mr. scovel -- thank you. mr. scovel, you mentioned something i think is unlikely not related to this particular issue but may well be related and as related to safety and that is outsourcing of maintenance. tell me again your testimony about that and judgment about it. and the reason i ask is you suggested that the evidence is that there is greater outsourcing of maintenance among commuters the major carriers although what i have understood that the major carriers is increasing amount of maintenance is not outsourced. >> you're correct, mr. chairman, major out sorcerers are all of their maintenance where they did it in house and are looking to have it done by a maintenance contract providers. among regional carriers research shows up to 50% of maintenance needed by regional carriers is now being outsourced. my office has examined owls horse maintenance in 2003, 2005, 2008, a key finding of hours is the new risk-based safety oversight system for repair stations initiated by the faa in 2005 is currently an effective

mr. scovel, your impression? >> mr. chairman i don't believe we do. what level of safety has become code within the aviation industry and among stakeholders to describe the move of regional air carriers from part 135 to 121 in 1995. you mentioned earlier that when an american gets aboard an aircraft in this country and had to pay a ticket and understands that aircraft is subject to faa peculation he/she could reasonably think the level of safety would be the same no matter what aircraft or carrier yet that is thought entirely true. >> if that is the case mr. rosen kirk, it is i assume a fact that the major carriers in this country have an enormous stake in the records of commuters, because they paid their airplanes with their colors and their name and consumers often are able to make a distinction or don't make the distinction whether they are on the commuter or the main carrier. do you think that what this happened is we have migrated to standards and if so, is that not contrary to the interests of the major carriers? >> i don't believe mr. chairman

mr. scovel -- thank you. mr. scovel, you mentioned something, i think, that is likely not related to this particular issue. it may well be related. certainly is related to safety. the issue of outsourcing maintenance. tell me, again, your testimony about that and your judgment about it. the reason i ask the question is you suggested that the evidence is that there is a greater outsourcing of maintenance among commuters then the major carriers. although what i have -- what i have understood about major carriers is that an increasing amount of their maintenance is now outsourced. >> you are correct, m r. chairman. major carriers are outsourcing an increasing amount of all of their maintenance whereas formerly they did it in-house. among regional carriers our research says that among 50% of maintenance needed by regional carriers is now being outsourced. my office says examined out source maintenance in 2003 and 2005, 2008, a key finding of ours is that the new risk-based safety oversight system for repair stations i