There is a lot of misinformation out there lately about airline pilots not having experience; lets break this down… We’ll focus on airline pilots in the United States, as the requirements for pilots is slightly different around the world.
To dive into this topic, we have to look at how the industry has changed in recent years.
How the Colgan Air Flight 3407 Crash Reshaped U.S. Airline Pilot Training
On February 12, 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, resulting in the tragic loss of all 49 people on board and one person on the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation identified pilot error, including improper response to stall warnings and violations of cockpit procedures, as contributing factors.
Pre-Crash Pilot Training Standards
Before the crash, U.S. regulations required co-pilots to have a commercial pilot certificate, obtained with a minimum of 250 flight hours. This standard was deemed insufficient in light of the Colgan Air accident, which highlighted gaps in pilot training and experience.
Regulatory Changes Post-Crash
In response, Congress passed the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, mandating the FAA to revise pilot qualification standards. The FAA implemented new rules effective August 1, 2013, requiring all airline first officers to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, necessitating a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. There are exceptions to the 1500 hour rule for airline pilots, called restricted ATP minimums.
In the United States, a Restricted Airline Transport Pilot (R-ATP) certificate allows pilots to serve as first officers (co-pilots) at an airline with fewer than the standard 1,500 flight hours, provided they meet specific qualifications.
Here are the R-ATP minimum flight hour requirements, depending on background:
Restricted ATP Flight Hour Minimums:
| Qualification | Minimum Hours |
| Military Pilot (U.S.) | 750 hours |
| Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation (FAA-authorized 4-year program) | 1,000 hours |
| Associate Degree in Aviation (FAA-authorized 2-year program) | 1,250 hours |
| All other pilots | 1,500 hours (standard ATP) |
Other Requirements (All R-ATP applicants must have):
- Be at least 21 years old
- Hold a Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument Rating
- Pass the ATP written and practical tests
- Receive training from an FAA-approved Part 141 or military program, if applying under reduced-hour provisions
Why R-ATP Exists:
The R-ATP was introduced after the FAA raised the standard ATP requirement to 1,500 hours (effective August 1, 2013) following the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash. The restricted version offers a more accessible pathway for highly trained pilots, especially those from structured collegiate or military programs.
Let’s put this in perspective; prior to 2013 airline first officers could get hired with only 300-400 total flight hours. Since 2013, pilots need to obtain 1000-1500 flight hours depending on if they qualify for a restricted ATP, to get the same job. How do pilots get from 250 hours (minimum required for a commercial pilot’s certificate) to their ATP minimums?
This period of a pilot’s career is called the “time building” phase, how to build flight time to meet minimum requirements for an airline, corporate, or charter company. Even once minimum requirements are met, competition among pilots seeking the same job mean that you may need more than the minimum requirements to actually land a job, meaning you need to obtain more flight time and more diverse experience.
Many times, pilots become flight instructors to build time, teaching new pilots how to fly. Flight instructors known in the industry as a CFI, certified flight instructor, teach their students how to fly, how to obtain their private pilot’s license, instrument rating, commercial rating, multi-engine rating and so forth. This type of experience is excellent for shaping the CFI’s experience by honing their teaching and communication skills, but it can also result in some repetitive flight experience. They may operate out of the same handfuls of local airports, and aren’t gaining experience operating at high altitudes, in complex airspace, or in a crew environment, where more than one pilot is required to operate an aircraft.
Some pilots choose to follow other “low time” pilot jobs, such as corporate flight departments, aerial surgery companies, banner towing, dropping parachute jumpers, or small aircraft operators that do have to adhere to FAR Part 121 (aka airline operator) requirements of the ATP minimums.
Impact on Aviation Safety?
Flying has historically never been safer. Your pilots have more experience under their belt than ever before. Airline training is rigorous and many pilots wash out during training if they are not performing adequately. You are in good hands.
Not only did the ATP minimums become the new minimum flight time requirement for airline pilots following the Colgan crash, another Federal Aviation Regulation was enacted. FAR Part 117, the FAA’s regulation governing flight and duty limitations and rest requirements for airline pilots, took effect on January 4, 2014.
Why FAR 117 Was Introduced
FAR 117 was created in response to growing concerns about pilot fatigue, especially following high-profile accidents like:
- Colgan Air Flight 3407 (2009) – fatigue was not the primary cause, but it drew national attention to regional airline operations and pilot scheduling.
- Industry and NTSB studies consistently showed that fatigue degraded pilot performance and increased risk.
Before FAR 117, pilot duty and rest rules were governed by FAR Parts 121 Subparts Q, R, and S, which hadn’t been substantially updated since the 1960s — well before modern science on fatigue management and circadian rhythms.
Key Features of FAR 117
- Science-Based Rest Rules
- Considers circadian rhythms, time of day, and sleep opportunities
- Establishes maximum duty limits based on start time, not just duration
- Flight Time Limits
- Limits flight time to 8–9 hours depending on the time of day and number of flight segments
- Duty Period Limits
- Limits total duty time to 9–14 hours, depending on report time and number of flight legs
- Minimum Rest Requirements
- Requires a minimum 10-hour rest period before duty, including 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep opportunity
- Fatigue Reporting
- Pilots can report themselves “too fatigued to fly” without penalty
Who It Applies To
FAR 117 applies to:
- All Part 121 passenger-carrying airline operations (including both mainline and regional carriers)
It does not apply to:
- Part 135 (commuter and on-demand) operators
There was controversy over cargo pilots being excluded from FAR 117 despite flying similar schedules — a debate that still continues today.
At the end of the day
Pilots must really love flying — the never ending training events and evaluations that put their career on the line, the public scrutiny after any aviation news breaks, the cost to enter the profession and the hundreds of out of pocket flight hours they have to accumulate before they make their first (small) paycheck well before flying your airliner are all a part of a pilot’s aviation journey. These efforts go unseen, but are important to remember the next time you see a pilot in uniform at the airport. The work they put in to get where they are shows they are passionate, well-trained, dedicated to their craft, and have your best interests at heart when you board their flight.