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DECEMBER 2014 n OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL Featuring Your COVER SHOTS! 4th Annual PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE PAGE 16 Follow us on Twitter @wearealpa ed r o s n po S e n i A i r l r Tr a c k n solutio g n i Caree n i a r hours areer t pilot c time to 1500 e n i l r i a ro fers the track from ze lliances. f o P T A a career airline with a red by ATP’s sponso Airline Career Airlines have selected ATP as a preferred training provider to build their pilot pipelines with the best training in the fastest time frame possible. In the Airline Career Pilot Program, your airline interview takes place during the commercial phase of training. Successful applicants will receive a conditional offer of employment from one or more of ATP’s airline alliances, plus a guaranteed instructor job with ATP or a designated flight school to build flight experience. Only ATP gives you this level of confidence in your flight training investment. 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DECEMBER 2014 • VOLUME 83, NUMBER 12 ABOUT THE COVER 16 A Hawaiian B-717 circling to land at Hilo International Airport by F/O Mark Whiteaker (United). FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 33 Index 16 4th Annual Photography Issue 6 Preflight 34 On the Bookshelf 27 ALPA’s Strategic Plan: Stronger Moving Forward 30 ALPA@Work ALPA Aeromedical Chairs Focus on Pilot Health; ALPA Hosts International CIRP Chairs Meeting COMMENTARY Books Every Pilot Should Own 36 The Landing Memorabilia on Display 38 We Are ALPA ALPA Resources and Contact Numbers 4 Taking Off ’Tis the Season 6 5 Aviation Matters Defining Moments 36 Download a QR reader to your smartphone, scan the code, and read the magazine. Air Line Pilot (ISSN 0002-242X) is pub lished monthly by the Air Line Pilots Association, International, affiliated with AFL-CIO, CLC. Editorial Offices: 535 Herndon Parkway, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169. Telephone: 703-481-4460. Fax: 703-464-2114. Copyright © 2014—Air Line Pilots Association, International, all rights reserved. Publication in any form without permission is prohibited. Air Line Pilot and the ALPA logo Reg. U.S. Pat. and T.M. Office. Federal I.D. 36-0710830. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon, VA 20172, and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Air Line Pilot, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40620579: Return undeliverable magazines sent to Canadian addresses to 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON, Canada N8T 3B7. 34 December 2014 Air Line Pilot 3 Awesome photos of (and around) YOUR office view! (Did your photo make the cut?) Memorabilia on display. Check it out! ALPA-PAC—on the verge of making history. Books to top your reading wish list. Page 16 Page 36 Page 8 Page 34 TakingOff ’Tis the Season A For both staff and pilots alike, the past year has covered the gamut of success and challenges. Lori Garver General Manager Lori.Garver@alpa.org s we close out 2014 at ALPA, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the year and to resolve to learn from our successes and our mistakes so that as 2015 begins, we are truly stronger moving forward. For both staff and pilots alike, the past year has covered the gamut of success and challenges. When North American shut its doors and ceased operations this year—and Ryan and Evergreen in 2013—taking with it ALPA pilot jobs, staff shared your collective sadness and frustration. We felt the vexation of our members who sent contracts back to the negotiating table and the respite of others who signed new contracts. When Transport Canada issued the notice of proposed amendment for pilot flight- and dutytime rules, we applauded the progress, while in the United States we continue to advocate for “One Level of Safety” and the elimination of the cargo carveout. And when the Department of Transportation denied Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) temporary permit to fly in and out of the United States, we also embraced that victory. 4 Air Line Pilot December 2014 If the past 11 months have been any measure, it is sure not to slow down. In fact, as this December issue goes to press, ALPA pilots and supporting staff are primed for a week of action—all in the name of strengthening the airline piloting profession. Capt. Moak will give his last testimony on Capitol Hill (as a sitting ALPA president), speaking about the future of the FAA. The next day, we will have nearly 100 pilots on the Hill, joined by staff professionals, in our advocacy effort to push for a final denial of NAI. Our pilots and staff will be on panels at a major international aviation conference—asserting our position as global leaders in the profession and the industry. And all of this follows on the heels of the successful FedEx Express pilot informational picketing on Wall Street and in Indianapolis, Ind., and Denver, Colo. As we move into the holiday season, and the time of transition to a new ALPA administration, we will no doubt reflect even more on 2014. I have no doubt that as we do so, we will also have an eye toward our future and our work to safeguard the profession. AviationMatters Defining Moments A s we send the December issue of Air Line Pilot to press, we are days away from a defining moment in ALPA’s Deny NAI campaign. Close to 100 ALPA pilots are expected to storm the halls of Capitol Hill advocating for further bipartisan congressional support to convince the Department of Transportation to deny Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) application to fly to and from the United States. You’ve heard me talk about it before—just how detrimental the approval of this airline flag-of-convenience business scheme would be for the future of fair competition. The response to Deny NAI has been overwhelming and inspiring. It will be a day of action; it will be a day of progress. It is a defining moment for my tenure as president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International as was the day I was elected four years ago. As a huge proponent of continuous professional and personal growth, I really had no idea how much I would learn from Day 1 and how much I am continuing to learn into my final weeks in office. Whether maneuvering through the governmental matrix of both Capitol and Parliament Hills or truly understanding the unique challenges of individual pilot groups, including the intricacies of each contract or the rough terrain and conditions in which some of our pilots fly, every time I met with a pilot group or an individual line pilot I had a new sense of awareness about the profession I love. And I have been and will forever remain all in when it comes to safeguarding our profession. Many people—ALPA members and industry representatives—have asked me what I believe ALPA’s biggest accomplishments have been. Legislative and advocacy success? Huge strides in safety? Lowered dues rate? A number of progressive contract ratifications for many of our pilot groups? A successful organizing drive? Branding ALPA as pilot partisan in Washington, D.C.? Seeing great support from both political parties? A staff restructuring to promote efficiency and increase effectiveness? Yes, as a team we’ve been able to accomplish those significant accomplishments and more. We’ve had many defining moments—the implementation and nationwide expansion of Known Crewmember; the 2012 FAA reauthorization and the IRA rollover provision; the merger of United and Continental pilots; establishing the remote ops committee; Federal Flight Deck Officer funding; U.S. Ex-Im Bank reforms; raising awareness on state-owned enterprises and the need to level the playing field; defining the narrative on the pilot pay shortage; making real progress on the temporary worker program in Canada; launching the successful Save Our Skies public awareness campaign; welcoming JetBlue pilots into ALPA; and the successful—but not yet finished—Deny NAI campaign. The list is long, the list is proud, and the list is far from done. But my biggest accomplishment? Without a team surrounding me, supporting me, advising me, there would be no accomplishments. The relationships I’ve built with die-hard, dedicated ALPA volunteers and the Association’s expert professional staff are what I would note as my biggest accomplishment. This job, my passion, has allowed me the opportunity to work with some amazing individuals from whom I have learned more than I knew I could absorb. And together, we modified our way of thinking—developing relationships with other industry stakeholders, other labor organizations, and decision-makers—to build consensus and rise above It’s been an honor, the noise in Washington, D.C. We a privilege, and a realized that the 5 percent we pleasure to serve as disagree on wasn’t worth negating the 95 percent we all agree on. president of the Air It’s that humility, that cooperation Line Pilots Associathat allows us to make progress. tion, International. So let’s talk about the next four years. You don’t need a fortuneteller to tell you that our profession will face many of the same challenges and, unfortunately, new and even greater challenges. But the opportunity also exists for even greater success. And as the advocates for the pilots of today and tomorrow, we can never give up. We can never let up. The moment we lessen our stride or stray from the strategic path, we lose the ground that we’ve fought so hard to gain. Don’t be the weakest link. Don’t let grudges and politics get in the way of reason and progress. On Jan. 1, 2015, you will start the year with newly elected ALPA leaders. They chose not to be silent. Please give them your support. Your support will lead to their success. Their success will bring measurable improvements to our profession. Capt. Tim Canoll, elected as ALPA’s 10th president, has pledged to serve with reason, judiciousness, and dignity to further the mission of this union. I know that he is a man of his word. And with your support and cooperation, I know he will be successful and do what every visionary intends: to leave a place better than it was found. I am confident in his abilities and the ability of what 51,000 pilots all moving in the same direction can accomplish. It’s been an honor, a privilege, and a pleasure to serve as president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International. Stronger Moving Forward, Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA President December 2014 Air Line Pilot 5 n Airline Industry News Domestic News Images: Above, iStock.com; Right, nasa.gov ¼¼ According to Aviation for customer research and development. ¼¼ The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department is suing Southwest Airlines to recover a $12 million civil penalty proposed by the FAA in July related to allegations of improper maintenance on some of the airline’s B-737s. The proposed penalty is the secondlargest in FAA history. “We dispute the FAA’s allegations and look forward to the opportunity to vigorously defend Southwest’s record in a court of law,” said a Southwest spokesperson. ¼¼ The Fort Worth StarTelegram reported that American Airlines is using NASA-developed software called Dynamic Weather Routes that automatically and continuously searches for alternate flight paths to avoid severe weather. The software has saved American 3,500 flying minutes on 500 flights during Week, the nine largest publicly traded U.S. airlines were profitable in the quarter ending September 30, with several reporting record or near-record earnings due to full cabins and lower fuel prices. But the industry is still largely very cautious about adding capacity to capitalize on the improved environment, even as lower fuel prices make once marginal routes more profitable. “We can’t count on $80 [per barrel] crude prices going forward,” said Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly. ¼¼ Alaska Airlines is exploring the use of thumb scans as a possible replacement for tickets, credit cards, and IDs, according to Bloomberg. The airline gauged traveler interest in the technology by offering it in its Board Room passenger lounge in Seattle, Wash., where passenger response was positive. “We are looking at ways to make Alaska the The Dynamic Weather Routes tool being easiest airline tested at an American Airlines control center to fly,” said the saves time with better options for avoiding airline’s manbad weather. aging director 6 Air Line Pilot December 2014 the test period, and the airline expects to eventually