Air Safety Forum

Transcription

Air Safety Forum

September 2011 n OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
Known
Crewmember
Launches
Page 30
The Longest
Flight of
My Life
(A 9/11 Story)
Page 28
Effects of
The FAA
Shutdown
Page 37
Coverage of ALPA’s 57th
Air Safety Forum
Top Safety, Security, Environment, Jumpseat,
And Pilot Assistance Issues
Page 18
September 2011 Air Line Pilot 1
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September 2011 • Volume 80, Number 7
18
DEPARTMENTS
28
30
9 Preflight
Facts, Figures, and Info
33 From the Hill
COMMENTARY
FAA Funding Lapse; EU Carbon Tax; Health-Care Tax
5 Aviation Matters
36 Shaping History
Setting ALPA Apart
Excerpts from Flying the
Line I and II
6 Weighing In
The Air Safety Organization: New Name, Same Core
Mission
37The Landing
38 We Are ALPA
7 Pilot Commentary
ALPA Resources and
Contact Numbers
The Entitlement Mentality
FEATURES
17 A Tribute to the
Crewmembers of
First Air Flight 6560
18 ALPA’s 57th
Air Safety Forum—
Top Safety, Security,
Environment, Jump
seat, and Pilot Assis
tance Issues
33
About the Cover
A thunderstorm approaches
the FedEx ramp in Subic Bay,
Philippines. F/O Jon Casello (FedEx
Express) snapped
the photo during one of the
last FedEx a.m.
launches from
that hub. To view
a page-turning
version of this
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Air Line Pilot (ISSN 0002-242X) is published
monthly, except for the combined January/
February and June/July issues, 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: 703481-4460. Fax: 703-464-2114. Copyright ©
2011—Air Line Pilots Association, Inter
national, 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.
28 9/11/2001:
The Longest Flight
of My Life
30 Known Crew
member Launches at
Chicago O’Hare
32 Chronicling ALPA’s
Strategic Plan—
Protecting ALPA and
Its Pilots: BOD Dele
gate Committee 6
28
things THIS ISSUE
10
HOW TO READ
you can do
for your union and
your profession
1
Listen to fellow pilots’
views on union issues
3
2
Run for
ALPA office
Contribute to the ALPA
Emergency Relief Fund
4
5
Volunteer for ALPA’s
Critical Incident
Response Program
Share positive news
stories with fellow
ALPA pilots
6
Attend the ALPA
Air Safety Forum
7
Make informed
choices in union
elections
8
Observe the ALPA
Code of Ethics
and Canons
9
Discuss the
advantages
of ALPA with
non-ALPA pilots
10
Regularly visit
www.alpa.org
A member service of Air Line Pilot.
4 Air Line Pilot September 2011
If you’re...
Standing in a TSA screening line
Have your proper ID ready and turn to page
30 to read about the official launch of Known
Crewmember—operational in Chicago and Miami
with five more locations on the way.
Wondering what is on the
minds of fellow line pilots
One ALPA member retells his personal
story from 9/11 (page 28). Another
expresses his views on “The
Entitlement Mentality (page 7).”
Traveling to Mexico
Security experts will tell you what threats are real
and which ones have been exaggerated by
Hollywood and give you tips on how not to
be a target (page 22).
Still at the gate
Turn to page 37 to check out
the infographic that illustrates
how the FAA shutdown affected the construction of additional runways, air traffic control towers,
runway lights, and more.
Wondering about your pilot
group’s contract negotiations
Turn to page 13 and read a summary of ALPA contract
negotiations. And while you’re at it, flip to the back and
view the ALPA Resources pages where you’ll find contact information for all the ALPA departments as well as who your
ALPA executive vice president is and how to contact him.
In the pilot lounge
Read it from cover to cover. It’s a good one.
AviationMatters
Setting ALPA Apart
L
ast month, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l held its
57th Air Safety Forum—an event that has grown into the
premier aviation safety forum in the world. As ALPA’s president, I felt proud and privileged to be involved in this remarkable
undertaking. A tremendous amount of work goes into hosting
this important event. From the months-long planning to the onsite coordination, pilot leaders and staff
put together a program that showcases
ALPA’s efforts as a globally recognized
aviation safety advocate.
The Forum also underscored ALPA’s
involvement in virtually every aspect
of our industry and of our profession,
including contract negotiations, pilot
benefit and retirement plans, communications, providing expert testimony
and written analyses to legislators and regulators on a wide
variety of subjects, and more. In short, ALPA is the voice of
professional airline pilots throughout the U.S. and Canada.
While this is one of the strengths that make our union unique,
another is the “ALPA team”—a powerful combination of pilot
volunteers and staff professionals who bring their vast knowledge, experience, and technical expertise to the many initiatives
in which ALPA is involved. Some notable examples include
l Negotiating contract gains for ALPA pilots, which ultimately
raise the bar for all airline pilots in the U.S. and Canada. Most
recently, the pilots of Trans States Airlines ratified a new collective bargaining agreement that includes a signing bonus, wage
increases, better work rules, and stronger job security provisions. Throughout the five years of negotiations, the pilot leaders, supported by ALPA staff and bolstered by ALPA’s national
officers and 38 other pilot groups, held firm and delivered a
contract that meets their pilots’ needs.
l Designing retirement and benefit plans that are tailored
specifically to each pilot group.
l Assisting several independent unions in their contract negotiations by providing in-depth economic and financial analyses,
thorough evaluations of their retirement and benefit plans,
and recommendations for their proposals. ALPA’s Economic &
Financial Analysis Department is unmatched in its ability to
provide this tailored information.
l Representing the pilots’ voice as not only the premier pilot
union, but the only labor organization invited to such highprofile conferences as the annual JP Morgan Transportation
Conference.
l Delivering up-to-date information on current events and
issues that affect our livelihoods and careers using a variety of
communications media. One of our main strategic goals is to
continue to enhance our communications with our members
and other stakeholders. Since 2008, we have expanded our
communications portfolio significantly, thereby reaching an
ever-increasing audience worldwide. From the new digital version of ALPA’s award-winning Air Line Pilot magazine and other
electronic publications that readers can access on their laptops
or smartphones to social media forums such as Facebook
and Twitter to video programs such as “The FlightDeck” that
are produced by in-house multimedia professionals, ALPA is
respected as the source for industry news.
l Giving pilot volunteers the tools they need to best represent
their members and the profession. ALPA trains pilots in accident/incident investigation, collective bargaining, information
technology, and news media relations, in addition to the training that we provide to pilot group leaders in their daily operations of the master executive councils.
ALPA-sponsored events such as the Air Safety Forum,
conferences, and training seminars draw not only ALPA pilots
involved in Association activities, but also representatives from
N
o other aviation labor
or advocacy group
can offer what your union
offers.
other pilot unions, industry partners, government officials, and
others from around the world. These events speak volumes to
the professionalism of ALPA pilots and staff. And they set the
tone and tenor for how our Association is viewed throughout
the airline industry by all other stakeholders.
No other aviation labor or advocacy group can offer what
your union offers. This is why legislators, regulators, manufacturers, operators, other aviation organizations, and independent pilot unions seek out ALPA’s subject-matter experts and
tap into their knowledge and experience. They engage with
ALPA because we have proven to be so effective in advancing
our mutual goals.
The Air Line Pilots Association has distinguished itself by our
professionalism, by our support for our fellow pilots regardless
of an affiliation with ALPA, and by our constructive engagement in every area of aviation. These unique characteristics
not only set ALPA apart, they enable the Association, your
Association, to advance our mission on behalf of our 53,000
members, our profession, and the airline industry.
Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA President
WeighingIn
The Air Safety Organization:
New Name, Same Core Mission
By Capt. Sean Cassidy
ALPA First Vice President
A
ir Line Pilot’s coverage of the Air
Line Pilots Association’s 57th
Air Safety Forum showcases the
union’s steadfast and focused efforts to
make the airline
piloting profession safe, secure,
and successful.
Our 80 years of
contributions to
the airline industry, the theme
for the event, are
well-documented.
The welfare of our crews and our passengers and the safe operations of our
airlines around the globe have been
enhanced through our interaction with
government regulators, involvement
in the legislative process, and improvements collectively bargained with our
managements.
The Forum gives our members the
opportunity to access the most up-to-date
safety, security, and pilot assistance information; participate in expert panel discussions; and stay engaged with their union.
Because ALPA is known as the voice of
airline pilots, the event also affords attendees the opportunity to “recalibrate”
their radars and stay abreast of the latest
changes in the aviation world.
W. Edwards Deming famously said, “It
is not necessary to change. Survival is
not mandatory.” The irony of that quote
illustrates perfectly our need to choose
the path of change as a means to not
only survive, but to prosper.
Sticking with the theme, ALPA leaders
took a long look at the union’s air safety
configuration and determined that the
time was right for change. Accordingly,
our venerable safety structure got a
slight makeover. We adopted some new
policies and reconfigured the previous structure into the new Air Safety
Organization (ASO). We did not set out
to fix something that was broken but
looked for ways to make a great organization even better.
While there has been very little
functional change to the committee
structures at the ground level, the view
from 33,000 feet is quite different. For
the first time in our organization, we
have a unified approach to safety—
placing all of our national safety, cargo,
environment, security, pilot assistance
and jumpseat functions under one roof.
By better coordinating these functions
and linking them more closely to our
union structure at the master executive
A
on Capitol Hill (see page 25).
Perhaps two recent events—one
that preceded the Forum and one that
followed—demonstrate how varied
and widespread ALPA’s mission is. One
week before the Forum, we witnessed
the product of a lot of hard work and
very close collaboration among ALPA,
the TSA, and the ATA when ALPA participated in the opening of the first Known
Crewmember site at Chicago O’Hare
Airport (see page 30).
And just days after the Forum, we
learned about the tragic crash of First
Air Flight 6560 in Resolute Bay, Nunavut,
s important as national leadership
and staff support are in the safety
equation, ALPA’s rank-and-file
members always have been—and always
will be—the ones who make the Air
Safety Organization work, and make it
work better.
council (MEC) level, members’ voices will
be better heard. And the links between
the front line and the front office will
be stronger and more direct. I believe
that this will ultimately make the system
more responsive, flexible, and efficient.
The expansive scope of our safety
mission was evident to all who attended
the Forum and participated in the workshops or tuned in to live TV and streaming webcasts. They were able to listen to
the heads of ALPA, the FAA, the NTSB,
the ATA, the TSA, and the U.S. ambassador to ICAO discuss current topics and
pose questions directly to our panelists.
This year a new panel composed of
Senate and House staff and ALPA MEC
legislative affairs experts demonstrated
how important it is to have smart and
focused legislative support behind the
safety initiatives we advocate for on
behalf of our 53,000 members both in
the halls of Parliament in Ottawa and
Canada. In support of our members, our
Accident Investigation Board mobilized
immediately to begin working with the
Canadian Transportation Safety Board.
Meanwhile, our ALPA Pilot Assistance
volunteers in Canada began assisting our
First Air members in the aftermath of
this tragedy. I could not be more proud
of the professionalism, expertise, and
compassion that our members have
demonstrated. That truly is the hallmark
of our safety organization.
While events such as the Forum bring
together safety stakeholders from around
the globe, there will never be any substitute for “boots on the ground.” As important as national leadership and staff
support are in the safety equation, ALPA’s
rank-and-file members always have been
—and always will be—the ones who make
the ASO work, and make it work better.
Enjoy this issue of Air Line Pilot, and
let us know how we’re doing.
PilotCommentary
The Entitlement
Mentality
By Capt. Joe Doniach
(United)
Y
ears ago, then-United
CEO Glenn Tilton said
something about how
he wanted to get rid of the
“entitle
ment
mentality”
of United
employees. Of
course,
his remark was
extremely offensive, especially
since he said this while using
the airline’s bankruptcy to
gut our contracts. But in my
opinion he was absolutely correct. The employees did (and
still do) have an entitlement
mentality, and until we pilots
(I will only speak here for my
own occupation) rid ourselves
of this dangerous delusion,
we will be condemned to
make the same mistakes over
and over that have brought
about the destruction of our
profession.
In my 30+ years as an
airline pilot, I have heard time
and again why we should
be well paid, even as our
average pay has declined
42 percent over that same
period. My answer is always,
“Why? What makes you think
you are worth more than a
third-world pilot who makes
one-tenth what you do? What
makes you think you are
worth more than the regional
pilot to whom your captain’s
seat was outsourced?” The
response is usually huffing
and puffing about how
experience, skill, and an excel-
lent safety record should be
properly rewarded.
Again, my question is,
Why? There’s no economic
justification for these things.
Sure, when the ship is going
down in flames, passengers
want highly skilled and
experienced pilots with
excellent safety records to
be at the controls, but it’s
not possible to justify these
items in economic terms, at
least not until a tipping point
is reached.
Every union airline pilot
should know that the high
pay scales of the past had
absolutely nothing to do
with our abilities as pilots.
Nothing! The high pay scales
of previous contracts were
the result of the prescience
and persistence of Dave
Behncke and the founders
of ALPA nearly 80 years ago.
Thanks to their skill in lobbying the Roosevelt administration and the U.S. Congress,
a mandatory formula for
airline pilot pay was codified by the 1933 National
Recovery Administration
(NRA). On the principle that
pilots should benefit from
productivity increases (pay
to productivity), the formula
tied pay to aircraft speed.
The formula was appealed
by the airlines, but it was
upheld by an administrative
law judge in what is known
as Decision 83.
After the NRA was nullified
by the U.S. Supreme Court,
ALPA convinced Congress
to include the Decision 83
formula in the 1934 Air
Mail Act and then the 1938
Civil Aeronautics Act. In the
Every union
airline pilot
should know
that the high
pay scales of
the past had
absolutely
nothing to
do with our
abilities as
pilots. Nothing!
The high
pay scales
of previous
contracts
were the
result of the
prescience and
persistence of
Dave Behncke
and the
founders of
ALPA nearly 80
years ago.
late 1940s, the formula was
expanded to include weight
in addition to speed. The
benefits of the Decision 83
formula paid off handsomely
when the first generation of
jets—the B-707 and the DC8—began flying in the late
fifties and early sixties. With
the jets having gross weights
and speeds nearly double
those of their piston-engined
predecessors, pilots flying
them were paid rates that
were a huge increase over the
previous rates, because the
new jets were so much more
productive.
Decision 83 set the
standard—that pilots should
be paid according to productivity—in all ALPA contracts,
and indeed throughout the
world, because ALPA in the
United States was for so
many years the world leader
in airline pilot labor union
negotiations.
And therein lies the problem. Most pilots forgot, or
never knew, all this Decision
83 stuff. They simply thought
that we were worth so much
because we graduated No. 1
in our class at the Air Force
Academy or because daddy
paid our way through EmbryRiddle or because we worked
our way up the civilian aviation ladder or because we
haven’t caused a passenger
fatality since 1978. In other
words, they think we are
entitled to a decent station
in life because of who we are.
Think about this the next
time you are bouncing along
in the tops at 35,000 feet
and you see the little specks
of corporate jets flying above
PilotCommentary
all the weather at 50,000
feet: CEOs don’t make the
mistake of thinking they are
entitled to their monstrous
salaries. They know that they
make what they do because
of the rules that dictate how
our society is organized. And
that is the answer to why we
were paid high salaries in the
past, and why those salaries
have shrunk. It is because of
the rules that determine how
our society is organized, i.e.,
here in the United States,
the laws passed by the U.S.
Congress. Those rules, those
regulations, are everything.
Deregulation? There ain’t no
such thing. All that the 1978
Airline Deregulation Act
did was get rid of one set of
rules and replace them with
another.
The top 1 percent of the
United States—the CEO
class, the new oligarchy—
now owns more than the bottom 90 percent of the United
States because they exploit
the rules of this country to
the maximum extent that
they can get away with. (And
I’m not just talking about the
laws, I’m talking about the
rules, rules such as not pursuing tax cheats, etc.) We pilots
do the same—we exploited
the 30 years of airline regulation to the maximum extent
possible, and we are now
trying to exploit the pathetic
remnants of rules (the
Railway Labor Act, the FARs)
that still govern our economic well-being. That we have
not yet been able to reverse
the decline in any meaningful way is not an indication
of our failure in the area of
labor negotiations—it just
demonstrates that those
rules are stacked against us.
