In the aftermath of the tragic July 6 plane crash in San
Francisco, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new pilot
qualification rule. The rule mandates increased qualification requirements for
first officers who fly for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines.
Under the new rule, first officers (commonly called
co-pilots) will need to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate,
requiring 1,500 hours total time as a pilot. Previous regulations required
first officers to hold only a commercial pilot certificate, which can be gained
after only 250 hours of flight time.
The rule includes several other new training requirements,
including that first officers be trained and tested for the specific type of
airplane they will be flying and that pilots must have a minimum of 1,000
flight hours as a co-pilot before being promoted to a position as captain.
The new regulations are consistent with the Airline Safety
and FAA Extension Act of 2010 and follow
recommendations from National Transportation Safety Board, an Aviation
Rulemaking Committee, and the FAA’s Call to Action.
View all changes in pilot qualifications here.