use it throughout its network. ¼¼ Per ABC News, Spirit Airlines Flight 310 bound for Florida had to return to Los Angeles International Airport on October 29 due to a bird strike. The encounter happened shortly after takeoff around 9:50 p.m. No one was injured, and passengers were put on another Spirit flight to Fort Lauderdale. (See “When the Snarge Is Large,” November.) International News ¼¼ The International Air Transport Association recently announced that the number of people traveling by airplane each year is expected to more than double to 7.3 billion by 2034. China is expected to overtake the United States as the world’s largest passenger market, in terms of passengers traveling to, from, and within the country, by 2030. The Asia-Pacific region is predicted to have an annual growth rate of 4.9 percent over the next 20 years, with North America at 3.3 percent and Europe at 2.7 percent. ¼¼ Etihad Airways announced a total revenue increase to US$1.8 billion during the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 29 percent year over year. Passenger numbers were up 30 percent to 3.9 million between July and September due to passenger and cargo growth during the summer. ¼¼ According to Boeing, the global air freight market is expected to double in the next two decades, helped by demand to move goods within China and from Asia to North America. Airlines will buy 840 new freighters valued at $240 billion in the next 20 years. Goods flown by air will rise at an annual rate of 4.7 percent through the next two decades. Airlines will also convert 1,330 passenger airplanes to freighters during that time. Boeing reported that world air cargo traffic has been recovering since the second quarter of last year and that at the current pace, 2014 will be the highest growth year for air freight since 2010. ¼¼ Per the International Business Times, the Canadian government is planning to announce a new set of rules that enables shippers to examine cargo contents before the cargo even gets to the country’s airport. Current practice puts the screening responsibility and accountability in the hands of the air carriers. The proposal would entrust the security screening of cargo placed in the belly of airplanes to the shippers. ¼¼ Norwegian Air Shuttle reported that 2014 thirdquarter profits fell 16 percent. Pretax profits dropped to 505 million Norwegian kroner ($76.3 million) from 603.5 million kroner a year ago. ¼¼ Per the Chronicle Herald, Air Canada’s pilots have ratified a 10-year collective bargaining agreement that includes a large signing bonus, wage increases of more than 20 percent over the life of the agreement, and improved profit sharing. The contract is in effect through September 2024. l ALPA to Host Upcoming Symposium On December 9, ALPA is hosting the symposium “Positioning the U.S. Airline Industry for Success” at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Panel discussions will address strategic approaches to the chal- Turboprops are particularly vulnerable to inflight icing. lenges facing the U.S. airline industry. welcoming the FAA’s new rules For more information and that added freezing rain and to register, go to thefutureofafreezing drizzle to the types of viation.alpa.org. weather conditions in which airliners must be certified to ■■ALPA Welcomes FAA’s fly safely. Tougher Icing Standards for “For more than two Airliners decades and in the wake of “As North America heads two fatal airline accidents into the winter season, the that occurred in freezing rain Air Line Pilots Association, and drizzle, ALPA has called International commends the for tougher regulations to FAA’s new rules to ensure airmake certain airliners can fly liners are certified to fly safely safely in winter conditions. in a range of winter weather We strongly support the FAA’s conditions,” commented the action to add freezing rain Association on November 3, and freezing drizzle to the types of weather that require certification. “ALPA has long highlighted the need for more research and action to ensure the safety of winter flight operations. The union took part in the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee that led to the FAA’s proposed rule on icing certification in 2010. “While the new FAA rule is a major step forward, ALPA continues its call for increased funding to research icing, better methods to help flight crews identify the type of icing environment in which they are operating, and technical systems that would automatically detect hazardous ice and alert the flight crews.” ■■ALPA Urges FAA to Lead Dialogue on Ebola Threat As part of the Association’s continuing involvement with government and industry stakeholders TheSidebar Cover Shots! Our annual photography issue is by far my favorite. And judging by the robust number of submissions from ALPA members, I think it’s safe to say that it is one that you all look forward to as well. Narrowing the field was a challenge for the team—from sunrise and sunset, mountains, and oceans views from above, this year some of the most breathtaking cover shot submissions were bathed in dramatic lighting. Airline pilots are fortunate to have access to a vantage point that others are not privy to, and every year Air Line Pilot has the privilege to share the irresistible moments our members feel are worthy to grace the cover. We hope you find the images and corresponding quotes about the magnificence of flight and those in command of the airplane as aweinspiring as we do. Didn’t see your photos this year? Unfortunately, we are limited by space. But there is always next year. A few tips to keep in mind for future submissions from Eric Davis, ALPA’s supervisor of multimedia productions: Steady hand, stay in focus. Send high-res photos. If you really want the cover shot, don’t send a horizontal…. See you in 2015. Namaste, Sharon B. Vereb Editor in Chief December 2014 Air Line Pilot 7 Photo: NASA-Lewis/FAA/NCAR-RAP n FrontLines n FrontLines (continued) concerning the Ebola outbreak, ALPA has noted that there is a lack of standardization in guidance regarding the treatment of potentially ill passengers aboard an airliner. Therefore, Capt. Sean Cassidy, ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator, recently wrote to the FAA to request that the agency take the lead to bring Solution to this month’s ALPA sudoku on page 38. 28 1657934 9 64381527 3 75924168 6 52438719 7 1359 6842 49 8712653 846173295 1 29845376 5 37269481 8 Air Line Pilot December 2014 stakeholders together. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Air Transport Association calls for as much as six feet of separation between passengers and a person with—or showing symptoms of—Ebola virus disease. This amount of separation can be difficult, if not impossible, to create aboard a full airliner. ALPA’s letter to the FAA asks the agency to convene a meeting with airlines, frontline employees, the CDC, and others to discuss this health and safety concern. ■■ALPA Sets Schedule for 2015 ASO Rep Training F/O Jeff Mee (United), ALPA’s Air Safety Organization (ASO) Training Programs coordinator, recently chaired the annual training programs workshop that key pilot and Engineering & Air Safety Department staff trainers attended at the Association’s Conference Center in Herndon, Va. Nearly two dozen separate training events—most of them multiple-day sessions—are planned for 2015 and are designed to help ALPA representatives enhance their skills in the safety, security, and pilot assistance disciplines. Of particular interest at this year’s workshop was further development of the advanced accident investigation course and the use of a donated B-727 hull to improve future ALPA accident investigation training courses held at the University of North Dakota. The first scheduled training event in 2015 will be the Basic Safety School in mid-February. ■■ALPA-PAC Can Make History With Your Help ALPA-PAC is on the verge of ALPA-PAC maintains and enforces a policy of refusing to accept contributions from any other source. ALPA members may learn more about ALPA-PAC and about contributing to ALPA-PAC by entering the membersonly portion of www.alpa.org. setting a new record for most receipts ever. Since 2004, ALPAPAC has never been close to reaching $1.4 million, but 2014 could be the year that happens. Scan the QR code to watch the video—then go to alpapac.com to join the PAC and help make history. The descriptions of the Air Line Pilots Association PAC are not a solicitation to contribute to the PAC. Only ALPA members, ALPA executives, senior administrative and professional staff personnel, and their immediate family members living in the same household are eligible to contribute to ALPA-PAC. ■■Career Day—ALPA Has You Covered ALPA’s Education Committee has just what you need if you’re planning to speak with students about what it takes to become an airline pilot. For sample presentations for grade schools, scouting organizations, and other career-day events, scan the QR code. You can also order free promotional items such a paper airplanes, pens, highlighters, and stickers to hand out at your presentation. ALPA’s Education Committee is dedicated to promoting the airline piloting profession and mentoring aspiring aviators—two of the Association’s strategic goals. Pilot volunteers provide an integral link to collegiate aviators and younger students interested in becoming airline pilots. For more information or to volunteer, send an e-mail to Education@alpa.org. ■■FedEx Pilots Make Donation To FedEx Family House With more than 600 stuffed animals in tow, FedEx Express pilots made a special visit to the FedEx Family House in downtown Memphis, Tenn., on October 28. The FedEx Family House is a home away from home for out-of-town families with children receiving treatment at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Through the generous donations made to the FedEx Pilots’ Charitable Fund, FedEx pilots are able to provide support to youth in communities where FedEx pilots work and live. For more information about the FedEx Pilots’ Charitable Fund, con- From left to right: F/O Amy Allen, Capt. John Cardaci, Capt. Scott Stratton, and Capt. Sean McDonald take donations to the FedEx Family House. MarketWatch Airlines Hawaiian Spirit Jazz Aviation JetBlue United Envoy Air, Piedmont, PSA Delta, Endeavor Air Alaska FedEx Express Air Transport International Bearskin, Calm Air Atlantic Southeast, ExpressJet Air Transat Parent Company Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. Spirit Airlines, Inc. Chorus Aviation JetBlue Airways Corporation United Continental Holdings, Inc. American Airlines Group, Inc.1, 2 Delta Air Lines Alaska Air Group, Inc. FedEx Corporation Air Transport Services Group, Inc. Exchange Income Corporation SkyWest, Inc. Transat A.T., Inc. Stock Symbol NASDAQ: HA NASDAQ: SAVE TSX: CHR.B NASDAQ: JBLU NYSE: UAL NASDAQ: AAL NYSE: DAL NYSE: ALK NYSE: FDX NASDAQ: ATSG TSX: EIF NASDAQ: SKYW TSX: TRZ.B 10/31/13 $8.24 $43.15 $2.69 $7.09 $33.95 $26.38 $26.38 $34.94 $131.00 $7.24 $19.99 $15.04 $12.87 10/31/14 $17.34 $73.11 $4.51 $11.54 $52.81 $40.23 $40.23 $53.23 $167.40 $8.18 $19.24 $11.52 $8.60 % Chg. 110.4% 69.4% 67.7% 62.8% 55.6% 52.5% 52.5% 52.3% 27.8% 13.0% -3.8% -23.4% -33.2% 1 US Airways and American completed their merger on Dec. 9, 2013. The price shown above for Oct. 31, 2014, is the stock price of new company, traded as “AAL” on the NASDAQ. The price shown for Oct. 31, 2013, is the price of the old US Airways stock, which was traded on the NYSE as “LCC.” That stock ceased trading on Dec. 6, 2013. Under the terms of the merger agreement, US Airways stockholders received one share of common stock of the combined airline for each share of US Airways common stock then held. 2 American Airlines Group announced a $0.10 dividend on Oct. 30, 2014. December 2014 Air Line Pilot 9 n FrontLines (continued) ■■Atlantic Southeast and Envoy Raise Funds for Honor Flight On October 23, while at ALPA’s Board of Directors meeting, Atlantic Southeast and Envoy Air pilots hosted a fundraiser for the Honor Flight charity, which provides airline tickets to U.S. veterans who would Correction There was an error in the Market Watch chart in the printed version of the November issue. The stock price for Alaska Airlines should have been $30.96 for Sept. 30, 2013, not $62.62. The percentage change for the Alaska stock should have shown a 40.6 percent increase. like to visit the war memorials in the Washington, D.C., area. The pilots raffled off a GoPro camera, raising $1,513 for the charity. The week of October 28, the pilots presented Honor Flight a check so that those who fought for their country may visit the places that honor their sacrifice. To learn more about Honor Flight, visit honorflight.org. l Robinson Named ALPA’s New Director of Finance On November 30, Dr. Elizabeth Robinson joined the Association as the director of the Finance Department. Robinson comes to ALPA from NASA, where she held the position of CFO since 2009. “Having worked with her in the past, I’m confident in her tremendous ability,” said Lori Garver, ALPA’s general manager. “I look forward to her bringing her expertise and commitment to ALPA.” As NASA’s CFO, Robinson developed and advocated for NASA’s annual budget request, creating NASA’s Elizabeth Robinson, ALPA’s Finance Department director. strategic plan, issuing NASA’s annual financial and performance reports, and leading NASA’s financial enterprise. She updated procedures and controls while achieving a clean audit for the first time in almost a decade—while improving office morale at the same time. Prior to her role at NASA, Robinson served as assistant director for Budget at the Office of Management and Budget and deputy director at the Congressional Budget Office. She has a long career in strategic planning, budgeting, and operations, and is known for her ability to motivate teams and build consensus across departments and organizations. l Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls tact F/O Amy Allen at Amy.Allen@alpa.org. n In Memoriam “To fly west, my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check.”