“The plane seemed weightless in the sky and was swaying from left to right and bounced up and down before it landed,”

there are some professional operations such as General Motors Air Transport,

But he’s also seen plenty of playing it fast-and-loose with the rules, which typically happens on smaller, commuter airlines

“They attract kids, ex-plumbers, and an assortment of motley characters who are more enamored, it seems, with the title than the occupation,”

Mr. Elliott,

I read your article on MSNBC this afternoon titled "Cures for Regional Jet Stress Syndrome", and as a current corporate pilot and former regional jet pilot I feel compelled to inform you of some "less than accurate" facts in your article.

First and foremost, your fourth paragraph states: "The regional carriers operating these planes don’t fly by the same rules as the major airlines." That statement is quite inaccurate and borderline sensational. Every regional jet operator in the domestic United States is subject to Subpart G, Part 121 of Title 14 in the Code of Federal Regulations. These are the exact same set of regulations that major airlines such as United, Delta, Southwest and Jetblue abide by and are enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration. The "commuter airlines" of the 1980s and 1990s used to operate under Part 135 and 119, but in the mid-90s were brought up to Part 121 standards, achieving "One Level of Safety". In fact, when you take a look at aviation accidents since that time you will NOT notice a disproportionate number of fatal accidents by turboprops and small jets.

While every contract Express/Connection carrier may have their own specific procedures per their FAA-approved Operating Specifications, to write that "regional airlines don't operate by the same rules as the major airlines" isn't just factually incorrect, it is borderline irresponsible reporting.

There are no regional jets operating in the United States with fewer than 30 passenger seats, in fact the smallest jet currently in use for scheduled 121 operations is the 37 seat Embraer 135. American Eagle, Expressjet, and Chautauqua Airlines all operate the E-135. The most popular "regional jets" in the United States are the 50 and 70 seat Bombardier CRJs, the 50 seat Embraer 145, and the 70-86 seat Embraer 170/175.

I also take issue with the first paragraph of "Ways to Prevent RJSS" #5, "Remember the Exceptions". That entire section is ridiculously insulting to all of the professional pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, dispatchers, and customer service personnel that give 110% every day to get their passengers to their destinations just as 1. safely and 2. quickly as possible. Using a source that is well removed from the industry (General Motors Air Transport isn't a scheduled passenger airline) to speak for the credibility of those employees, even under the guise that they all aren't bad, is pretty irresponsible as well. Michael Boyd or another well-known aviation analyst would have been a much better source of information about the current state of regional airlines than someone that simply operated an avionics shop. While I'll readily admit there are some awful employees working at regional airlines who don't seem to realize they work in a service industry, I can also think of many equally awful employees at every legacy, major, and national airline I have ever flown on as a passenger. Come to think of it, I can think of people in every industry that give their colleagues and indeed their entire profession a bad name, i.e. medicine, legal, law enforcement, journalism, etc.

In conclusion, If you and other passengers don't like flying on "small jets" because of their size or a perceived lack of amenities, I 100% understand that reasoning and support your right as a consumer to take their business elsewhere...but when a writer starts insinuating that "small jets" are unsafe and their crews aren't professional, despite using no facts whatsoever to back up that position, I tend to take issue with that.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email, and I hope that you will take time in a future column to address these issues I have brought to your attention. If you ever want topical input on the current state of the aviation industry, please feel free to contact me - I'd be happy to do so free of charge just to ensure accurate information is being presented to the public.


Regards,

BoilerUP
<snip current position, credentials and former 121 affiliation>