Sen Schumer Asks Duffy to Meet With Families of Flight 3407

US Senator Chuck Schumer is stirring up past statements from FAA Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford that show his controversial take on airline pilot flight hour requirements. He is urging DOT Secretary Sean Duffy to meet with the Families of Flight 3407 group to combat the issue.

Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford has been nominated to take over as head of the FAA. He would replace former administrator Mike Whitaker, who stepped down on President Trump’s inauguration day. If he were to take over, Bedford would be faced with one main task: keeping the skies safe.

Many are worried that, due to Bedford’s history, he may not be the man for the job. In a 2022 news interview, Bedford discussed the possibility of cutting the 1,500 flight hour requirement for airline transport pilots in half. This would specifically apply to trainees who graduated from Republic’s LIFT Academy.

When asked if his program could train as well as the military, Bedford stated: "Using more technology, more flight simulation and we can do exactly the same thing. So working with the military we can build a better model than what we have today. We're not training private pilots here. We're not training recreational pilots here. We're training mission specific airline pilots."

Though Senator Schumer didn’t specifically bring up this incident, he clearly has his fair share of concerns. He is asking Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to meet with the Families of Flight 3407 group, consisting of those related to victims of Continental Flight 3407.

This group has been a headstrong advocate for the 1500-hour rule, which it helped enforce through the 2010 Flight Safety Act. This raised the minimum flight hours required for an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate from the original 250. Now, Schumer is hoping to get their help in keeping Bedford in check.

FMI: www.faa.gov