But blaming ALPA for those
failures in and of itself is a
failure—a failure to understand how our societal rules
have changed.
Unintended or not, the
consequence of Decision 83
was a positive feedback loop
in which the high pay of the
airline piloting profession
attracted extremely capable,
talented, high-achieving
people who were, and continue to be, the main reason for
the industry’s superb safety
record. As is clear from the
range of endeavors of those
who have been furloughed,
people who become airline
pilots would be at the top
of whatever profession they
chose to pursue. The airline
industry and the traveling
public have benefited immensely from this dynamic,
but, although it has taken
many years to sink in, the
allure of the profession is fading, and it no longer attracts
the sort of candidates of the
past. Capt. Chesley B. “Sully”
Sullenberger spoke for all of
us in his testimony before
Congress when he said that
he does “…not know a single
professional airline pilot who
wants his or her children to
follow in their footsteps.”
Capt. Sullenberger went
on to say, “I am worried that
the airline piloting profession
will not be able to continue to
attract the best and the brightest. The current experience
and skills of our country’s professional airline pilots come
from investments made years
“If we do not
sufficiently
value the
airline piloting
profession
and future
pilots are less
experienced
and less
skilled, it
logically
follows that
we will see
negative
consequences
to the flying
public—and
to our country.”
—Capt. Chesley
B. “Sully”
Sullenberger
ago when we were able to
attract the ambitious, talented
people who now frequently
seek lucrative professional
careers. That past investment
was an indispensible element
in our commercial aviation
infrastructure, vital to safe
air travel and our country’s
economy and security. If we
do not sufficiently value the
airline piloting profession
and future pilots are less
experienced and less skilled,
it logically follows that we will
see negative consequences to
the flying public—and to our
country.”
In the end, it all comes
down to the question of
how we want to organize
our society. Do we want to
live in a banana republic,
a third-world country, the
new Russia? Or do we
want to live in a country
with a strong, egalitarian
middle class? The iconic
middle-class existence of
1950s America didn’t come
about because Americans
are more deserving than
other people. It came about
because the Americans of
the 1930s and 1940s had
had enough of a society that
allowed a few to prosper
mightily while everyone
else ate their crumbs, and
they elected politicians
who passed laws that gave
everyone a chance to live
out their lives in dignity and
security. We had what we
had because our predecessors fought for those things,
and we lost what we had
because we came to believe
that we were entitled to
them.
Facts, Figures, and Info
n Airline Industry Update
 The FAA announced on
August 1 that air traffic
controllers are once again
able to ride in aircraft
cockpits with airline pilots
as part of a voluntary educa
tion program. “This program
gives our new generation
of air traffic controllers a
chance to see and hear what
the pilot is experiencing so
they know exactly what is
happening on the other end
of the microphone,” said
FAA Administrator Randy
Babbitt. “As a pilot, I think this
important training will give
controllers a richer picture
of the airspace system.” The
Flight Deck Training program
replaces a previous program
called Familiarization
Training, or FAM trip, which
was suspended in 2001.
Flight Deck Training is being
introduced as a trial program
that the agency will evaluate
and monitor over the next six
months.
 The Los Angeles Times reported that increasing de
mand and reduced capacity
pushed airline ticket prices
in the first quarter of 2011
up 8.4 percent from the same
period a year ago and near
a new record high, according
to government statistics. The
average ticket price was $356,
just a few dollars lower than
the high of $359, set in the
summer of 2008.
 The FAA announced that
LightSquared has modified
its proposal for launching a
wireless broadband network,
but the proposed network
would still interfere with the
Global Positioning System.
“The effects of LightSquared
deployment would be farreaching and potentially devastating to aviation. Proposed
LightSquared operations
would severely impact the
efficiency and modernization
of the safest, most efficient
aerospace system in the
world,” according to a report
from the FAA’s Navigation
Services (see page 14).
 The Transportation
Security Administration
(TSA) has set a deadline of
December 31 for screening
all cargo bound for the U.S.,
reported Air Cargo World.
The TSA emphasized that
December 31 is a goal, not a
fixed deadline, and that many
countries already comply with
the cargo screening rule.
 The Department of
Transportation’s Bureau of
Transportation Statistics (BTS)
reported in late July that U.S.
scheduled passenger airlines
employed 2.1 percent more
workers in May 2011 than
they did in May 2010. This is
the sixth consecutive increase
in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for scheduled
passenger airlines from the
same month of the previous
year and the largest year-toyear increase since February
2008. FTE calculations count
MarketWatch
AirlinesParent Company
AirTran
Southwest Airlines1
Bearskin, Calm Air
Exchange Income Corporation
Alaska
Alaska Holdings, Inc.
Jazz Air Chorus Aviation2
Spirit
Spirit Airlines, Inc.3
FedEx Express
FedEx Corporation
Atlantic Southeast, ExpressJet SkyWest, Inc.4
Air Transport Int’l, Capital Cargo Int'l
Air Transport Services Group, Inc.
Air Transat
Transat A.T. Inc.
Hawaiian
Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.
Continental, United
United Continental Holdings, Inc.5
Colgan Air, Mesaba, Pinnacle
Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Comair, Delta
Delta Air Lines
American Eagle
AMR Corp.
Piedmont Airlines, PSA
US Airways Group, Inc.
Stock Symbol
NSYE: LUV
TSX: EIF
NSYE: ALK
TSX: CHR.A
NASDAQ: SAVE
NYSE: FDX
NASDAQ: SKYW
NASDAQ: ATSG
TSX: TRZ.A
NASDAQ: HA
NSYE: UAL
NASDAQ: PNCL
NYSE: DAL
NYSE: AMR
NYSE: LCC
7/30/2010
$4.82
$15.00
$51.59
$4.37
NA
$82.20
$12.35
$5.31
$11.75
$6.00
$23.74
$5.55
$11.88
$7.08
$10.66
7/29/2011
$9.96
$20.90
$61.12
$4.91
$13.10
$86.88
$12.86
$4.98
$10.85
$4.70
$18.12
$3.99
$7.89
$4.24
$6.24
% Chg.
106.6%
39.3%
18.5%
12.4%
11.0%
5.7%
4.1%
-6.2%
-7.7%
-21.7%
-23.7%
-28.1%
-33.6%
-40.1%
-41.5%
1 AirTran Holdings, Inc. agreed to be acquired by Southwest Airlines on 9/27/2010. The acquisition closed on 5/2/2011. The price shown for 7/30/2010 is for AirTran
Holdings. The price shown for 7/29/2011 is for Southwest stock. Southwest stock closed at $12.03 on 7/30/2010.
2 Jazz Air Income Fund converted to a corporate structure as of 1/4/2011. The new corporation is Chorus Aviation and is traded on the TSX as CHR.A. The price shown
for 7/30/2010 is the old Jazz Air Income Fund.
3 Spirit Airlines, Inc. began trading on the NASDAQ on 5/26/2011. The percentage change shown is from 5/31/2011 to 7/29/2011.
4 ExpressJet was acquired by Atlantic Southeast, a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. on 8/4/2010. ExpressJet operations will be merged with Atlantic Southeast.
5 Continental and United completed a merger on 10/1/2010. The stock price shown for 7/30/2010 is that of UAUA (United Airlines only). Continental stock price closed
on 7/30/2010 at $25.02. Each shareholder of Continental got 1.05 shares of the new United stock for every share of Continental stock.
n Prepared by ALPA’s Economic & Financial Analysis Department
n Airline Industry Update (continued)
two part-time employees as
one full-time employee.
 In May and June, inclem
ent weather contributed
to an increase in long socalled tarmac delays
for airlines—despite an
April 2010 Department of
Transportation rule fining airlines for tarmac delays longer
than three hours. Fourteen
flights were delayed on the
airport for more than three
hours in June, compared
to three the previous year.
Between May and December
2010, the rule reduced the
number of flights waiting
longer than three hours on
the airport to 15.
 Singapore Airlines is
ordering eight more Boeing777-300ERs worth US$2.3
billion as part of its growth
and aircraft replacement
plans, reported Flight Safety
Information. The airline will
receive the new aircraft start-
ing during 2013–2014 and
will operate them on medium- and long-haul routes.
 According to The Washing
ton Post, food-preparation
companies that cater to
airlines are turning to more
packaged products as car
riers look to increase
profits with “payper-chew” snacks
and meals.
At the Gate
Gourmet facil-
ity near Washington Dulles
International Airport, 650
employees prepare about
18,000 meals a day for 17
airlines. l
importance of reaching an
agreement after more than
five years of negotiations.
“This is the end of the old
contract and also the start of
a new contract—and a new
beginning for all of us, a new
beginning focused on a better
and more productive airline,
and the beginning of building
better relationships,” said
Capt. Jason Ruszin, the pilots’
Master Executive Council
chairman.
“Although this was often
a complicated, challenging,
and demanding process, in
the end we were able to work
together and accomplish the
task at hand, and that is what
is most important, and we are
very proud to be here today
signing a new agreement,”
said Rick Leach, the airlines’
president. “Our focus now is
where we want to go in the
future, and that is to strengthen our 28-year history and to
become an even larger and
more strategic player in the
regional airline industry.”
Capt. Randy Helling, ALPA’s
vice president–finance/treasurer, added, “We are pleased
to see this come to a conclusion that meets the needs of
both sides and positions us
for a strong future.”
n FrontLines
of eligible pilots who voted,
93 percent voted to ratify the
agreement, which includes
a signing bonus, wage
increases, better work rules,
and stronger job security
provisions.
After opening remarks
by Fred Oxley, the airlines’
chief operating officer, key
management personnel and
ALPA leaders discussed the
JAIME LUDWIG
n Trans States Pilots,
Management Sign Contract
On August 1, Trans States
Airlines pilots and management held a contract signing
ceremony at the airlines’
headquarters in Bridgeton,
Mo. Just days before, on July
29, the pilots overwhelmingly
voted to ratify the tentative
agreement reached with management. Of the 85 percent
From the left, Capt. Randy Helling, ALPA’s vice president–
finance/treasurer; Capt. Jason Ruszin, the Trans States pilots’
MEC chairman; and Capt. Cliff Simmons, the pilots’ MEC
Negotiating Committee chairman, at the contract signing.
n Delta Pilots Prepare
For Negotiations
The Delta Master Executive
Council (MEC) is hosting a
series of pilot road shows to
help prepare for Section 6
negotiations. The first three
road shows were held in
Atlanta, Detroit, and Seattle,
with the next eight taking
place across the nation at
pilot domiciles and in cities
with a high pilot presence.
Capt. Tim O’Malley, the
pilots’ MEC chairman, opened
recent road shows with
a presentation on airline
industry economics and
an overview of other pilot
groups’ contracts. F/O Parri
“Scrappy” Olmstead, the MEC
n FrontLines (continued)
Capt. Tim O’Malley, Delta
MEC chairman, leads a pilot
road show in preparation for
Section 6 negotiations.
Negotiating Committee chairman; Capt. Roger White, the
Strategic Planning Committee
chairman; and Capt. Kevin
Powell, the Retirement and
Insurance Committee chairman, have also taken part
in the discussions. The road
shows concluded with a question-and-answer session, one
of many opportunities pilots
will have to provide their input
during the coming months.
n Eagle Pilots Reach Job
Progression and Protection
Agreement
In late July, American Eagle
pilots reached an agreement
with American Eagle and
American Airlines that will
provide all Eagle pilots the
opportunity to be hired by
American Airlines in the
future. This job progression
and protection agreement
is the most significant of
eight recent agreements
between the pilots and
American Eagle, negotiated in
anticipation of the potential
divestiture of Eagle from
AMR Corporation, American
Airlines’ parent company.
“Regardless of American
Eagle’s ownership status,
we remain committed to
protecting pilot jobs and
career aspirations,” said Capt.
Anthony Gutierrez, the pilot
group’s Master Executive
Council chairman.
In addition to providing job
protection and career progression for Eagle pilots, the agreement provides Eagle with the
ability to control pilot longevity over a significant amount
of time while simultaneously
providing American Airlines a
guaranteed inflow of qualified
pilots who have considerable tenure in the American
Airlines system. Under this
agreement, Eagle pilots will
occupy a minimum of 35
percent of every American
Airlines new-hire class.
“American Eagle pilots
have proven time and time
again that they are capable
of being effective partners in
the success of their airline so
long as management keeps
the needs of its employees
central among its business
goals,” Gutierrez said.
“I’m a strong proponent of
career advancement agreements and pilots working
with management to create
an environment for mutual
success,” said Capt. Lee Moak,
the Association’s president.
“This settlement is an indication of ALPA’s, Eagle’s, and
American’s ability to work
together for a successful
outcome for all three parties.”
n Continental, United
Billboard Promotes Pilot
Unity
“Continental and
United Pilots. Dedicated.
Professional. Unified.” That’s
the message displayed on a
billboard located at the main
entrance to Houston’s Bush
Intercontinental Airport.
The United and
Continental pilots are using
the billboard to send a strong
message to management,
the public, and pilots about
the professionalism they
exhibit as airline pilots and
the solidarity of the two
pilot groups as they work
to reach a joint collective
bargaining agreement with
management.
n ALPA Places Flight-Time/
Duty-Time Ad in Politico
To stress ALPA’s concern
about the FAA’s missed
deadline to issue a muchneeded aviation fatigue
rule (see page 14), the
Association placed an
advertisement in the August
3 Politico, a print newspaper read by members
of Congress that covers
political news focusing on
national politics, Congress,
advocacy, and lobbying.
n Moak Appointed to
AFL-CIO Executive Council
Capt. Lee Moak, president
of the Air Line Pilots
Association, Int’l was recently
named a member of the AFLCIO Executive Council, which
meets at least twice a year to
review union business and
policies and issue statements
on legislation that affects
organized labor. Moak is one
of 54 members.
In addition to Moak’s
appointment, the Council
issued a statement about
previous ALPA president Capt.
John Prater. “The AFL-CIO
Executive Council thanks
Capt. Prater for all he has
done for this Council, for
pilots, and for all of America’s
working families.”
American Federation of
Teachers Executive Vice
President Lorretta Johnson
and Sheet Metal Workers
President Joseph Nigro are
the other new members
appointed to the AFL-CIO
Executive Council.
n Education Committee
Looking for Volunteers
Last spring, ALPA’s
Education Committee
reached out to member
pilots to help build a
database of universities
throughout the United
States and Canada that offer
flight education/technology
degrees. The Committee
greatly appreciated the
feedback it received.
The Committee is now
looking for member pilots
who are alumni or who
live near Southern Illinois
University; Parks College of
Engineering, Aviation, and
Technology of Saint Louis
University; or Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University in
Prescott, Ariz.
The group is also searching
for pilots who work or have
worked with the Boy Scouts
of America.
If you have a degree in a
flight education/technology
program from
one of these
schools, live
near one of
them, or are
involved with
the Boy Scouts
and would
like to help out, scan the QR
code to complete and submit
the Education Committee’s
online form. 
n Capacity Update
n FrontLines (continued)
n ALPA Attends AABI
Conference
ALPA Communications
Department staff recently
attended the summer conference of the Aviation
Accreditation Board
International (AABI) in
Norman, Okla. The AABI,
made up of large and small
universities and colleges in the
U.S. and Canada, sets accreditation standards for those
institutions’ aviation programs.
The organization also audits
members’ programs on an
ongoing basis to ensure that
they meet or exceed the
established standards.
For the past two years,
ALPA has been working with
the AABI to help create a
liaison between academia
and the airline industry to
help develop a high level of
professionalism in the next
generation of airline pilots.
The main focus of the
conference was the Industry/
Educators Forum, which
centered on the FAA’s recent
academia symposium.
During the upcoming University Aviation
Association Fall Education
Conference and the AABI
Winter Meeting in February
2012, reports will be presented
regarding curriculum and accreditation ideas discussed at
the AABI summer conference.
n ALPA Announces
Scholarship Recipients
The Association has chosen
the recipients of the 2011
ALPA Scholarship Award.
