Pilot Bill of Rights, Control Riding and Dealing with Drones

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) on June 23, 2015, wrote U.S. Senators saying it is fundamentally opposed to the dangerous policy shift proposed by the Pilots Bill of Rights II (PBOR2). Reader Martin Brookes writes that every instructor he has flown with couldnt resist adding their control input on landing via subtle, unannounced control inputs to help the student. This is an unfortunately common practice, sometimes called control riding. While its easy to bash the FAA efforts to regulate drones, its important to note Congress in 2012 told the agency to come up with a regulatory scheme allowing UAS operations in the national airspace.

Key Takeaways:

• Key opposition to the Pilots Bill of Rights II (PBOR2) comes from the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), with Nelson actively working to dilute the bill and mandating federal liability insurance for aircraft owners.
• "Control riding," where flight instructors make subtle, unannounced control inputs, is criticized for hindering student learning, especially in recovering from mistakes, and for indicating a lack of instructor proficiency and confidence.
• The FAA's drone registration efforts face criticism for perceived overreach beyond manned aircraft, misidentifying risks (e.g., small quadcopters vs. long-range RC planes), and negatively impacting traditional RC hobbyists, despite the agency acting on a Congressional mandate and primarily focusing on commercial UAS operations.

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