In a recent briefing to pilots viewed by AirlineGeeks, company vice president of flight operations Russ Moore said that American plans to hire 1,300 pilots this year. In 2023, the airline hired around 2,300.

Moore cited “delivery delays from Boeing” among the reasons for the reduction but noted that 2024 is still poised to be the airline’s third-highest year for pilot hiring on record. In addition, he said the company plans to pause new hire classes in June, July, August, and potentially in December.

“In fact, we hired and trained more pilots in 2023 than we have in the history of this airline, and we did it efficiently enough that we were actually a bit ahead of where we needed to be for the summer of 2024,” Moore said during the briefing. “This allowed us to transition from a ‘hire and train as many as you can’ approach to a more traditional approach, which in and of itself reduced our hiring targets for 2024.”

During the company’s investor day event in early March, CEO Robert Isom also noted the airline’s plans to pull back on pilot hiring.

“So [hiring is] slowing down a little bit, but we have a considerable number of retirements,” Isom said. “And so we will be hiring for the foreseeable future at levels like that.”

Despite the slowdown, Moore added that hiring could pick up again as up to 850 of the airline’s pilots retire annually over the next five years.

“So I expect we will be back to the 2023 tempo in hiring in pretty short order,” Moore said.

American joins a slew of other major airlines reducing their 2024 hiring, including both Delta and United. Earlier this year, Delta said it would also cut its 2024 pilot hiring plans in half.

The Allied Pilots Association (APA)—which represents more than 16,000 American pilots—recently noted that the pilot shortage was “over.”

“The perceived pilot shortage is over, eliminating any further need for policymakers to consider changing the retirement age,” said APA president Captain Ed Sicher in a March statement.

American did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the hiring slowdown.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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In this edition of V1 Rotate, FLYING contributor Sam Weigel brings us on a cross-country flight to Northern California and discusses what it all means and what you can expect going forward.

• READ MORE: How Professional Pilots Can Survive Probationary Periods

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In a recent social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the world’s largest pilots union—which represents more than 77,000 pilots at mainline and regional carriers—pushed back against ongoing legislative efforts to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67.

“The pilot shortage isn’t real,” the ALPA said in the post. “In fact, there’s a surplus of airline pilots. Yet Congress is considering raising the pilot retirement age to 67, which will hurt air travel.”

The union has strongly opposed proposals to raise the mandatory retirement age, citing a slew of potential operational and training issues.

In February, the Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-13 to reject a proposal raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. Both ALPA and the Allied Pilots Association (APA)—which represents American Airlines pilots—say that similar proposals are still on the table in Congress.

The pilot shortage isn’t real. In fact, there’s a surplus of airline pilots. Yet Congress is considering raising the pilot retirement age to 67, which will hurt air travel. Learn what’s at risk from this ill-conceived plan. https://t.co/8J9v5GWC9o #Avation #Airlines #Flying pic.twitter.com/SZ0VVflqPB

— Air Line Pilots Association (@ALPAPilots) April 18, 2024

“The argument hinges on a false claim that there’s a pilot shortage, even though there are more than enough pilots to meet current demand, with plenty more in the training pipeline,” ALPA said in a recent Politico report. “Raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 to address this fake pilot shortage is nothing more than an ill-conceived plan to a fake problem.”

Despite ALPA’s claims, consultancy firm Oliver Wyman expects the gap between pilot supply and demand to be around 13,300 by 2032, which is a 23 percent improvement from the group’s 2022 projections. In 2023, the FAA also issued a record number of Airline Transport Pilots (ATP) certifications.

Regional Airlines Still Struggling

Regional carriers continue to be some of the hardest hit by a shortage of pilots. In a recent presentation, the Regional Airline Association (RAA)—a trade group—said it “can’t believe we have to say this, but an abrupt, temporary hiring disruption —driven entirely by an abrupt aircraft delivery disruption—is not the same thing as fixing the pilot shortage.”

The RAA claims that an aging pilot workforce coupled with aircraft delivery woes at mainline carriers is only temporarily moderating the pilot shortage. Several regional airlines continue to shell out lucrative sign-on bonuses, especially for captains as they look to retain pilots in the left seat.

On Thursday, regional carrier GoJet announced a new bonus structure for direct-entry captains with up to $200,000 “paid out within the first 12 months without any contractual obligations or strings attached.” The company says that captains will have the ability to earn over $400,000 during their first year of employment. ALPA represents GoJet pilots along with aviators at several other regional operators in the U.S. and Canada.