A new four-year scholarship
was awarded to Rocky Rogel,
son of deceased S/O Robert
Rogel (United). Rocky will
be attending Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University in
Prescott, Ariz., majoring in
aeronautical science.
Jillian Sanning, daughter
of medically disabled F/O
Matthew Sanning (United),
had her 2010 scholarship
renewed. Jillian is enrolled at
Washington University in St.
Louis, Mo.
Tyler Renslow, son of deceased Capt. Marvin Renslow
(Colgan), had his 2009 scholarship renewed. Tyler attends
the University of Florida.
A new special one-year
scholarship was awarded to
Caitlin Walton, daughter of
deceased Capt. Dean Walton
(United). Caitlin will be
attending Pacific Lutheran
University.
Each year the Association
sponsors four $3,000 scholarships that are available to
the children of medically
retired, long-term disabled,
or deceased ALPA members.
ALPA’s vice president–
administration/secretary
and vice president–finance/
treasurer review all applications, select the recipient,
and report to the Executive
Council on their selection.
One scholarship is granted to
an enrolling college freshman
and is renewable for three
additional years, provided
the student maintains an ad-
As the economy struggles to find its footing, airlines are
positioning themselves to best respond to reduced demand or
higher prices. Most airlines are doing this by adjusting capacity.
Capacity, the number of seats available to be sold per mile,
is also referred to as available seat miles (ASMs). When 2011
began, the industry was coming off a profitable 2010, with a
strong outlook on demand. Early into 2011, oil prices began to
surge based on that expected demand. With oil prices surging,
but demand still strong, airlines were able to increase revenue
through higher ticket prices. As fuel prices appeared ready to
keep rising, airlines reacted with capacity cuts for the second
half of 2011, most occurring late in the third quarter and the
fourth quarter of 2011. The current economic instability has
now pushed fuel prices back down but may contribute to declining demand. Thus, adjustments to second half 2011 capacity
appear to have been prescient.
Percentage Change in Available Seat Miles
from 2010 for Airlines with ALPA Pilots
25%
20%
First half 2011
Second half 2011
15%
10%
5%
0%
Major
National
Regional
Canadian
-5%
Source: OAG Scheduled Data as of July 31, 2011
For airlines with ALPA pilots, capacity in the first half of 2011
was up nearly 7 percent from a year earlier; however, in the
second half of 2011, capacity was up barely 1 percent from the
second half of 2010. Broken down by airline type, a range of
capacity decisions are being made. While major airlines with
ALPA pilots increased capacity by more than 5 percent in the
first half of 2011, those same airlines scaled back capacity in the
second half of 2011 below the level in 2010. Conversely, national
airlines increased capacity by more than 20 percent in the first
half of 2011 and by more than 10 percent in the second half of
2011. ALPA pilots at regional airlines saw a 7 percent increase in
capacity during the first half of 2011 but will see only a 5 percent
increase in capacity in the second half of 2011. Canadian airlines’
capacity seems slightly less affected than their U.S. counterparts.
Canadian airlines with ALPA pilots increased capacity in both the
first and second halves of 2011 by 19 percent.
equate grade point average.
All applications are carefully reviewed with consideration given to financial need
and academic performance
before a selection is
made. At the time
new applications
are reviewed, the
academic records of
the currently enrolled
college students are
From left: Rogel, Sanning, and Renslow. also reviewed to
determine if they are eligible
to have their scholarships
renewed.
Applications for the 2012–
2013 school year may be
obtained from Maggie Erzen,
Air Line Pilots Association,
1625 Massachusetts Avenue,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
The application period begins
in January, and applications
must be received no later
than April 1, 2012. l
n In Memoriam
“To fly west, my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check.”—Author unknown
2009
F/O Edward L. Sheets
United
December
2010
F/O Douglas K. Rothermund
F/E Charles A. Roberts
Braniff
Pinnacle
September
December
2011
Capt. John M. Costa
Capt. R.W. Dapp
Capt. James E. “Skip” O’Halloran
S/O James C. Thomas
Capt. Richard R. Colman
Capt. Robert V. Cooley
Capt. Jimmy Grinder
Capt. W.K. Rawlinson
Capt. John D. Hanson, Jr.
Capt. Cloyce L. Heddins
Capt. R.M Hull
Capt. Henry A. Lawinski
Capt. H. Glenn Leech
F/O Jeffrey C. LeNeave
Capt. Grover N. “Neal” Lipe, Jr.
Capt. David E. McCollum
Capt. W.W. Pickering
Capt. C.N. “Nick” Prosch, Sr.
S/O Arthur U. Ruhanen
Capt. Melvin R. Russell
Capt. L.R. Scroggs
Capt. G.P. Shoop
Capt. Richard E. Taylor
Capt. Daryl I. Tewell
F/O John P. Vinton
Capt. Frank J. Weiss
Spirit
United
United
FedEx
United
United
United
Pan American
TWA
Braniff
United
United
Braniff
Delta
FedEx
Atlantic Southeast
Pan American
Delta
TWA
TWA
United
Braniff
Delta
Eastern
United
TWA
February
February
February
February
March
March
March
March
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
Capt. James W. Williams
Capt. William Y. Anderson
Capt. George T. Baker
Capt. LeRoy A. Bauer
Capt. Elmer F. Bennett
Capt. R. Casper
F/O Ashis K. Chanda
Capt. Frank Damiani
Capt. Glenn B. Fitzgerald
Capt. Brian Gaddie
Capt. H.V. Goddard
Capt. Thomas R. Gray
Capt. Robert R. Lowry
Capt. Don R. Harrell
Capt. Robert A. Kammeyer
Capt. Robert V. May
Capt. Garry G. McNarland
Capt. Barrie F. Mootham
Capt. David L. Munyon
Capt. Dennis E. Noteboom
Capt. J.A. Pannebaker
Capt. Herman N. Peterson
Capt. William H. Proctor
Capt. Leon M. Satterwhite
Capt. William E. Simmel
Capt. Willis J. Sorum
Capt. Alan K. St. Marie
Capt. Kenneth J. Stomberg
F/O David P. Walker
Capt. Claude M. Weaver II
Capt. William D. Antrim
Eastern
United
Delta
North Central
Delta
Eastern
United
TWA
TWA
ExpressJet
Western
Delta
Delta
Continental
Braniff
Delta
Kelowna Flightcraft
TWA
United
Northwest
US Airways
Northwest
TWA
Ryan
Delta
Northwest
Delta
Northwest
United
TWA
Eastern
April
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
June
n Compiled from information provided by ALPA’s Membership
and Council Services Department
n ALPANegotiationsUpdate
The following is a summary
of the status of ALPA con
tract negotiations by airline
as of Aug. 19, 2011:
Air Transport International
—A tentative agreement
(TA) was reached on Dec.
3, 2010. On March 14, the
pilots voted against ratification. Mediation continues.
Air Wisconsin—A Section
6 notice was filed on Oct.
1, 2010. Negotiations continue September 7–9 and
October 4–6.
Atlantic Southeast—A
Section 6 notice was
filed on May 20, 2010.
Negotiations are under
way. A joint Section 6
notice was filed on March
28, 2011. Negotiations
continue September 6–8,
13–15, 20–22; October
4–6, 18–20, 25–27;
and November 1–3. See
ExpressJet.
Continental—Negotiations
are under way on the
Continental/United joint collective bargaining agreement
(JCBA). The parties requested
assistance from the National
Mediation Board (NMB) on
Dec. 17, 2010. Mediation
continues September 20–22
and October 4–6.
Comair—A Section 6 notice
was filed on Sept. 27, 2010.
Negotiations continue
August 20–September 1,
September 6–9, October
10–14, November 1–4, and
December 19–22.
CommutAir—A Section 6 notice was sent on Feb. 2, 2009.
An application for mediation
was filed with the NMB on
Dec. 2, 2010. Mediation
continues September 6–9,
12–16; October 10–14; and
October 31–November 4.
Evergreen—Negotiations began in December 2004. ALPA
became the pilots’ bargaining
agent in November 2007.
A tentative agreement was
reached on April 16, 2010.
The pilots voted against
ratification on Aug. 16,
2010. Mediation continues
September 19–23.
ExpressJet—A Section 6 notice was received on May 28,
2010. A joint Section 6 notice
was filed on March 28, 2011.
Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet
joint negotiations continue
September 6–8, 13–15,
20–22; October 4–6, 18–20,
25–27; and November 1–3.
First Air—A notice to bargain was filed on Oct. 1, 2010.
Negotiations are under way.
Mesa—A Section 6 notice
was filed on Sept. 10, 2010.
September 14–16 and
October 20–21.
Piedmont—A Section 6
notice was sent on March
13, 2009. An application for
mediation was filed with
the NMB on April 21, 2010.
Negotiations continue.
PSA—A Section 6 notice
was sent on Jan. 19, 2009.
August 29–September 1
and September 19–22.
Sun Country—A Section
6 notice was sent on Feb.
23, 2010. Negotiations are
under way.
Trans States—A TA was
reached on July 12. The
pilots ratified the agreement on July 29.
United—A Section 6 notice
was sent on April 6, 2009.
Negotiations continue on
the United/Continental
JCBA. See Continental. l
n Engineering & Air Safety Update
n Missed Fatigue Rule
Deadline Continues to
Place Passengers and
Cargo at Risk
On August 2, the Air Line
Pilots Association, Int’l
expressed serious concern
that the White House Office
of Management and Budget
(OMB) is causing delay in
issuing updated flight- and
duty-time limits and minimum rest requirements.
Congress mandated an
August 1 deadline for issuing these important safety
regulations, which would
apply equally to all airlines.
with other stakeholders from
across the aviation industry,
participated in the FAA’s
Flight/Duty Time Aviation
Rulemaking Committee
(ARC). The ARC submitted its
recommendations to the FAA
in September 2009, meeting
its deadline as a result of cooperation among government
and industry partners who
were working toward a shared
goal of creating science-based
regulations. Taking into account the ARC’s recommendations, the FAA developed
proposed regulations that
would form the foundation
“[Flight- and duty-time regulation]…is
a safety regulation, and it is unacceptable
that the OMB appears to have been
pressured by a few companies whose goal
is advancing their own competitive
interests rather than ensuring the safety
of the U.S. air transportation system.”
—Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA president
This delay continues to
place the safety of airline
operations at risk.
“This is a safety regulation, and it is unacceptable
that the OMB appears to
have been pressured by
a few companies whose
goal is advancing their own
competitive interests rather
than ensuring the safety of
the U.S. air transportation
system,” said Capt. Lee
Moak, ALPA’s president.
“By missing this critical
deadline, the White House
has stalled a historic, safetybased regulatory effort to
create modern duty and
rest regulations for U.S.
airline pilots.”
In 2009, ALPA, along
of a regulatory framework to
address fatigue.
“Together, the FAA, the airlines, and airline labor created
a proposal for science-based
regulations that take into
account today’s operating
environment, provides airlines
with scheduling flexibility, and
gives pilots the opportunity
for the rest they need to perform their jobs and achieve
the highest possible safety
standards,” Moak said.
The lack of standardized,
science-based flight- and
duty-time regulations in the
U.S. has drawn considerable
attention from aviation safety
organizations worldwide. The
NTSB has placed addressing
human fatigue on its “Most
Wanted List” of transportation safety improvements
since the list’s inception
in 1990. In addition, the
International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), which
sets international safety
standards for aviation, has
mandated science-based pilot
fatigue rules, and the U.S. currently fails to comply by not
having modern science-based
regulations.
As a result of international
and national transportation
policy concerns and airline
accidents associated with
pilot fatigue, in 2010 Congress
passed legislation directing
the FAA to develop and issue
science-based regulations to
address pilot fatigue by Aug.
1, 2011.
“With each hour of delay
beyond the deadline, airline
passengers and crews are
needlessly put at risk when
we know that the solution to
addressing pilot fatigue lies
in science-based regulations
that apply to all types of
flying,” concluded Moak. “The
government must stand up
for the safety of air transportation in this country and
issue new regulations now.”
Go to www.alpa.org/
fightingfatigue for more info.
n ALPA Continues Work
On Secondary Barriers
In late July, ALPA security representatives participated in an RTCA Special
Committee (SC)-221 meeting
in Washington, D.C. SC-221
is charged with establishing
minimum operational performance standards for secondary cockpit barriers installed
in airliners to supplement
protection provided by the
fortified flight deck door.
Committee members and
government representatives
discussed finalizing the SC221 report, which is due to
be submitted by September
29. Handling sensitive security information contained
within the report was the
primary focus of discussion.
With the assistance of the
FAA and the Transportation
Security Administration, the
Committee formatted the
report to align with U.S. government guidelines.
The Committee has
no additional meetings
planned. The final document
was slated to be submitted to
RTCA on August 31.
ALPA encouraged the FAA
and the airline industry to create this committee as part of
its plan to complete action on
the Board of Directors priority
for implementing secondary
barriers. The Association has
participated in all SC-221
meetings since its inception
in December 2008.
n FCC Agrees with ALPA,
Others—LightSquared
Interference Too Much for
GPS
The efforts of ALPA and
other GPS users appear to
have changed the position of
the Federal Communication
Commission (FCC) on the
proposed LightSquared
broadband network and its
interference with GPS.
Early in 2011, the FCC
granted conditional approval
to deploy a large number of
high-powered telecommuni-
Canada
June Traffic Figures
NAV Canada announced
on July 20 its traffic figures
for the month of June 2011
as measured in weighted
charging units for enroute,
terminal, and oceanic
air navigation services in
comparison to the last fiscal
year. Weighted charging
units represent a traffic
measure that reflects the
number of flights, aircraft
size, and distance flown
in Canadian airspace. The
traffic in June 2011
increased by
an average
of 3.5 percent
compared to the
same month in 2010.
Fiscal year-to-date traffic
was 4.7 percent higher than
in fiscal year 2010. NAV
Canada’s fiscal year runs
from September 1 to August
31. l
n Credit Update
The recent downgrade of the U.S. credit rating makes it an
opportune time to look at the credit ratings of airlines. Credit
ratings are opinions about relative credit risk. Credit ratings may
play a useful role in enabling corporations and governments to
raise money in capital markets. Instead of taking a loan from
a bank, these entities sometimes borrow money directly from
investors by issuing bonds or notes. Investors purchase these
debt securities, expecting to receive interest plus the return of
their principal, either when the bond matures or as periodic
payments. Credit ratings can also speak to the credit quality
of an individual debt issue, such as a corporate or municipal
bond, and the relative likelihood that the issue may default. As a
general rule, the more creditworthy an issuer or an issue is, the
lower the interest rate the issuer would typically have to pay to
attract investors. The reverse is also true: an issuer with lower
creditworthiness will typically pay a higher interest rate to offset
the greater credit risk assumed by investors.
Credit ratings are deemed to be either investment or speculative grade and start from AAA and progress downward. Standard
and Poor’s considers anything under a BBB as speculative grade.
The table shows the current credit ratings of airlines at the
corporate level. Credit ratings given at a corporate level show
the overall creditworthiness of the corporation, as opposed
to a credit rating for a specific debt offering. Credit ratings for
the corporate entities of airlines show an industry in a holding
pattern. Most of the corporate credit ratings have a speculative
grade rating of B, with Southwest and Federal Express being the
exceptions. Standard and Poor’s defines a B rating as “more vulnerable to adverse business, financial, and economic conditions
but currently has the capacity to meet financial commitments.”
The outlook for most of the airlines’ corporate ratings is stable,
meaning a change is not likely. l
Airline
Current Rating
Alaska Air Group
BB-
AMR Corp.
B-
Delta
B
Evergreen Aviation Int’l
B-
Federal Express Corp.
BBB-
Global Aviation
B
JetBlue Airways Corp.
B-
Southwest
BBB-
United Continental Holdings
B
US Airways Group
B-
Outlook
Stable
Negative
Stable
Stable
Stable
Positive
Stable Stable
Stable
Stable
Source
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
S&P
BZUK
n NAV Canada Reports
cations transmitters operating
on frequencies immediately
adjacent to those used for
low-powered GPS signals.
