Max Trescott on General Aviation

Drunk Airline Pilot Video – United Pilot Arrested in London

2009-11-10T23:54:33-08:00

On Monday, British police arrested a United Airlines pilot after he failed a breathalyzer test. The pilot, who apparently had already boarded a Boeing 767, was preparing the fly the aircraft from London’s Heathrow airport to Chicago. Scotland Yard reports that they charged the 51-year old pilot, Erwin Washington of Lakewood, CO, with having too much alcohol in his system while working as a member of aviation staff. The flight was cancelled and the plane’s 124 passengers were rebooked on other flights.

This incident comes on top of a series of recent pilot lapses that...

leave some questioning what’s happening to the airline pilot profession. In a little more than a year, three airline pilots, two from United and a third from American Airlines, have been arrested in Heathrow for being under the influence of alcohol. In October alone, a Boeing 767 landed on an active taxiway in Atlanta, a Northwest Airlines A320 overflew it’s Minneapolis destination while the pilots were out of radio communication for over an hour and a Midwest Airlines regional jet nearly taxied into the path of a jet taking off at LAX. CNN quotes a United pilot, who didn’t want to be identified, as saying that these incidents point to an "industry that is running on the ragged edge. ... It's a completely different life than people think."

Yet despite the large amount of publicity from these incidents, they remain relatively rare. In 2008, just 13 pilots were identified violating the FAA’s alcohol rules that require no drinking in the 8 hours preceding a flight and a blood alcohol level of less than 0.04.

Alcoholism among pilots—or in any profession—is not new. For decades, coworkers covered for each other, knowing that if a pilot were caught drunk he would be fired and have difficulty making a living and supporting his family. Not until the 1970’s did the airlines start offering programs that treated pilots for alcoholism and let them keep their jobs.

I first became aware of the issue in 1975 when I visited a relative at an alcohol rehabilitation center, where I met an airline pilot undergoing treatment. He was a large jovial man who was likeable and easy to talk to. I still remember the details he told me of an emergency landing that he was once forced to make. I also met a member of Congress who was undergoing treatment there, all of which made a vivid impression on a young college student.

There’s no doubt that the airline pilot profession has become more difficult in recent years, but that’s not the sole reason some pilots try to fly drunk. Even during the airlines’ golden years when salaries were high and schedules were easier with more days off each month, some pilots flew drunk. Candidly, I think it has more to do with jet lag, boredom, the many days of travel away from home and the resulting strains in family relations. Even the Dean Martin Variety Show, which ran on television from 1965 to 1974, parodied drunken pilots as you can see from this video. Flying drunk is a problem that’s been with us for decades and it’s unlikely to disappear.

Video on Strategies for Learning to Fly Glass Cockpit Aircraft

2009-11-06T21:43:41-08:00

I’ve been in Tampa, Florida this week for AOPA Aviation Summit 2009. One of the great innovations this year is AOPA Live, a live streaming of selected portions of the event over the internet. In the past, about 10,000 people attended AOPA Expo each year. Yesterday, 20,000 people viewed AOPA Live, effectively tripling AOPA’s audience. That’s a smart move in a tough economy where General Aviation needs to spread its message as broadly and effectively as possible.

I was lucky to be one of the few people on both ends of AOPA Live. On Thursday...

I attended the general sessions at the Tampa Convention Center. But on Friday I slept in, as I tried to work off a sleep deficit, but was still able to view the morning general sessions from my hotel room via my laptop. Rather than use the hotel wireless, I tethered a laptop to my Verizon cell phone, which I thought would provide the higher data rates required to handle live video. It worked almost flawlessly, other than a few pauses in the video stream caused by twitter text messages arriving on the cell phone.

In addition to broadcasting the two morning general sessions, AOPA Live broadcasts interviews throughout the afternoon. These are produced on a raised set in the center of the exhibit hall. There are seats for an audience of perhaps 50 people and lots of standing room for others to watch the interviews.

