[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 121 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10969-S10970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            A PILOT SHORTAGE

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I want to bring before the Senate my 
observations of a hearing that we held in Montana last Friday. It had 
to do with a pilot shortage in this country, something we have heard 
very little about but which some of us are quite concerned about.
  The hearing examined the impending problem. After the hearing was 
over, I will say it is moving from impending to maybe an acute pilot 
shortage, with the factors that contribute to that possibility. I think 
the results of that hearing are very serious. I think it is certainly 
serious to the citizens of Montana and rural States on routes not 
heavily traveled.
  Now, because the national economy has done fairly well, we have seen 
a tremendous expansion in airlines, the major airlines--the 
``transcons,'' we call them. When business is good, they expand. Of 
course, expansion means hiring more pilots at almost record numbers, it 
seems. That creates a problem because pilots who start to work for the 
majors usually are drawn from the pool of pilots who fly for the local 
service or regional airlines.
  Now, what happens when these pilots are taken up? Regional and local 
service carriers get caught with fewer pilots, and that means, more 
times than not, canceled flights. We always wonder why they cancel a 
flight. Sometimes it is because we are just short of pilots. If this 
continues, then it is routes such as we find in rural areas in Montana 
that suffer--some of those routes might even be abandoned. So it 
doesn't take a doctorate in economics to figure out that the flights 
and routes that are canceled in these situations are those that are the 
least profitable; and the sad part, the less profitable a particular 
route tends to be for an airline, the more important it tends to be for 
the people who live in that region.
  As you know, Montana is a very large State. I was struck the other 
day that in a new route that had been put in, nonstop, from Missoula, 
MT, to Minneapolis, MN, the flying time is 2 hours 5 minutes, and the 
first hour is all spent in Montana. So we understand distances. If a 
regional airline is the only carrier serving a particular community and 
it cancels that route, what are the residents of that community 
supposed to do then? Air service is an essential lifeline to many 
individuals and communities. In fact, we have communities that are 
essential air service communities that have no buses and they have no 
rails. There is no public transportation, other than the local service 
airline. So our participation in the EAS, the essential air service 
program, has been a solution to that issue in the case of smaller, 
isolated communities, but it is jeopardized by operators who want to 
operate the routes but we have a shortage of pilots.
  Now, we talk about this business of the major airlines, and services, 
and the rights of passengers. Let's take a look at some of the basic 
problems. Maybe some of those problems are because of us. Who knows?
  Historically, the military has always supplied many pilots to the 
industry. But a large number of pilots who were trained by the military 
during the Vietnam era are getting to the point where they have to 
retire because of Federal regulations.
  Since the 1950s, airline pilots have had to retire when they reached 
the

[[Page S10970]]

age of 60. I will tell you that some pilots aren't ready to retire at 
the age of 60. In fact, some pilots shouldn't be retired at 60. They 
are still able, physically fit, and mentally fit to fly airplanes past 
that age of 60. The age of 60 does not affect everyone the same way. In 
fact, I was thinking the other day that 65 doesn't sound nearly as old 
as it used to. But some pilots are fit enough to keep on flying.
  I understand there is great opposition to changing that rule until I 
look around the world and see what is happening when we have pilots 
flying major airlines in American airspace that have no age limit at 
all. Eight countries that fly into and connect into the United States 
have no age limit at all. In other words, if that pilot is 65, and fit 
mentally and physically, he still is a captain of that airplane. I 
think we have to take a look at that.
  Also, I find it disturbing that the Federal Government can apply a 
blanket regulation, such as the age of 60 rule, determining that a 
pilot exceeding that age is considered a hazard. I cannot accept that 
at all.
  There is also some question about flight and duty time rules that 
could worsen the pilot shortage and impact air service to those rural 
areas. I want the Appropriations' Subcommittee on Transportation and 
the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Commerce Committee to be aware that 
I think this issue needs a hearing in Washington at the full committee 
level to make them aware that we may be overlooking some things at the 
route level that could help us in providing more air service to this 
country.
  We all say our skies are full. Do you realize that commercial air 
service--basically 85 percent of the air service in this country--takes 
up only 5 percent of the airspace because of an old, outdated system 
that we have for vectoring and ITC across this country?
  I think maybe we should look at that. I appreciate the time given me 
by the chairman and the ranking member this morning.
  But that is the result of the hearing we had in Kalispell, MT. I 
think Senators should take a look at this and offer some comments. But 
I think we should have a hearing on this particular problem in 
Washington at the full committee level.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.

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