200 Page Document Covers Professionalism, Safety, Training

The FAA Tuesday released its final 200-plus-page "Call to Action" on airline safety and pilot training. The document is the culmination of a half-year's work by the FAA, the NTSB, and the DOT.

Following the Colgen Air crash in February of 2009, the NTSB held a series of field hearings about the incident. Congressional hearings highlighted issues with pilot safety, crew rest, training, and other areas which the "Call to Action" seeks to address.

The executive summary states: "Recognizing that FAA, the airlines, and labor organizations all have a role to play in addressing and resolving these critical issues, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt invited representatives from each of these groups to Washington, D.C. for a Call to Action on Airline Safety and Pilot Training.

This event took place on June 15, 2009, with the goal of fostering dialogue to specify concrete actions and to elicit voluntary commitments in four key areas:

• Air carrier management responsibilities for crew education and support;
• Professional standards and flight discipline;
• Training standards and performance; and
• Mentoring relationships between mainline carriers and their regional partners."

On release of the final report, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt (pictured, above) issued the following statement: "Our "Call to Action Final Report" reflects the efforts of the FAA since June to further enhance safety for passengers who fly on any commercial airline regardless of whether it's a major or regional carrier. The report lays out our initial actions to improve and revise pilot training and to develop an effective pilot fatigue rule. We also share what we have done to begin what must be an ongoing dialogue with airlines and unions to strengthen professionalism in the aviation industry and create mentoring programs for our nation's pilots. This report is a snapshot of our work, which is by no means finished.  We will continue to aggressively push forward with these initiatives that we believe will raise the safety bar even higher. "

FMI: www.faa.gov/library/reports/media/call_to_action_Jan2010.pdf