Describing their preparations for the Aug. 1, 2013, effective date of new certification and qualification requirements for airline first officers in the United States, several training specialists from the country’s regional airlines say that identifying and developing essential attributes of professionalism in new-hire pilots also is critical. In fact, to some, it’s as important as checking off such required-qualification boxes as age (23), license (airline transport pilot [ATP] certificate) and minimum total flight hours (1,500). The final rule contains a few exceptions and other details (see “Final Rule”).
This prioritization stems from lessons from recent experiences working with the cohort of pilots just entering this industry segment, these specialists told the World Aviation Training Conference and Tradeshow (WATS 2013) in Orlando, Florida, U.S., in April.
By their accounts, applicants and new-hire p…