—Author unknown 1998 Capt. D.M. Eakin Delta March 2005 Capt. Robert J. Aldrich United August 2011 Capt. Gary L. May United November 2012 Capt. Mack R. Moore United Capt. Howard R. HinchmanTWA 2013 Capt. W.G. Gilliam Frontier Capt. Eugene F. Paquette United January May May August Spirit Capt. Jean-Pierre CoutureAir Transat Capt. R.F. Eckert July August Pan American August Capt. Harry J. Hansen III American Eagle August Capt. Thomas Hart Reeve Aleutian August Capt. Jerry Rochez US Airways August Capt. Ramon L. Flying Tigers/ August VelazquezFedEx Capt. A. Bruce Calkins Alaska September Capt. Willis A. Dasher US Airways September Capt. Joseph T. Etherson Pan American September Capt. D.R. Andrews United Capt. R.M. Orr US Airways December Capt. William C. Waggoner TWADecember Capt. E.M. Wood Eastern 2014 Capt. Warren S. Beall Pan American January Capt. Robert J. Overton Delta Capt. Ralph O. Moller United Capt. Jack S. Van Zante Delta Capt. W.U. Gray Pan AmericanFebruary Capt. Robert A. Walter TWA September Capt. Beryl C. Kern ContinentalSeptember Capt. Zander Koop Capt. Harold R. Hendrix United Capt. Richard E. Eckert November Capt. George E. Westwood III United 10 Air Line Pilot December 2014 December January March May S/O William F. Handy Northwest October Capt. F. Ben Holt, Jr. Delta October Capt. Raymond F. Hopcus Flying Tigers/ October FedEx F/O Christopher E. Kalafut DeltaOctober Capt. Max G. Kroll Northwest October Capt. Peter J. Kuspis October United Capt. William W. MalcolmPan American October Capt. W.E. McGregor US Airways Capt. Joseph L. Pernarelli United October October Capt. Robert M. Root Northwest October Capt. Richard F. Shimer United October Delta October US Airways September Capt. Louis N. Smith Capt. Manuel A. Morris Flying September Capt. Donald M. Taylor Tigers/FedEx F/O Nathan Y. Uyehara Capt. Kathryn Norris ExpressJet September United October Delta October September Capt. Charles L. Wagner IIDelta October September Capt. Fred E. Wisemann-Lunden Capt. Robert C. Bowman Delta October Capt. William Chagares October Northwest October Capt. Maurice A. Kuenzi Delta NorthwestOctober n Compiled from information provided by ALPA’s Membership Administration Department To read the latest On Investing magazine from Charles Schwab, go to www.schwab. com/oninvesting. It’s an added benefit for members through ALPA’s partnership with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., as the Association’s preferred financial services provider. l New ALPA Reps As of November 10, the Election Ballot and Certification Board certified election results for the following local councils: yy Envoy Air 126 Capt. Jon Patrick, Chairman (Capt. Rep) yy Envoy Air 126 F/O Ken Wells, Vice Chairman (F/O Rep) yy ExpressJet 177 F/O Robin Kim, Secretary-Treasurer n ALPA NegotiationsUpdate The following is a summary of the status of ALPA contract negotiations by airline as of November 7: Air Transport International—A Section 6 notice was received on Jan. 21, 2014. Negotiations are under way. Air Wisconsin—A Section 6 notice was filed on Oct. 1, 2010. Air Wisconsin filed for mediation on June 17, 2013. Mediation is under way. Atlantic Southeast—A Section 6 notice was filed on May 20, 2010. A joint Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet Section 6 notice was filed on March 28, 2011. The pilots rejected a tentative agreement on January 14. An application for joint mediation was filed on Feb. 12, 2014. Mediation is under way. Canadian North—A notice to bargain was filed on Sept. 2, 2014. Negotiations are under way. ExpressJet—A Section 6 notice was filed on May 20, 2010. A joint Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet Section 6 notice was filed on March 28, 2011. The pilots rejected a tentative agreement on January 14. An application for joint mediation was filed on Feb. 12, 2014. Mediation is under way. FedEx Express—A Section 6 notice was filed on Jan. 22, 2013. On Sept. 15, 2014, the FedEx Master Executive Council and management reached tentative agreements on 20 of 31 sections of the collective bargaining agreement. Remaining sections include work rules, retirement, insurance, training, compensation, and duration. On Oct. 31, 2014, management filed an application for mediation. Kelowna Flightcraft—A notice to bargain was filed on June 30, 2014. Negotiations were scheduled for November 30–December 5; Jan. 12–16, 2015; and February 2–6. Mesa—A Section 6 notice was filed on Sept. 10, 2010. Negotiations continue December 9–11. Sun Country—A Section 6 notice was sent on Feb. 23, 2010. Sun Country filed for mediation on May 9, 2012. Mediation continues. l Canada ■■Canada Board Continues CFALPA Talks On October 22, the Canada Board held further discussions on the concept of a “Canadian Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations” (CFALPA). The creation of this formal structure would bring together Canadian pilot unions to work collectively to address issues of mutual concern. This concept would in no way take away the ability of the individual pilot associations to continue to represent their members as they are currently doing. In April, representatives from ALPA’s Canada Board; the Air Canada Pilots Association; AOA Canada, which represents the Canadian pilots of Cathay Pacific; and the two local Unifor chapters that represent Morningstar, Sunwing, and Cargojet pilots signed a protocol letter affirming their mutual commitment to work toward the goal of creating CFALPA. As part of the duediligence process, the CFALPA protocol agreement and proposed bylaws are undergoing a thorough legal review. The proposal will then be considered as part of the Association’s ongoing strategic plan discussions in early 2015, after ALPA’s new national officers, executive vice presidents, and Canada Board officers take office. ALPA recognizes the importance and benefits of working together with other pilot groups and is dedicated to strengthening its cooperative efforts. l December 2014 Air Line Pilot 11 n Stock Buybacks As the mainline airline industry attains a level of sustained profitability, airlines are now focusing more on returning shareholder value. It looks as though the industry will be profitable for a fifth consecutive year as airlines have maintained capacity discipline, cleaned up balance sheets, and generated significant cash flow from operations. As a result, many airlines have implemented buyback programs and announced new or increased dividend payouts. A share repurchase, also referred to as a buyback, means a public company is buying back its own stock. Stock repurchases typically are a sign that a company is financially healthy and has a strong cash balance. A share buyback reduces the number of outstanding shares for a company. With fewer shares outstanding, key investment and profitability ratios may improve. The most notable statistic affected is an airline’s EPS (earnings per share). A higher EPS usually leads to investor confidence and often results in an increase in the price of the stock. However, to maintain that increased price level, a company’s financial results must live up to the expectations that the repurchase announcement seems to signal. While not every publicly traded airline has instituted a share buyback or a dividend, many have. Some airlines have had programs in the past that they have completed or are in the process of completing. The size and value of those programs vary greatly from airline to airline. Highlighted below are some airlines’ current share repurchase programs, as well as the total amount paid in dividends during 2014. In the recent past—due to the volatility of the industry—airlines chose not to implement share repurchase programs, which primarily benefit only stockholders. In the current business environment, however, airline managements have been reinstituting these programs. This is particularly true as they strive to achieve an investment-grade credit rating. Airlines also continue to announce additional investor reward programs. Alaska recently announced another 12.5 cents dividend. l Airline Announcement Date Current Authorized Share Repurchase Amount ($millions) American Airlines Group July 14 $1,000 $113 $72 Alaska* May 14 $650 $159 $51 Delta** May 14 $2,000 $350 $176 FedEx Express October 13 32 M shares $791 $57 JetBlue May 12 25 M shares $99 None declared Southwest*** May 14 $1,000 $420 $138 SkyWest United Total Purchased Amount in 2014 as of September 30 ($millions) Total Dividends Paid in 2014 as of September 30 ($millions) No Share Repurchase Program July 14 $1,000 $220 Source: Company Form 10-Qs and press releases * Alaska exercised a share repurchase program for $250 million in 2012. ** Delta exercised a share repurchase program for $500 million in 2013 that ended in May 2014. *** Southwest exercised a share repurchase program for $1 billion in August 2011. The airline has repurchased $725 million. 12 Air Line Pilot December 2014 $6 None declared OntheRecord The following quotes are compiled from congressional testimony, speeches, news clips, and other public documents. ALPA does not necessarily endorse these views but rather is informing members of recent statements by significant industry stakeholders. “I’m very interested in pursuing ideas that can put folks to work right now on roads and bridges and waterways and ports, and a better air traffic control system. If we had one, by the way, we would reduce delays by about 30 percent. We could reduce fuel costs for airlines by about 30 percent. And hopefully that would translate into cheaper airline tickets, which I know everybody would be interested in.” —commented U.S. President Barack Obama during a November 5 press conference “We appreciate the FAA’s call to action and willingness to discuss how Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) capabilities can be used effectively. ADS-B has the potential to deliver important benefits to the traveling public and the national airspace system. Today, stakeholders were able to share with the FAA the need to ensure international harmonization and deliver benefits from this important technology. We hope the FAA responds positively to ensure that this important capability can be utilized.” —said Airlines for America regarding the FAA’s Call to Action summit on October 28 to discuss NextGen technology “We will only realize the total benefits of our airspace system when we have an aviation industry that is engaged and is united around our priorities.” —remarked FAA Administrator Michael Huerta at the Aero Club of Washington on October 16 “As the Gulf carriers are proving, you don’t need a global market for travel to create your airline. I worry a lot about that. I worry about our ability to compete with other countries that are much more understanding and supportive of commercial aviation.” —commented American CEO Doug Parker at the recent Future of Flight Aviation Policy Summit “A4A [Airlines for America] deeply appreciates the strong working relationship we have with ALPA, which was forged under Capt. Lee Moak’s leadership, and we look forward to working with Capt. Canoll