“We can hire first officers. I think almost every regional airline right now has a stack of first officers,” said CommuteAir CEO Rick Hoefling during an October 2023 interview with AirlineGeeks. “The problem is building their time at the same time you’re attriting out captains at a pretty high rate in the industry. We went from a pilot shortage to a captain shortage now in the industry. So the pendulum is starting to move.”

Major airlines—including Southwest, Delta, and United—have slowed or completely halted pilot hiring in 2024.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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The decision represents the latest case of an all-cargo airline throttling back on fleet expansion plans made during the COVID-19 crisis when a shortfall in shipping capacity sent rates through the roof and made freighters valuable assets.

Northern Air Cargo, which serves communities in Alaska from its base in Anchorage, lost $12 million in the 12 months ended September 30, according to data on airline performance metrics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The idled cargo jets wear the brands of sister companies Aloha Air Cargo and Miami-based StratAir. Northern Air Cargo operates planes on behalf of both businesses.

The three companies are part of privately held Saltchuk Resources, a diversified freight transportation, logistics and energy distribution conglomerate based in Seattle. In 2021 and 2022, Saltchuk’s leasing subsidiary bought seven used Boeing 767-300 passenger jets and has been sending them to a Boeing partner site in Singapore to modify into main-deck freighters for the cargo airlines.

NAS Aircraft Leasing Co. (NALC) received two 767-300 converted freighters from Boeing in January and April and moved them to a storage facility until market conditions improve, Saltchuk Aviation spokeswoman April Spurlock said in an email.

Aircraft tracking site Flightradar24 shows the airplanes are being stored in the desert at Roswell Air Center in New Mexico.

“Throughout 2023 and 2024, the global air cargo market has experienced elevated costs and shifting market dynamics which has led to depressed pricing and cargo yields,” Spurlock said. “Due to this softening of the cargo market, Northern Air Cargo has taken steps to reduce its overhead costs and increase its revenues.”

The two new cargo jets will eventually replace aircraft the company will return in the near future when their lease ends. NALC currently leases three 767s from Air Transport Services Group (NASDAQ: ATSG), according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. A decision on when to place the new 767s into service will depend on several factors, including market conditions in the Caribbean and in Central and South America, where StratAir operates, she added.

StratAir is an airfreight logistics provider that charters airlift from NAC. It currently utilizes four 767 freighters operated by NAC.

Northern Air Cargo and Aloha Air Cargo operate a total of 16 aircraft: nine Boeing 737-300/400 Classics, a newer 737-800 and six 767-300 medium widebodies. All 767s are on NAC’s operating certificate and flown by NAC pilots. Saltchuk Aviation swaps aircraft among carriers as needed. One of the 767s flown by NAC for StratAir out of Miami to places such as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Lima, Peru, for example, has an Aloha Air Cargo livery.

Aloha Air Cargo, which had a profit of $30 million in the fiscal year that ended September 30, operates interisland routes in Hawaii and to Seattle and Los Angeles. On a combined basis, Aloha and NAC posted $18 million in net income for fiscal 2023.

NALC has taken delivery of six converted freighters so far. It has not started work on the seventh Boeing conversion yet, and there is no firm date to do so, said Spurlock.

There are costs to keep an airline dormant, such as storage, regular maintenance to ensure electrical and hydraulic systems don’t deteriorate, and special maintenance service when a plane is reactivated. But industry professionals say it is cheaper to ground an aircraft than operate it if load factors are low.

NAC also laid off three administrative personnel as part of its effort to reduce costs, said Spurlock.

The airfreight market has been steadily recovering since a 16-month downturn hit bottom late last summer. During the first quarter, cargo volumes increased about 12 percent year over year, based on the average metric from various data providers. Industry analysts expect annual growth of about 3.5 percent over 2023 levels. But cargo growth varies by region, with major trade lanes out of Asia boosting the global average. North America, for example, had the weakest growth in February of any region, according to the International Air Transport Association. Also, Northern Air Cargo, Aloha Air Cargo, and StratAir play in specialized markets that are subject to their own unique dynamics.

Saltchuk Aviation and Northern Air Cargo aren’t alone in feeling the consequences of the freight recession in 2022-2023.

