NATCA’s Paul Rinaldi Celebrates “Communication and Collaboration” with ALPA
NATCA President Paul Rinaldi |
August 6, 2014 - National
Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul
Rinaldi spoke to attendees at the Air Safety Forum on
Wednesday, highlighting what he termed the “matching
philosophies” of the two organizations in regards to
aviation safety. “It’s all about relationships,” he said.
“And NATCA and ALPA have never had a closer relationship.”
That relationship, he
explained, will be extremely important in the coming months
and years as the NextGen system is developed and
implemented. “Air travel is the safest form of
transportation,” he stated before further expressing that
the input of ALPA and NATCA—on the “front lines” of the
pilots and controllers—is needed to make sure it stays that
way. He said our current system, while safe and efficient,
is also complicated and thus requires our two organizations’
early and constant attention and input to ensure it remains
safe.
Rinaldi also celebrated the
100th anniversary of the first commercial aviation flight
(see the NATCA video, “Celebrating 100 Years of Commercial
Aviation”) and asked attendees to imagine what might happen
in the next 100 years. And, he promised that, no matter what
comes in that next century, “NATCA and ALPA will work
together to make sure safety comes first.”
According to Rinaldi, the
biggest issue facing air travel is stable funding. He
pointed to the shutdown of 2013 and the resulting furloughs
and sequesters that led, he said, to decisions being made
based upon money, not safety. He predicted future shutdown
threats and preached the importance of working now to avoid
funding issues. “The airspace industry deserves stable
funding,” he insisted. “The public should demand it, and
Congress should provide it.”
In closing, Rinaldi again
praised the close relationship between ALPA and NATCA and
looked forward to continued collaboration. “What we thought
was impossible yesterday is an accomplishment today,” he
said. And with the two organizations continuing to work
together, more accomplishments are yet to come. |