At 2PM, Ian Twombly, AOPA Flight Training deputy editor interviewed me on Strategies for Better Glass Cockpit Flying. That 10 minute interview is now archived and should start to play as you open this web page. We first talked about the benefits of why a pilot might want to learn to fly a glass cockpit equipped aircraft. Then we talked about strategies for training in the aircraft and ways to maximize proficiency between flights. Finally, we talked about transition training for these aircraft, which things people adapt to quickly, and which ones often require more time. I hope you enjoy the video.

At 3:30 PM, I gave a presentation to a packed room called Practical Tips for Flying GPS & WAAS based Approaches. This is a new presentation and based on the enthusiastic response of the crowd, I’m going to figure out how to deliver it to more people around the country. Perhaps the funniest moment occurred just before I started speaking when the room was filled by the voice of an unseen speaker in the adjacent room starting his presentation. I paused long enough for my audience to realize that it wasn’t I that they were hearing and then began to lip-synch and pantomime as if I were speaking the words they were hearing. It was a fun improvisation and it brought the house down. I sure hope that part of the presentation made it onto the official audio recording of the session as it was a priceless moment.

On Saturday, I’ll be flying a vendor’s plane to test out a new product and later in the afternoon will be at SunState Aviation’s Open House at Kissimmee airport. Hope to see you either at AOPA Aviation Summit or at SunState!

New Garmin aera Portable GPS Comparison

2009-11-03T00:15:59-08:00

Garmin’s announcement today of four new portable GPS products—the aera 500, 510, 550 and 560—essentially refreshes all but the high end of their portable aviation GPS product line. To help pilots understand these products, I’ve put together a comparison chart that compares the aera GPS with the Garmin...

296, 396, 495 and 496 units that they will eventually replace. These new products don’t affect the high end of the portable product line, the Garmin 695 and 696, however retailers are offering a $300 rebate on those units until the end of the year. Those units will be of interest to pilots who want to display electronic instrument approach charts, a capability not available on the aera GPS units.

All of the aera GPS units feature touch screen capability while lowering most of the price points of the products they replace. Users can also switch between aviation and automotive functions with a single touch screen key, a major improvement over older units. For pilots interested in receiving XM Satellite weather—a service that any serious pilot should have in the cockpit—the new aera line significantly lowers the cost of getting an XM-capable GPS.

I haven’t held one of the new aera GPS units yet, but expect to later this week at AOPA Aviation Summit 2009 in Tampa, Florida. Thus all of my observations are based upon Garmin’s press release and web site. I’ll plan to update this story after I’ve had some time to use one of the units.

All of the units share the same physical case. The aera displays are about 27% larger than those of the units they replace. The new screens measure 3.8” wide by 2.25” high versus 3.2” wide by 2.1” high. All of the product differences are implemented using different versions of software in each unit. Each unit comes with two mounting kits, one for airplanes and one for automobiles.

The entry-level unit, the aera 500 lists for $799, giving Garmin a product with a price point close to the Bendix/King AV8OR, which also features a touch screen. The primary differences among the other units are whether they offer XM Weather or include the AOPA Directory and SafeTaxi diagrams. I am a huge fan of XM weather and pilots can now get this capability with the aera 510 for $1299 plus the cost of an XM subscription. Previous, the lowest cost Garmin GPS with XM-capability was the 396 that previously sold for $1795 and can now be had for $1495. [Click Garmin area Portable GPS Comparison Chart to enlarge]

The aera 550 and 560 add the AOPA Directory and SafeTaxi diagrams. The AOPA Directory is a great resource, however it’s also available for free in you have an iPhone, iPodTouch or Blackberry. SafeTaxi is a wonderful feature, particularly if you frequent larger airports with which you’re unfamiliar. It assists a pilot while taxiing by displaying a map of labeled runways and taxiways for 950 of the largest airports.

As you can see from my comparison chart, the price points of the new Garmin aera GPSs are equal to or lower than the older GPS units with one exception, the Garmin 550, which lists for $1499, $200 more than you need to pay to get a Garmin 495. My data suggests that the Garmin 495 was never a huge seller; most people who considered the 495 bought the 496 instead. Thus this pricing may help clear out any old stock of Garmin 495 units, representing a short-term bargain for pilots who don’t need XM weather yet want the AOPA Directory or more likely the SafeTaxi diagrams.