and his team on issues affecting the airline industry and our customers, including ensuring that next year’s FAA reauthorization legislation addresses the tax, regulatory, and infrastructure challenges that impede U.S. airlines’ ability to grow, create jobs, and compete globally.” —announced A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio after ALPA’s Board of Directors delegates elected Capt. Tim Canoll ALPA’s next president December 2014 Air Line Pilot 13 SHARING OUR SUCCESS Highlighting ALPA pilots’ commitment to flying for successful companies, the following is “good news” from our pilots’ airlines. To read these articles in their entirety, go to www.alpa.org/success. DELTA ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET FOR ITS TOP 100 EMPLOYEES HAWAIIAN AIRLINES CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF SERVING AMERICAN SAMOA On October 30, Delta Air Lines welcomed 100 employees into the Chairman’s Club, its most prestigious corporate recognition program. Chairman’s Club recognizes employees who embody the airline’s values through their contributions and exceptional service to customers and their communities. “This is shaping up to be another exceptional year for Delta thanks to the hard work and dedication of our people. Our Chairman’s Club honorees are not only the best at doing their jobs, they are the people you want to work alongside and learn from every day. We are grateful for the example they provide all of us on how to do and be the best that Delta has to offer to our customers and as coworkers,” said Delta Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson. “Each year, I look forward to celebrating our distinguished honorees at the annual Chairman’s Club gala, and this year will be no different,” said Delta President Ed Bastian. “I want to offer my sincere thanks and congratulations to our new members—they are truly the best in the business and we are fortunate to have them at Delta.” On October 24, Hawaiian Airlines reached a new milestone as it celebrated 30 years since launching its nonstop service between Honolulu and Pago Pago, American Samoa. The airline is the only major carrier to serve American Samoa. The departure of Flight HA 465 was preceded by festivities at the boarding gate at Honolulu International Airport (HNL) that included live Hawaiian music and presentation of a kukui nut lei to more than 200 guests boarding the flight. A Samoan-speaking crew serviced the flight, including employees who have worked on Hawaiian Airlines’ Pago Pago route since its launch. “We have proudly served American Samoa for three decades, reuniting friends and families, and catering to the travel needs of Pago Pago’s community,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO. “The consistent and reliable service we have provided over the years demonstrates our strong commitment to American Samoa, and we look forward to continuing to serve this very special region of the South Pacific that has strong cultural ties to our Hawaiian Islands.” Hawaiian Airlines is also giving back to the American Samoa community in celebration of its Pago Pago route’s 30th anniversary. In October, more than 500 articles of clothing and household items were collected by company employees and donated to the thrift shop at Hope House, a convalescent home in American Samoa that caters to elderly and disabled patients. Additionally, a group of more than 40 employees from the airline’s Team Kōkua volunteer brigade provided carpentry repairs to the convalescent home on November 1. ALASKA AIR GROUP DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND The Board of Directors of Alaska Air Group has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 12.5 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on December 3 to all shareholders of record as of Nov. 18, 2014. Air Group initiated a quarterly dividend in August 2013. The dividend was increased by 25 percent to 12.5 cents per share in 2014. Dividends are financed from operating cash flow and cash on hand. 14 Air Line Pilot December 2014 New Decade, New Goal. Help beat ALPA-PAC’s 2004 record! Visit alpapac.org today to join the PAC, increase your contribution, and recruit others. 4th Annual PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE NO EXAGGERATION NECESSARY! Airline pilots indeed have the best office views in the world. In yet another enthusiastic demonstration of spectacular imagery captured by ALPA members, we are pleased to showcase our pilots’ photos in Air Line Pilot’s 4th Annual Photography Issue. 16 Air Line Pilot December 2014 “As soon as we left the ground I knew myself I had to fly!” AMELIA EARHART, AFTER HER FIRST FLIGHT IN AN AIRPLANE Main photo: The view of a Jazz Aviation CRJ looking out from a recently deiced cockpit windshield by Capt. Ken Cook (Jazz Aviation). Left page photo + right: An A330 flight deck by Capt. Richard McClain (Delta). December 2014 Air Line Pilot 17 4th Annual PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE Main photo: Aboard a recently landed United B-787 at Narita International Airport in Tokyo by Capt. Angelo Bufalino (FedEx Express). Below: A B-737-900 tail during an early morning preflight on the ramp at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas by F/O Michael Orensteen (United). 18 Air Line Pilot December 2014 “For I dipped into the future, far as human eye could see,... Saw the heavens fill with commerce,... Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales.” ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, “LOCKSLEY HALL” (1842) December 2014 Air Line Pilot 19 4th Annual PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE “Sometimes, flying feels too godlike to be attained by man. Sometimes, the world from above seems too beautiful, too wonderful, too distant for human eyes to see....” CHARLES A. LINDBERGH, THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS Below The back side of a thunderstorm east of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by F/O Chris Croly (Delta). 20 Air Line Pilot December 2014 Main photo: View from the cockpit of a B-767 flying at FL370 from Honolulu International Airport to Portland International Airport by Capt. Joe Noll (Hawaiian). Right: A United Airbus parked at Jackson Hole Airport with the Grand Tetons reflected on the fuselage by F/O Mark Carolan (United). December 2014 Air Line Pilot 21 4th Annual PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE 22 Air Line Pilot December 2014 “...[T]hose who maintain their concentration and command in today’s conditions are heroic in ways that are all too easy to ignore.” CAPT. ROBERT N. BUCK (TWA, DEC.), NORTH STAR OVER MY SHOULDER Main photo: The left engine of a Dash 8 Q400 by Capt. Ken Cook (Jazz Aviation). Right: An airplane winglet by Capt. Mike Nelson (United). Left: An ATR 42 about to touch down in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, with the Pangnirtung Pass in the background by Capt. Jason Miller (First Air). December 2014 Air Line Pilot 23 4th Annual PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE “An Air Line Pilot will keep uppermost in his mind that the safety, comfort, and well-being of the passengers who entrust their lives to him are his first and greatest responsibility.” ALPA CODE OF ETHICS AND CANONS Main photo: An August morning sunrise behind a B-737 on the ramp at SeattleTacoma International Airport by F/O Steve Pifer (Alaska). Below: A Hawaiian B-717 circling to land at Hilo International Airport by F/O Mark Whiteaker (United). Above: At the gate in Montego Bay just before pushback by F/O Fred Bekker (Delta). 24 Air Line Pilot December 2014 December 2014 Air Line Pilot 25 4th Annual PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE Above: A JetBlue A320 on the ramp at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., by F/O James Monos (JetBlue). Above: A scimitar winglet of an Alaska B-737-800 parked at Honolulu International Airport by Capt. Scott Diekmann (Alaska). “The airplane has unveiled for us the true face of the earth.” ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY, WIND, SAND AND STARS 26 Air Line Pilot December 2014 Main photo: A Wasaya Hawker Siddeley HS-748 departing Pickle Lake Airport’s Runway 9 by F/O Brandon Kearney (Wasaya). ALPA’s Strategic Plan: Stronger Moving Forward By ALPA’s Strategic Planning Committee D Collective Bargaining; Grievances; Retirement & Insurance (R&I); and Strategic Preparedness & Strike Committee (SPSC) uring the 45th meeting of ALPA’s Board of Directors (BOD), your elected representatives debated and determined strategic priorities Delegate Committee 2 examines contract negotiations and and finalized ALPA’s next two-year enforcement approaches and retirement and insurance models, strategic plan. ensuring that they keep pace with the changing negotiating environment This plan, which BOD delegates and pilot demands, as well as activities related to organizing and training volunteers to build unity, coordinate across pilot groups, and help carry out unanimously adopted, defines in Association and MEC goals. The BOD delegates affirmed that eight specific areas where the + ALPA and its MECs must continue to focus on improving and advancing contract standards delegates want to achieve more via pattern bargaining and mutual support. to further union strength and + The ALPA Collective Bargaining and R&I committees should continue to develop effective ranges, relevance. targets, and standards for pay, benefits, work rules, and job security for members’ contracts. It’s the Association’s flight path + ALPA and MECs must continue to work effectively to mainstream benefit issues in the negoto success. The eight delegate tiations process, including the coordination of required resources. committee resolutions passed + ALPA, through the Collective Bargaining Committee (CBC), should continue to adopt strategic approaches to contract enforcement to ensure consistency with MECs, bargainby the BOD are summarized on ing strategies, and goals. the following pages and will help + The CBC will develop tactics for the promotion of preferential hiring of ALPA ensure that ALPA continues to build pilots at mainline and cargo airlines. upon its successes to be Stronger + Support the goals of the Association and its member MECs through the revitalized work of the SPSC to organize, train, and equip Moving Forward. volunteers to carry out strategic plans and engage in union activities with greater emphasis on unity building— “the power of one”—and coordination across pilot group lines. Structure and Member Resources Delegate Committee 1 looks at the Association’s structure and resources to maximize the benefits and services provided to ALPA members, enhance professional development opportunities, strengthen pilot group alliances, and streamline or eliminate duplications of effort. The BOD delegates resolved that the Association + Continue the work of the Global Pilots’ Symposium (GPS) with significant support from ALPA members and staff. Facilitate and lead the creation of a global pilot strategic plan. + Continue to share information and develop pilot alliances among brand families to support the principles of career protection, progression, contract improvements, and professional standards. + Continue to share information and coordinate across pilot group lines and within and between network, cargo, and fee-for-departure (FFD) carriers, along with international pilot alliances. + Continue to ensure that all ALPA master executive councils (MECs) establish and maintain strategic plans, and ALPA expands efforts to train and support the development and maintenance of strategic plans. + Strengthen ALPA’s Information Technology Department to drive innovation, enhance ease of use, and deliver services to all ALPA members. + Expand outreach to and support for members (current, future, and those seeking employment) through initiatives established by the following: − Education Committee − Leadership Committee − Membership Committee (Furloughed Pilots Support Program) − Professional Development Group (PDG)—to organize job fairs, open houses and interview preparation conferences at little or no cost to ALPA attendees in concert with airline recruiting teams to further the success of ALPA pilots in their career progression. December 2014 Air Line Pilot 27 Government Affairs and Regulatory Delegate Committee 7 studies legislative and regulatory efforts to promote pilot-, airline-, and labor-friendly policies in the U.S. and Canada. The BOD delegates resolved that ALPA + Promote ALPA’s agenda in 2015 FAA reauthorization