Please contact your Congressional delegation to urge them to address the pilot shortage.


You can forward them this December 2015 letter to House and​ Senate committee leaders, or write your own letter that discusses the impact the pilot shortage is having on your airport and your local community.

In addition to describing how the pilot shortage is impacting your local community, here are a few talking points:
 
  • Small- and medium-sized communities around the country are continuing to experience commercial air service reductions, in part, because carriers say that there are not enough qualified pilots to operate their flights.  
  • Regional airlines and the communities they serve have been hit hard by the pilot shortage.  Unfortunately, more and more communities will lose commercial flights unless Congress acts.
  • The regional airlines have developed a thoughtful plan that would create an alternative pathway for first officers to receive a restricted Airline Transport Pilot certificate while maintaining the highest levels of safety.
  • The current pool of qualified pilots is rapidly aging.
    ○ Between 2009 and 2015, the count of private/commercial/ATPs aged 60 and older has increased 9.5%.
    ○     Between 2009 and 2015, the count of private/commercial/ATPs aged 20-59 has decreased 16.5%.
  • The regional airline plan would allow carriers to implement their own “comprehensive, structured, and disciplined” training program that would enhance aviation safety.
  • The Regional airline plan would also help communities by ensuring that there are more pilots in the pipeline to accommodate rising demand and to fill the shoes of tens of thousands of pilots who are expected to retire in the next several years.
  • As you prepare to consider the next FAA reauthorization bill, I urge you to endorse the regional airline proposal and take other steps to help communities that are struggling to maintain and attract new commercial air service.