Let Experienced Pilots Fly
Experience Matters
Dear Colleagues,
The Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee held a hearing on June 10 for the confirmation of Mr. Bryan Bedford for FAA Administrator. LEPF was requested to provide our comments regarding Mr. Bedford and his nomination. We submitted a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee as requested. (**See the letter below)
Of great interest is Mr. Bedford’s comments on RTA, when asked, he stated: “So those who wish to serve, having an arbitrary mandatory retirement age doesn’t seem like the right answer to me.” He went on to say: “We had a lot of debate on the merits of it, which are, I think, pretty clear that we have really experienced pilots that still have a lot of gas in the tank … and a lot of mentoring that they can bring to the table for the younger workforce that we’re developing for the future.”
On ICAO Mr. Bedford said: “ICAO will become very critical to raising the retirement age. I think it’s absolutely possible to accomplish that in a reasonable period of time.” (Click here for article)
Senator Blackburn continues gathering bi-partisan support for her letter to the State and Transportation Secretaries urging the US Mission at ICAO to take a more proactive role at ICAO. LEPF was consulted on the drafting of this letter and continues to assist in gaining bi-partisan support.
LEPF is also advocating that the vacant position of ICAO Ambassador be filled without delay. It has been vacant for almost three years, and it is imperative this position be filled. It requires confirmation by the US Senate and would be very beneficial to our cause that it be filled before the next ICAO Assembly meeting in September of this year. Barry has had direct conversations with Sen. Blackburn and specifically addressed the urgency of filling this position and the ramifications of allowing China to lead the world on aviation matters, and the ICAO agenda, ahead of the U.S.
WHAT ABOUT OUR BILL?
Some of you have asked about the timeline for re-introduction of the “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act” bill. We addressed that in NOTAM #7, however here is a re-cap: Senator Blackburn explained that once Congress gets the spending bill to the POTUS, eliminate/raise the age leaders will focus on getting our bill re-introduced. The goal is to have the bill introduced before the August recess. Sen. Blackburn made this very clear to the Nashville luncheon attendees.
Legislative efforts are not a spectator sport. It requires active participation and the more of our members contribute, the greater our chances of success. We welcome those of you observing from the sidelines and ask that you join your fellow contributing aviators in our efforts. We all have skin in the game, and it is important that we all contribute to the effort.
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL
For our Facebook fans, LEPF has a Facebook page, a presence on X, and Instagram accounts and we welcome you to give us your thoughts. ALL LINKS BELOW. We welcome all and if your opinion differs from ours, that is ok. We will not delete your comments just because they may not fit a particular narrative. We welcome respectful and truthful debate. LEPF is open to all who wish to participate, contribute, and join our effort to RTA.
We do recognize that others may publish misinformation regarding our cause and mission. LEPF has built the relationships and relevance we have on the Hill, which is reflected by Senators, Congressmen, and their staff seeking our input on bill language, letter writing, and our contribution to relevant congressional hearings.
The LEPF website, our NOTAMS, and our newsletters are the official voice of LEPF. We are always available to answer any of your questions, as we strive to provide you with a transparent analysis and mission status of our advocacy and events, while not compromising our strategy. Email us!
In closing, we want to thank our new members and thank them for their contributions, as well as thank our long-time members that continue to support us, work with us, and contribute to our cause.
Stay tuned for further information as we prepare for further advocacy efforts such as “call to action” (C2A), Op-eds, and personal constituent visits. We are in the process of planning events similar to the one we hosted for Senator Blackburn in Nashville on May 30th in other states. We welcome all supporters who wish to join us in our effort.
For those that are still considering a financial contribution to LEPF, you can become part of the team with this link: raisethepilotage.com
Thank you in advance to new contributors, for your donations, support, and your continued involvement infighting this discrimination in our profession. We shall prevail.
Experience Matters!
LEPF Board of Directors
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**Letter to the Senate Commerce Committee on Mr. Bryan Bedford’s confirmation hearing:
June 10, 2025
The Honorable Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman
The Honorable Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member The Honorable Members of the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee
Dear Senators,
We write to offer our thoughts regarding the nomination of Mr. Bryan K. Bedford, of Republic Airways, for FAA Administrator.
Let Experienced Pilots Fly, (LEPF) isa non-profit focused on aviation safety, via the retention of experienced pilots in our flight decks. We advocate for eliminating or raising the mandatory pilot retirement age, currently 65 years of age.
The ever growing experience gap in our entry level pilots is due to the mandatory forced retirement of thousands of highly seasoned and experienced airline captains, due to nothing other than a birthday.
LEPF believes “experience matters” throughout a pilot’s career, from the entry level to the senior ranks of its captains.
At the entry level, there is a minimum requirement of experience (The 1500-hour rule), which LEPF supports because having a minimum qualification is just that, a minimum, on which to begin to gain experience. The 1500-hour rule is like receiving your driver’s license. It is a license to begin to learn how to drive and become an experienced driver. Likewise, the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license provides the legal means to gain the experience necessary to become an airline pilot, under the mentoring of experienced captains.
At the senior level, seasoned and highly experienced captains mentor and share their vast experience with the junior pilots in their early stages of gaining the indispensable experience on their path to developing sound aviation judgment.
Mr. Bedford understands the value of both, as well as the impact the pilot shortage has on Essential Air Services(EAS) airports, serving rural communities nationwide.
Mr. Bedford understands the current challenge of the FAA’s well known “green on green” experience dilemma at the entry level of our airline industry. He understands that “experience matters”.
We are confident he will work closely with Secretary Duffy in bringing the FAA to the much needed improvements to our national airspace system (NAS).
If confirmed, LEPF is confident that Mr. Bedford has the institutional and industrial knowledge to manage the current, and future, challenges before the FAA.
We take this opportunity to thank Mr. Chris Rocheleau for his time as Acting Administrator.
We thank the committee for the acceptance of this letter, as they give due consideration to Mr. Bedford’s nomination.
Respectfully,
Barry Kendrick
Captain Barry Kendrick, President Let Experienced Pilots Fly, Inc.