LightSquared, a wireless
communications provider,
was advised that interference studies needed to be
conducted to determine the
effect of their system on GPS.
ALPA was asked to be part of
the industry group conducting
tests and studies that, when
conducted, demonstrated
that significant potential
existed for disrupting GPS.
The studies have confirmed
the near certainty of major
losses of GPS function across
North America.
ALPA became the first
airline pilot organization to
join the “Save Our GPS” coalition of industry stakeholders
opposed to the LightSquared
plan. ALPA’s president, Capt.
Lee Moak, detailed the
Association’s concerns in a
letter to the House Aviation
Subcommittee in June. In
July, responding to an FCC
call for comments regarding
LightSquared’s license application, ALPA once again
highlighted the potential
of the proposed system to
adversely affect GPS across
the country. In both communications, ALPA outlined
the effect on safe, precise
navigation, overall capacity,
and the long-term degradation of efforts to implement
NextGen if the LightSquared
system is allowed to operate
to the limits of its license application. The Association’s
comments highlighted the
immediate and long-term
effects, both operationally and economically, and
emphasized that several
studies all indicate that the
interference with GPS would
be severe and widespread
if the LightSquared system
goes into operation.
On August 9, FCC
Chairman Julius
Genachowski informed
members of the news media that the agency would
not allow LightSquared to
interfere with millions of
GPS receivers on which
pilots, mariners, emergency
responders, and the public
rely for navigation. The
FCC said it was not able to
commit regarding when the
matter would be resolved.
For more information on
LightSquared and the effect
of its system on GPS, including technical studies and
industry opposition to the
planned system, visit www.
saveourgps.org. l
Mailbag
 Letters
to the editor may be submitted via regular mail to Air Line Pilot, Letters to the Editor, 535
Herndon Parkway, P.O. Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169, or by e-mail to magazine@alpa.org.
Airport capacity
I read with interest
[“From ‘Shrimp Boats’ to
Satellites” in the August
issue] on the new so-called
airspace system called
NextGen.
As I have written in
USA Today, I am not sure
anyone in Congress or
the American people
“get it.” Although our air
traffic control system is
outdated, the real problem
we all should be screaming about is a little thing
called airport capacity. The
last new airport was built
years ago.
Right now, delays
haven’t been horrible
due to airlines’ reducing
flight schedules since 9/11
and the recession—but
just wait. When we do
get rolling again, delays
will skyrocket. Just take
SFO, for example. With an
overcast of just 1,000 feet,
delays can easily jump to
two hours—unbelievable
considering the capability
of the modern airliner to
land in virtually zero-zero.
We need to build new
airports and runways now.
Capt. Kevin Sprague
(United)
Editor’s note: ALPA
certainly “gets it” when it
comes to airport infrastruc
ture as a driver of capacity.
The Association has been
doing all that it can to help
push Congress to agree on a
multi-year reauthorization of
the FAA, which includes fund
ing for airport construction
projects.
Combating lithium
battery fires
Thank you for the article
on lithium batteries [in the
August issue].
As I read the story, I was
hoping to see something
pertaining to the most effective method for combating
a lithium battery fire while
aboard a passenger jet.
(Halon was reported as being
ineffective).
I am referring to a cabin
fire (computer) or a flight
deck fire. I recall that some
airlines are planning to distribute iPads to flight crews,
for flight deck use, replacing
our 50-pound flight bags.
Shouldn’t we address this
potential threat as well?
Capt. J.D. Payne
(Continental)
Editor’s note: In May 2008,
ALPA issued Safety Alert
2008-1, Revised Guidance for
In-Flight Passenger Portable
Electronic Equipment Fires,
which recommends that a
lithium battery fire in the
cabin be contained by dousing
the battery with liberal quanti
ties of water. Recent FAA test
ing proved that water reduces
the heat of a battery fire and
effectively prevents other cells
or batteries from igniting.
Sudoku logic?
It’s not that it’s too easy—it’s
not: it does require narrowing
down possible choices for each
of the multiple squares. It’s
not that it’s too difficult—it
can be solved. It’s just that it’s
not a puzzle that can be solved
logically. For me, at least, it required at the latter stages two
guesses that, if wrong, resulted
in a reductio ad absurdum.
Sure, at that time, you go back
and choose the other option.
But that’s not a logical puzzle.
Pilots don’t make choices
on a guess that may result,
say, in flying up a blind box
canyon. Get my drift? Please
select puzzles that are solvable
Proper language, please
In the August issue, page 7,
the item pertaining to turtles
crawling onto the tarmac
at JFK—just where is the
tarmac?
I can’t find it in the FAA’s
Aeronautical Information
Manual. I do find apron,
taxiway, runway, but no such
place as a tarmac. Do pilots
need to now consult NBC,
CBS, etc., for proper aviation
terms?
Capt. G.C. Good
(Northwest, Ret.)
Editor’s note: We understand
that “tarmac” (short for “tar
macadam,” or “tar-penetration
macadam”) is a type of paving
material, patented by Edgar
Purnell Hooley in 1901. It also
is a registered trademark, and
strictly by logical means and
not by rolling the dice.
Capt. Doug Bodkin
(Continental, Ret.)
Editor’s note: Good sudokus
don’t require guessing. As the
letter writer notes, they should
be able to be deduced by
logic. Air Line Pilot uses as its
source a web-based program
that computes whether any
guesses need to be made, and
even what logic methods need
to be used to solve the puzzle
and how many times each
method is required. The sudoku
in the August issue was rated
“really tough” with “no guesses
required.”
is widely—but wrongly—
used as a generic term for
tar-based paving surfaces.
And that’s the rub:
We slipped into the
general vernacular that,
albeit incorrectly, refers
to any paved surface on
an airport as “tarmac.”
This usage has gained
further traction through
the U.S. Department of
Transportation’s “Tarmac
Delay Rule” that went into
effect in April 2010.
Many other incorrect
examples of English lan
guage usage exist in the
airline world. For example,
when air traffic control
lers say, “Attention all
aircraft…,” do they really
mean to talk to all aircraft,
or to all pilots? l
In honor of the fallen
First Air crew of Flight 6560.
Our thoughts and prayers are
with you, your families,
and the victims.
P
P
“To fly west, my friend, is a flight we all
must take for a final check.”
—Author unknown
First Air Flight 6560 crew:
Capt. Blair Rutherford
F/O David Hare
Purser Ann Marie Chassie
Flight Attendant Ute Merritt
During ALPA’s 57th annual Air Safety Forum,
past and present ALPA leaders and government
regulators called on aviation advocates
to fly in formation and coordinate our efforts to effect
change in the political arena. Here are a few sound bites
from keynote speakers:
Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA president, on ALPA’s formula for success
“Our success is also due to our constructive engagement and partnership
with the many stakeholders—from legislators and regulators to manufacturers and operators, other employee groups, unions, and ALPA pilot groups—
who share our goal of advancing the highest standards of air safety. I believe
that this type of collaboration is paramount to accomplishing this mission.”
Capt. Duane Woerth, U.S. ambassador to the International Civil
Aviation Organization, former ALPA president, on ALPA’s history
The 80th anniversary of ALPA’s founding is a time for celebration as well as
an opportunity to remember the Association’s core values of safety, security,
and pilot assistance, reminding members that while “defeats fly solo, victories come with wingmen.
This year’s Air Safety Forum was
“Most progress comes through the dogged persistence of
held August 15–19 in Washington,
countless aviation professionals. Bit by bit, inch by inch, they
D.C. For complete coverage, visit
keep moving the ball forward.
safetyforum.alpa.org.
“We will do it. We will do it all. We will not be the first generation to give up on our future because the sledding is mostly uphill, because it’s always
been uphill. We will live up to the legacy of past generations,” he said.
Randy Babbitt, FAA administrator, former ALPA
president, on ALPA’s role in
one level of safety
“ALPA has been key in helping
us achieve one level of safety.
To continue the effort, we need to create a
common safety standard internationally. We
need something we can all count on. A standard that we know is going to be uniform
across the globe.”
John Pistole, TSA administrator, on aviation security
“Partnerships are critical. The
whole approach that we at the
TSA are taking is to try to work in
partnerships to provide the most
effective security in the most efficient way. I
want to applaud ALPA, particularly, along with
the ATA, in terms of the risk-based security
initiatives.”
PHOTOS BY MIKE KEZA AND CHRIS WEAVER
Deborah Hersman,
National Transportation
Safety Board chairman,
on flight-time/duty-time
limits
“ALPA is still
leading the
way, and we
are still talking
about flight
and duty
time [limits]. We share your
frustration with the special
interests that are putting
profits ahead of safety and
slow rolling the publication
of the final rule.”
Jumpseat Forum
Cooperation and collaboration are at the heart of any successful jumpseat program, and those qualities were on full
display at ALPA’s Jumpseat Forum.
F/O Rich Odbert (FedEx Express), ALPA’s Jumpseat
Council chairman, welcomed pilot representatives from
ALPA’s pilot groups as well as from American, JetBlue,
Southwest, and UPS. The united goal: preserving cockpit
and non-revenue access industrywide.
In his opening remarks to the Jumpseat attendees, Capt.
Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, outlined two major advancements secured this year by union pilots working together:
• In April, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
adopted significant policy changes regarding cockpit jumpseat access. Under the new policy, offline pilots will be able
to ride in the cockpits of U.S. airliners on domestic flights,
regardless of passenger load, and on international flights
at the discretion of the airline, the pilot-in-command, and
pursuant to complying with the TSA-mandated Master Crew
List (MCL) requirements. International flight deck jumpseat
access remains a work in progress, with additional details
still to be worked out.
• In Canada, the director general of civil aviation has approved an exemption to Subsection 705.104(1) of the
Canadian aviation regulations, clearing the way for airlines
in Canada to provide jumpseat access to offline pilots and
removing a major obstacle to full flight deck jumpseat access.
“These two victories are great examples of how pilots
from different airlines, working together across company
lines, can effect positive change,” Moak said.
F/O Rob Frank (Air Wisconsin), a Jumpseat Council
member, discussed the ALPA-created jumpseat app for
smartphones, which is currently running as an adjunct to
the ALPA mobile app. “This new feature is available to all
users of the app and can be accessed by tapping the ‘JSeat’
button at the bottom of the app. This feature provides a list
of airlines and their jumpseat policies.”
Also during the Jumpseat Forum, F/O Jeff Sanford (Spirit)
was presented with a recognition plaque for his work during the Spirit Airlines strike in 2010.—Rusty Ayers, ALPA
Senior Communications Specialist
F/O Rich Odbert
(FedEx Express),
ALPA’s Jumpseat
Council chairman,
left, presents
F/O Jeff Sanford
(Spirit) with
a recognition
plaque.
International Jumpseating: Some Strings Attached
Earlier this year, the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) announced it was relaxing the rules that previously barred
international cockpit jumpseating. However, substantial barriers
remain to widespread implementation of worldwide commuting, especially for pilots flying for smaller airlines that don’t
conduct international operations and that don’t maintain a
TSA-mandated Master Crew List (MCL). Here’s how international
flight deck access will work, according to the TSA’s Bob Vogt, who
participated in ALPA’s Air Safety Forum.
Do you qualify for international flight deck access?
The cockpit jumpseat is only authorized for pilots holding U.S.
airman certificates, flying for U.S. flag carriers from a U.S. destination and returning to the U.S. In addition:
For pilots of code-share partners and wholly
owned subsidiary airlines:
All pilots authorized to ride in the flight deck jumpseat in
accordance with 14 CFR 121.547 may do so, provided that
the aircraft operator uses its automated identification system
to verify the identity and current employment status of
each requesting pilot before transporting the pilot, and also
provided that the aircraft operator complies with all TSA MCL
requirements.
For pilots of non-affiliated airlines:
Pilots who fly for other aircraft operators governed by 49 CFR
1544 may be granted flight deck jumpseat(s) access if a TSAapproved automated identification system is used to verify the
identity and current employment status of the requester and if
the requester’s name appears on a TSA-required MCL maintained
and supplied to the TSA by the requester’s airline.
In summary, for offline international jumpseat access,
ALL of the following conditions must be met:
• The jumpseating pilot must present his or her aircraft operator employee ID and employee ID number to the gate agent.
• The gate agent must query and receive a valid response from
the automated identification system indicating that the pilot requesting access to the flight deck jumpseat has authority to do so.
• The gate agent must verify that the digital photo accompanying the valid response from the automated identification system
corresponds to the pilot requesting access to the flight deck
jumpseat.
• The jumpseating pilot’s name must appear on a MCL main
tained and supplied to TSA by his or her own airline. Any flight
carrying a pilot on the flight deck whose name does not appear
on a TSA-mandated MCL will not be allowed to enter U.S. airspace.
For more information, go to jumpseat.alpa.org.—RA
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Examines All-Cargo
Security Threats
Capt. Bill McReynolds (FedEx Express), ALPA’s President’s
Committee for Cargo chairman, provided a “macro view” of the
unique risks associated with air freight, leading the group in a
discussion about “where we see the threat and the holes that
need to be filled.”
McReynolds noted that the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) is hiring additional cargo inspectors, and he
talked at length about how current security efforts are shifting
from a regulatory paradigm to a more threat-based approach.
Ed Kittel, the chief of the TSA’s Explosives Operations Division,
discussed steps his organization is taking to better secure
all-cargo aircraft, facilities, and the air cargo supply chain. He
commented on a variety of improvised explosive device (IED)
strategies that terrorists have used, differences in impact on
the cargo hold vs. passenger cabin, and lessons learned. Kittel
also cited the many partnerships the TSA has established with
other government and industry security entities to combat these
threats.—JWP
Staying One Step Ahead of Terrorists
A distinguished panel, moderated by Capt. Sean Cassidy,
ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator,
dealt head-on with “Risk Mitigation in Aviation Security.”
TSA Administrator John Pistole was characteristically
succinct and direct. “I have three main points to make
today,” he said. “Number one, the threats are real, and
evolving. Two, risk-based security makes sense. Third,
partnerships [among government, industry, and union
stakeholders] are critical.”
Nick Calio, Air Transport Association president, declared
that “the airline industry is the physical ‘Internet’” and
that ATA is “pleased to partner with ALPA on Known
Crewmember…. We also look forward to [having a] trusted
shipper program.”
Chris Bidwell, vice president for security and facilitation
at Airports Council International–North America (ACINA), reported, “This morning, [Department of Homeland
Security] Secretary [Janet] Napolitano said the private
sector will need to take on an even greater role in aviation
security. We will leverage intelligence and data provided by
our partners in government.”
Bidwell stressed that the ACI-NA supports the Known
Crewmember and Trusted Traveler programs and, with
ALPA, the ATA, and the federal government, has a “shared
goal of effective and efficient security screening.”
ALPA’s president, Capt. Lee Moak, commended Pistole for
The panel, from left: John Pistole, Capt. Lee Moak, Capt. Sean
Cassidy, Nick Calio, and Chris Bidwell.
“the courage and wisdom he has shown in taking TSA on a
course toward true, risk-based aviation security.
“We also commend our industry partners, the ATA and
the ACI-NA, and others who share in this vision,” he added.
Moak cautioned, “To achieve success, we encourage the
TSA to continue to reach out to industry subject-matter
experts in truly meaningful dialogue, while policies are
being shaped, not after, so that truly workable solutions are
devised, and the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
“As always,” he concluded, “ALPA stands ready as a trusted
and capable partner to help bring solutions to the table.”
—Jan W. Steenblik, Technical Editor
Hotel Security Checklist
How secure is your layover hotel? Depending on the country and level of risk, the highest level of protection at an individual
property can range anywhere from a simple deadbolt lock to blast barricades, metal detectors, and sharpshooters on the roof.
Alan Orlob, vice president of global safety and security for Marriott, International, is responsible for protecting all hotels
in the Marriott system, including 37 properties in high-threat environments. Whether staying in Moline or Mogadishu, Orlob
suggests that hotel guests review this list before they check in:
Does the hotel have sprinkler systems,
ü
smoke evacuation routes, and other fire protec-
is a more likely problem than violence when
traveling abroad.
tion measures? Whether you’re at home or
overseas, you are much more likely to be killed
or injured in a hotel fire than in a terrorist act.
