New Air Safety Bill--Good for Passengers, Bad for Future Airline Pilots?

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported the passage today of H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, by a vote of 409-11. According to Committee Chairman Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), “This legislation was developed as a result of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, where 50 people tragically perished outside of Buffalo, New York on February 12, 2009, and subsequent hearings by the Aviation Subcommittee.” When the bill was introduced in March, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said the bill "is not necessary" since the agency had already taken steps to address issues raised by the Colgan Air crash. You can read the full text of the bill here.

While H.R. 3371 addresses many aspects of airline safety, one of the biggest changes is that it...