Miami-based Amerijet, which competes with StratAir, recently went through a restructuring with new ownership and returned six Boeing 757 converted freighters to lessors less than two years after acquiring them. FedEx Express is parking a portion of its fleet because of soft parcel demand. Canada’s Cargojet abandoned plans to acquire eight Boeing 777s and convert them for cargo. Air Canada backed out of a deal with Boeing for two 777 factory freighters. GlobalX, a startup charter operation in Miami, is concentrating fleet expansion on the passenger side of the business, rather than cargo. And Air Transport Services Group has sharply cut back on capital expenditures and postponed sending some aircraft to conversion sites.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on FreightWaves.

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The Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee has submitted its 69-page report to the agency and its first recommendation (of 24) is aimed at eliminating the fear pilots have of losing their tickets due to actually trying to fix a medical problem.

As it stands, pilots with the kinds of struggles that about 50 percent of all people face in their lifetime have three basic options: Get help and risk their certificates, lie about getting help and risk losing their certificates and not getting help to avoid that risk.

The committee says the FAA operates on the assumption that those who seek non-pharmacological help with mental health may not be safe to fly. “However, not only is there limited data to support this view, but there is also robust data to the contrary,” the report says. It says simply talking to someone shouldn’t be a reporting requirement. There are also recommendations to find “non-punitive pathways” for pilots seeking help for depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and revised training for AMEs.

The agency announced it has received the report but didn’t comment on its contents.

“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing recommendations to help break down barriers that prevent pilots and air traffic controllers from reporting mental health issues. The recommendations were provided by the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee, formed by the FAA in December 2023 to study the issue,” the agency said in a statement. “The FAA will determine next steps after reviewing the recommendations.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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It’s Capt. Bill, my flying buddy, once again demonstrating his seemingly limitless generosity. I met Bill while attending Cessna Citation CJ1 recurrent training at SimCom in Orlando, Florida, where he was my instructor. He now manages and flies a CJ2+ based in Hilton Head, South Carolina, for a cool company. Sometimes he hires me to be his first officer/co-captain.

Let’s face it: Getting to fly a great airplane for a really nice group of people with a captain who has done—and seen—it all is about as rich as a butterscotch sundae. Add in Bill’s preternatural amiability, and you have a recipe for enjoyment that borders on the outrageous.

“No,” I say. “Thanks, though. You’re all settled in the seat with headset, so let’s just keep our spots as we left them a week ago when we landed here (in Charlottesville, Virginia).”

Today, we’re flying to Tampa, Florida. The weather is good, save for a narrow band of convective activity strung across the state just north of our destination. Three thousand pounds of jet-A should see us landing with 1,200 pounds reserve—a little extra for insurance. We strive to land with 1,000 pounds; most operators are happy with 800, and the book’s minimum fuel is 600 pounds.

Things don’t go according to plan. This flight proves that you can always learn something new when you get a throttle in your hand. In this case, the flight seems to imitate life. It’s as if the surprises and challenges conspire to test the pilots, just like life tests each of us as human beings.

The weather in Charlottesville is spectacular: cool, clear, light winds and bright springtime foliage. It is a beautiful part of the country. I enter the flight plan, do the cockpit checks, send the takeoff speeds to the PFDs, and luxuriate in the time spent waiting for our people. The ramp is busy; multiple jets are also waiting for their charges. The sound of several APUs comes through our open passenger door. It feels good to be part of whatever it is that is going on in Thomas Jefferson’s hometown.

With the airplane prepared, I stroll inside, the FBO and learn that the gathered crowd might be related to a lacrosse game at the University of Virginia. Bill and I wonder if an interest in lacrosse comes with a private jet.

Our passengers arrive, and we load up. I would love to tell you more about them as they are truly wonderful people, but they deserve their privacy. We’re off at 9:42 a.m. Our planned route is 711 nautical miles, which should take us just under two hours. We climb to 4,000 feet, get turned on course, and do the after-takeoff checks. Soon, we’re level at 40,000 feet, accelerating to a true airspeed of 415 knots and lamenting the 50 knots of headwind. We’re burning 440 pounds per side, or about 130 gallons an hour.

Our onboard information about the weather is robust. Among the Collins Pro Line 21, Nexrad and ForeFlight systems, we can see the narrow band of weather sloping east to west about 20 miles north of Tampa. There’s almost no extension out into the Gulf of Mexico, so we discuss the possibility of a slight deviation to the west on the arrival into Tampa.