Does the hotel offer in-house restaurants,
ü
fitness facilities, and entertainment within its
üDoes the hotel have basic security devices
security perimeter?
like electronic door locks, viewports, night
latches, and deadbolts?
In high-threat areas, is the hotel’s secuü
rity persistent and visible? Is the building
Does the hotel observe basic Western-style
ü
food sanitation standards? Food poisoning
set back from the street with prominent
armed guards, CCTV cameras, and vehicle
barriers?
Think your hotel is overdoing it with their security precautions? Remember this motto from former FBI Director William
Webster: “Security is always too much…until it’s not enough.” —Rusty Ayers, ALPA Senior Communications Specialist
Security Threats in Mexico:
What You Should Know
During the Association’s Air Safety Forum, representatives
from the U.S. Air Force, the State Department, the FBI, and
the DEA told ALPA security representatives that while the
problem of cartel violence is very real, crews on layover or
vacationing in Mexico are as safe as they would be in any
other country if they exercise good judgment and take some
commonsense precautions. They agreed that cartels realize
killing foreigners is bad for business, and most drug violence
is aimed at members of competing cartels and at police.
Drug barons and their gunmen, however, are heavily
armed and becoming more indiscriminate in their attacks,
blockading public highways, battling with police, and tossing
grenades into crowded bars and restaurants. With such a
high potential for collateral damage, in this environment
being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be deadly.
“In Washington, D.C., going out and drinking too much
can get you in trouble. In Mexico, it can get you killed,” warns
Capt. Chris Malo (ExpressJet), manager of international
operational security and threat assessment for Atlantic
Southeast and ExpressJet.
Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet have one of the largest
airline operations in Mexico, serving 30 cities throughout the
country, including 21 layover destinations. On any given night,
the airlines may have 3 to 17 crewmembers in-country, many
of them in Monterey, the “kidnapping hub” of Mexico.
Malo, a former ExpressJet Master Executive Council vice
chairman, says the airline takes security for its employees
Don’t Be a Target
Because of their high visibility, predictable movements, and
fluid operations, airline crews can be at special risk for crime,
and even more so when traveling outside heavily traveled
tourist areas. But there are ways to protect yourself:
l Avoid traveling to high-risk areas whenever possible.
Restrict sightseeing to daylight hours only, and don’t leave
the hotel if the neighborhood is unsafe. Atlantic Southeast
and ExpressJet require layover hotels in Mexico to provide
lists of restaurants that will deliver food.
l Recognize that you are most vulnerable when you are in
motion; raise your awareness level accordingly.
l Maintain a low profile. Don’t dress like a tourist or wear
expensive watches or flashy jewelry. Most street crimes are
based on perceived wealth and vulnerability.
l Avoid high-risk, compromising situations and unfamiliar
bars and restaurants. You could become collateral damage if
a cartel decides to target the location.
l Consider your transportation: to avoid kidnapping, use
only radio-dispatched taxis rather than flagging down a cab
on the street. Is the large, black SUV you’re in similar to
vehicles used by police and drug bosses? Don’t become an
accidental target.—RA
Mexican “Hotspots”
The U.S. State Department regularly issues consular updates with
information on troubled areas around the world. Here’s some of the
latest information on Mexico:
Areas of concern: Tamaulipas and Michoacán, Chihuahua and
Sinaloa, Durango and Sonora, San Luis Potosi, Nayarit and Jalisco,
Nogales and the surrounding area, and Guerrero and Morelos.
Guadalajara: Early this year, cartel-related crime spiked significantly
after the death of a cartel boss in July 2010. The area has stabilized
since the government increased security preparing for this October’s
Pan American Games, but it remains to be seen whether crime will
increase again once the Games are over.
Mexico City: The national capital is relatively immune to cartel violence except for isolated incidents in low-income suburbs surrounding
the city. Street-level crime rates, however, remain very high, with most
victims selected opportunistically based on perceived wealth (expensive watches and jewelry, high-end electronics, etc.).
Monterey: Formerly considered one of the safest cities in Latin
America, Monterey is now a major hub for kidnapping and carjacking,
with more than 1,000 murders in the state of Nueva Leon this year
alone.
Tourist areas: The major problem areas remain Acapulco and
Mazatlan, where several cruise lines have stopped making port calls.
Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta are very safe
overall. Most robberies and assaults in these areas are crimes of
opportunity conducted in outlying areas away from major tourist
destinations.
For regular updates and alerts on hotspots around the world, visit the
U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council website at
https://www.osac.gov/Pages/Home.aspx.—RA
very seriously and has updated its emergency preparedness and employee response programs, initiated a security
incident telephone hotline, and created a security checklist
for its crew hotels in Mexico. Layover hotels in the country
must pass a strict security test.
The airlines have also created an innovative vehicle tracking
program based on cell phone signals. The tracking system can
direct van drivers around potential trouble spots or pinpoint
the location of a crew vehicle in the event of an incident.
However, the best approach for staying safe in Mexico—
or anywhere else—is keeping a low profile, being vigilant,
and avoiding becoming a target of opportunity for a potential robber or thief, according to U.S. Air Force intelligence
analyst Maj. Williams “Rob” Cannon.
“You should always have a plan for yourself,” Cannon said.
“No one should be more concerned about your security
than you are.”—Rusty Ayers, ALPA Senior Communications
Specialist
Panelists Agree Technology
Must Include Human Touch
“Fifty percent of your time, you are performing below your
average,” noted Dr. Immanuel Barshi of the NASA Ames
Research Center, during the Air Safety Forum’s HumanCentered Approach to Flight Procedures and Operations
panel discussion. As part of his initial presentation, he
pondered whether checkrides and other pilot evaluations
are an adequate reflection of routine performance. Barshi
was one of five panelists who discussed human-factors
considerations for improving aviation safety.
F/O Helena Reidemar, the Human Factors Committee
chair for the Delta pilot group, noted that more than 60
percent of the identified causal factors for accidents involve
human error. “There’s an awareness of the problem and
a growing momentum to address it,” she said. Reidemar
highlighted the wealth of information available, warning of
the dangers of “death by data collection” and emphasizing
the need to ensure that these statistics and other materials
are used appropriately.
F/O Karl Fennell (United), ALPA’s director of Human
Factors and moderator of the panel, compared the crash of
Northwest Airlines Flight 6231 in 1974 to recent accidents
such as Colgan Air Flight 3407, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951,
and Air France Flight 447, noting a mismatch between
perception and the actual condition of the aircraft. Fennell
warned that new technologies, intended to help pilots, can
actually “distance us from the situation” if human factors
are not properly considered.
“The changes that we’ve seen in the cockpit are astounding,” said Dr. Steve Casner, also from the NASA Ames Research
From left: Dr. Immanuel Barshi, F/O Helena Reidemar, F/O
Karl Fennell, Dr. Steve Casner, and Nadine Bienefeld.
Center, referring to the difference in manual handling skills of
today’s pilots versus those from 30 years ago. He noted the
differences in training and experience between the populations, adding that current pilots’ dependence on available
technologies can sometimes result in atrophied flying skills.
Casner asked the question, “How do we address these [concerns] in initial and recurrent training?”
Nadine Bienefeld, a researcher from the ETH Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology, explored the idea of determining criteria for and evaluating positive behavioral skills
as part of flight training. She observed that flight instructors
need to also be behavioral evaluators and that crews should
be “briefed on their CRM [crew resource management]
behavior.”
Panelists stressed the importance of including humanfactors considerations at the beginning of any procedural or
equipment enhancement to ensure that new technologies
optimize human performance and do not inundate or
confuse the cockpit crew.—John Perkinson, Staff Writer
Preparing for the Unthinkable
If the unthinkable happens, are you prepared? This was
just one of the questions posed to hundreds of ALPA safety,
security, and pilot assistance volunteers who descended on
Washington, D.C., for workshop training classes before the
57th Annual ALPA Air Safety Forum. It’s one that gained a
lot of attention as pilots relived the tragic events of 9/11 and
discussed the effects they had on the airline industry and
the airline piloting profession.
In one session, Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP)
volunteers took part in a mock drill to test their preparedness for responding to a terrorist threat, accident, or serious
incident. The goal was to leave the session better prepared
and ready to handle any type of event that may occur. No one
plan fits every airline, so it’s important to develop a customized CIRP response that fits the needs of each pilot group.
As part of the drill, participants were provided with ficti-
tious details of a Level 4 security event and worked together
to develop a plan that needed to be accomplished within
the first hour after an event. The situation continued to
evolve as it would in the “real world,” and “new” information was reported to the group as they worked. During that
time, they were also tasked with developing a checklist for
the first 24 hours after the event. Gathering information,
assessing the union’s resources, prioritizing where the assets
should be distributed, and communicating with union leaders, the pilot group, and management were top priorities.
The bottom line: Be prepared. ALPA’s CIRP is a valuable,
well-respected resource that has been used by other groups
within the airline industry. The keys to its success are preplanning, rehearsing a planned response to an event, and
sharing information with other ALPA CIRP volunteers.
—Lydia Jakub, ALPA Communications Specialist
Canadian Pilots Spearhead
Revolutionary Assistance Program
What began as two pilots simply helping their fellow aviators adhere to strict company standards sparked a revolutionary new program that is now called Pilot Assistance.
During a hiring boom in Canada in the early 1970s,
two senior Air Canada pilots began to mentor those pilots
who were new to the profession and those who may have
needed a peer to speak with.
Air Canada employed strict performance and behavioral
standards, and the pilots knew that any deviation from
those standards would be met with termination. Many of
the issues, the pilots believed, could be handled informally
by peers. The key was to alert pilots to their behaviors and
recommend corrective action before the company noticed
any deviation in performance.
The two pilot assistants operated in this manner for
two years before being approached by a chief pilot who
was interested in referring pilots to the program. The
chief pilot recognized the effectiveness of the program
and understood that it would become a formal process if
management were to attempt to correct the behaviors.
The pilot assistants’ caseload soon began to grow as word
of their work spread, and they sought assistance from
their union and appointed an advisor to spearhead the
program’s efforts.
The Canadian model for pilot assistance focuses
on protecting the overall health and well-being of the
pilots. It’s a peer-based program in which line pilot
volunteers work with line pilots, and management volunteers with management pilots, to avoid any potential
conflicts.
These volunteers have limited authority and serve
primarily as mentors. Their program was so successful that
it was adopted Canada-wide.
Pilot assistants are generalists who provide pilots
with referrals to experts; they are not experts in specific
areas such as grief, addiction, or trauma. Rather, they assist pilots with relational, behavioral, and performance
issues by providing them with support and encouragement while the pilots solve their own problems. All calls
are confidential.
When the Canadian Air Line Pilots Association
(CALPA) and ALPA merged in 1997, CALPA had a mature Pilot Assistance program that was integrated into
ALPA’s program while maintaining its separate identity
in helping Canadian pilots. It continues as a separate
group (Canadian Pilot Assistance) under the authority of
ALPA’s Pilot Assistance chairman.—Lydia Jakub, ALPA
Communications Specialist
How the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
Shook Pilots’ Lives
Members from ALPA’s Critical Incident Response Program
(CIRP) and several international partners discussed the performance of the Association’s CIRP, and the Critical Incident
Stress Management (CISM) approach that others employed,
to help flight crews affected by the earthquake/tsunami that
hit northern Japan on March 11.
The event set in motion an elaborate support network
in which both programs were used to help mitigate the
psychological effects that pilots and their families were
suffering.
One of the five most powerful earthquakes ever to be
recorded—packing a 9.0 magnitude punch—occurred
in the western Pacific Ocean on March 11. In addition
to initial damages, the earthquake triggered a massive
tsunami that slammed Japan’s northern islands, killing
and injuring thousands. The tidal surge flooded the
The panel included, from left, F/O Louise Cullinan, F/O
Christoph Thurn, and Gerhard Fahnenbruck. Not shown are
Keiko Nakahama and Capts. John McFadden and Bill Cheney.
Congressional Staffers,
Pilot Lobbyists Tell All
ALPA pilot representatives and congressional staff members explored the role of Congress in providing regulatory
guidance during a panel discussion titled “Safety and
Security—The Role of Congress and Legislation.”
Contributing to the discussion were Capt. Dino Atsalis
(Delta), his pilot group’s Master Executive Council Govern
ment Affairs Committee chairman; Rich Swayze, staff for
the Senate Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee; Capt. Fred Eissler (FedEx Express), ALPA Legisla
tive Affairs Committee chairman for his pilot group; and
Marisela Salayandia, staff for the House Subcommittee on
Transportation Security. Michael Robbins, ALPA’s director of
Government Affairs, moderated the group, which also examined how ALPA works with government officials and congressional staff to influence legislative and regulatory action.
Eissler: To convince lawmakers to support a policy, he
and his fellow ALPA legislative affairs pilot volunteers must
clearly define the problem and, most importantly, show
why it’s in the decision-makers’ best interest to act in this
manner. “We have to have a righteous argument,” he said,
implying that his priorities can be neither Republican nor
Democratic—they must focus solely on safety and security.
Atsalis: “We have skin in the game.” Pilots speak with
authority and provide a unique level of credibility on
aviation-related concerns. He observed that wearing the
pilot uniform when speaking with elected government representatives and staff helps to generate attention. However,
Atsalis said that legislative affairs work requires patience,
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where three reactors
were damaged, releasing large amounts of radioactive material into the air.
Moderated by F/O Louise Cullinan (Mesa), ALPA’s CIRP
chair, the panel featured Capts. John McFadden (United) and
Bill Cheney (Continental), CIRP chairmen for their respective
pilot groups; F/O Christoph Thurn (Lufthansa), CISM chair
for the Lufthansa chapter of Vereinigung Cockpit; Gerhard
Fahnenbruck, clinical director of the Stiftung Mayday
Foundation; and Keiko Nakahama from Aviation CISM in
Japan.
“A critical incident can cause so much stress that normal coping mechanisms of a human being can fail,” said
Fahnenbruck, explaining the need for intervention following
disasters.
“We should not forget that a sense of loneliness makes it
easier to develop psychological difficulties,” added Nakahama,
describing the feeling of isolation that sometimes follows catastrophic experiences.
Panelists included, from left: Capt. Dino Atsalis, Capt. Fred
Eissler, Rich Swayze, and Marisela Salayandia.
adding that “the government tends to work at a slower pace
than we work in the cockpit.”
Swayze noted that the subcommittee he supports pays
close attention to the work of the FAA, the Transportation
Security Administration, and the NTSB, and that two
things that can help move an aviation bill forward are
pilot support and statistical data.
Salayandia agreed: Meeting with pilots helps her better
understand the operational effects of Congress’s decisions.
She said that she and her fellow staffers particular appreciate coalition-building efforts to help steer congressional
positions. “The more we can encourage everyone to get
engaged, the better.”
The panelists talked about how events like the Colgan
Flight 3407 accident have raised safety and security concerns
in the public eye in recent years, compelling Congress to work
more closely with regulators.—John Perkinson, Staff Writer
Cheney indicated that in performing his CIRP duties to
respond to the catastrophe, he contacted 64 Continental
pilots, met 16 pilots at the gate as they returned home,
conducted follow-ups with 22 pilots, and conducted repeat
follow-ups with 6 of the pilots.
By contrast, Thurl said Lufthansa’s CISM program addressed 280 Lufthansa pilots and flight attendants. Of
this group, 50 demonstrated stress symptoms, 3 to 5 were
diagnosed as psychologically unwell and are recovering,
and that 1 to 2 will leave likely the company as a result of
the event.
“The only way we get better is by practicing,” said
McFadden, talking about the importance of conducting
mock drills of crises to test and improve CIRP.
Most agreed that text messaging or SMS (short message
service) was the most reliable source of communications. In
the days that followed March 11, internet and voice communications were spotty and not as dependable.
—John Perkinson, Staff Writer
Honoring ALPA Pilots—A Snapshot
Superior Airmanship Awards
AirTran Airways pilots Capt. Richard
Stalnaker and F/O Mendel Bell received
the ALPA Superior Airmanship Award
for safely landing their B-717 on Aug.