legislation to advance aviation safety and the piloting profession. + Continue to advocate for the establishment of national-level aviation policies to promote financially stable U.S. and Canadian airline industries. Public Relations and Advocacy + Continue to work independently and in coordination with worldwide pilot associations, unions, and groups to advocate for and maintain international aviation policies that provide an effective balance between economic, safety, security, airline, and worker interests and priorities, including opposition to pilot outsourcing. + Continue work to remedy the cargo carveout of the FAR 117 flight-time/duty-time regulations and raise the safety and security bar internationally. + Enhance the education of our membership on government affairs issues. + Maintain the current U.S. retirement age of 65 and oppose any future increase in pilot retirement age. + Oppose efforts to roll back the First Officer Minimum Qualification rule and oppose alternate certification methods. + Continue to prioritize and enhance programs that facilitate personal interaction between ALPA pilots and government legislators and regulators. + Request that the Executive Council or other appropriate ALPA governing body cause an inquiry regarding the issue of joint and several liability of a mainline carrier for the actions of a regional partner. + Support improvements in federal law governing collective bargaining and organizing recommended by ALPA when ALPA determines there is a realistic opportunity to secure such improvements. Air Safety Organization and Flight Time/Duty Time (FT/DT) Delegate Committee 3 addresses safety, security, pilot assistance, and flight- and duty-time initiatives that tackle existing system inadequacies and weaknesses with the goal of minimizing operational risk and further enhancing airline safety. The BOD delegates resolved that ALPA should + Work with all stakeholders to improve the ability to locate aircraft and flight recorders after an accident or incident and implement real-time aircraft tracking and surveillance. + Continue to implement a risk-based security system with emphasis on screening for hostile and criminal intent. + Continue to evaluate all commercial airline pilot medical certification intervals, and if the level of safety can be maintained, investigate the possibility of seeking an extension to those current intervals. + Advocate the elevation of ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] technical instructions on lithium batteries to ICAO standards and press Transport Canada (TC), the FAA, and PHMSA [Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration] for regulation regarding the carriage of lithium batteries. + Continue to ensure the safe integration of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operations in the national airspace systems. + Continue to advocate for effective pilot training, licensing, and qualification standards, as well as mentoring and professional development requirements, for commercial airline pilots. 28 Air Line Pilot December 2014 Delegate Committee 5 evaluates the Association’s communication efforts to educate and inform both internal and external audiences about the Association’s positions for the purpose of building unity and support. The BOD delegates resolved that the Association should + Strengthen ALPA’s external communications program to bolster the Association’s brand, bargaining initiatives, and policy agenda. + Continue to reconnect line pilots with the international union by strengthening internal communications. + Improve air- and ground-based threat education and mitigation strategies through engagement with industry and government security agencies. Promote prevention of attacks against aircraft or aircrew from devices such as improvised explosive devices (IED) and lasers as well as cyber intrusion. + Continue to promote NextGen in the U.S./Canadian airspace. Advocate for effective equipage, policies, and pilot-centric procedures to safely increase system efficiency and capacity, improve surface operations, reduce fuel and noise emission, and establish precision approach capability at all runway ends. + Safeguard the flight deck by advocating for industry-wide secondary barrier equipage on our passenger airliner fleets, ensuring stable funding and program improvements for the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program, and enhancing jumpseat access. + Continue to work with ALPA MECs and the FAA/TC to ensure all data collection programs such as ASAP and FOQA are conducted in accordance with agreements between ALPA MECs and managements to ensure they function properly, and to further improve the nonpunitive aspects of these programs. + Ensure the proper development and implementation of FAR 117 and Canadian FT/DT rules, as well as implementation of effective, nonpunitive fatigue risk management programs at individual airlines. + Continue to advocate for implementation of science-based prescriptive FT/DT rules for all passenger and cargo airline operations in both the U.S. and Canada. + Advocate for the establishment of occupational safety and health divisions at the FAA and TC. Financial Policy & Review and Major Contingency Fund (MCF) Delegate Committee 4 assesses ALPA financial policies and strategic assets to capitalize on better ways to allocate finances and budget in support of Association-wide and individual pilot group strategic priorities. The BOD delegates affirmed that the Association should + Attract and retain qualified, well-trained staff to support ALPA’s initiatives, add value to members, and actively engage in advancing and executing the union’s strategic plan. + Review the Association’s internal financial policies and procedures and implementation of process efficiencies. + Continue to review the Association’s dues structure for possibility of further dues rate reduction for members while considering the effect on services. + Continue to support and encourage the goal of negotiating company-paid flight pay loss in all future bargaining opportunities, as set forth in Section 40 Part 5.K.4 of the ALPA Administrative Manual. + Establish goals for the MCF and maintain plans to meet those goals. Legal and Mergers Internal & External Organizing Delegate Committee 8 analyzes organizing opportunities to strengthen and grow the union and promote ALPA as the unified voice of the airline piloting profession. The BOD delegates affirmed that + The Organizing Task Force should continue to meet each quarter to apply ALPA’s organizing metrics to potential groups interested in representation by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. + ALPA should continue its focus on internal organizing. Delegate Committee 6 considers the legal and merger-related issues that face ALPA, including defending the Association against lawsuits, protecting the airline piloting profession against threats (such as Norwegian Air International), and implementing ALPA’s risk management policies and programs to safeguard the union and its members. The BOD delegates affirmed that + Reaffirm the value of being a part of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l and actively promote the principle that “membership has its privileges.” + + Continue to identify and defend against external threats, including state-owned enterprises, flag-of-convenience schemes, widebody aircraft financing subsidies, and the threat of liberalizing foreign ownership and control and cabotage laws. Reaffirm the resolution of the September 2014 Executive Board regarding external organizing and the Organizing Task Force. + Continue to protect the Association through vigorous defense in ongoing litigation. + ALPA Legal and other appropriate ALPA departments to continue to provide assistance, consistent with ALPA policies, to pilot groups that may require advice and support, including presentations of lessons learned, following mergers, bankruptcies, negotiations, custodianships, and liquidations. + Continue to support, assess, and enhance ALPA’s Risk Management Program, and associated risk avoidance and mitigation efforts. + Continue to develop and conduct, consistent with ALPA policies, appropriate training programs, similar to the merger education program held in 2014, to assist all ALPA pilot groups in understanding the process to complete a successful merger and seniority list integration. + Continue to provide, as requested by individual MECs, appropriate ongoing training concerning legal issues, including the areas of risk mitigation, RLA [Railway Labor Act] law, and the DFR [duty of fair representation]. + Provide information on the subject of DFR, including appropriate materials to educate our representatives (DFR 101) and members. December 2014 Air Line Pilot 29 ALPA Aeromedical Chairs Focus on Pilot Health T he leaders of pilot groups’ Aeromedical Committees met November 3 in the Association’s Herndon, Va., offices to discuss aeromedical issues that affect ALPA members. Hosting the meeting were Capt. John Taylor (ExpressJet), ALPA’s aeromedical chair, and Capt. Patrick Cowle (United), ALPA’s aeromedical vice chair. Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA’s executive administrator and president-elect, noted that ALPA’s Board of Directors, the union’s highest governing body, last month incorporated into ALPA’s strategic plan the goals of (1) working with regulators in the United States and Canada to establish occupational health programs for pilots and (2) doubling the duration of the U.S. first-class airman medical certificate from 6 months to 12 months for pilots 40–59 years old. Dr. Quay Snyder (center), ALPA’s aeromedical advisor, discusses current aeromedical certification issues and challenges. working with pilots in distress. Participants also received the latest information about the FAA’s implementation of obstructive sleep apnea guidelines for aeromedical examiners (AMEs), mitigations of the Ebola virus disease outbreak, and trending health issues at each ALPA pilot group. Delta MEC PAN Capt. John Taylor (ExpressJet), left foreground, hosts a meeting of ALPA MEC aeromedical chairs in the Association’s Herndon, Va., offices to discuss aeromedical and occupational health issues that affect ALPA members. Photos: Chris Weaver During the meeting, zz Dr. Quay Snyder, ALPA’s aeromedical advisor and president of Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (AMAS)—also known as ALPA’s Aeromedical Office—whose physicians provide assistance to ALPA members, discussed current medical certification issues and challenges. zz Capt. Mark Pinsky (Delta), his pilot group’s Master 30 Air Line Pilot December 2014 Executive Council (MEC) aeromedical chair, described the Delta MEC’s Pilot Assistance Network (PAN), a peer-referral program geared to assist pilots who are dealing with physiological, psychological, and aeromedical issues. zz F/O Louise Cullinan (Mesa), ALPA’s national Critical Incident Response Program chair, gave a presentation on honing listening skills and Pinsky, a practicing dentist as well as a current A330 captain, said the Delta MEC’s PAN was established along the philosophy of “‘Pan, pan, pan,’ [signifying urgency]—as opposed to ‘Mayday, mayday, mayday.’” He declared, “Management of external pressure is the single most important key to risk management because it is the one risk factor category that can cause a pilot to ignore all the other risk factors. The FAA has recognized the need for pilots to remove themselves from operating as a pilot when experiencing undue stress.” Common external pilot issues, Pinsky noted, include divorce, child-related issues, elder care, and training “hiccups,” among other issues. PAN has been a “hugely successful” program, he reported, because it helps pilots needing physical, psychological, or emotional assistance via confidential support from empathetic peers available through a 24/7 answering service. Pinsky said that pilots are often reluctant to seek mental health care, especially because of perceived issues related to their FAA medical certificate. However, he noted that if a pilot seeks mental health care, and it’s properly reported and documented, the pilot may receive the benefits of appropriate health care without fear of losing his or her medical certificate. Pinsky commented that ALPA’s Aeromedical Office is very well equipped to handle these types of cases and does so on a regular basis. CACIs The FAA now allows an AME to issue an airman medical certificate to an applicant who has one of 12 CACIs (“conditions that AMEs can issue”)— conditions that formerly were