The FAA will propose a new rule that
would raise the retirement age for
airline pilots to 65, FAA
Administrator Marion Blakey said
today. During a speech at the
National Press Club in Washington,
D.C., Blakey reiterated the history
of the age-60 rule, and said, "This
is a change whose time has come."
Issues of experience and equity
clearly support change, she said, as
well as the need for "global
harmonization" with international
rules, which as of last November
allow for one pilot on airline crews
to be over 60. Safety will be
enhanced by keeping experienced
pilots in the cockpit, she said. The
new rule will apply only to pilots
who haven't reached 60 by the time
the rule takes effect.
January 30, 2007
|
|
|
|
 If
it's OK for pilots to work
until age 65, then why must
air traffic controllers
retire at 56? "Because
that's the law of the land,"
FAA Administrator Marion
Blakey said during a Q&A
session after a speech she
gave on Tuesday announcing
that the age limit for
airline pilots would be
upped from 60 to 65. "If
there is a move on Congress'
part to raise the age for
controllers, we would be
happy to work with them on
it." The FAA chief said last
year's retirements from ATC
were about 25 percent higher
than expected, which she
attributed to the imposition
of the FAA's new contract.
But she also defended that
contract as "very fair," and
said she has no intention to
reopen negotiations. She
said the agency will hire
1,100 controllers this year,
staying ahead of the number
of expected retirements.
More than 2,000 qualified
candidates are "lined up and
ready to go," Blakey said.
New controllers earn about
$96,000 after five years,
she noted, and the FAA is
not having any problems
filling those jobs. Blakey
also said the FAA's new
budget plan will be released
in about two weeks, and the
plan is widely expected to
include a user-fee system.
"We'll look forward to the
debate on the Hill," she
said, anticipating that
changes in how fees are
collected to support the
system will be
controversial.
|
|
|
|
|
 If
your travels will take you
anytime soon into the Rocky
Mountains of Colorado, the
NTSB wants you to keep
an eye open for stray GE
CF34 engine pieces. On Jan.
25, an America West Express
Bombardier regional jet en
route from Denver to Phoenix
was climbing through 24,000
feet when it experienced an
uncontained engine failure.
The left engine cowling, fan
and other forward components
separated over sparsely
populated mountainous
terrain in an area beginning
just south of Woodland Park,
Colo., and running
south-southwest to 10 miles
southwest of Cripple Creek.
Anyone who finds debris
shouldn't handle it but
should contact the Teller
County sheriff's department
(719-687-9652) and relay the
location, estimated size and
description of the parts.
The twinjet's flight crew
declared an emergency and
immediately returned and
landed uneventfully at the
Denver International
Airport. There were 50
passengers and four crew on
board, and nobody was hurt.
The aircraft sustained minor
damage to the fuselage, left
engine pylon and tail
section during the
uncontained engine failure.
A team is working to
correlate radar records with
data from the airplane's
flight recorders in an
effort to pinpoint the
potential locations of the
engine parts.
|
|
|
|
|