5, 2010, after suffering a critical fuel
system failure—and a lateral fuel imbalance of more than 9,000 pounds, six
times the flight manual limit.
During their climb after departing
Orlando, the crew noted that fuel was
Capt. Stalnaker
moving rapidly—and inexplicably—
from the right to the left wing tank, despite the pilots’ best
efforts to troubleshoot the problem. Returning to Orlando,
the pilots expertly coped with the dual challenge of reduced
controllability of the aircraft and having to land at an abnormally high speed to improve flight control.
The fuel imbalance was found to be the result of a break
in the main fuel manifold in the left wing root.
Stalnaker said, “We are honored to be the first—and
last—AirTran pilots to receive this award.” He thanked his
family “for their patience and support during my airline
career,” his entire crew “for their calm response to this emergency,” and the AirTran training and safety department for
the excellent training he has received.
Alaska Airlines Capt. Steve Cleary and F/O Michael Hendrix
received the ALPA Superior Airmanship Award for their
superb handling
of a bird strike
and engine
failure during
takeoff at Sitka,
Alaska on Aug.
8, 2010.
Their B-737400 was full
and weighed
132,000
Capt. Cleary, left, and F/O Hendrix.
pounds for
takeoff from Sitka’s wet, challenging runway, which is surrounded on most sides by the frigid Gulf of Alaska. At 130
knots, an eagle struck the left engine, which exploded and
burst into flames.
The airplane lurched left. Quickly and calmly, Cleary called
out, “Abort! My aircraft!” and swiftly started emergency
procedures to reject the takeoff and maintain control of
the yawing B-737. As Cleary overrode the autobrakes with
maximum manual braking, Hendrix kept him apprised of
the aircraft’s speed and runway distance remaining. The heavy
airliner stopped at runway’s end, just before the sea.
“What an honor to receive from our fellow pilots,” said Cleary.
He thanked his family and Alaska Airlines for their support after the harrowing event, and noted that the first telephone call
he received after the rejected takeoff “was from ALPA safety.”
“I want to thank every check airman who made me go back
and do over everything I ever did wrong in the sim. Michael
and our flight attendants made me look good. Hopefully
Michael and I will never be back here,” he said.
Pilot Assistance Award
For her exceptional leadership in supporting airline pilots who
experience serious psychological trauma, the union recognized
F/O Madeline “Mimi” Tompkins (Hawaiian) with the 2010 ALPA
Pilot Assistance Award.
On Aloha Airlines Flight 243 on April 28, 1988, a 20-foot
section of the B-737’s upper fuselage blew away in an
explosive decompression at FL240. Capt.
Robert Schornstheimer and Tompkins
safely landed the severely crippled airliner
despite significant structural damage. One
flight attendant died, and all 89 passengers were injured.
After that tragedy, Tompkins became
involved with ALPA’s Air Safety Committee
and participated on a special task force
to develop a critical incident response
F/O Tompkins
program. Beginning in 1994, she coordinated and led the union’s efforts, and ALPA’s Critical Incident
Response Program (CIRP) was formally established in 1996.
From then until 2001, Tompkins chaired ALPA’s national CIRP
Committee, coordinating critical incident stress management
(CISM) responses to major accidents and incidents involving
ALPA pilot groups.
Today, Tompkins remains very active in pilot assistance,
traveling around the world to share her expertise with others.
In nominating Tompkins for the award, Capt. Chris Elley, the
Hawaiian pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chairman,
said, “Her efforts over the past two decades have had such a
positive effect on the emotional and mental health of traumatized pilots that many pilots have said that they owe their
continued careers, and even their lives, to Mimi because of the
CIRP organization she helped to create and lead.”
Tompkins confided, “I never imagined at the beginning
that the program would become global. Now every major U.S.
airline has a CISM [program], and other airlines and pilot associations around the world, in Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong,
have them, too.”
For more coverage, photos, video, see safetyforum.alpa.org
Aviation Security Award
Capt. Bob Hesselbein (Delta) received the
2010 ALPA Aviation Security Award, the
Association’s highest aviation security
honor, for his exemplary efforts to advance
aviation security.
“Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S.
has made significant progress in enhancing aviation security,” Capt. Lee Moak,
president of the Air Line Pilots Association,
Capt. Hesselbein noted. “Capt. Hesselbein has played a key
role in galvanizing congressional, industry,
and regulatory support for a wide range of important aviation
security initiatives.”
In 1986, Hesselbein joined ALPA as a Northwest Airlines
pilot. He became chairman of his pilot group’s Security
Committee and created a team that prioritized security issues
and emphasized strong liaison with airline security partners
and law enforcement.
In 2005, Hesselbein was selected to lead ALPA’s newly
ALPA honored seven of its own during its
57th Air Safety Forum Awards Banquet.
restructured National Security Committee (NSC). During his
tenure, the Association’s annual security training seminar
became a leading international aviation security event.
Among his achievements, Hesselbein designed a comprehensive crewmember checklist for pilots and cabin crewmembers to
use to identify and address chemical and biological weapons.
As NSC chairman, Hesselbein also began an initiative,
threatened airspace management (TAM), to modify ATC procedures used during security-related events involving airborne
aircraft. He held meetings with numerous government and
industry personnel on this topic and raised awareness among
stakeholders.
During four years as chairman, Hesselbein strengthened ties
to government agencies. His attention to communications was
an important catalyst for aviation security improvements. He
championed use of a range of communications vehicles—from
ALPA member publications to the news media—to advocate
for awareness and security enhancements.
“Over his long career, Capt. Hesselbein has served as a
powerful advocate for effective and efficient aviation security
initiatives,” Moak concluded.
Hesselbein responded, “I’m deeply honored and humbled.
In my heart, you are the heroes. … Pilots possess important
security expertise that cannot be ignored. ALPA volunteers
have reached across borders and oceans to do aviation
security work.
“The need for robust aviation security will outlast my
participation. I ask you to continue to do the good work.”
Air Safety Award
Capt. Pete Frey (Delta) received the 2010 ALPA Air Safety
Award, the Association’s highest safety honor, for his outstanding commitment to advancing airline safety.
“For decades, ALPA pilots have been able to count on
Capt. Frey’s formidable strengths as a
mentor to his fellow safety volunteers
and as a skilled and engaging instructor for ALPA’s accident investigation
courses,” Moak explained.
A long-time member of ALPA’s
Accident Investigation Board, Frey has
been a driving force in accident and
incident investigations for many years.
He has served as the course director of
Capt. Frey
ALPA’s accident investigation courses
and coauthored and contributed to many of ALPA’s published accident analyses.
Frey also serves as the chief accident investigator and
accident analysis chair for the Delta pilots’ Central Air Safety
Committee, a position he has held for more than a decade.
He also has served as the Delta pilots’ safety chair at their
New York base and as a member of the Delta pilots’ accident/incident hotline team.
Highly influential in establishing and implementing the
ASAP and FOQA programs at Delta, Frey has nurtured a
high level of trust with Delta’s Flight Safety Office that has
resulted in the pilots’ Central Air Safety Committee being
swiftly notified of incidents and accidents.
Frey recalled the February 2009 Colgan Air Flight 3407
accident: “I got a phone call late at night from ALPA’s
Engineering and Air Safety Department. I was told that
Colgan had had an accident and that the Colgan pilots had
just joined ALPA and hadn’t had a chance to get any of their
pilots trained in accident investigation yet. I was asked to
go to Buffalo and lead the ALPA involvement in the onsite
accident investigation.
“I said I would, but I thought that when I got to Buffalo
I’d be doing it alone. When I got off the plane in Buffalo, pilots were there from Piedmont, Continental, Delta, Pinnacle,
and Colgan. We were able to populate every single technical
group on the NTSB investigation. I am very proud to be part
of this organization that can react like that. Thank you all.”
—Jan W. Steenblik, Technical Editor
9/11/2001: The Longest
Flight of My Life
By Capt. Timothy I. Meldahl (Delta)
I
was tired. My crew and I had been scheduled to
fly Northwest Flight 28, a B-747-200 from Tokyo to
San Francisco, but we were delayed two-and-a-half
hours by the remnants of a typhoon that had struck
a day earlier. When we finally lifted off at 6:02 p.m.,
local time, we fully expected the remainder of our “transpac” to
be routine. It occurred to us shortly after leveloff that Northwest
Flight 28 of Sept. 11, 2001, would be anything but.
It began with queries from crews in the vicinity, monitoring
VHF frequency 123.45. “Is anyone getting the same information that we are over our company frequency?” a pilot asked.
Another crewman responded, “Yes. It appears that one or two
light aircraft have struck the World Trade Center.” A third pilot
added, “They were not light aircraft. They were airliners, and
there were four of them!”
Minutes passed as more crews added pieces to the
puzzle. In a coordinated attack, four airliners had been
hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center, the
Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Tremendous damage was being reported, and the crisis brewing on the East
Coast of the United States was beyond our comprehension.
We needed to act. I directed F/O C.A. Mansfield to “pull the
power back on all four engines.” I believed that by reducing
power I could conserve fuel and possibly gain some time. I
continued, “I may be distracted as the night progresses, so you
will be flying and navigating. I will verify any important changes
Tremendous damage was being
reported, and the crisis brewing on
the East Coast of the United States
was beyond our comprehension.
that occur, but, for now, you have the aircraft.”
I then turned to S/O Zack Bergazin and said, “Our fuel score
will prove very important tonight, so I will work with you to
manage our fuel and monitor aircraft systems.” My first and
second officers were competent professional aviators, and I was
glad they were there.
At this point, I called Pam, the purser, to the flight deck.
Listening to my explanation of the developments, she shook
her head in disbelief. We talked further and, at Pam’s sugges-
Capt. Meldahl stands in front of his B-747-200.
tion, I decided not to say anything to the passengers beyond
normal flight announcements. She then returned to the cabin.
A few moments later, I addressed the entire cabin crew. I did
my best to explain what had occurred and instructed them to
stay calm, be professional, and remain alert. Moments later, a
message came across our intercompany communications. “Go
to High Alert,” it screamed. The three of us knew what high
alert meant from our military experience, but none of us had
ever seen a message like this while flying for an airline. The
obvious question was, Is there something we are not being told
about our particular circumstances?
As we searched our manuals for some interpretation of this
alarming message, Pam called from the cabin. “Tim, I think we
have a problem with one of the passengers. He is holding a
briefcase very tightly and appears quite confused. He may be a
threat. What would you like us to do?”
“Watch him closely and report any changes,” I said. Jeez!
What next?
It was time for the flight crew to review how best to protect
the cockpit. All we had were the two crash axes. “Zack,” I said,
“for better or worse, you are the first line of defense. If someone succeeds in opening the cockpit door, you’ll need to swing
with all your might until they are no longer a threat. C.A., you
have the second axe, so you are next. Swing and swing hard. If
they get to me, I will do all I can to prevent them from getting
control of our aircraft.”
As I looked into the determined eyes of both men, I realized
none of this had to be said. We were as ready as we would ever
be. It was time to check in with Oakland Center.
“Oakland Center, Northwest 28 checking in at FL370.”
“Roger, Northwest 28, squawk 3456.” It was good to hear
from someone on the ground. “Northwest 28, radar contact.
You are cleared direct to the SFO VOR. Are you declaring an
emergency?”
“Negative,” I answered.
“Northwest 28, are you declaring an emergency?” Center
asked again, this time with an increased sense of urgency.
What the hell is going on? I thought. Again I responded,
“Negative. Northwest 28 is not declaring an emergency.” The
next words from Center were chilling.
“If you do not declare an emergency, you will not be permitted to land on American soil.” The flight deck became very quiet
as we absorbed what had just been said—If we did not declare
an emergency, we would not be permitted to land in the U.S.
Zack responded first. “There is a good chance we have been
intercepted by fighters and they are on our tail right now. My
guess is that the powers that be are watching us very closely,
and they are not kidding around.”
C.A. added, “We are on a very tight leash out here and one
wrong turn, one missed altitude, or one call that does not make
perfect sense, and I truly believe they will shoot us down.”
Just then a chime went off, shaking me from my thoughts.
“Tim, this is Pam. We are watching that passenger closely, the
lights are up and the cabin is ready for landing.”
“Thanks, Pam,” was all I could say.
It was time to respond to Center. Not knowing how my
words would be interpreted by fighter aircraft that might be in
trail nor fully comprehending why I was being forced to declare
an emergency, I slowly picked up the mike. “Oakland Center,
this is Northwest 28.”
“Go ahead, Northwest 28,” Center responded.
“Northwest 28 is declaring an emergency.” The night kept
getting longer and longer.
“Roger, Northwest 28. Direct to the SFO VOR, descend and
maintain FL210.”
In the descent I turned to C.A. and said, “This is where you
nail every heading and every altitude.”
“Absolutely,” he responded. I realized that I had been awake
for more than 36 hours and suddenly felt very tired. I took a
last sip from a cold cup of coffee, sat up in my seat, and forced
myself to focus on the tasks at hand.
C.A. was doing a magnificent job flying. On short final, he
commanded, “Flaps 25, landing checklist.” The airplane rumbled as the flaps slid noisily into place. Checklists completed, it
was time to land. With a slight rotation of the nose, the main
wheels of the B-747 touched down smoothly, and C.A. pulled all
four reversers back to assist the brakes in stopping.
“Northwest 28, are you declaring an
emergency?” center asked again, this
time with an increased sense of urgency.
What the hell is going on, I thought.
Again, I responded, “Negative. Northwest
28 is not declaring an emergency.” The
next words from center were chilling.
“If you do not declare an emergency,
you will not be permitted to land on
American soil.”
“Eighty knots—I’ve got the aircraft,” I said as we slowed to
taxi speed. It was 11:37 a.m. PDT. At this moment it occurred
to me that, in spite of the fact that a little more than nine
hours had passed since we departed Tokyo, I had, indeed, just
completed the longest flight of my life.
As I taxied to the gate, I noticed that not a single plane,
truck, or car was moving. There were no sounds on the radio.
Unbelievable, I thought. I turned into the gate, set the brakes,
and shut down the engines. When we finished our post-flight
checklists, I thanked C.A. and Zack for their superb work and
headed for the cabin. The airplane was empty now, and I
thanked Pam for her extraordinary efforts and all of the flight
attendants for their work that day. They had truly made a
difference.
The bus ride to the hotel seemed surreal, the world much
different from just 11 hours before. When I arrived at my
hotel room, I turned on the TV to witness for myself the destruction caused by the hijackers. I could not believe my eyes.
Such devastation, such sadness. I sat down on the side of my
bed, put my head in my hands, and, when the full gravity of
the situation finally took hold, I felt the tears start to come.
To read the full-length version of Capt. Meldahl’s article,
go to sheerprofundity.blogspot.com.
Known Crewmember La
ALPA Pilots Virtually Breeze Through Airport Security
By John Perkinson
Staff Writer
Airlines
Participating in
The Initial Phase of
Known Crewmember
Tests*
C
apt. Denny Flanagan
(United) walked up to a
Transportation Security
Administration (TSA)
screener at Chicago
O’Hare International
Airport’s Terminal One and
showed her the appropriate
identification. She quickly
confirmed Flanagan’s
identity and employment
status, and off he went to catch his flight. It was
that simple.
Flanagan was one of dozens of pilots who, for
the first time, used a Known Crewmember access point at one of O’Hare’s three terminals on
August 9 to get to work. The Known Crewmember
Program (KCM), jointly sponsored by the Air Line
Pilots Association, Int’l and the Air Transport
Association (ATA), leverages current technology to
provide an effective and efficient way to enhance
aviation security. TSA officials use laptop computers at appointed KCM posts to positively verify
airline pilots’ identities and employment status.
For pilots from participating airlines, it means no
ABX Air
Alaska
American
American Eagle
Atlas
Continental
Delta
Executive
Horizon
JetBlue
Mesa
Piedmont
PSA
Southwest
United
US Airways
* Additional
airlines are
currently
being added.
longer having to stand in long security lines, removing shoes and belts, undergoing body-scan imaging,
walking through metal detectors, having bags
searched, and submitting to periodic pat-downs.
Capt. Sean Cassidy, ALPA’s first vice president,
was in Chicago on August 9 to personally test
Known Crewmember and to survey other pilots
using the screening system.
