ALPA First Vice President and National Safety Coordinator Capt.Sean Cassidy (left) and ALPA President Capt. Lee Moak (right) present Capt. Bob Perkins (center) with a commemorative plaque.

August 5, 2014 - ALPA’s Canadian pilot representatives in the Association’s Air Safety Organization participated in a special breakout session August 5. Moderated by Canada Air Safety Coordinator Capt. Bob Perkins (JAZ), the meeting gave these pilots an opportunity to review recent projects and campaigns to improve airline safety and security north of the 49th parallel.

The pilots acknowledged their recent victory in convincing the Canadian government to overhaul its Temporary Foreign Worker Program. For years, ALPA lobbied to change rules that allowed Canadian airlines to augment their crews with foreign pilots on a seasonal basis, particularly during periods when other Canadian airline pilots had been furloughed.

Perkins discussed the rising number of unmanned Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and shared video footage of an RPA operating just a short distance from an airliner on final approach. Perkins noted that RPA could pose a significant danger, particularly when operated in close proximity to airports, and that Canada has no specific regulations to prevent this activity.

Capt. Peter Black, chairman of ALPA’s President’s Committee for Remote Operations, related what’s involved in conducting operations in uncontrolled airspace and work with area navigation (RNAV) approaches in the Arctic. The group conferred on the investigational findings of First Air Flight 6560, which crashed near Resolute, Nunavut in 2011. In addition, the pilots discussed the status of non-passenger screening procedures and ongoing efforts to update flight-time duty-time regulations.

ALPA Canadian Safety and Security Representative Real Levasseur took time to review the Association’s aggressive efforts to convince the Canadian government to make shining a laser at a flying aircraft a criminal offence. More than 460 laser strikes on aircraft were reported in Canada in 2013, up 30 percent from the previous year. “The laws need to be reinforced,” he said.

Early in the meeting, ALPA President Lee Moak and First Vice President and National Safety Coordinator Sean Cassidy dropped by to honor Perkins with a special recognition plaque for his years of service as Canada Safety Coordinator and ALPA safety advocate.

NavCanada Vice President of Safety and Quality John David, members of the Air Canada Pilots Association, and RCMP officers joined the Canadian pilots for this breakout session.