AviationFAA to toughen co-pilot qualifications requirements

In the aftermath of a 2010 crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, New York, which killed fifty people, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed new standards for co-pilots. These new standards will now be imposed.

The number of hours and type of flying experience which co-pilots must gain in order to qualify for an airline will be increased from 250 hours of flying experience to 1,500, the same number of hours required of an airline captain.

 Fox News reports that this is the first change to co-pilot qualifications in years. The new regulations, announced Wednesday, also require the FAA to implement several other safety regulations

The new standards also require co-pilots to have an aircraft-type rating, which will involve additional testing and training which will be altered depending to the type of aircraft they fly.

“The rule gives first officers a stronger foundation of aeronautical knowledge and experience before they fly for an air carrier,” FAA administrator Michael Huerta toldFox News.

The regulations represent a victory for families of air crash victims who lobbied Congress and the Obama administration to pass the air safety law and carry through with the regulations in the face of industry opposition.

Some wonder whether the law would have made a difference in the crash landing of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco last weekend, but the pilot flying that plane had over 10,000 hours of flying experience and recently received his aircraft-type rating.

“Flying in America has never been safer, but the tragic crash of Asiana Flight 214 is an urgent reminder that we must still constantly look for ways to make it even safer,” Representative Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the senior Democrat on the House aviation subcommittee.