disqualifying or that required review by the FAA’s Aeromedical Certification Division (AMCD) before the agency would issue a medical certificate. The 12 conditions are arthritis, asthma, colitis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, hypertension, hypothyroidism, migraine and chronic headache, pre-diabetes, prostate cancer, renal cancer, and testicular cancer. To qualify for an airman medical certificate issued under CACI rules, a pilot must meet certain criteria spelled out in detailed FAA instructions. If the applicant meets the criteria, the AME may issue the medical certificate without first contacting AMCD. If the applicant does not meet the requirements, the AME must defer the exam and send the supporting medical documents to AMCD. Snyder said that the FAA is hoping to expand the number of CACIs. Diabetes ALPA representatives heard about the American Diabetes Association’s efforts to change FAA standards to permit pilots holding first- and second-class medical certificates to fly with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Canada has permitted commercial pilots with IDDM to fly for the last 22 years, and the United Kingdom since last year. FAA DUI policy The FAA’s policy regarding reported motor vehicle violations for driving under the influence of alcohol is becoming stricter. AMEs of pilots who receive a DUI with an alcohol content of 0.15 mg percent or higher, refuse to provide a sample to a police officer, have their second DUI in 10 years, or a third DUI ever may not issue a medical certificate to the pilot until after the FAA reviews a comprehensive substance abuse evaluation. ALPA Aeromedical Office Snyder emphasized that ALPA’s Aeromedical Office has always followed a policy of complete confidentiality. With seven physicians on staff, the Aeromedical Office always has four doctors in the queue to answer calls, which average about 150 per day. ALPA members are encouraged to call AMAS for any medical certification or FAA policy question sooner rather than later to get accurate information and avoid certification problems. Aeromedical is one of five groups under the Pilot Assistance umbrella of the Air Safety Organization and also includes CIRP, HIMS, Professional Standards, and Canadian Pilot Assistance. —Jan W. Steenblik, Technical Editor ALPA Hosts International CIRP Chairs Meeting B ad stuff sometimes happens to good people. That’s why every ALPA pilot has access to a valuable resource known as the Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP). CIRP uses pilots and spouses trained as peers to lessen the stress reactions that acci- F/O Tony Faul (Hawaiian), one of two ALPA national Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP) vice chairs, talks CIRP. dents or incidents may produce in pilots, accident investigators, and their families. Pilot and family peer support volunteers are trained in structured techniques, known as defusing and debriefing, that help flightcrew members and their families more effectively deal with the normal reactions of individuals to abnormal events in their lives. This confidential, time-critical, peer-based support accelerates recovery from those events before harmful stress reactions damage job performance, careers, families, personal life, and health. More than 50 ALPA members and other interested parties gathered at the Association’s Herndon, Va., Conference Center September 22–24 for the annual meeting of ALPA pilots who chair their master executive council (MEC) CIRP and non-ALPA pilots. Attendees came from as far away as Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and South Africa. Pilots from Silver Airlines, American Airlines, and Lufthansa, plus representatives from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), and Stiftung Mayday Foundation participated. F/O Louise Cullinan (Mesa), ALPA’s national CIRP chair, and Capt. Bill Cheney (United) and F/O Tony Faul (Hawaiian), ALPA’s National CIRP vice chairs, led confidential discussions about the important work—mostly done behind the scenes—that these pilots and their international peers do. The three-day meeting underscored that, during the last two decades, CIRP truly has become an international program that has benefitted from CIRP practitioners sharing information and best practices across borders and oceans in a confidential setting. —Jan W. Steenblik, Technical Editor December 2014 Air Line Pilot 31 ALPA’s PART 117 CALCULATOR AND GUIDE Fight pilot fatigue with your phone! Features include • cumulative tracking toward maximum flight– and duty–period hour limits • tracking for augmented, unaugmented, reserve, and split duty flights • alerts for potential limit violations • access to the FAR Part 117 regulation and ALPA’s Part 117 guide Available now for Apple, Windows, and Android devices. Send feedback to FTDTapp@alpa.org. A member service of Air Line Pilot. 2014 AUTHORS Air Line Pilot Staff, 4th Annual Photography Issue, Dec. ALPA Economic & Financial Analysis Department Staff, The Continued Evolution of the Airline Industry, Sept. ALPA Staff, The Pilots of ALPA 2014, Jan.; Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme Threatens Every U.S. Airline Pilot, Feb.; ALPA Galvanizes Global Opposition to Norwegian Air International Scheme, Mar.; Rubber-Stamped Economic Impact Studies at Ex-Im Bank Must End, Mar.; 3 Reasons Why JetBlue Pilots Want ALPA, Mar.; A Pilot Shortage? Nope. It’s All About the Money, Apr.; A Rising Tide [ALPA-PAC], May; Global Realities Require Local Action, May; Legislative and Regulatory Hot Topics for 2014, May; The Pilot-Partisan Agenda, May; Who Will Save Our Skies? June; Exact Change Needed at the Ex-Im Bank, Aug.; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: Celebrating Aviation Advancements and Honoring ALPA Pilots, Sept.; Does North America Have a Pilot Shortage or a Pilot Pay Shortage? ALPA Pilots Know the Answer, Sept.; Honoring the Victims of 9/11, Oct. ALPA Strategic Member Development & Resources Staff, Charting a Course to Success, Oct. ALPA’s Strategic Planning Committee, ALPA’s Strategic Plan: Stronger Moving Forward, Dec. Ayers, Rusty, Calm Air, Jan.; CommutAir, Jan.; Compass, Jan.; First Air, Jan.; Hawaiian, Jan.; Pilots Chart Course at Small Carrier Bargaining Forum and Fee-for-Departure Meeting, Mar. Bland, Courtney, FedEx Express, Jan. Burket, Tawnya, Air Transport International, Jan.; CanJet, Jan.; Evergreen, Jan. Cassidy, Capt. Sean, Ebola Update, Nov. Cuddihy, Kevin, HIMS: Helping Pilots for 40 Years, Nov. Gottshalk, Barbara, North American, Jan.; PSA, Jan. Jakub, Lydia, Air Wisconsin, Jan.; ExpressJet, Jan.; Island Air, Jan.; Mesa, Jan. Kelly, C. David, United, Jan. Landry, Capt. Dennis (Delta), Keeping Manual Flying Skills Sharp, June LoBiondo, Rep. Frank (R-N.J.), Working Together to Set Our Course, May Lofquist, Jen, Air Transat, Jan.; Atlantic Southeast, Jan.; Bearskin, Jan.; Jazz Aviation, Jan.; Spirit, Jan. Martin, Molly, 15+ Ways the U.S. Should Improve the Airline Industry, June; Highlights From This Year’s BOD Meeting, Nov. Ogilvie, Al, From Atop Parliament Hill, May Perkinson, John, American Eagle, Jan.; Sun Country, Jan.; Trans States, Jan.; Wasaya, Jan.; More Is Better: Airports Are Lining Up to Join KCM Ranks, Mar.; So You Just Became an Elected Rep. What Do You Do Now? Apr.; “Everywhere I Go Today, I See Airline Pilots,” July; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely and Securely, Aug.; ALPA’s Education Committee Offers Students Insider’s Perspective, Sept.; Executive Board Considers Dues Decrease in Preparation for Upcoming BOD, Oct.; National Aviation Hall of Fame Honors Airline Pioneer Emily Howell Warner, Nov. Regus, Kelly, Delta, Jan. Rhyne, Carly, District Advocates: A Nationwide Effort, May Rosenberg, Capt. John (Delta), Professional Standards: Confidentiality vs. Anonymity, Apr. Segaloff, F/O Mark (United), Get Involved—Your Job May Depend on It, May Seitz, Kimberly, Canadian North, Jan.; Endeavor Air, Jan.; Kelowna Flightcraft, Jan.; Flying the New Rule: How Air Wisconsin Prepared Its Pilots, Feb. Snyder, Dr. Quay, What you REALLY Need to Know About Sleep Apnea, Feb.; Obstructive Sleep Apnea—An FAA Policy Update, Apr. Steenblik, Jan W., Piedmont, Jan.; In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen, Feb.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; Are You a ThreePercenter? June; From Both Ends of the Mic, June; Caravan Captains, July; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely and Securely [Then and Now; On the Shoulders of Giants], Aug.; When the Snarge Is Large, Nov. Sutton, Jenn, Alaska, Jan. Vacinek, Toni C., AirTran, Jan. White, F/O John (Delta), Today on the Hill, May SUBJECTS Air Cargo: Caravan Captains, July Airline Industry: Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme Threatens Every U.S. Airline Pilot, Feb.; Flying the New Rule: How Air Wisconsin Prepared Its Pilots, Feb.; More Is Better: Airports Are Lining Up to Join KCM Ranks, Mar.; ALPA Galvanizes Global Opposition to Norwegian Air International Scheme, Mar.; Rubber-Stamped Economic Impact Studies at Ex-Im Bank Must End, Mar.; Pilots Chart Course at Small Carrier Bargaining Forum and Fee-for-Departure Meeting, Mar.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; 15+ Ways the U.S. Should Improve the Airline Industry, June; Who Will Save Our Skies? June; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safety and Securely, Aug.; Exact Change Needed at the Ex-Im Bank, Aug.; The Continued Evolution of the Airline Industry, Sept. Airline Safety: Flying the New Rule: How Air Wisconsin Prepared Its Pilots, Feb.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; Are You a ThreePercenter? June; From Both Ends of the Mic, June; Keeping Manual Flying Skills Sharp, June; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely and Securely, Aug.; When the Snarge Is Large, Nov. Air Traffic Controllers: From Both Ends of the Mic, June ALPA: The Pilots of ALPA 2014, Jan.; In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen, Feb.; Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme Threatens Every U.S. Airline Pilot, Feb.; ALPA Galvanizes Global Opposition to Norwegian Air International Scheme, Mar.; 3 Reasons Why JetBlue Pilots Want ALPA, Mar.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; Professional Standards: Confidentiality vs. Anonymity, Apr.; So You Just Became an Elected Rep. What Do You Do Now? Apr.; 15+ Ways the U.S. Should Improve the Airline Industry, June; Who Will Save Our Skies? June; INDEX ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely and Securely, Aug.; ALPA’s Education Committee Offers Students Insider’s Perspective, Sept.; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: Celebrating Aviation Advancements and Honoring ALPA Pilots, Sept.; Does North America Have a Pilot Shortage or a Pilot Pay Shortage? ALPA Pilots Know the Answer, Sept.; Charting a Course to Success, Oct.; Honoring the Victims of 9/11, Oct.; Executive Board Considers Dues Decrease in Preparation for Upcoming BOD; Oct.; Highlights From This Year’s BOD Meeting, Nov.; HIMS: Helping Pilots for 40 Years, Nov.; Ebola Update, Nov.; When the Snarge Is Large, Nov.; ALPA’s Strategic Plan: Stronger Moving Forward, Dec.; 4th Annual Photography Issue, Dec. ALPA Air Safety Forum: ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely and Securely, Aug.; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: Celebrating Aviation Advancements and Honoring ALPA Pilots, Sept. ALPA Board of Directors Meeting: Highlights From This Year’s BOD Meeting, Nov. ALPA-PAC: A Rising Tide, May; ALPA-PAC Roll of Distinction 2013, May Ebola: Ebola Update, Nov. Education: ALPA’s Education Committee Offers Students Insider’s Perspective, Sept. Fee-for-Departure: Pilots Chart Course at Small Carrier Bargaining Forum and Fee-for-Departure Meeting, Mar. Government: Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme Threatens Every U.S. Airline Pilot, Feb.; ALPA Galvanizes Global Opposition to Norwegian Air International Scheme, Mar.; Rubber-Stamped Economic Impact Studies at Ex-Im Bank Must End, Mar.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; District Advocates: A Nationwide Effort, May; From Atop Parliament Hill, May; Legislative and Regulatory Hot Topics for 2014, May; Today on the Hill, May; Working Together to Set Our Course, May; 15+ Ways the U.S. Should Improve the Airline Industry, June; “Everywhere I Go Today, I See Airline Pilots,” July; Exact Change Needed at the Ex-Im Bank, Aug. Health: What you REALLY Need to Know About Sleep Apnea, Feb.