Of all the current events in aviation we have learned about recently, one we never touched on that will have a paramount impact on my career is the new hour requirements for regional airlines. For those who may be unfamiliar, in response to the Colgan Air crash back in 2009, the FAA has mandated that all pilots applying to regional airlines must have a minimum of 1,000 to 1,500 flight hours depending on their level of education and type of flight training they received. This, in my opinion, is a 'knee jerk' reaction that doesn't directly address the issues that caused the Colgan Air flight to go down.
The Colgan Air flight 3407 crashed because of pilot error in a stall situation with ice as a contributing factor. I don't feel that simply raising hour requirements for pilots will address that issue. A student pilot will generally fly from their training airport to their designated practice area to practice maneuvers, then fly back. They will do this countless times on their way through instrument and commercial training as well. I just don't see how adding 500 to 1,000 hours of flying to and from a practice area will make us better pilots at the airline level.
This requirement is going to dramatically change the supply and demand situation at the regional level and before. Most pilots trying to get into the airlines are going to be fighting for limited paid hours and regional airlines will be hiring every pilot that applies to them who meet the minimum hour requirements without the ability to reject pilots unless they are prepared to cancel flights or decommission aircraft.
From my perspective, this new regulation seems to hurt both the pilots and the regional airlines without ensuring any direct benefit to safety. Now that I am near to graduation, I know that because of this regulation it will be maybe two years before I can even start at a regional airline and, at thirty years old, that prospect does not make me optimistic about this particular career choice despite my passion for it.