If you’ve held off upgrading an older GPS or you don’t yet own an aviation GPS, consider getting a Garmin aera. Since I feel that any pilot who flies in anything other than severe clear weather should have XM weather available in the cockpit, give strong consideration to the aera 510 and 560. Or for a low cost back unit, consider the aera 500.

Max’s Guide to AOPA Aviation Summit 2009

2009-10-30T23:21:16-07:00

It’s just 5 days until the start of AOPA Aviation Summit, however IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO DECIDE TO GO! If you’re looking to get fully plugged into what’s going on in the aviation industry, this will be the place to be and here’s why. AirVenture in Oshkosh is the largest U.S. aviation show. However, all of the industry leaders you’ll find there also attend AOPA Aviation Summit. Since the show is smaller, you have a better chance of meeting and talking one-on-one with your favorite aviation regulator, association President or aircraft manufacturer CEO. Plus you can enjoy some Tampa, Florida weather and hospitality.

Savvy readers will note...

the name of the event changed from AOPA Expo to AOPA Aviation Summit. My blogger friend Dan Pimentel recently interviewed AOPA Vice President Tom Haines about the change. "The decision to reposition the already successful AOPA Expo to AOPA Aviation Summit was [AOPA President] Craig Fuller's. The change represents his vision of how AOPA should play a key role in bringing together all affected parties--federal agencies, manufacturers, regulators, and, of course, pilots--to chart a successful course for general aviation. As the word "summit" implies, AOPA Summit will be a place where decision makers and influencers come together to discuss the future. Rather than position the show as the last event of the year, we would like it to be seen as the first event of the upcoming year--a place to look at the landscape ahead.”

AOPA Aviation Summit 2009 Activity Schedule--Max's Top Picks
I’ll be at AOPA Aviation Summit next week and put together a calendar of items that interest me. I’ve also listed my seminars and book signings—please come to one and say hello! Note that sessions labeled “AOPA Live” will be also be broadcast over the internet. I haven't seen the details yet on how to view these sessions over the internet. Check the www.AOPA.org web site later in the week for details.

Thursday, November 5, 2009 - Opening Day.

9 AM Summit Session: One Voice. Opening session. Hear directly from the leaders of top aviation organizations representing pilots, aircraft owners, women, manufacturers, businesses, FBOs, and others about what makes general aviation a vital part of the nation's infrastructure. AOPA President Craig Fuller hosts a discussion of the issues that affect the future of general aviation with Ed Bolen, President of NBAA, Pete Bunce, President of GAMA, Peggy Chabrian, President of WAI, Jim Coyne, President of NATA, Paula Derks, President of AEA and Tom Poberezny, President of EAA.

9:50 AM Summit Session: GA of the Future. AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines leads a panel discussion that acknowledges the downtrend in GA and looks toward an evolving future. Panel includes Cessna's Jack Pelton, Cirrus' Alan Klapmeier, Remos' Corvin Huber, and Teledyne Continental's Rhett Ross.

11 AM Night Flying Safety: What Your CFI Didn’t Tell You by Max Trescott, 2008 National CFI of the Year [Hey, that’s me!]

12 Noon AOPA Live: General Aviation Serves America (GASA) Rally. Jim Coyne (President, NATA) leads the first General Aviation Serves America (GASA) Rally at the center of the Exhibit Hall. As a former Congressman, Jim knows how to hold a fun political-style rally with hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and stirring speeches.

1:30 AOPA Live: Meet Tom Poberezny, President of EAA.

2:00 PM 121.5 Replacement Options: 406 ELTs, PLBs, and More. Your 121.5 ELT is virtually useless, so Doug Ritter will clarify the often confusing options including 406-MHz ELT upgrades, 406 PLBs, SPOT, and other alternative distress alerting devices.

2:30 PM AOPA Live: Flight Plan for the Future With the FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.

3 PM Book Signing by Max Trescott at PIlotMall.com booth on the exhibit floor.

4 PM AOPA Live: Meet well-known airshow performer and aviation sweetheart Patty Wagstaff. Yes, she is a delight to talk to in person.

