted from the regionals' low starting pay, and asserted that a pilot's lifetime career earnings compare favorably with many professions requiring similar levels of education. The problem, he said, lies largely in the fact that regulators did not follow most of the recommendations of an FAA rulemaking committee he chaired that called for a multi-tiered system under which pilots could earn credits in lieu of flight time as they achieved certain educational and/or experience benchmarks. The committee identified 14 different academic training courses for which prospective pilots should earn credits against the 1,500-hour standard. The final rule adopted only three of the 14 recommended criteria. The RAA now wants the FAA to revisit those recommendations.

Huerta met with the RAA board on Tuesday morning and told AIN that he stressed to the members that the FAA took full advantage of the flexibility the law provided to consider military service and educational credit in lieu of flight hours. "It's a conversation we will continue to have with industry as we look for [answers to] how do we deal with our long-term pilot requirements," he said. During talks with the RAA, Huerta noted that the sides settled on a credit of up to 500 hours for some combination of educational and military experience. "There are some that feel that maybe we could have gone beyond that," he conceded. "Our belief was that Congress was quite clear in its intent. They wanted an ATP; they wanted to be an hours threshold; we believe we maximized the flexibility we had under the statute."




Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Ops check good]

It is all a problem. It's wrong for new pilots to spend so much time and money just to get hired on at a regional making poverty wages. In the past, I believe prospective pilots looked at it as "paying dues" and knew the wages would be better. Now it's law that the same prospective pilots need to work even harder, spend even more money, take much more time just to be able to make the same poverty level wages. I can see why many young men/women are not choosing that path. So... How is it fixed? Majors still need regionals, regionals still need pilots and the government still needs it's law. Seems to me it needs to start at the top. Regionals can't pay the pilots a whole lot more without either A) finding money within the company (not very easy and normally does not go over well) or B) negotiate more lucrative contracts from the majors.

Raising FO pay WILL attract enough pilots to fix this so called "shortage". The ones that refuse to raise the pay will continue to have a problem. Sorry if my opinion is wrong (I'm not a pilot I am MX) but I do have a dog in this fight. I don't like seeing any regional hurt or go under just because of a lack of pilots.

Just for the record.... I know what it is like to start off making nothing, working terrible hours "paying dues". I made somewhere around $24k my first year as an A&P but it got me to the airline I am at now.

 

[kf4amu]

Majors still need regionals

Bull********************. No they don't. They are completely capable of flying from point A to B in a smaller airplane than they do now.

I swear that argument is pretty much exactly what Roger Cohen said to Congress. Give me a break...

 

[Freebrd]

Capable yes, cheaper to have Regionals fly it, yes. There ya go.

 

[chqflyer]

The only purpose of regional airlines is to suppress wages for employees of real airlines. All employees, not just pilots.

 

[RJLoser]

They are getting exactly what they deserve.

 

[pilotyip]

It is a stupid rule. Experience and time do not necessarily go together. Take one of our DA-20 pilots hired at 500 hours TT now with a 1000 hours of flight time, 500 TJ, 550 ME 50 actual IFR. This is a year of flying around the clock, day, night, IFR, international, two man cockpit, turbo jet experience. All training under 121 rules, Appendix E, F and H qualifications. Another pilot has 1501 hours of towing banners, with 1.5 hours of actual IFR time. Who is most experienced? Who gets the regional job? The answer is not the same.

 

[jmreii]

Johnny O was a crabby little man when I was there 16 years ago so what else is new!

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

These RAA clowns signed on the line that was dotted when they came up with those rules. They were the only ones on the ARC with objections. Just like 117, they blame the government and then tug a congresses skirt and say Joe six-pack constituent won't be able to fly between Podunk and BFE.....

Shameful