As if reading our minds or listening in to our conversation, Atlanta Center calls with a reroute. “Ready to copy,” I say. Now cleared direct to HEVVN and the FOOXX 5 arrival into Tampa. This amounts to a major deviation out over the Gulf of Mexico, and we watch with interest as the “fuel at destination” numbers fall from 1,200 pounds to 960. This is still acceptable as long as our current groundspeed and fuel burn don’t change.

Next comes a “turn right to 060” command. This is almost a circle around what we gather is Valdosta, Georgia—and another slight drop in the fuel calculations.

Then comes “descend immediately to Flight Level 270, expedite through Flight Level 310.” We will now be burning more gas, but before we can figure out how much, we get another reroute. “FOOXX 5 is shut down. Proceed to TAY, JAYJA and the DADES 7 arrival.”

We hear several airplanes inquire about Orlando International Airport and learn that it is closed. Airplanes arriving from the north and west have been sent to HEVVN, then down over the Gulf to KPIE (St. Petersburg, Florida), then across the state to Orlando. This has saturated the apex of Miami’s airspace resulting in the FOOXX5 shutdown. Hm. Not exactly bank foreclosure on the house but not comforting, either.

We double-check Tampa weather. It is still acceptable, but the ATIS is calling for ILS and LOC approaches to runways 1L and 1R. With a visual approach unlikely, this will add more time to our flight. At FL 270, we are now burning 660 pounds a side—about 200 gallons an hour. When I put the ILS 1L in the FMS, our arrival fuel ducks below 600 pounds and a “check fuel at destination” light comes on.

There are few relationships in life that are better than the compatibility between a captain and first officer. When two aviators share similar philosophies but each has something to add to the symbiosis, the feeling is almost magical. So it is with Bill and me, though my contribution is usually to say, “Hey, that’s a good idea.” We get to work discussing our strategy almost the way you’d talk with a trusted partner about a sudden family or financial problem. 

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We talk about the multiple airports available to us should our fuel get too close for comfort. I set about getting weather at Ocala and Gainesville and suggest that Bill throttle back to 550 pounds per side, which he does. We watch with satisfaction as the check-fuel light goes out.

Down the DADES 7 arrival we go. We can see several airplanes lining up for the ILS 1L, so we decide to ask for the LOC 1R; the downwind leg will be much shorter without having to get in the long line of airliners that stretches almost to Sarasota.

Bill kisses the airplane onto the runway, and we make a favored turn off. The Signature linemen pull up the passengers’ car, and we unload. The pax are oblivious to our reroutes, circles and early descents. What a day. It started as a simple, easy trip and ended up with challenges that left me feeling happy with our performance. That contentment is one of flying’s great satisfactions that gets richer after the chocks are in place.

The post To Fly Is To Learn—Every Time appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A “silver splash” this week in Wichita: Bombardier made the decision just 60 days ago to host its 25th Safety Standdown in person—but the mature event has once again drawn a significant cross-section of professional pilots and corporate flight departments attending.

The two-day symposium runs Tuesday and Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, with a livestream available for remote participants.

The first day kicked off with opening remarks from Bombardier’s JC Gallagher, executive vice president of services and support and strategy, NBAA’s president and CEO Ed Bolen, and FAA regional administrator for the Central Region Joe Miniace. The “courageous decision” made by the company to host the conference in person was noted—an indication of how important the meeting has become to those who understand its value.

A “safety standdown” in military parlance refers to a cessation of all operations to enable all personnel turn their complete focus onto safety.

“For a quarter of a century, Bombardier has led the industry in providing aviation professionals with critical knowledge-based aviation training, and this year’s lineup certainly underscores the concepts expressed in our theme, ‘Learn, Apply, Share,’” said Bombardier executive Andy Nureddin, head of the Global 7500 program and past leader of the Safety Standdown program.

“For 25 years, the purpose of this invaluable event is to foster a community of aviation professionals who are committed to lifelong learning and to disseminating higher standards of safety and professionalism throughout the industry.”

Nureddin handed over leadership of the Standdown this year to Chris Milligan, vice president of pre-owned aircraft services and flight operations.