Friday, November 6, 2009

9 AM  Summit Session: Trends in Aviation: Defining NextGen. Find out more about NextGen and how it will impact your flying. AOPA President Craig Fuller will be joined by experts including RTCA's Margaret Jenny to talk about what NextGen means to you.

9:50 AM Summit Session: Flying the Future Now. AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines leads a panel discussion on what's coming to GA cockpits today and in the future. With Bill Stone of Garmin, Tim Taylor of FreeFlight Systems, and David Vos of Rockwell Collins, Haines looks at synthetic vision and enhanced vision, ADS-B, and advanced flight control systems.

11 AM Candidly, I’m conflicted about what to do at 11 AM. Good friend and my nomination for Prince of General Aviation, Rod Machado is speaking. At the same time TSA Assistant Administrators John Sammon and Brian Delauter are also talking. You make the call.

11:30 AM AOPA Live: The Future of Powerplants: Peter Mauer, President of Diamond Aircraft.

2 PM AOPA Live: Strategies for Better Glass Cockpit Flying with Max Trescott.

3 PM Practical Tips for Flying GPS & WAAS based approaches by Max Trescott

4 PM  AOPA Live: Flight Without Boundaries with Jessica Cox.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

9 AM Summit Session: President's Town Hall. AOPA President Craig Fuller hosts a wide-ranging town hall. He’ll be joined by one of GA’s biggest supporters, Congressman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. Jessica Cox, the first woman born without arms to earn a pilot certificate will speak about her inspirational story.

10:30 Social Media Meetup with the MyTransponder.com team about how "making aviation more social" can help support aviation. Like the “AOPA Live” events, this meetup will be streamed live over the internet.

2:00 PM GPS From the Ground Up. Discusses GPS operations as a whole, not just individual unit-specific functions. It's no longer about a GPS unit, it's about an entire operation that includes the pilot, ATC, Flight Service, etc. Presented by my friend and AOPA Air Safety Foundation presenter Andy Miller.

3:00 PM Book Signing at Sunstate Aviation in Kissimmee. If you can’t make it to AOPA Aviation Summit and are in the Orlando area, come join me at Sunstate where I’ll be happy to sign one of my books for you.

Graphic Video Highlights Dangers of Inadvertent VFR into IMC

2009-10-28T23:30:34-07:00

Today on the Golf Hotel Whiskey blog, I saw one of the most chilling flying videos I’ve ever viewed. It’s a graphic example of why inadvertent VFR into IMC is the most dangerous accident type. Statistically, if a pilot inadvertently flies into a cloud and subsequently has an accident, 90% of the time one or more people aboard that flight will die. By contrast, only about 15% of daytime accidents are fatal and 30% of nighttime accidents are fatal. Therefore, when teaching Private pilots I literally tell them “Do not enter a cloud under any circumstances under penalty of death.” Obviously that doesn’t apply later when they become instrument rated and are on an IFR flight plan.

In this video, the pilot shows a callous disregard for the dangers of flying in the clouds...

without an IFR clearance. He can be seen calmly flying in IMC until suddenly bushes appear at the aircraft’s level ahead and to the right. Just how close the pilot came to killing all aboard is later demonstrated by a close-up view of the damage to the right wing.

It’s one thing for a pilot to break the rules and endanger himself. It is unconscionable that this pilot’s careless disregard nearly killed a plane full of passengers along for the ride. They undoubtedly put their trust in the pilot, never suspecting that he would take them to within a couple of feet of their death.

Yesterday, the FAA announced the emergency revocation of the licenses for the crew that flew Northwest Airlines Flight 188 past their destination while out of radio contact for 78 minutes. Candidly, this pilot’s behavior was far more egregious. If he’s identified, the FAA should revoke his certificates.

Video Shows a How a Laptop Blocks Instruments on Airbus

2009-10-27T06:29:24-07:00

[See update at bottom] The strange case of Northwest Flight 188 that we reported last week got even stranger Monday after the NTSB released details of their interviews with the pilots. The aircraft had been out of communication with ATC for 78 minutes, leading to widespread speculation that the crew had fallen asleep. Over the weekend, some Delta safety officials hinted that this was not the case and on Monday the NTSB interviewed Captain Timothy Cheney and First Officer Richard Cole individually for 5 hours each. According to a Delta spokesman, the pilots were "using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to pilots' command of the aircraft during flight" which they described as against company policy. Delta owns Northwest Airlines.

