On the recordJune 14, 2023
In 2009, Flight 3047 crashed in Clarence, New York, killing everyone on board and one person on the ground. The 2010 FAA reauthorization bill took bold, bipartisan action to address the flight safety issues that caused this tragic crash. This included the 1,500-hour pilot training rule, which significantly increased the number of required flight training hours from just 250 to 1,500 hours. Since then, commercial aviation fatalities have decreased by 99.8 percent. The new FAA reauthorization legislation introduced last week includes a provision allowing an additional 150 hours of the 1,500-hour standard to be completed in a simulator. Madam Speaker, we oppose this change. It veers off the course from the reforms we fought so hard for. We cannot falter on the safety standards that this body of Congress has fought alongside the Flight 3407 families to achieve. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in calling for this provision to be removed from the bill in its entirety. ____________________