Tapping Into Experts

The Bombardier Safety Standdown brings together a portfolio of well-regarded safety experts and industry leaders to dive deeply into such topics as:

• Safety management systems (SMSs)
• Pilot proficiency
• Flight crew and other personnel shortages
• Loss of control in-flight

Bombardier’s J.C. Gallagher noted the looming workforce crisis facing corporate aviation. “We’re going to lose thousands of pilots, dispatchers, engineers,” he said, as the airlines ramp up operations and continue to grow. Traditionally, commercial operators have hired personnel away from business aviation.

Tony Kern, of Convergent Performance and popular speaker at past standdowns, launched the safety sessions with “Armored Knight,” in which he likened pilots to the knights of medieval times, and a safety management system to the suit of armor they would wear. “Armor without a knight is just a museum piece,” said Kern.

“A ‘knight’ without the ‘armor’… might fly safely for years.” Until the moment that SMS is needed—and then any holes in the armor can lead to an incident or accident.

In a second Tuesday morning segment, “25 Years of Automation Airmanship,” Christopher Lutat of Convergent Performance took on the topic of the UAS—undesired aircraft state—defined in safety and accident analysis as a result of ubiquitous automation and autoflight modes in modern aircraft.

Lutat pointed out the axiom to remember: “If the autoflight got you into the jam, don’t count on it to get you out of it.”

He also noted the predisposition of pilots to continue an approach, for example, with a bias toward completing a landing out of unstabilized approach, when a go-around is the safer course of action based on prior data. The internal argument? “I land a whole lot more than I go-around,” and therefore the pilot has a higher degree of belief in their ability to salvage the landing.

An afternoon of workshops followed on Tuesday, with a full day of seminars continuing on Wednesday.

In Case You Missed It

Bombardier’s site offers past webcasts to access, along with seminar documents for aviation professionals to download.

The post Bombardier Marks 25th Safety Standdown appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued their 2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook showing that “airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers” had a median annual wage of $160,970, nearly four times the median wage for all US workers, who earned $41,950 on average.

It is worth noting that in the handbook data, the BLS used the term “copilot” and stated that it refers to what is commonly known as a “first officer.” And while the occupation of “flight engineer” is included in the data, the handbook states that “some older planes require a third pilot known as a flight engineer, who monitors instruments and operates controls. Technology has automated many of these tasks, and new aircraft do not require flight engineers.”

In May 2020, the median annual wages for airline pilots, first officers, and flight engineers were highest in the category of “scheduled air transportation” at $173,780, while those in the “nonscheduled air transportation” category earned $117,030 on average. Not surprisingly, the largest employers of airline pilots, first officers, and flight engineers were in the “scheduled air transportation” category with 86 percent.

The 2020 BLS data showed a median annual wage for “commercial pilots” at $93,300, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $47,570, and the highest 10 percent earning more than $200,920. The Handbook considers a commercial pilot as “being involved in unscheduled flight activities, such as aerial application, charter flights, and aerial tours. Commercial pilots may have additional non-flight duties such as maintenance of the aircraft and loading luggage.” While not specifically broken down into fixed-wing and rotorcraft categories, the handbook generally refers to helicopter pilots as being in the “commercial pilot” category.

A deeper dive into the data revealed a wide disparity between states when it comes to the median salaries of airline pilots, first officers, and flight engineers. California, Nevada, Washington, and Florida had the highest median salaries at $208,000 and higher, while Mississippi, Idaho, and Tennessee were lowest at $99,740.

In a description of the occupation of “airline pilot,” the handbook said, “Federal regulations set the maximum work hours and minimum requirements for rest between flights for most pilots. Airline pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month and work an additional 150 hours per month performing other duties, such as checking weather conditions and preparing flight plans.”

The handbook did not take into consideration any expense allowances or “per diem” pay airline pilots, first officers, or flight engineers receive, or additional pay for international flights. Because these pilots and their immediate families usually are entitled to free or reduced-fare flights, these “non-rev” flights were not included in the calculation of 2020 median salaries.

The post BLS Data Shows Strong Salaries for Airline and Commercial Pilots appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Nine proud alumni from Delaware State University call the flight deck of United Airlines aircraft home—and they were particularly happy to take part in a recent event celebrating the inclusion of their alma mater into a new program by the airline to work towards more diversity in its ranks.

On April 15, Delaware State University announced that its aviation department has joined United Airlines’ Aviate program, building qualified applicants towards its potential pool of future pilots. United launched the program in pursuit of training 5,000 new pilots by 2030 through its cooperative agreements with a number of aviation training organizations. As the first HBCU (Historically Black College and University) selected by United for the program, DSU leads the way for others to follow.