Jon Ostrower of FlightBlogger has released a YouTube video that shows the pull out tray available for pilots to use while working in an Airbus A320 cockpit. As he points out in the video, placing a laptop on the pull out tray would block a pilot’s view of the cockpit instruments. Airbus was able to include the pull out tray in their cockpits since, instead of a center-mounted yoke, they incorporate a side stick for aircraft control.

Personally, I find the pilots’ explanations credible though indefensible. One of a pilot’s primary responsibilities is to maintain situation awareness. Anyone who has used a computer understands that it’s possible to become so totally focused and engaged in using one that outside stimuli go unnoticed. It’s little wonder that Delta bans the use of laptop computers in the cockpit.

I wonder if the incident may result in more calls for the installation of cameras on the flight deck. Last year, Virgin America pilots went to court to have cameras removed from their flight decks but the court held that the cameras could stay. It seems likely that other airlines will install cameras in the future. Hopefully they won’t make the video feed available to passengers—I’m not sure I want to see what’s happening in the cockpit!

UPDATE: 2:30 PM. This afternoon, the FAA announced the revocation of the pilot's licenses. The press release reads: "The Federal Aviation Administration has revoked the licenses of two Northwest Airlines pilots who overflew their destination airport on October 21, 2009 while operating Flight 188 from San Diego to Minneapolis.

"The pilots were out of contact with air traffic controllers for an extended period of time and told federal investigators that they were distracted by a conversation. Air traffic controllers and airline officials repeatedly tried to reach them through radio and data contact, without success.

"The emergency revocations cite violations of a number of Federal Aviation Regulations. Those include failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.

The revocations are effective immediately. The pilots have 10 days to appeal the emergency revocations to the National Transportation Safety Board."

Is anyone surprised?

Northwest Airlines Flight 188 Pilots Asleep at Controls?

2009-10-23T00:37:15-07:00

The professionalism of two Northwest Airlines pilots who overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles is seriously in question. While all the facts are not known, it’s quite possible that the pilots fell asleep at the controls. Anyone can make a mistake. But pilots in particular need to be accountable and take responsibility when mistakes are made.

There’s a political adage dating to the Watergate break-in that “It's not the crime that kills you,...

it's the cover-up.” If it turns out that the pilots lied to cover up falling asleep at the controls, then their professionalism will have suffered an even greater blow than falling asleep.

What is known is that plane dropped out of radio contact with controllers about 7 p.m. CDT, while cruising at 37,000 feet. The jet flew over its destination, the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport just before 8 p.m. It re-established communications at 8:14 p.m. and returned to land safely at MSP. Passengers were kept on the plane briefly while 2 policemen boarded the aircraft to talk with the crew. Delta, which owns Northwest Airlines, relieved the pilots from active flying pending an NTSB investigation.

During the 78-minute silence, the pilots missed four frequency changes that should have occurred. Controllers feared that the crew was incapacitated or that some terrorist attack was in progress. Finally, the controllers hit upon a strategy for reaching the crew. They asked two nearby aircraft to try calling the Northwest plane on the original frequency the crew was using prior to the loss of communications. The crew responded to one of the calls and re-established communications with ATC.

When ATC asked what had happened, one of the pilots reportedly said that they’d been distracted. Later the pilots explained that they had been "discussing a company issue." While both answers smack of the “dog ate my homework” type of excuse, what really happened can’t be known until the NTSB examines the cockpit voice recorder, which has been sent to Washington.

As we reported last week, the House has passed a bill that among other things requires the FAA to issue regulations that specify limitations on the hours of flight and duty time allowed for pilots to address problems relating to pilot fatigue. Some countries allow their pilots to nap in the cockpit and it’s possible that the new regulations may permit it in the U.S.

