WHEREAS the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010 became effective Aug. 1, 2013, increasing the number of hours from 250 to 1,500 as required for a person to qualify as a first officer under Part 121 operations and also requiring applicants to also hold an ATP certificate with an appropriate type rating; and
WHEREAS a rule requiring a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time for pilots to become qualified to fly for small airline transport commercial aviation companies is onerous with regard to the associated costs for student training, to small aviation companies looking for qualified pilots, and to the economic needs of communities like those in Western Colorado; and
WHEREAS many small communities in Colorado have begun to see reductions in flight frequency by as much as 50% and that trend is likely to continue and expand to other communities; and
WHEREAS there appears to be insufficient support, scientific or otherwise, substantiating that an increase in pilot training hours by a factor of 6 will enhance flight safety; and
WHEREAS the implementation of this rule has had the effect of drastically reducing the number of pilots able to complete the required training, the number of flights available throughout the country, and the number of passengers utilizing air travel; and
WHEREAS this rule is likely to continue to exacerbate the pilot shortage for many years to come and force U.S. scheduled airline companies to recruit qualified pilots from foreign countries and not pilots from the United States, and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that CLUB 20 emphatically requests Congress and the FAA to review the issue of pilot training hours and develop a reduced, reasonable, and responsible rule regarding the education of pilots; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CLUB 20 supports the issuance of education waivers to address the looming shortage of pilots so that air service in rural communities will not be crippled by a rule that appears to have insufficient scientific support in its genesis; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CLUB 20 requests the Colorado Congressional Delegation to work in a bi-partisan manner with the FAA to address the issue of the 1,500-hour training rule for pilots before the rule further negatively impact a critical industry and transportation service for all citizens of the United States.
Adopted 9/5/2014
Amended 4/12/2019