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 Air Transport Pilot (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 there appears to be insufficient support, scientific or otherwise, substantiating that an increase in pilot training hours by a factor of six 6 will enhance flight safety; 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 supports the issuance of education waivers to reduce training hours and address the looming shortage of pilots so that essential air service in rural communities will not be diminished
Adopted 9/5/2014
Amended 4/12/2019
Amended 9/20/24