While sleeping in the cockpit is not currently permitted, U.S. airline pilots will occasionally announce to the other pilot that they plan to “meditate,” a code word for taking a nap without admitting so on the cockpit voice recorder. Airlines often schedule their crews up to the limits of FAA regulations, often leaving them fatigued. Just last year, two Go! Airlines pilots fell asleep for at least 18 minutes and overshot their destination in Hawaii.

Earlier this week, I met Captain Sully Sullenberger, who testified before Congress about his concerns about whether the airlines will still be able attract and retain a high caliber of pilots. Captain Sullenberger is an outstanding industry spokesman who represents the 99%+ of pilots that operate with the highest level of professionalism. If it turns out that the crew of Flight 188 not only fell asleep in the cockpit, but then lied about it, we will have witnessed the opposite extreme in airline pilot professionalism.

Book Review: Highest Duty – Captain Sully Sullenberger, American Hero

2009-10-20T23:09:46-07:00

Since January 15, 2009, Sully has needed no introduction. On that fateful day, US Air’s Flight 1549 had a chance encounter with geese that killed both engines, turning the Airbus A320 into a 150,000 pound glider. The next 208 seconds, during which he glided the jet to a landing on the Hudson River, changed his life and ours. Many people remember exactly where they were on that day. I was on the phone when I heard. Later that evening I appeared on the evening news at the local NBC affiliate to provide perspective on the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

Most people, particularly pilots, already know...

a lot about what unfolded that day. Now his first book, Highest Duty answers the questions: Who is Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger? What life experiences and philosophies prepared him for that day? What thoughts were going through his mind during the emergency?

Sully also talks about his transformation from ordinary pilot and family man to American hero. “We all have heard about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations…I believe many people in those situations actually have made decisions years before. Somewhere along the line, they came to define the sort of person they wanted to be, and then they conducted their lives accordingly.”

I enjoyed reading about his time as a cadet at the Air Force Academy; I hadn’t known about the hazing that occurs. He believes the hard training and attention to details during his time as a fighter pilot helped prepared him for that fateful day. We also learn about his family, how he met his wife Lorrie and the adoption of their two daughters. He talks candidly about the challenges they’ve faced including his 40% pay cut, loss of pension plan, and loss of a tenant in a commercial building they own.

The last third of the book goes into details about the 208-second glide down to the Hudson. Much of that portion of the story is already known, due to the high level of publicity since the incident. However, Sully does offer a few new details that I hadn’t heard before.

The book is a fun read. I found that my copy arrived while I was away for the weekend. I started reading it mid-afternoon Sunday and finished it late that night. On Monday I learned that Sully would be doing a book signing on Tuesday, so I decided to go meet the man himself. Like many people, I first met Sully on the Hudson, or more correctly—I met him at the Hudson Books in the International Terminal of the San Francisco Airport.

Not surprisingly, the Sully I met in person is identical to the man that America has seen interviewed on radio and television. He’s a tall, distinguished looking gentleman who appears confident and professional. Initially a quiet man by nature, he’s gotten used to being the public face for aviation and interacting with the public. When we met, I thanked him for becoming the co-chairman, along with his first officer Jeff Skiles, for the EAA’s Young Eagles program. The program flies over 100,000 teenagers a year, giving them their first exposure to aviation. We talked about how important the program is to sparking the interest of young people in becoming involved in aviation. Sully signed my book “To the 2008 National CFI of the Year” and also signed another book I bought for a friend on Twitter who’s working to get his CFI rating.

In his book, Sully says “The airline industry has its problems, and a lot of the issues can be troubling and wearing, but I still find purpose and satisfaction in flying.” The airlines and EAA couldn’t ask for a better spokesman. I hope you enjoy Highest Duty as much as I did. My thanks to Harper Collins for sending me an evaluation copy—which I won’t be sending back to them!

New Air Safety Bill--Good for Passengers, Bad for Future Airline Pilots?

2009-10-14T23:14:58-07:00

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported the passage today of H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, by a vote of 409-11. According to Committee Chairman Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), “This legislation was developed as a result of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, where 50 people tragically perished outside of Buffalo, New York on February 12, 2009, and subsequent hearings by the Aviation Subcommittee.” When the bill was introduced in March, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said the bill "is not necessary" since the agency had already taken steps to address issues raised by the Colgan Air crash. You can read the full text of the bill here.

