Administrator

Focus on FAA Implementation of Safety Legislation; Fatigue Rulemaking; Potential Loophole in Pilot Qualifications

Buffalo, New York- September 30, 2010 – With members of Congress preparing to head back to their home turf for the approaching mid-term elections, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ challenged members of both Houses to not lose sight of recently-passed aviation safety legislation, and the FAA’s responsibility to implement it. Last month, President Obama signed PL 111-216 into law, putting in motion numerous reforms designed to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy of the February 12, 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- September 10, 2010 – With the Department of Aviation and Federal Aviation Administration finally releasing the long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on new pilot flight and duty time regulations, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ offered the following statement: (more…)

Buffalo, New York- September 9, 2010 – With Congress having passed comprehensive aviation safety legislation in the aftermath of the crash of Continental Flight 3407, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ have now set their sights on the Federal Aviation Administration’s implementation of the law. A cornerstone to the legislation is the provision dealing with minimum pilot qualifications, and the family members are challenging FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt to stand firm on Congress’s mandate that all commercial airline First Officers have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license with 1,500 hours of flight time. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- July 29, 2010 – With both the House and Senate positioned to finally pass much-needed aviation safety legislation on Thursday, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ implored Senate Republicans to continue the broad bipartisan support that the group’s advocacy has attracted in the aftermath of the needless tragedy of Flight 3407. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- July 26, 2010 – Looking forward to getting the FAA Reauthorization Bill to the Senate floor this Tuesday to keep the bill on track for overall passage by the August 1st deadline, the hopes of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ received a crushing blow when negotiations fell apart on Thursday night as Senator Mark Warner of Virginia stubbornly refused to give ground to Western senators hoping to ease decades-old restrictions on long-haul flights into Reagan National Airport. (more…)

Group Pushes for House’s ATP Provision, Final Passage of Bill

Buffalo, New York- July 19, 2010 – With only 12 days to pass the FAA Reauthorization Bill before the latest extension expires and Congress heads on a six-week summer recess, members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ will be in Washington all week, pushing the House and Senate to come to resolution on a compromise joint version of the bill. Group members expressed disappointment in the lack of a response to their requests to meet with Senator Jay Rockefeller (WV), the Chairman of the Senate’s Commerce Committee, and Senator Byron Dorgan (ND), the Chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, key leaders involved in negotiations on the bill. (more…)

Group Heads to Washington Next Week; Requests Meetings with Rockefeller, Hutchison, Oberstar, Dorgan

Buffalo, New York- July 15, 2010 – After months of watching Congress dance around the issue of regional airline safety and struggle to achieve a joint version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill, members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ say that they tired of waiting and will descend on Washington for the 32nd time next week to push for resolution on the bill. (more…)

Only 18 Days Until August 1st Deadline

Buffalo, New York- July 13, 2010 – Members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ continued to show their determination in getting Congress to pass the FAA Reauthorization Bill with recess-week trips to West Virginia and Minnesota, targeting the home states of Senator Jay Rockefeller and Congressman James Oberstar, the key players in the bill’s final negotiations. Meanwhile, the group also announced that members would be in attendance at this Wednesday’s House Aviation Subcommittee hearing, to be held at 2 p.m. in Room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- July 5, 2010 – With the FAA Reauthorization Bill’s fate hanging in the balance for one more month after Congress passed a thirty-day extension last week, determined members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ are set to take their message on the road to the home turf of Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller and House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar during this week-long congressional recess. (more…)

Buffalo, New York- July 1, 2010 – In response to his home-state Senator Jim DeMint turning what should have been a routine thirty day FAA Extension into a slick political maneuver, Scott Maurer of Moore, South Carolina, who lost his thirty year old daughter Lorin in the crash of Continental Flight 3407, issued this statement on behalf of the members of he ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’: (more…)