Advisory panel would relax rules for co-pilot experience

US airlines would be able to hire new pilots with far less cockpit experience than currently required under a proposal aimed at addressing a staffing shortage, a move likely to rekindle a debate over aviation safety. Certain military pilots with as little as 500 hours of flying experience would be allowed to become commercial co-pilots, according to people familiar with an advisory panel’s recommendations, compared with the mandatory at least 750 hours required today. That is already down sharply from the minimum of 1,500 hours set for typical nonmilitary pilots in 2013. The proposal comes from a joint industry-labor group created by the FAA to help it draft new regulations amid worries by the airline industry that there aren’t enough pilots to keep up with demand. None of the recommendations have been released, and further details are expected to remain confidential until top FAA officials decide how to proceed. Co-pilots without a military background or an academic degree related to aviation would still need at least 1,500 hours of total flight time to be eligible to be hired by carriers, these people said. Co-pilots are sometimes called first officers. The committee, which includes representatives of pilots, airlines and passengers, didn’t recommend any changes for requirements to fly as a captain. Captains need 1,500 hours among other requirements, but airlines usually require more flight time for them than federal minimums.<br/>