While H.R. 3371 addresses many aspects of airline safety, one of the biggest changes is that it...

requires all airline pilots, including first officers, to hold an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, which requires pilots to have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. Currently, a first officer requires only a Commercial Pilot certificate, which can require as few as 190 hours. When the final FAA rule is issued, it may allow some academic college credit to be applied to the 1,500 hours.

The bill directs the FAA Administrator to ensure that all Part 121 airline pilots, including regional airlines, have obtained an ATP within 3 years of the passage of the bill. Presumably existing pilots who haven’t attained the ATP certificate within that time will no longer be permitted to fly for the airlines.

Regional airlines, which have at times hired first officers with as few as 250 hours, are most likely to be affected. Roger Cohen, President of the Regional Airline Association, stated: "We look forward to working with all stakeholders to implement the requirements of the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act. This bill has many elements mirrored in our own Strategic Safety Initiative including a thorough study of pilot commuting and fatigue.”

The bill addresses many aspects of airline safety including:

Establishes an Air Carrier Safety and Pilot Training Task Force that must report to Congress every 180 days on airline progress in implementing best practices and regulations.
Establishes New Pilot Training, Screening, Mentoring and Professional Development Standards including revising ATP requirement to include training in air carrier operational environment, adverse weather conditions including icing, high altitude operations, and a multi-pilot crew.
Creates a Pilot Records Database to provide airlines with fast, electronic access to a pilot’s comprehensive record.
Addresses Issues of Fatigue including directing the FAA to update and implement new pilot flight and duty time rules and fatigue risk management plans.
Directs the GAO to study: pilot academic training requirements; pilot education provided by accredited two- and four-year colleges/universities; foreign academic requirements; FAA’s oversight of flight schools; and student loan options available to student pilots.
Requires the Department of Transportation to study and report to Congress on if the number and experience level of FAA safety inspectors assigned to regional airlines is commensurate with that of mainline airlines.
Requires Internet web sites that sell airline tickets to disclose to the purchaser on the first page of the web site the air carrier that operates each segment of the flight.

Good for Passengers, Bad for Future Airline Pilots?
My informal survey of pilots about the bill produced mixed reactions. Generally, pilots felt that requiring 1500 hours and an ATP was good for passengers, but would make it harder for aspiring airline pilots to reach their goals. Since many future airline pilots may resort to teaching as flight instructors to build the additional flight hours required, fulltime flight instructors may be negatively impacted.

“I believe this is a great resolution. It strengthens the level of experience in the cockpit of regional carriers.”

“I think it will probably increase safety. Although only building time as a CFI isn't the real world experience one needs for flying for the airlines. The majority of pilots would still build the time doing day VFR instruction. But cross country IFR time is what is needed.”

From a future CFI: “I wonder how that bodes for guys like me who get their CFI ratings late in life. Will we have any students? I was hoping the fact I won't be going to the airlines would be my ace in the hole if it helped me get students.”

From a future Airline Pilot that will work as a CFI: “That bill is going to hurt me (working on CFI) and hurt general aviation, no money, no financing out there - but long term good."

Others were skeptical that simply requiring more hours and an ATP addressed the core safety issues facing regional airlines.

“Why increase the requirements? Most of the safety issues on flights today are caused by low pay and heavy hours, no?”

“I can understand the desire to make regional pilots have more hours, but I think requiring an ATP might be excessive for a First Officer."

From a college senior who is a Commercial pilot: “Ridiculous. It's not about the quantity of hours flown, it's the quality of the training received.”

“All requiring an ATP will do is force less experienced pilots to start with higher risk jobs.”

Other pilots felt that increasing the requirements may make it difficult to create a pool of qualified pilots for the regional airlines if salaries didn’t also increase.

“1500 hours and an ATP. Wow, good luck getting enough pilots to fill the seats.”

“It had better have an impact on salaries. No sane person would go into $150,000 of debt for a $20,000 a year job.”

A few pilots felt that the House was overstepping their bounds by dictating policy to the FAA:

“The House appears to be overstepping a bit -- this is not a decision best resolved by political debate and compromise.”

