Rule increases training requirements for commercial pilots

Washington – Commercial aircraft pilots must undergo an increased amount of training, under a Federal Aviation Administration final rule announced Nov. 5.

Among the new training requirements:

• Preventing and recovering from stalls and upsets
• Taking off and landing during crosswinds with gusts
• Effective workload management of flight monitoring duties

Additionally, the new rule increases the amount of mandatory training pilots must perform while using flight simulators. It also requires new training and qualification standards for aircraft cabin crewmembers.

The new rule addresses Congressional mandates issued in response to the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 near Buffalo, NY, in February 2009 that killed 50 people.

Air carriers will have five years to comply with most of the new pilot training requirements after the final rule goes into effect, which is expected to be March 12, 2014.