[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 149 (Thursday, October 15, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AIRLINE SAFETY AND PILOT TRAINING IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2009

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                               speech of

                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 14, 2009

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express concern with 
certain provisions of H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training 
Improvement Act of 2009.
  While I strongly support the goal of the bill to increase airline 
safety and improve pilot training, I am concerned about changing 
current rules to require an airline pilot to hold an Airline Transport 
Pilot (ATP) certificate, which necessitates a minimum of 1,500 flight 
hours. During a hearing in September Tim Brady, dean of Embry-Riddle 
Aeronautical University's College of Aviation, testified that these 
added requirements could increase the cost of pilot training fivefold 
from $40,000 to $200,000. I am concerned that these increased costs 
could encourage pilots to seek less costly training alternatives and 
potentially be counter to the bills intended goal, of increasing 
safety.
  By dramatically increasing the costs of training we will drive our 
most qualified potential pilots out of accredited flight schools such 
as the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University 
of North Dakota that have produced exceptional pilots for decades. 
Graduates of these programs receive high quality flight instruction 
that is much more valuable than a pilot who might just be racking up 
straight and level flight time that has no increased educational or 
safety benefits. The focus on total flight hours rather than the 
quality of those hours will not provide the increased safety and pilot 
quality that is the goal of this legislation. It could in practice have 
the opposite effect, by driving students to undertake low value flying 
at the expense of high quality directed flight training. I believe that 
as this legislation moves forward some consideration must be given to 
Collegiate Aviation Programs that have been accredited by the Aviation 
Accreditation Board International (AABI). This will help to increase 
the focus of these requirements on quality of training rather than 
quantity of flight hours.
  While I will be voting in favor of this legislation in order to move 
forward the important process of increasing the safety of commercial 
aviation, I do so with reservations. Before this legislation becomes 
law I believe that it is vital that the bill be modified to recognize 
the tremendous benefits that our nation's accredited flight schools 
provide.

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