retired airline captain chesley sullenberger. senator kelly ayotte chaired this two hour hearing. >> good afternoon and welcome. thank you all for being here. today's hearing is one in a series we're holding in preparation for this year's federal aviation administration's reauthorization effort and last week we heard from experts and stakeholders on the certification process and airport infrastructure financing. today we have the opportunity to discuss the single-most important underlying issue for any reauthorization effort and that's safety. the safety of our national airspace system and the safety of the flying public. with that i want to take a moment to recognize the family members of the victims of colgan flight 3407, which crashed near buffalo in 2009 who i understand are here in the audience today. your sustained efforts to improve safety of our skies are admirable and we appreciate you coming to this hearing today.

captain sullenberger you have a long history in the airlines. do you have any idea of the differential in pay between a regional airline and somebody coming into one of the majors? >> i would imagine at least 50%. >> a minimum of 50% coming in. >> and i would add that this widespread perception that jobs -- entry-level jobs at the regional carriers are not good ones is deserved and it's become more widely known and i think to the extent that there are people who are making other life choices for themselves and for their families, it's because of that. this is something that they've done to themselves, and it's easily reconcilable if they simply offer starting wages and working additions that will attract qualified candidates who are out there but are currently doing other things. >> miss black, it looks like you want to respond. >> if i may. regional airlines are part of the natural career progression. i think that's a natural fact. first year first officer wages in particular are lower for a number of reasons. first of all, the marketplace. sec

married to the hero of the hudson captain sully sullenberger. lo lori, you are here today to talk about meant rg. you have been an amazing mentor. i want to talk to you about, you were with big brothers and big sisters for almost 30 years. that's amazing. >> yeah. >> how did you get involved? >> i don't know how to happened. it was in 1984, and i was in my early 20s. i had grown up in a home that wasn't always very stable, and i had an alcoholic parent. i had come out the other side and felt like i had done well and i felt like it was my responsibility to give back and to share with someone else things that i had learned. so i had looked around and i felt like one-on-one mentoring was really the best match for me. so i went to big brother big sister and was interviewed. it was a lengthy process and they spend a lot of time trying to figure out the best match for you. eventually, i was matched with a little girl named sarah, 4 years old at the time. >> it's different now for the ages. >> right. the children are older. i'm not exactly sure. it mig

i'm going to continue captain sullenberger and i want to say i think your testimony guided the debate as skillfully as you guided that plane to land in the hudson. and that is that this issue is about a broken economic model and about whether we're going to pay pilots enough money. i think that's the bottom line of your statement is that if you pay them they will come. and the fact that you hit on so many of the issues that concerns me about the regional carriers who take a bran name from a major corporation, everybody thinks they're meeting the same standards as the brand they're not. they think that they are meeting the same qualifications, they may not be. to me we're here because some people are suggesting that we take the 1500 hour requirement that is now required for pilots and for those who want an airline transportation certificate and reduce that. prior to colgan air we were at 250 hours. so if you could is maybe talk a little bit about why it's so important to have 1500 hours. maybe that would help people understand. i think people are trying to say, you know what? i got a b

captain sullenberger, did you want to add a comment to that? >> i certainly do. sms and fatigue risk management systems are important, but they're additional safeguards. what we need to do is close the loophole, solve the problem, insure that cargo carriers have to build schedules that comply with federal aviation regulation, which is fatigue rule that the passenger airlines have to comply with, and not try to fix it later with quite frankly a band-aid approach. we need to solve the problem. fatigue is futeal, whether you're carrying passengers or packages. >> and maintenance. >> and maintenance. >> thank you. >> thank you i would like to call on senator peters. >> thank you madam chair and thank you, member cantwell for holding the hearing and certainly it's been a fascinating hearing and i enjoy the conversation from the panelists. there's been quite a bit of discussion on the required hours and pilot experience prior to being a co-pilot. i wanted to explore that a little further if i may. ms. black, you talked about the pay structure of regional airlines in th

now i would like to call on captain chesley sullenberger. he is an aviation safety expert and was captain of flight 1549 who was able to land on the hudson. we're happy to have you here, captain. >> chairman ayotte, ranking member cantwell, other members of the committee, it's my great honor to appear before this subcommittee. as the airline pilot as the professional pilot here i'm someone who has had 20000 hours of flying time much of that as a part 121 jet captain time. along with my first officer jeff skiles who is also here. i was in the cockpit of an airliner when we faced suddenly an ultimate challenge. i'm uniquely qualified to tell you exactly how important pilot experience is and why we must not compromise it. i deeply understand what's at stake. as you consider this faa reauthorization bill i want to say it's critical that you maintain the requirements and that you not weaken them, that you not give further credits for beyond what's already been allowed. you see, i've seen firsthand the real cost, the human costs of not having adeq