“It was a very pleasurable experience,” he told a
Chicago Tribune reporter. “I didn’t have to disrobe,”
he joked. But on a more serious note, Cassidy
acknowledged, “The process helps the TSA redefine its focus on finding potential threats among
passengers.”
Coming to an airport near you
On August 23, four KCM access points opened
at Miami International Airport. As the test
program expands, checkpoints at Boston Logan,
Washington Dulles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix
Sky Harbor, and Seattle-Tacoma will open.
“Since 2007, the Air Line Pilots Association,
Int’l has led a national effort, engaging with the
Air Transport Association, the Transportation
Security Administration, and the airlines, to make
alternative security screening for pilots a reality,”
said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “Known
Crewmember recognizes the extensive background
checks pilots receive as part of their employment
and, importantly, airline pilots’ critical role and
responsibility in securing their aircraft each and
every time they fly.”
ALPA and the ATA hope to eventually make the
program available to all U.S. airline pilots, and both
have asked the TSA to include flight attendants in
the future.
Getting started
ALPA and the ATA met in late March 2011 with
TSA Administrator John Pistole to secure TSA
approval to install and test Known Crewmember at
as many as seven U.S. hub airports.
“Deploying an enhanced screening program for
pilots in uniform that allows the TSA to verify their
employment and identity is a step in the right
direction as TSA continues to explore more riskbased, intelligence-driven security systems,” said
Pistole. “We want to focus our limited resources on
passenger screening, while speeding and enhancing the checkpoint experience for everyone.”
In June 2008, the TSA approved the first version of an alternate screening method called
unches at Chicago O’Hare
KCM’s 3 Easy Steps
ONE
While in uniform, present a TSA screener at a Known Crewmember
(KCM) checkpoint with both your company ID and a TSA-accepted
form of photo ID, such as a passport or driver’s license.
The screener matches the IDs to your appearance and confirms
two
your identity and current employment status by accessing the
KCM system via a TSA laptop computer.
approval, proceed to the sterile area, normally with no
three With
other screening required.*
*Keep in mind that the TSA will periodically conduct random physical screenings.
KCM FAQs
Q
A
Will my carry-on items be inspected when I proceed through a
Known Crewmember (KCM) access point?
Q
A
Am I permitted to escort someone with me through a KCM
access point?
Q
A
Q
A
If I am a federal flight deck officer (FFDO), does KCM change how I
access an airport sterile area?
JOHN PERKINSON
No, unless you are selected for random, passenger-style screening,
in which case both you and your carry-on items will be screened
via traditional checkpoint-screening protocols.
Capt. Carl Davis (United) goes through Known
Crewmember screening at Chicago’s O’Hare
International Airport.
the Crew Personnel Advanced Screening System
(CrewPASS), which was tested successfully at
three East Coast airports—Baltimore/Washington
International, Pittsburgh International, and
Columbia (S.C.) Metropolitan.
At ALPA’s 2010 Board of Directors (BOD) meeting, delegates renewed their support for achieving
alternative security screening of pilots, and the
Known Crewmember program was begun to fulfill
that BOD priority.
No. Every person who attempts to enter the sterile area of an
airport via a KCM access point must be cleared individually by a
screening officer.
No. Procedures for FFDOs are not changed by KCM. Continue
to follow your SOPs.
Does KCM change other TSA regulations regarding when and what
types of items I may carry aboard an aircraft?
No. You are subject to all existing uniformed crewmember regulations regarding the types of items that may be carried aboard an
aircraft. KCM does not provide any other exemptions or privileges regarding the items that you carry, other than those already mentioned
in TSA regulations.
For more KCM information and ongoing updates about the program,
visit www.knowncrewmember.org.
CHRONICLING ALPA’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Protecting ALPA and Its Pilots
BOD Delegate Committee 6
By John Perkinson, Staff Writer
The following article is the sixth of an eight-part series that
chronicles the strategic plan of the Air Line Pilots Association,
Int’l, set in motion at the union’s 42nd Board of Directors
meeting in October 2008. It details how ALPA is using this plan
to set priorities, achieve goals, and advance the airline piloting
profession. Air Line Pilot will examine how specific recommen
dations of the Board’s eight delegate committees are making
a difference in the lives of ALPA pilots.
D
uring both the 2008 and 2010 Board of Directors (BOD)
meetings, Delegate Committee 6 focused on ALPA’s merger
policy and career security policy—cornerstones of the Association’s approach to protecting member pilots’ careers.
The 2010 Committee also examined ALPA’s ongoing
risk management structure to assess its resilience and effectiveness. At both meetings, Committee 6 members, after
discussion with subject-matter experts, made suggestions for
improving the implementation of current ALPA policies and for
proposed changes to those policies.
Merger policy and career security
The 2008 BOD meeting convened while ALPA’s Merger Policy
Review Committee (MPRC) was considering proposed revisions
to Association merger policy, providing Committee 6 an opportunity to offer important feedback as the MPRC’s work continued.
Capt. Mike Arcamuzi (FedEx Express), MPRC chairman, gave a
detailed report, emphasizing the priority placed on gathering information from pilot leaders and others with merger experience,
the importance of studying ALPA’s past experience with mergers
and merger policy, and the new concepts the Committee was
considering to create a more effective approach.
The MPRC’s work—including its discussions with Delegate
Committee 6 members—led to developing a new merger
policy that ALPA’s Executive Board approved in May 2009.
The policy places greater emphasis on addressing all aspects
of uniting the affected pilot groups. It also gives the affected
pilots greater flexibility to agree on processes that suit their
particular circumstances. Highlights include securing value from
a merger transaction by promptly negotiating a joint collective
bargaining agreement and educating pilots about the merger
process with the goal of unifying the merging pilot groups. Since
then, the Pinnacle, Mesaba, and Colgan pilots have demonstrated how working together—using this new strategy—can
help the pilots involved achieve their contract goals.
At the 2008 BOD meeting, Committee 6 delegates also
heard from the recently established Career Security Protocol
Committee (CSPC), which discussed and assessed multiple
proposals, including the feasibility of a national seniority list and
cross-industry/cross-border implications. At the 2010 BOD meeting, the CSPC presented its findings to Delegate Committee 6.
While neither the CSPC nor Committee 6 reached consensus
on pursuing a national seniority list, other recommendations
for improving career security are being pursued.
Protecting ALPA—risk management
The 2010 BOD members directed Delegate Committee 6 to conduct its own review of the union’s risk management structure.
Jonathan Cohen, director of ALPA’s Legal Department, and
Bob Savelson, a partner at Cohen, Weiss, and Simon, ALPA’s
outside legal counsel, briefed the delegates on the overall
structure and new policy that the Executive Board had recently
adopted. Capt. Bill Couette, ALPA’s executive vice president–
administration/secretary, also addressed the Committee about
the CSPC and how the new merger policy was working. Capt.
Al Gallo (North American), Delegate Committee 6 chairman,
reported to the BOD that ALPA “reviewed the duty of fair
representation and recent lawsuits that led to developing a risk
management framework and subsequent changes to ALPA’s
Administrative Manual, and explained that framework.”
The delegates discussed risk management in the context of
Kitty Hawk (ALPA’s insurance subsidiary), litigation, pilot group
governance structure, union finances, the roles and responsibilities of ALPA fiduciaries, and oversight education.
In its report to the BOD, Committee 6 acknowledged the
value of the risk management framework, noting that “expansion and refinement are necessary to continue to preserve the
viability of the Association. This includes a strong emphasis on
the training and education of our members, pilot representatives, and [master executive councils] regarding their roles
and responsibilities, and the purpose and application of the
Association’s risk management policies and procedures.”
As the 2010 BOD resolution noted, “Unity, clarity, and consistent adherence to the needs and goals of our membership
remain keys to succeeding in today’s environment.” Through its
work, Committee 6 helped to develop two critical components
of ALPA’s framework and to create a strategic plan that supports the union’s mission of being the ultimate guardian and
defender of the safety, rights, and privileges of airline pilots.
FromtheHill
FAA Funding Lapse Gets
Six-Week Patch
F
ollowing a two-week
partial shutdown of the
FAA, a halt to airport
improvement projects, and
the furlough of tens of thousands of workers, Congress
on August 5 approved the
21st short-term FAA funding
extension since October 2007.
The House and Senate have
until September 16 to reach
a deal to fully finance the
FAA and its proposed Next
Nearly 4,000 FAA and 70,000
construction workers were
affected by the partial
shutdown, and $371.8 million
in tax revenue was lost (see
complete chart on page 37).
Generation Air Transportation
System (NextGen), or pass yet
another extension and further delay improvements for
a stretched and aging aviation
infrastructure.
“We are encouraged by the
recent FAA funding extension but must impress upon
Congress the profound need
to act quickly to fully fund
the agency and its NextGen
projects,” said Capt. Lee
Moak, president of the Air
Line Pilots Association, Int’l.
“The government has been
punting its responsibilities on
this matter for four years. We
must look to the future of air
transportation and not just its
short-term needs.”
Earlier this year, Moak
testified before the House’s
Aviation Subcommittee,
saying, “The current U.S. ATC
infrastructure is outdated
and must be modernized,
the equipment’s capabilities
are limited, and efficiency
is decreasing. Delays and
other problems that currently plague the ATC system
underscore the critical need
for ongoing national airspace
system modernization.”
The recent FAA shutdown
resulted, in part, from a debate
between the House and
Senate over essential air service funding for rural airports.
The new extension cuts $16
million in funding for rural
airports located less than 90
miles from a medium or large
airport hub. Numerous other
In the Administrator’s Words
“We have a tremendous responsibility to
enhance the safety of our airspace system
and transform it from the radar-based system
of the last century to the satellite-based
system of tomorrow,” Randy Babbitt, FAA
administrator and former ALPA president,
told a Senate subcommittee on May
24. “To accomplish our goals, the FAA
needs a multi-year reauthorization with
sufficient funding levels.”—JWP
MIKE KEZA
By John Perkinson
Staff Writer
provisions differ in the House
and Senate versions of the
FAA reauthorization, including a provision related to the
current National Mediation
Board (NMB) rule that governs
how airline workers are able
to organize. The House version of the bill unsuccessfully
attempted to revert to the
previous NMB vote counting
practice, which required all uncast ballots to be counted as
votes against representation.
During the two-week period
Why NextGen? Why Now?
The FAA describes NextGen as “an umbrella term for the
ongoing transformation of the national airspace system (NAS).
At its most basic level, NextGen represents an evolution from
a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based
system of air traffic management. This evolution is vital to
meeting future demand, and to avoiding gridlock in the sky and
at our nation’s airports.”
Properly funding NextGen will allow for continued growth
and increased safety of the NAS while reducing aviation’s
environmental impact. NextGen projects include developing
aviation-specific applications for widely used technologies, such
as the Global Positioning System and advancements to weather
forecasting, data networking, and digital communications. New
airport infrastructure and new procedural improvements are
also needed, including shifting more decision-making responsibilities from the ground to the cockpit.
NextGen will enable aircraft to safely fly closer together
on more direct routes, reducing delays. New technologies will
reduce carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and noise.—JWP
when funding ceased, airline
tickets were not taxed and
the federal government lost
nearly $30 million a day. The
new six-week extension allows
the FAA to resume collecting
taxes on airline tickets, the
return to work of tens of
thousands of furloughed
workers, and the resumption
of important airport projects.
However, this could all change
if a deal isn’t reached by
September 16.
Congress passed the FAA
funding extension before
recessing for its summer
break. When Congress
reconvenes the first week
of September, lawmakers
will have just 10 days to act.
Recognizing this brief period
to settle existing differences,
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wrote
to House Speaker John
Boehner (R-Ohio) on August
9, asking him to appoint a
formal negotiating panel “so
that serious negotiations
may begin.” The House
and Senate will need to act
quickly if they are to reach
an agreement in time. The
clock is ticking. 
FromtheHill
T
he Air Line Pilots Asso
ciation, Int’l conveyed
to members of Congress in late July the union’s
staunch opposition to the
European Union’s (EU) emissions trading scheme (ETS),
citing the advancements that
aviation has made in reducing
emissions, the severe econ
omic burden that would be
placed on U.S. airlines, and
questions about the legality
of unilaterally imposing the
scheme.
“The aviation industry
takes seriously its environmental responsibility, and we
have aggressively led efforts
to cut carbon emissions by
developing more fuel-efficient
engines, using lighter-weight
materials, creating biofuels,
and capitalizing on satellite
technology to route flights
more directly and use less
fuel,” said Capt. Lee Moak,
ALPA’s president, after his testimony before the U.S. House
Aviation Subcommittee’s July
27 hearing, “The European
Union’s Emissions Trading
Scheme: A Violation of
International Law.”
Capt. Kathi Hurst
(United), ALPA’s chairman
for energy and environment, accompanied Moak
to the hearing as the
Association’s subjectmatter expert on aviation
environmental issues and
emissions trading.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2012,
the EU ETS seeks to cap the
annual carbon emissions for
each airline and allocate an
emissions allowance to each.
Airlines would be required
to surrender one allowance
for every ton of CO2 emitted
on a flight to or from an EU
member country. If an airline
were to exceed its number of
allowances, the scheme would
impose a heavy financial
penalty by forcing the airline
to buy more.
The financial penalties exacted under the EU’s scheme
would mean billions of dollars
in additional cost for U.S.
airlines over the next several
years. Moreover, the penalty
would constitute a foreign tax
on U.S. airlines that could be
funneled to other countries’
treasuries with no certainty
that funds would help reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Moak made clear that
commercial aviation is an
economic engine that generates $1.3 trillion per year and
employs 11 million people,
and that the U.S. airline
CHRIS WEAVER
ALPA to Congress: EU Carbon Tax
Threatens U.S. Airlines, Jobs
Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s
president, testifying before
the U.S. House Aviation Sub
committee’s July 27 hearing.
industry is already severely
overtaxed. The taxes on airline tickets, which are imposed at rates similar to those
levied against tobacco and
alcohol, currently total more
than $17 billion per year.
Canadian Airlines Fight
EU Emissions Schemes
Canadian airlines have joined the fight to oppose the European
Union’s plan to slap a carbon tax on airlines at the beginning of
next year as part of the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS).
The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), which
represents the country’s largest airlines, including Air Canada
and Air Transat, has lent its support to a legal challenge brought
against the plan by the Air Transport Association, which represents 16 U.S. airlines plus two foreign affiliates. The NACC and
the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have gained
formal intervenor status in the case and contributed to a joint
submission made to the EU’s high court in Luxembourg, which
is hearing the case.
Like ALPA, the three airline associations argue that including
airlines in the ETS would violate fundamental principles of several
international treaties, including the Chicago Convention, the EU-
U.S. Open Skies Agreement, the Canada-EU Air Transport Agreement, and the Kyoto Protocol and cost airlines billions of dollars.
George Petsikas, NACC president, said, “Our view is that
there are other ways to achieve these goals [of reducing airline
greenhouse gas emissions] without whacking the industry,
and our customers especially. Nobody is going to be able to
absorb this. It is all going to translate into higher costs for our
customers.”—JWS
“A $300 domestic airline
ticket currently includes $63
in taxes—20 percent of the
total ticket price,” Moak pointed out. “By piling on a foreign
tax that will drive up ticket
prices to the benefit of other
countries, the EU emissions
trading scheme threatens the
economic health of the U.S.
airlines, risking U.S. jobs at a
time when every job counts.”
ALPA also maintains that
the EU’s action to unilaterally
impose the policy is at odds
with customary international
law and protocols and could
conflict or become redundant with schemes in other
countries.
“Airline pilots help cut carbon emissions every day and
on every flight by operating
their aircraft in ways that save
fuel while ensuring safety,”
Moak continued, citing as
examples single-engine taxi,
technology-enhanced departure and arrival procedures
(i.e., RNAV SIDs and STARs),
flying at optimal altitudes
and speeds, and continuous
descent arrival procedures.
“At a time when so much
is already being done in the
aviation industry to reduce
emissions, this EU emissions
trading scheme is bad for
U.S. airlines and threatens
the jobs of hard-working
Americans,” Moak concluded.
