Congressman Nick Langworthy Calls for the Next FAA Administrator to Protect the 1,500-Hour Pilot Training Requirement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) released the following statement regarding the importance of the 1,500-hour in-flight pilot training requirement and urges the next FAA Administrator to remain committed to enforcing this law.

“As Chair of the Aviation Safety Caucus, I applaud President Trump and Transportation Secretary Duffy for their bold vision to take American air travel into the future by modernizing our outdated air traffic control system. Their commitment to finally delivering this long-overdue, critical upgrade is exactly what we need to restore American excellence in aviation.

“The next FAA Commissioner will be pivotal in executing this transformative undertaking. I believe Mr. Bedford has the potential to be a strong steward of the President’s vision, however, to truly ensure safety in our skies, he must commit to upholding the lifesaving 1,500-hour in-flight pilot training requirement. This law was passed in the wake of the tragic Flight 3407 crash that exposed serious deficiencies in pilot training for regional carriers. Thanks to the incredible advocacy of the Flight 3407 victims’ families, the standards were strengthened, and the results speak for themselves: there has not been a single commercial airline crash due to pilot error since it was enacted. That’s not coincidence - that’s policy working as it was intended. 

“In last year’s FAA reauthorization, Congress expressly upheld these standards. If confirmed, I strongly urge Mr. Bedford to enforce the law as written. We must ensure that our progress never comes at the cost of passenger safety, and I will fight every day to make sure we do.”

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