. >> reporter: over the years tori has interviewed several history makers including sully sullenberger. she recently became a certified nutrition consultant and would like to spend a little more time with her husband larry and their two sons. >> my last day is going to be mid-june. june19th. and i would like you all to know this is a really hard decision to make because i love what i do and i love working with you guys but it just feels the right time to leave the broadcast industry and pursue other passions in my life. >> reporter: tori is certainly going to be missed but we're excited to tell you that gasia mikaelian is going to be replacing her in the mornings. >> she's excited to make the moves to morning and it will also give her more time to spend with her family. and we're seeing that video of you way way back. >> way way back. we all look so young. >>> bay area seismologist pushing for an early warning system. >> somebody can within a second or two drop, cover and hold on. >> the earthquake today that helped send their message. >> and mark tamayo is detailing the easter forecas

faa, chairman of the national transportation safety board, and retired airline captain, chelsea sullenberger. it's two hours. >> thank you all for being here. today's hearing is one in the series we hold in preparation for this year's federal aviation administration's reauthorization effort, and last week we heard from experts and stake holders on the certification process and airport infrastructure financing. today, we have the opportunity to discuss the single most important underlying issue for any reauthorization effort, and that's safety the safety of our national air space system and safety of the flying public. with that i want to recognize the family members of the flight 4307 that crashed near buffalo in 2009 and i understand people affected are in the audience today. we appreciate your coming to the hearing today. safety is is and must remain the top priority. the united states national air space system is one of the safest in the world, even while being one of the most complex systems in the world. safety record we enjoy is a product of hard work of government and industry alike,

after a flock of geese knocked out both engines, the heroic efforts of captain sully sullenberger savedboard. some pilots also warned technology like enhanced crash avoidance could make jetliners vulnerable to hackers. >> more and more people will come to know the technology. they'll work on the technology and therefore there will be bad people that will be able to exploit that technology. that's not a good thing. >> reporter: but in incidents like the germanwings tragedy where a pilot is being blamed for the crash, former department of transportation inspector general mary schiavo says there must be additional safeguards. >> most of the major commercial jetliner crashes in the last two or three years could have been saved by an override. >> our thanks to rene marsh for that report. i want to bring back in cnn aviation analyst les abend who, as i mentioned before, is a pilot of a 777, captain. sounds like a great idea. and you don't agree? >> i don't agree. are we changing an entire system based on this anomaly, this poor mentally disturbed individual? doesn't make sense. if you start t

a flock of geese knocked out both engines, the heroic actions of sully sullenberger saved all 155 peopleboard. some pilots warn technology like enhanced crash avoidance could make jet liners vulnerable to hackers. >> more and more people will come to know the technology. they'll work on the technology and therefore, there will be bad people able to exploit that technology. that's not a good thing. >> reporter: but in incidents like the germanwings, where the pilot blamed for the crash, former department of transportation inspector general mary schiavo said there must be additional safeguards. >> most of the crashes in the last two or three years could have been saved by an override. >> reporter: rene marsh, cnn, washington. >>> just ahead, fallout for the new york city police detective caught on tape ranting and an uber driver. what's happening to him so far as a consequence. that's coming up next. >> let me tell you something. next time you do it again -- >> okay. >> okay? stop interrupting me. the real question that needs to be asked is "what is it that we can do that is impactful?" wh

after a flock of geese knocked out both engines, the heroic efforts of captain sully sullenberger savedeople on board. some pilots also warn technology like enhanced crash avoidance could make jet liners vulnerable to hackers. >> more and more people will come to know the technology. they will work on the technology. and therefore, there will be bad people that will be able to exploit that technology. that's not a good thing. >> reporter: but in incidents like the germanwings tragedy where a pilot is being blamed for the trash, former department of transportation inspector general mary schiavo says there must be additional safeguards. >> most of the major commercial jet liner crashes in the last two or three years could have been saved by an override. >> reporter: airbus is not saying anything about all this. however, honeywell, the firm that worked with airbus says they won't develop it unless airlines or regulators ask for it and at this point, so far, that has not happened. >> rene do we have any idea why the project was scrapped the first time around when it was proposed? >> reporte

. >> sully sullenberger. >> yes, but somebody has already done it, is there one man who has been doing this, his name is george jetson, you may have heard of him. >> i think so. >> yes, on that net we're out of here. see you tomorrow. >> see you guys, bye. >> we say this all the time. number one cause of death for woman is not breast cancer, it is heart disease. so why do they refuse to go to the hospital when they have symptoms, lot of woman will hesitate just like a guy they won't go to the hospital. the one simple thing that can save a woman's life we will tell you what it is after the break. >>> and lets get to jen. now it is tuesday. we are deeper in to spring break. >> more kids on spring break this week. >> we need more ideas. >> we need more ideas. we are here at big league dreams in medford. check this out guys. what is different about these guys throwing this ball. can you figure out the difference. >> wow. >> look at the equipment. we will talk bay cool sport in >> look at the equipment. we will talk bay cool sport in and just like that, >> look at the equipment. we will tal

don't let your child beat on her chesley sullenberger and taunt the gorillas but apparently some parentsense. the zoo has lots of safety and protocol measures in place to protect the public and to protect the animals that are there you need to remember and consider yourself a visitor. how would you act around a stranger that you didn't know? you would exhibit a level of respect and reservation that needs to be applied when we go to a zoo. when you go to a zoo. you are there to learn you are there to learn and experience. the last thing you want to dangle over the railings is something that is about the size of an and lope that cheat that like to eat. >> what does that tell you actually that the cheetahs did not attack. they must be so used to being around humans that how do you piece this together? how did the cheetahs not think of this toddler as food? >> well i think it was very lucky for that toddler that maybe the cheetahs had previously eaten or they were distracted. it is true these animals work with people on a regular basis husband dry for these animals is priority number one for