“Congress must join the
administration in what must
be a determined effort to
exempt U.S. airlines from this
disastrous policy.”
To read Moak’s complete
testimony, visit www.alpa.org/
testimony.—Jan W. Steenblik,
Technical Editor
ALPA Fights Efforts to Tax Health Care
A
of taxing all employer-provided health-care benefits
was heavily debated but
ultimately defeated, due in
part to pushback from ALPA
and many other groups and
economists opposed to this
proposal.
The House and Senate
instead reached a compromise that resulted in an
mid ongoing debate
on Capitol Hill about
how to reduce the
national debt and rein in
government spending, no
options appear to be off
the table. Among the many
potential revenue sources,
Congress has been discussing taxing employer-provided
health-care benefits for some
“This kind of tax will unduly burden
our members, and we must continue
to draw attention to this issue to
ensure that everyone is aware of the
possible implications.”—Capt. Lee Moak,
president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
excise tax, beginning in 2018,
on “Cadillac” health plans,
deemed such because of their
above-average premiums.
Today, however, Congress
is looking for additional ways
to cut the budget deficit
through spending cuts and
revenue raisers, and the
taxation of employer-provided
1
The tax exclusion for employer-provided health-care
benefits was an important factor in creating the
current system of employment-based coverage.
2
3
Limiting the exclusion would lead many employers
to drop coverage for their employees.
Limiting the exclusion would lead to higher
deductibles, copays, and coinsurance for working
families, which could result in fewer individuals with
health-care coverage and higher levels of chronic health
problems.—JWP
health benefits will likely be
debated again. The recent
congressionally chartered
“Super Committee” will
be meeting this fall with
a mandate to reduce the
deficit by $1.5 trillion by
2021. The Super Committee
may look to another deficitreduction proposal known
as the Simpson-Bowles plan,
which recommends including health-care benefits in
taxable income by phasing
out the existing tax exclusion
Other Health-Benefits Issues
To Consider
n Two-thirds of Americans with health-care coverage—
156 million people—currently have employment-based
coverage.
n Forcing consumers to pay more out of pocket is not the
answer to minimizing the escalating cost of health care. It’s
essentially shifting costs rather than reducing costs.
© Winston Link—Fotolia
time. Under current law, an
employee’s taxable income
does not include the value of
employer-provided health coverage, but this could change.
“The issue of taxing healthcare benefits is a serious
threat to employer-provided
health care, and we will not
sit back and watch as our collectively bargained benefits
are chipped away,” said Capt.
Lee Moak, president of the Air
Line Pilots Association, Int’l.
“ALPA has been heavily vested in this issue since 2009,
and has worked with other
labor and consumer groups
to urge Congress to look
elsewhere for sources of new
funds. This kind of tax will
unduly burden our members,
and we must continue to
draw attention to this issue to
ensure that everyone is aware
of the possible implications.”
During the recent health
insurance reform deliberations in Congress, the concept
3 Reasons Why Employee Health-Care
Benefits Should Not Be Taxed
n An important consideration in addressing cost growth
is getting providers (hospitals, physicians, drug companies)
to become more efficient and to deliver care in more costeffective ways—which is what most other industrialized
countries do to contain health-care cost growth.—JWP
gradually, beginning as soon
as 2014 and eliminating it
entirely by 2038.
ALPA’s Retirement &
Insurance Department has
calculated that if this proposal
becomes law, by 2018 as
many as 80 percent or more
of pilots could be paying taxes
on a major portion of their
employer-provided health
coverage.
Many economists believe
that treating the value of
health-care benefits as taxable income will generate
higher out-of-pocket costs
and encourage employers
to drop coverage, ultimately
resulting in fewer individuals
with health-care coverage.
ALPA’s Government Affairs
Department and pilot representatives continue to meet
with elected representatives
in Washington, D.C., to raise
awareness about this critical issue. And as the Super
Committee gears up to tackle
the deficit, ALPA will continue
to aggressively work against
the taxation of health-care
benefits.—John Perkinson,
Staff Writer
ShapingHistory
ALPA’s 80 Years as Pilot and
Aviation Safety Advocate
FOILING RAMPANT HIJACKING
By John Perkinson, Staff Writer
In this installment of “Shaping History,” excerpts from George Hopkins’s
Flying the Line chronicle ALPA’s efforts to institute passenger screening
and thwart the widespread “skyjacking” of the 1960s and ’70s.
“Historically, some of ALPA’s
toughest fights were with companies and the government over the
proper balance between safety and
economy. In a sense, this scenario
would repeat itself in skyjacking,
with ALPA urging a no-holdsbarred, full-forward approach and
the government and the airlines
always seeking the least costly
solution.” (page 261)
“This threat hung over every
airline pilot. Several hundred
flight crews had to face the challenge of skyjacking, ranging from
the 28-hour odyssey of Capt.
William R. Haas of Southern
(later Republic) to the wounding
of Capt. Dale Hupe of TWA,
each of whom had to make lifeor-death decisions to save his
aircraft.” (page 268)
“With ALPA’s help, Congressman
Frank Leslie Chelf introduced an
amendment to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, which would
have tightened screening procedures to prevent people carrying
concealed weapons from boarding
as passengers [, but] ATA opposed
any kind of passenger screening or
search.” (pages 266–7)
“By 1962, when Charley Ruby
took over as ALPA president, it
was obvious that the FAA was
going to bow to ATA’s opposition
to tougher screening of boarding
passengers. ‘We beat our brains
out for years on this cockpit security thing,’ says Charley Ruby,
‘but we were getting nowhere;
we were still vulnerable because
it seemed as if everybody was
pretending that what happened
once couldn’t happen again.’”
(page 267)
“[There were] 160 skyjackings
of U.S. airlines from 1968 to
1972, which included the murder of one airline pilot and the
wounding of eight others….”
(page 272)
“In 1969…[the] FAA finally
appointed a special task force
to study electronic screening
of passengers on the ground….
Ultimately, the task force opted
for the ALPA program of intensive ground screening, but not
without unremitting pressure by
ALPA…. After implementation
of ALPA’s program, the skyjacking problem
Go to the Source!
ALPA members conducted an Association-wide, 24-hour
SOS (suspension of service) in 1972 to draw attention to the
worldwide hijacking crisis. To learn more about this incredible
event, read the e-version of Flying the Line, Chapter 24—Skyjacking, available at of www.alpa.org/epubs.—JWP
started to abate, at least on U.S.
domestic flights. Combining rigorous electronic screening with
behavioral profiles of boarding
passengers compiled by a team
of psychologists, ground security
officers began to make a real dent
in the rate of skyjacking.” (pages
269–70)
“Although a solution was at
hand to the domestic skyjacking problem after 1971, for U.S.
pilots involved in international
operations it was another story.
Many pilots were never aware
of IFALPA until they began to
need its services desperately in
the fight against international
terrorism.” (page 270)
“With an epidemic of political
and economic terrorism abroad
in the world…the professional
airline pilots of the world, speaking through the International
Federation of Air Line Pilots’
Associations (IFALPA), would
demand strong action to curb
aerial piracy.” (page 262)
“For Capt. J.J. O’Donnell, who
stepped from the
command of an Eastern Air Lines
DC-9 to the helm of ALPA in the
midst of a sickening international
wave of aerial piracy in 1971, the
crusade against skyjacking would
be an all-consuming passion.
Nearly everything ALPA did
between 1970 and 1974 would
necessarily take a backseat to
the elimination of skyjacking.”
(page 261)
“In the United States, the fruits
of ALPA’s labor were most apparent in the Anti-hijacking Act
of 1974, one of the last pieces
of legislation Richard Nixon
signed before his resignation.”
(page 272)
“ALPA President O’Donnell
stressed that the excellence of
the 1974 law should not allow
the air transportation industry
‘to be lulled into a false sense of
complacency…. The new law is
the result of sacrifice, bloodshed,
anxiety, pain, and abuse suffered
by flight deck and cabin crews,’
O’Donnell declared in 1974. ‘It
is the result of long, frustrating,
laborious effort on the part of
ALPA members, committees,
officers, and staff who made
sure that the legislation did not
become lost in the congressional
jungle.’” (page 276)
Solution to this month’s
ALPA sudoku on page 38.
9 2
8
5
6
3
4
1
7
5 6
7
4
1
9
2
8
3
5
1 4
3
2
8
7
9
6
3 8
4
1
9
5
6
7
2
2 5
9
7
3
6
8
4
1
7 1
6
8
2
4
5
3
9
6 7
1
9
4
2
3
5
8
4 9
5
3
7
8
1
2
6
8 3
2
6
5
1
7
9
4
Boeing photo
ERIC DAVIS
ALPA Resourc
President’s Office
National
Officers
For complete
biographical information on ALPA’s
national officers
and executive vice
presidents, visit
www.alpa.org.
Capt. Lee Moak
President
Capt. Sean Cassidy
First Vice President
Capt. William Couette
Vice President–
Administration/Secretary
Capt. Randy Helling
Vice President–Finance/
Treasurer
Capt. Tim Canoll
Executive Administrator
Executive
Vice
Presidents
For more information
on who executive vice
presidents represent,
please visit www.alpa.
org/evp.
Capt. Bill Bartels
Delta
Capt. Larry Beck
Continental
Capt. Joe Fagone
FedEx Express
F/O Todd Ortscheid
AirTran, Capital Cargo,
Comair, Compass, North
American, Spirit
Capt. Mark Segaloff
Air Transport Int’l,
Atlantic Southeast,
Colgan, CommutAir,
Mesaba, PSA
Capt. Dan Adamus
Air Transat, Bearskin,
Calm Air, Canadian
North, CanJet, First
Air, Jazz Air, Kelowna
Flightcraft, Wasaya
ALPA Sudoku
(© paulspages.co.uk)
Complete the sudoku puzzle so that
each column, each row, and each of the
nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the
grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9.
The solution to this month’s ALPA
sudoku can be found on page 36.
Too easy, too difficult? Tell us what you
think. E-mail magazine@alpa.org.
F/O Michael Hamilton
United
Capt. Thomas Maxwell
Alaska, American Eagle,
ASTAR, Mesa Air Group,
Piedmont, Ryan,
Trans States
Capt. Bill Patterson
Air Wisconsin, Evergreen,
ExpressJet, Hawaiian,
Island Air, Pinnacle,
Sun Country
9
2
8
5
6
3
4
1
7
5
6
7
4
1
9
2
8
3
1
4
3
2
8
7
9
6
5
3
8
4
1
9
5
6
7
2
2
5
9
7
3
6
8
4
1
7
1
6
8
2
4
5
3
9
6
7
1
9
4
2
3
5
8
4
9
5
3
7
8
1
2
6
8
3
2
6
5
1
7
9
4
ces and Contact Numbers
ALPA Information
Numbers
Membership
Services
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, dial the last four digits of the
number listed below.
To obtain membership account information or
to update your records or your postal or e-mail
address via the Internet, go to the My ALPA
area of Crewroom.alpa.org; or dial the toll-free
number 1-888-359-2572 (1-888-FLY-ALPA) and
choose menu option 3.
Accident Investigation (EAS@alpa.org)
703-689-4312
Accounting and Finance (Finance@alpa.org)
703-689-4144
Air Line Pilot (Magazine@alpa.org)
703-481-4460
ALPA main number 703-689-2270
ALPA‑PAC 202-797-4033
ASPEN 703-689-4220
Balloting (Balloting@alpa.org) 703-689-4173
Cashiering (Cashiering@alpa.org)
703-689-4385
Communications (Communications@alpa.org)
703-481-4440
Computer help line (HelpDesk@alpa.org)
703-689-4357
Council Services (CSC@alpa.org)
703-689-4311
Disciplinary and discharge 703-689-4226
Economic and Financial Analysis
(EFA@alpa.org) 703-689-4289
Election dates LEC/MEC 703-689-4212
Engineering and Air Safety (EAS@alpa.org)
703-689-4200
FAA legal actions 703-689-4226
Government Affairs
(GovernmentAffairs@alpa.org) 202-797-4033
Human Resources
(HumanResources@alpa.org) 703-689-4262
Information Technology and Services
(Itservices@alpa.org) 703-689-4223
Legal (Legal@alpa.org) 202-797-4096
703-689-4326
Membership Services (Membership@alpa.org)
1-888-359-2572 (1-888-FLY-ALPA),
option 3
IT Operations and Services (ITOS@alpa.org)
703-689-4245
Organizing 703-689-4179
Publishing Services (Publishing@alpa.org)
703-689-4185
Purchasing (Purchasing@alpa.org)
703-689-4319
Representation (Rep@alpa.org)
703-689-4375
Real Estate (Realestatedept@alpa.org)
703-689-4105
Retirement and Insurance (R&I@alpa.org)
703-689-4115
Listed below are the telephone numbers
of MEC offices.
AirTran–ATN MEC 404-763-5165
Air Transat–TSC MEC 1-888-337-2033
Air Transport International–ATI MEC
505-263-8838
Air Wisconsin–ARW MEC 757-754-7687
Alaska–ALA MEC 206-241-3138
American Eagle–EGL MEC 817-685-7474
ASTAR Air Cargo–DHL MEC
859-282-1475
*ATA–ATA MEC 773-284-4910
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
Capital Cargo–CCI MEC 256-289-0428
Colgan Air–CJC MEC 310-707-3510
Comair–CMR MEC 859-282-9016
CommutAir–CMT MEC 440-985-8579
Compass–CPZ MEC 952-853-2373
Continental–CAL MEC 281-987-3636
Delta–DAL MEC 404-763-4925
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
Freedom–MAG MEC 602-306-1116
Hawaiian–HAL MEC 808-836-2572
Island Air–AIS MEC 808-838-0188
Jazz–JAZ MEC 1-800-561-9576
Kelowna Flightcraft–KFC MEC
250-878-7950
Mesa–MAG MEC 602-306-1116
Mesaba–MSA MEC 952-853-2389
*Midwest –MEA MEC 508-360-3112
North American–NAA MEC 732-778-6969
Piedmont–PDT MEC 339-987-1277
Pinnacle–PCL MEC 901-527-0355
PSA–PSA MEC 603-674-9683
Ryan–RYN MEC 1-800-292-ALPA
Spirit–SPA MEC 765-481-9033
Sun Country–SCA MEC 952-853-2393
Trans States–TSA MEC 610-805-5387
United–UAL MEC 847-292-1700
Wasaya–WSG MEC 807-627-9443
*Pilot group in custodianship
Director of Communications Marie Schwartz
Editor Sharon B. Vereb
Technical Editor Jan W. Steenblik
Associate Managing Editor Susan Fager
Design and Production Editor William A. Ford
Staff Writer John Perkinson
Contributing Writer/Special Projects Molly Martin
Motion Graphics Specialist Eric Davis
Web Coordinators Cicely Jenkins,
Chris Weaver
Air Line Pilot is not responsible for unsolicited
manuscripts, photographs, or other materials. Unsolicited materials will be returned only if submitted
with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Opinions
expressed by authors do not necessarily represent
official ALPA position or policy.
Subscriptions: Subscription rate for pilot members,
$25, included in ALPA membership dues; for students, $37; for U.S. nonmembers, $50; for foreign,
$65. 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 request address changes, call 703-481-4460.
Address Changes for Members Only:
E-mail to membership@alpa.org.
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 B & M Mailing Services
Limited, 35 Van Kirk Drive, Unit 15, Brampton, ON
L7A1A5. E-mail: bmmail@bellnet.ca.
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.
2011 EBCB Schedule
The Association’s Election and Ballot Certification
Board’s schedule for counting ballots is September 12,
October 11, November 10, and December 12.
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.
System Board 703-689-4226
Have You Moved?
Please call Membership Services at 1-888-359-2572,
or e-mail your new address to membership@alpa.org,
or clip out this form—along with the mailing label
on the left—and send it to:
ALPA Membership Services
PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA 20172-1169
Name_________________________________________
Member #_ ____________________________________
Airline_ _______________________________________
New address_ __________________________________
Apt._ __________ City__________________________
State_ _________ Zip___________________________

Air Safety Forum

Transcription

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