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; Obstructive Sleep Apnea—An FAA Policy Update, Apr.; Ebola Update, Nov.; HIMS: Helping Pilots for 40 Years, Nov. HIMS: HIMS: Helping Pilots for 40 Years, Nov. IFALPA: Global Realities Require Local Action, May Known Crewmember: More Is Better: Airports Are Lining Up to Join KCM Ranks, Mar. 9/11: Honoring the Victims of 9/11, Oct. Organizing: 3 Reasons Why JetBlue Pilots Want ALPA, Mar. Pilot Group Profile: (All in January) AirTran, Air Transat, Air Transport International, Air Wisconsin, Alaska, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, Bearskin, Calm Air, Canadian North, CanJet, CommutAir, Compass, Delta, Endeavor Air, Evergreen, ExpressJet, FedEx Express, First Air, Hawaiian, Island Air, Jazz Aviation, Kelowna Flightcraft, Mesa, North American, Piedmont, PSA, Spirit, Sun Country, Trans States, United, Wasaya Pilot-Partisan Agenda: (All in May) A Rising Tide [ALPA-PAC]; ALPA-PAC Roll of Distinction 2013; District Advocates: A Nationwide Effort; Get Involved—Your Job May Depend on It; From Atop Parliament Hill; Legislative and Regulatory Hot Topics for 2014; Today on the Hill; The Pilot Partisan Agenda; Working Together to Set Our Course Pilot Shortage: A Pilot Shortage? Nope. It’s All About the Money, Apr.; Does North America Have a Pilot Shortage or a Pilot Pay Shortage? ALPA Pilots Know the Answer, Sept. Pilots: The Pilots of ALPA 2014, Jan.; In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen, Feb.; Flying the New Rule: How Air Wisconsin Prepared Its Pilots, Feb.; Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme Threatens Every U.S. Airline Pilot, Feb.; What you REALLY Need to Know About Sleep Apnea, Feb.; ALPA Galvanizes Global Opposition to Norwegian Air International Scheme, Mar.; Pilots Chart Course at Small Carrier Bargaining Forum and Fee-for-Departure Meeting, Mar.; Putting Lasers in the Crosshairs, Mar.; 3 Reasons Why JetBlue Pilots Want ALPA, Mar.; A Pilot Shortage? Nope. It’s All About the Money, Apr.; Obstructive Sleep Apnea—An FAA Policy Update, Apr.; Professional Standards: Confidentiality vs. Anonymity, Apr.; So You Just Became an Elected Rep. What Do You Do Now? Apr.; District Advocates: A Nationwide Effort, May; Get Involved—Your Job May Depend on It, May; Global Realities Require Local Action, May, The Pilot Partisan Agenda, May; Working Together to Set Our Course, May; Are You a Three-Percenter? June; From Both Ends of the Mic, June; Keeping Manual Flying Skills Sharp, June; Caravan Captains, July; “Everywhere I Go Today, I See Airline Pilots,” July; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely and Securely, Aug.; ALPA’s Education Committee Offers Students Insider’s Perspective, Sept.; ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum: Celebrating Aviation Advancements and Honoring ALPA Pilots, Sept.; Does North America Have a Pilot Shortage or a Pilot Pay Shortage? ALPA Pilots Know the Answer, Sept.; Honoring the Victims of 9/11, Oct.; Highlights From This Year’s BOD Meeting, Nov.; When the Snarge Is Large, Nov.; HIMS: Helping Pilots for 40 Years, Nov.; National Aviation Hall of Fame Honors Airline Pioneer Emily Howell Warner, Nov.; 4th Annual Photography Issue, Dec. Save Our Skies: 15+ Ways the U.S. Should Improve the Airline Industry, June; Who Will Save Our Skies? June Sleep Apnea: What you REALLY Need to Know About Sleep Apnea, Feb.; Obstructive Sleep Apnea—An FAA Policy Update, Apr. Strategic Planning: Charting a Course to Success, Oct.; ALPA’s Strategic Plan: Stronger Moving Forward, Dec. Wildlife Hazards: When the Snarge Is Large, Nov. May: ALPA, Aviation Medical Leaders Talk Pilot Health and Medical Certification; Aviation Security, Jumpseat Reps Come Together; ALPA Secretary-Treasurers Get an Education June: ALPA Representation 101 Aug.: At the Intersection of Data and “Just Culture” Nov.: ALPA, A4A Host Flight Time/Duty Time Workshop Dec.: ALPA Aeromedical Chairs Focus on Pilot Health; ALPA Hosts International CIRP Chairs Meeting DEPARTMENTS Weighing In Apr.: Taking Ownership (Couette) May: Find the Right Balance (Helling) Aug.: Raising the Safety and Security Bar (Cassidy) ALPA@Work Feb.: Securing the Skies: Communicating with Industry to Anticipate, Neutralize Threat Apr.: ALPA Safety and Training Councils Meet ALPA Toolbox Feb.: Business Travel Expenses for 2013: How Much Can You Deduct? Apr.: P4P Needs Your Help Aviation Matters Jan.: Close the Gap Feb.: Uncomfortable Yet? Mar.: Capital Organizes Apr.: Same Terms May: What Are You Waiting For? June: Stronger in 2014 July: Decision-Making Time Aug.: In the Grey Sept.: Stronger Moving Forward Oct.: Patience as Proven Strategy Nov.: Stronger Moving Forward Dec.: Defining Moments Commentary, Guest May: Stronger Together (Calio) Commentary, Pilot Feb.: Competing on a Level Playing Field (Hamilton, Kolodziejczyk, Stratton) Mar.: Regional Pilots Join ALPA’s Fight to Reject NAI’s Scheme (Allen) July: Every Data Point Tells a Story (Hogeman) From the Hill June: ALPA Testifies on Small Community Air Service July: ALPA Testifies on Em-Im Bank: It’s All About the Jobs Health Watch Jan.: Smoking and How It Affects You, Part 1 Feb.: Do You Want to Quit Smoking? Mar.: Hypoxia—Do You Know All the Types? July: Diabetes: My Story (Part 1) Aug.: Diabetes: Beating the Disease (Part 2) Oct.: Contracting a Tropical Disease: What You Need to Know Nov.: Skin Cancer, FAA Policy, and You On the Bookshelf Dec.: Books Every Pilot Should Own Our Stories Jan.: Reliving a Part of Hawaiian’s History, Flying the Bellanca Feb.: Bidding Farewell: Delta Pilots Complete Final U.S. Flight on DC-9s Mar.: A FedEx Pilot Gets Inside a Plane Crash Apr.: Going the Distance with Riders for Striders May: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough June: Running with Purpose July: With Nobel Effort, Pilot Retiree Sets His Sights on the Prize Aug.: FedEx Pilots Race Across America—On Bikes Sept.: Atlantic Southeast Pilot Takes on American Ninja Warrior Oct.: JetBlue Pilot Helps to Honor AvAir Accident Victims Nov.: The Wizard of OGG Take Note Jan.: ALPA’s Resolution Taking Off Feb.: Another Chapter Mar.: Supporting Pilot Volunteers with ALPA’s Vast Resources Apr.: Aviation Is Cool May: Adapting to Better Serve ALPA Members June: More than Meeting Expectations July: Building ALPA’s Just Culture Aug.: Part of a Positive Solution Sept.: Up for the Challenge Oct.: Pulling for ALPA Nov.: Moving Forward—With Unrelenting Focus and Determination Dec.: ’Tis the Season The Landing Jan.: State-Owned Foreign Airlines’ Explosive Growth Feb.: More than a Millennium Mar.: KCM Hits 35th Milestone Apr.: A Disparity of Wages May: Phase 1 of ALPA’s Design Project June: Social Chatter July: #PilotSelfie Aug.: Safety—Front and Center Sept.: The Twitterverse and ALPA’s 60th Air Safety Forum Oct.: Double Take Nov.: ALPA Pilots Giving Back Dec.: Memorabilia on Display December 2014 Air Line Pilot 33 OntheBookshelf Books Every Pilot Should Own By Jan W. Steenblik, Technical Editor B efore the treacly Jonathan Livingston Seagull, published in 1970, made him rich and famous, Richard Bach wrote three excellent books, each based on his experiences as a pilot; in the November/December 2009 installment of this column we reviewed the first, Stranger to the Ground. Second was Biplane, published in 1966, the tale of Bach’s coast-to-coast trip from North Carolina to southern California in a new (to him) antique. N499H was a 1929 Detroit-Ryan Speedster, model Parks P-2A, an opencockpit biplane built with a two-seat side-by-side front pit for the barnstorming trade. She was the last flying example of the type, and Bach traded a completely rebuilt 1946 Fairchild 24, a “modern” high-wing with enclosed cockpit and radios, for her. “It is all strange and different, this cockpit,” Bach wrote. “A deep leathertrimmed wood-and-fabric hole, cables and wires skimming the wooden floorboards, three knobbed stalks of engine controls to the left, a fuel valve and more engine controls forward, six basic engine and flight instruments on a tiny black-painted instrument panel. No radio.” The airplane was perfect in many ways for Bach, a Cold-War USAF fighter pilot who romanticized about being a 1920s barnstormer (and later, briefly, became one—but that’s the story of Nothing by Chance, his third book): “Grass fades into a green felt blur, and the biplane is already light on her wheels. “And suddenly the ground is no more. Smooth into the sky the bright wings climb, the engine thunders in its hollow drum, the tall wheels, still spinning, are lifted. Listen to that! The wind in the wires! And now it’s here all around me. It isn’t gone at all. It isn’t lost in dusty yellow books with dusty browning photographs. It is here this instant, the taste 34 Air Line Pilot December 2014 of it all. That screaming by my ears and that whipping of my scarf—the wind! It’s here for me now just as it was here for the first pilots, that same wind that carried their megaphoned words across the pastures of Illinois and the meadows of Iowa and the picnic grounds of Pennsylvania and the beaches of Florida. “Will I never stop learning from airplanes? How can there be room in tomorrow for still another lesson?” ‘Five dollars, folks, for five minutes. Five minutes with the summer clouds, five minutes in the land of the angels. See your town from the air. You there, sir, how about taking the little lady for a joyride? Absolutely safe, perfectly harmless. Feel that fresh wind that blows where only birds and airplanes fly.’” Stretched out beneath the wing of the Parks in a farmer’s field for the first time, Bach observed, “A mist has risen from the damp earth of the field, and under the moon it is a field of spun glass glowing.… [I]t compares to nothing I have ever known. An airplane teaches many things, but always before I have learned in the air, while flying. When the airplane was on the ground, the lesson was over. But tonight, in a nameless field in North Carolina, the airplane huge above me, casting a quiet black shadow across my sleeping bag, I am still learning. Will I never stop learning from airplanes? How can there be room in tomorrow for still another lesson? “The biplane stands serene and unmoving. She seems very sure that there will be room for a lesson tomorrow.” And so there was, with more lessons—some harsh—served up in the days to come. Romantic though he was (and is), Bach did not flinch from telling tales on himself as he and the Parks courted each other. The Parks had a Wright five-cylinder radial engine, big wheels, and skinny tires. Her looks were classic, but so were her shortcomings: Bach discovered, to his dismay and grief (more than once!) that she’d run out of rudder during rollout after a crosswind landing. One doesn’t just ring up the nearest FBO to get replacement parts for an airplane handcrafted in ’29. One visual disappointment of the book: The photos are all black-andwhite, though the airplane, with her fuselage painted not just red, but Stearman Vermilion, and her wings and tail Champion Yellow, was a vivid splash of primary colors spectacular against a deep blue sky or emerald grass. Vectors Capt. Len Morgan, who retired as a Braniff B-747 captain in 1982 and died in 2005, penned a deservedly popular monthly column in Flying for more than 20 years. Vectors, published in 1992, is a collection of his favorite columns. “The timing of my flying life was just about perfect for several reasons,” he “The timing of my flying life was just about perfect for several reasons, one being that the hours logged were almost evenly divided between pistonand turbine-engined aircraft.” wrote, “one being that the hours logged were almost evenly divided between piston- and turbine-engined aircraft.” Lucky he was, indeed: Morgan flew until normal retirement at age 60; seven weeks later Braniff folded. Morgan, an American, joined the RCAF before the United States entered WWII and flew C-46s, -47s, and -54s. He started at Braniff in DC-2s. Later in life, he owned a series of four light singles. He indulged a desire to ride the Concorde as a Mach 2 passenger. And “like the itch to fly, the urge to write defies explaining,” he argued, so readers have long been the richer for his having gladly embraced both inexplicable urges. Graced with a light touch at the typewriter, Morgan was particularly adept at evoking, in a few paragraphs, the daily (and nightly) work of a professional airman through decades gone by. For example: Starting the Pratt & Whitney R-2800, the 18-cylinder, twinrow, air-cooled radial that powered several notable WWII fighters, including the Thunderbolt and Bearcat, plus several types of post-war airliners, required