“My first thought is: why are we letting a bunch of idiot politicians make policies for job requirements? I already think our government intrudes upon our daily lives way too much... but don't get me started there.”

What are your thoughts? Will this bill improve airline safety? Also, what are the likely consequences of the bill? If the new rules drive up the cost to become a First Officer, would the regional airlines consider hiring foreign pilots to keep costs down? Please post your comments below for others to read.

FTC Sets Endorsement Rules for Blogs—Trescott Apology Tour Begins

2009-10-06T02:10:33-07:00

While surfing the internet, I read an update on the David Letterman blackmail sex scandal. The key takeaway for me was that Steve Martin and Martin Short are on the show, so I’ll be watching tonight when I otherwise wouldn’t have—so that’s good for Letterman’s ratings. Is the next step for him to start an Apology Tour with...

appearances on other talk shows to apologize for his behavior? Probably not, but hold that thought for a moment.

The next story I read was a Washington Post article about an FTC announcement that bloggers who offer endorsements must now disclose any payments they’ve received or face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. I’d previously concluded that full disclosure was the only ethical path, should some corporation choose to shower me in cash. However, in reviewing my past blog articles, I realized that I failed to uphold my own journalism ethics standards. Hence, the Trescott Apology Tour begins

Why hold an Apology Tour over my trivial oversights, when the FTC rules only took effect today and don’t apply to my past blog articles? Candidly, I’ve become somewhat suspect of the Apology Tours of top celebrities after they’ve behaved badly. I've noticed that past tours for Don Imus, Kanye West and Michael Vick seemed to have only brought them more publicity. Believing the old Hollywood saw that “Any publicity is good publicity,” I had been scouring my past for misdeeds for which I could be contrite and go on my own Apology Tour. I’m shooting for the Tonight Show and Oprah; I just hope I can cry on cue.

So here are my full disclosures as required by the FTC. I wrote a very c omplimentary story about Sportys after I visited them this past Spring. I even paid my own airfare, hotel room and rental car. However, in the interest of full disclosure here is true Confession #1: I failed to disclose that I didn’t pay for the 3 hotdogs that I ate while visiting. Hopefully you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me. After all, every Saturday Hal offers free hotdogs and has served over 165,000—but I didn’t eat any of those. [close up of Max: tears starting to well up]

I also wrote an article about Flying Drunk, a book written by a member of the drunk Northwest crew that flew a 727 full of passengers, was arrested, and served time in Federal prison. One of the fun things about being a blogger is occasionally getting an email from a publishing company asking if you’d like to review a book. Confession #2: I said yes, and they sent me a free copy of the book. And I failed to mention in my article that I didn’t pay for the book. [tearing begins and I pull out a Kleenex]

I wrote an article about the Aspen Avionics EFD 1000 Pro, a device that I found incredibly remarkable for it’s price. I was deeply impressed and would have written the same words regardless of circumstances. Like any smart blogger, I contacted Aspen Avionics to see if they might have a demo aircraft I could fly at Sun ‘n Fun. Alas they didn’t have an aircraft available, so they referred me to a local aircraft owner in my area who has an Aspen installed in his Bonanza. Confession #3: Aspen offered to pay for the gas for the flight and he didn’t turn them down! [tears streaming down my face]

Interestingly, I’ve received several free inexpensive products that were totally unsolicited and I haven’t written about any of them. It’s not that I won’t write about some of them. Rather I’ve been constrained for time the past few months as I finished my new GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook and the 4th edition of my G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook, coming out in late October. Yes I’ve written about both of my books in the past. And I may have failed to mention that I actually receive money when people buy books I've written. [sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for breath]

Finally, I want my readers to know that if Cirrus ever gives me a free SR22T with Perspective, FIKI and EVS (I’d prefer the red paint scheme if they’re reading this) or if Cessna ever chooses to give me a free 400 Corvalis TT with the TKS option installed (paint scheme of their choice—they’re all beautiful)—I promise to disclose those facts. I feel better all ready. Now I can't wait for the overnight Nielson ratings to come out. I want to see if the Trescott Apology Tour brought more readers to this blog.