New oversight on pilots: fast as a Babbitt?

WASHINGTON — Here's big news: the government is actually doing something
quickly for once.

Less than two weeks after announcing that it will develop new rules governing how much and when pilots can fly, the FAA said it will set up a committee to develop those rules by July 15, with recommendations to be drawn up by Sept. 1.

Also by July 15, FAA inspectors will review airline procedures for identifying and tracking pilots who fail test flights or demonstrate a repeated need for additional training.

Lawmakers and friends and family of the victims of Continental Connection Flight 3407, which crashed in Clarence on Feb. 12, said they were thrilled that the FAA is taking quick action.

It's an amazing thing, really, for an agency with a reputation for foot-dragging.

And it leaves you wondering: Is it all because of Flight 3407? Or how much does it have to do with the appointment of Randy Babbitt, a former pilots union executive, to head the FAA?

— Jerry Zremski

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