finesse, which Morgan details beautifully: “Our DC-6 R-2800s were easily brought to life—if skillfully managed. You cracked the throttle, squeezed the starter switches, counted six blades, switched ignition to ‘Both’ and depressed the primer switch. When it fired, you stabilized at 800 rpm using primer fuel, then eased up the mixture while easing off on the primer. “Done just so, the big radial settled into idling with sparse smoking. A hair too much throttle and it went off like a French 75; too much prime and the stacks spewed flame. Cooperation between captain and flight engineer was the ticket. What we new hires dreaded was an impatient skipper who pumped the throttle. You know who caught it for the ensuing thunderclap or firewreathed cowl. “The Convair [240/340/440 series’ ] exhaust was routed through ‘augmentor tubes,’ the shrouds of which produced hot air for airfoil anti-icing. These acted as mufflers, giving an idling engine a muted growl. An over-primed Convair belched fire at the wing trailing edge.” But “the R-2800’s performance reliability were nothing short of amazing,” Morgan recalled. “It ingested tropical rain so torrential we heard it above engine roar. Manifold pressures would sag, then those big Pratts would shake like wet bird dogs and go back to work. Many the hairy night we turned on wing lights to watch them slogging away. They were pure marvels. When you were out there above a raging sea, without a prayer of successful ditching, you acquired that curious fondness airmen feel for a stout airframe and the engines that move it.” Morgan’s sense of history was magnificent. In a column on WWI in the air, he wrote, “The airplane was 10 years old when it was drafted. The fragile toy of daring sportsmen, it was maddening to keep airworthy and perilous to fly. An unlikely weapon, there was one thing it could do: carry an observer beyond front lines and bring him back. As the Duke of Wellington said a century before, victory belongs to the general who can guess what’s happening on the far side of the hill. “The recruit soon proved itself….” These paragraphs ended a column about Dallas Love Field: “Down there at Gate 11 I passed time with an outbound crew that never returned. That is also where we lined up to honor retirees; you got the close-in gate on your last trip. I was down there one afternoon when no one moved or spoke. We were watching Air Force One moving out with two presidents on board, one in a casket. “Love Field witnessed a million happy reunions and fond farewells. It was a place for laughter and tears. ‘There has been a lot of life lived here,’ said a graying captain. That said it for a lot of us.” That was Len Morgan’s gift to the world, too: What he wrote said it for a lot of us. Read More In 2008, we began running “On the Bookshelf.” To see past book recommendations and reader submissions, visit www.alpa.org/bookshelf. Let us know what your favorite aviation books are and why at Magazine@alpa.org. December 2014 Air Line Pilot 35 Boeing photo P romoting aviation safety and security. Safeguarding U.S. and Canadian pilot jobs. Advancing the airline piloting profession worldwide. This is ALPA’s proud legacy. A legacy built over nine decades. A legacy brought to life in ALPA’s Herndon, Va., building. Here, ALPA’s rich history—the history of our profession, our union, and our industry—is showcased in airline and pilot group memorabilia, photos and artwork, uniforms and model airplanes. ALPA pilots and staff have donated many of the items, more proof that the ALPA offices are not just a building, they are your building— a place for our members past, present, and future. d b a Photos: Chris Weaver c History in 3-D. Commercial aviation is born with the first contract air mail service flight on April 6, 1926. Postmarked letters carried on that historical flight are featured on the impressive main-floor time line. —Donated by Capt. Corey J. Ferguson (United) a b When was the first ALPA-negotiated collective bargaining agreement signed? In 1939, the contract between ALPA and American Airlines. Over the next two years, ALPA successfully negotiated agreements with Delta, Eastern, Northwest, TWA, and United, among others. 36 Air Line Pilot December 2014 c Captain’s log: three months of flying the line detailed in this 1950s logbook. —Donated by the family of Capt. Charles R. Hodgson (Eastern, Dec.) d The ’60s and ’70s “jet set” traveled around the world in style—flying first class and dining on fine china. —Donated by Kari Cantrell, ALPA Staff e Through public displays of unity, ALPA pilot groups have demonstrated the power of membership in the world’s largest pilot union. Take a virtual tour by scanning the QR code. j i h f e g Do you have items you’d like to add to the collection? Please e-mail SMDR@alpa.org with a description of the item you’d like to showcase. f A David-and-Goliath moment: In 1989, ALPA stood up to one of the most despised figures in the airline industry—at the bargaining table, on the picket line, and in the news media—making ALPA a force to be reckoned with. —Donated by Capt. J.L. Thomasson (Northwest, Ret.) g Remember the days when they gave out more than just pretzels and cookies on your flight? Back in the day, airlines branded all kinds of swag, including playing cards, belt buckles, bags, and even shot glasses! —Donated by Capt. James C. Kinnard (Northwest, Ret.). h From the distinctive “red tails” of the former Northwest Airlines to Piedmont’s Dash 8s, ALPA members safely carry passengers and cargo to their destinations around the globe 24/7, 365 days a year in all types of airplanes. i For more than 64 years, Pan American World Airways blazed many trails that shaped the international airline industry. A series of 10 stunning framed lithographs depict many of the iconic airline’s first flights. —Donated by the family of Capt. Norman J. Ortlieb (Pan Am, Dec.) j Coming soon: Pilot uniforms on display. Styles may have changed over the decades, but the authority, training, and experience symbolized by the stripes on a pilot’s epaulets remain constant. December 2014 Air Line Pilot 37 ALPA Resources and Contact Numbers National Officers For complete biographical information on ALPA’s national officers, visit www.alpa.org or scan the QR code below. Capt. Lee Moak President Capt. William Couette Vice President– Administration/Secretary Capt. Sean Cassidy First Vice President Capt. Randy Helling Vice President– Finance/Treasurer Executive Vice Presidents For more information on which pilot groups executive vice presidents represent, visit www.alpa.org/evp. Capt. Paul Stuart, Jr. Alaska, Endeavor Air, JetBlue, Piedmont, Spirit Capt. William Hanna Air Wisconsin, CommutAir, ExpressJet, Hawaiian, Island Air, Trans States Capt. Dan Adamus Air Transat, Bearskin, Calm Air, Canadian North, CanJet, First Air, Jazz Aviation, Kelowna Flightcraft, Wasaya Capt. Joe DePete FedEx Express F/O Scott Smetana Delta Vacant Air Transport International, PSA Capt. Larry Beck United Capt. Michael Hamilton United Capt. Tim Canoll Executive Administrator Capt. Thomas Maxwell Atlantic Southeast, Compass, Envoy Air, Mesa Air Group, Sun Country Want to know more about ALPA’s EVPs? Scan the QR code. ALPA Sudoku (© paulspages.co.uk) 28 1657934 Complete the sudoku puzzle so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contain all the digits from 1 to 9. 964381527 The solution to this month’s ALPA sudoku can be found on page 8. Too easy, too difficult? Tell us what you think. E-mail Magazine@alpa.org. Have You Moved? Please call Membership Administration at 1-888359-2572, then press 3; e-mail your new address to Membership@alpa.org; or clip out this form—along with the mailing label on the back cover—and send it to 3 75924168 6 52438719 7 1359 6842 49 8712653 ALPA Membership Administration PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169 Name_________________________________________ 846173295 Member #_____________________________________ Airline________________________________________ New address___________________________________ Apt.___________ City__________________________ State__________ Zip___________________________ 38 Air Line Pilot December 2014 1 29845376 5 37269481 ALPA Information Numbers The following ALPA resources may be reached by e-mail or by dialing, toll-free, 1-888-359-2572 (1-888-FLY-ALPA). Once connected, press the # key on your phone and dial the last four digits of the number listed below. However, the ALPA main number, ASPEN, the Membership and Insurance tollfree number, and Membership Administration numbers need to be dialed directly. 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Listed below are the telephone numbers of MEC offices. Mesa–MAG MEC 602-306-1116 Trans States–TSA MEC 804-400-9822 *North American–NAA MEC 513-257-7662 United–UAL MEC 847-292-1700 Piedmont–PDT MEC 339-987-1277 Wasaya–WSG MEC 807-624-7270 PSA–PSA MEC 616-405-3962 Spirit–SPA MEC 765-481-9033 *Pilot group in custodianship Sun Country–SCA MEC 952-853-2393 Air Transat–TSC MEC 1-888-337-2033 Air Transport International–ATI MEC 505-263-8838 Air Wisconsin–ARW MEC 1-800-ALPA-ARW Alaska–ALA MEC 206-241-3138 Atlantic Southeast–ASA MEC 404-209-8566 Bearskin–BRS MEC 807-628-5683 Calm Air–CMA MEC 204-471-1000 Canadian North–CNP MEC 780-718-6012 CanJet–CJA MEC 1-800-959-1751 CommutAir–CMT MEC 440-985-8579 Compass–CPZ MEC 952-853-2373 Delta–DAL MEC 404-763-4925 Endeavor Air–PCL MEC 855-PCL-ALPA Envoy Air–ENY MEC 817-685-7474 *Evergreen–EIA MEC 503-474-3880 ExpressJet–XJT MEC 281-987-3636 FedEx Express–FDX MEC 901-752-8749 First Air–FAB MEC 1-877-459-3272 Hawaiian–HAL MEC 808-836-2572 Island Air–AIS MEC 808-838-0188 Jazz Aviation–JAZ MEC 1-800-561-9576 JetBlue–JBU MEC 803-360-8338 Kelowna Flightcraft–KFC MEC 250-878-7950 Address Changes for Members Only: E-mail to Membership@alpa.org. Director of Communications Cathy St. Denis Editor in Chief Sharon B. Vereb Associate Managing & Production Editor Susan Fager Technical Editor Jan W. Steenblik Staff Writer John Perkinson Senior Advocacy Writer Linda Shotwell Magazine/Graphic Designer Susan Boulter ePublishing Editor Jesica Ferry Web Coordinators Cicely Jenkins, Chris Weaver Supervisor, Creative Services Kelly M. Barrett Supervisor, Content Strategy Molly Martin Supervisor, Multimedia Productions Eric Davis Contributing Graphic Artists Kim Agnew, Jesica Ferry, Mary Ann Walsh Contributing Writer Kevin Cuddihy ——— General Manager Lori Garver Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs Michael Robbins Air Line Pilot is not responsible for unsolicited manu scripts, photographs, or other materials. Unsolicited materials will be returned only if submitted with a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily represent official ALPA position or policy. Subscriptions: Subscription rate for pilot members, $27.50, included in ALPA membership dues; for students, $41; for U.S. nonmembers, $55; for foreign, $71.50. Residents of the state of Washington must add 8.8 percent sales tax. To subscribe online go to www. alpa.org/subscriptions or call 703-481-4460. To report address changes, call 703-689-4311. Air Line Pilot is printed in the United States and published for professional airline pilots in the United States and Canada who are members of the Air Line Pilots Association, International. ALPA Headquarters: 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036 Postmaster: Send address changes to Air Line Pilot, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40620579: Return undeliverable magazines sent to Canadian addresses to 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON, Canada N8T 3B7. Other Organizations ALPA Aeromedical Office 303-341-4435 ALPA Federal Credit Union 1-800-747-2349 ALPA Accident/Incident Hotline If you are involved in an accident, incident, or alleged violation of a federal aviation regulation, contact your local or central air safety chairman, regional safety chairman, or the worldwide ALPA accident/incident hotline at 202-797-4180 (collect calls are accepted) for an immediate response 24 hours per day. As a backup number, call 703-892-4180. To report a safety problem or airspace system defi ciency, call 1-800-424-2470 or e-mail EAS@alpa.org. 2014 EBCB Schedule The Association’s Election and Ballot Certification Board’s schedule for counting ballots is December 10. Any ALPA member in good standing may be present as an observer during any meeting. Contact the Association’s Membership and Council Services Department for scheduling. December 2014 Air Line Pilot 39 Take care of your ground crew. 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