WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rule that requires pilots have six times as many hours of flight experience as currently mandated. Chairman Rockefeller pushed to include the 1,500 hour requirement for first officers in the 2010 FAA Safety Law (P.L. 111-216).

“I’ve always said safety is the highest priority for our aviation system and we have to stop at nothing to make sure our airways are the safest in the world. Congress made a pledge to the families of the victims of Flight 3407 when we passed the Aviation Safety Act of 2010 that flying in this country would become safer. This rule is a critical part of my long commitment to making sure our families and our flight crews are aboard flights guided by the best trained pilots in the world.”

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