FAA Increases Training Requirements for Pilots

Federal officials have issued much harder training requirements for pilots after being encouraged by the families of people killed in a regional airline crash, according to FOX News.

Some of the most significant changes include requiring airlines to provide better training on how to prevent and recover from an aerodynamic stall, which is when the plane slows to the point that it loses lift. That was the problem that caused the crash of Continental Express Flight 3407, which crashed on its way to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in 2009.

Airlines will now also have to provide flight simulator training for pilots on how to deal with a stall. The pilot of flight 3407 didn't notice the plane had stalled, contributing significantly to the crash. When the appropriate response to that type of emergency is "to push forward on the yoke to lower the nose of the plane in order to pick up speed, while increasing engine power," according to FOX News. The pilot of that flight pulled back hard on the yoke, the opposite reaction required.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials began constructing new pilot requirements in 1999, but have made significant revisions to those requirements to incorporate the safety issues brought to the forefront by the crash of flight 3407.

"This rule will give our pilots the most advanced training available to handle emergencies they may encounter," Michael Huerta, an FAA Administrator, said at a news conference. The new requirements focus on preventing emergencies that "while rare, can be catastrophic."

Family members of the victims are still dissatisfied because airlines have five years to implement the new requirements.

"It is hard to see any sense of urgency to significantly reduce aviation accidents," Karen Eckert, who lost her sister in the crash, told FOX News. "That will be a full 10 years since the needless loss of our loved ones in a completely preventable crash and a full 20 years since this training rule-making project was initiated."