DSU and the airline came together for a special lunch at Delaware Airpark (33N) in Dover/Cheswold that day in which those 9 alums attended with representatives from United, including Mary Ann Schaffer, systems chief pilot. “Aviate provides that path for [DSU students] to follow; you’ll know what that next step is going to be,” Schaffer said in a university press release. “That is what this partnership between Aviate and Delaware State University will provide for you, so you can see that future.” In an interview with Flying, DSU aviation program director Lt. Col. Michael Hales noted that Schaffer spent an hour in a one-on-one session with the young women who are current DSU students, during which they could ask her any questions they had about finding an aviation career path. He expressed how the Aviate program made that path a lot clearer for all of the university’s aviation graduates.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to build our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2021 and beyond,” said Brett Hart, president of United Airlines, in the release. “Inspired by the Aviate motto ‘Love to fly, born to lead,’ we look forward to working side by side with our partners at Delaware State University, and we welcome the next generation of aviators to the flight deck.”

University president Tony Allen also committed to the collaboration, and spoke to United’s dedication to improving diversity in its ranks. “When it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, you cannot hope for better. You have to do better,” said Dr. Allen. “That starts with leadership and partnership. As the No. 1 provider of pilots of color in the country, we’re proud of United’s leadership and excited about the partnership.”

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The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) recently conducted a survey to generate input from their member pilots in response to an FAA notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) introducing a new electronic Pilot Records Database (PRD) that would involve certain Part 91 operators. Based on the comments received, the survey results indicate pilots have significant concerns over the potential burden of the FAA’s proposed rule change.

The proposed rule would require owners and/or operators with two or more aircraft that require a type rating and who employ pilots to enter information about their pilots’ currency and backgrounds in the database, for use by air carriers and other entities during the vetting of prospective hires. The intent of the proposed change is to improve safety by improving the hiring process for certain aircraft operators, most of which are not currently subject to reporting requirements outlined in the NPRM.

The survey targeted pilots holding an air transport pilot certificate to gauge the industry’s perception of the PRD, and more than 1,200 pilots from NBAA and AOPA responded. “All survey respondents expressed skepticism about the proposed PRD, particularly in terms of time necessary to comply and burdens of new requirements. For example, more than half of the respondents with two or more type-rated aircraft are against including check airman comments in the PRD. Only 20 percent of respondents believe the comments should be included in the PRD,” NBAA said.

“The survey results are clear—our members do not believe the proposed electronic Pilot Records Database will significantly improve hiring processes or safety,” said Brian Koester, CAM, NBAA’s director of flight operations and regulations. “NBAA and AOPA appreciate the robust response to this survey and will use the survey results to guide discussions with regulators.” NBAA added that since the vast majority of pilots responding to the survey said they would be required to log activity that may be required in the FAA PRD up to several times per day, some pilots estimated it could take “over 18 hours per month” to maintain records that may be required by the new PRD.

Dan Hubbard, NBAA’s senior vice president, communications, added that NBAA supports modernizing the PRIA process. “However, we are concerned that the FAA’s proposed rule creates new, burdensome recordkeeping and reporting requirements without improving safety for Part 91 operators. The survey results indicate that the industry shares our concerns,” he said.

In a seven-page letter of comments filed in June, AOPA concurred with the need for air carriers to have the means to ascertain accurate training records of pilot candidates, but were concerned that the proposal “expands beyond what is statutorily required, does not accept industry recommendations, and does not provide a clear process for the lifetime of the pilot to have errors on their record corrected.”

“AOPA strongly believes that the Pilot Records Database must include a clear process for correcting erroneous information, with the FAA responsible for evaluating and correcting inaccuracies if a pilot’s employer is unwilling or unable to do so,” said Murray Huling, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. “The need to provide pilots with transparency and convenient access to their records is why we also recommend allowing any holder of an FAA-issued pilot certificate to inspect their information on file in the database.”

Both associations signed on to a letter sent to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson in August, noting that to comply with this proposed reporting requirement, small general aviation operators would need to invest in new systems, potentially hire additional staff, and reduce their focus on flight operations to accomplish hours of data entry and tracking. “All of this would impose significant additional costs for many small general aviation businesses without providing useful insights for air carrier hiring decisions, as carriers already review a pilot’s logbook to verify currency prior to employment,” the joint letter stated.

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