Weighing In: Air Safety Forum: Safeguarding Our Industry for All

By Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA First Vice President

Once again, I’m proud to report that this year’s Air Safety Forum was an overwhelming success, bringing together from around the world representatives from our Association’s Air Safety Organization, industry luminaries, and government stakeholders, including FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, Transportation Safety Board of Canada Chair Kathy Fox, Acting NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt, NAV CANADA President and CEO Neil Wilson, U.S. House Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) and Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), and many others. I hope that you were able to see your union’s leadership on display in person or, if not, were able to watch the webcast. From any vantage point, it’s clear that the Air Line Pilots Association is a trailblazer in aviation safety and security.

This forum marked my third as the Air Safety Organization’s national safety coordinator, and I continue to be privileged to engage with ALPA’s more than 400 pilot representatives who work tirelessly in the areas of safety, security, and pilot assistance. I’m honored to see firsthand the incredible contributions they make to our profession and the direct resources they provide to ALPA members in the United States and Canada.

These dedicated and talented pilot volunteers contribute their expertise and experience to help keep our skies safe and secure and our passengers and cargo moving efficiently. Their work is one of the many reasons why ALPA is held in such high esteem and why our expertise is sought by so many on both Capitol Hill and Parliament Hill and within the airline industry.

ALPA members, along with airline industry attendees, seized the opportunity to learn about and discuss the issues that our profession and industry are facing during the Air Safety Forum’s panel discussions, working group and council meetings, workshops, and refresher courses.

We conversed about new methods to keep pace with today’s ever-evolving aviation security needs, discussed how to improve standard operating procedures to focus more on human aspects, and enlightened stakeholders about the disparity in safety and security between airline passenger and all-cargo airline operations. We learned about upcoming developments in runway safety and discussed how best to safeguard the aircraft of today from the threats of tomorrow.

The Air Safety Forum also gave us the opportunity during our awards banquet to honor ALPA’s own. You’ll read more in-depth coverage in this issue (see pages 21–31), but I’d be remiss not to acknowledge those who were awarded some of the Association’s top honors. It’s a privilege to recognize

  • Capt. Charles Hogeman (United), the 2016 Air Safety Award honoree,
  • F/O Preston Greene (FedEx Express), the 2016 Aviation Security Award honoree,
  • Capt. Mike Wickboldt (Spirit), the Airport Safety Liaison Award honoree,
  • F/O Matt Clark (Delta), a Presidential Citation honoree,
  • Capt. Scott Hammond (Delta), a Presidential Citation honoree, and
  • Capt. Tony Ristaino (Virgin America) and F/O John Grieff (Virgin America), the Superior Airmanship Award honorees.

These pilots have exemplified the Association’s highest ideals in serving the profession and have demonstrated that, once again, well-trained and proficient pilots are paramount for ensuring the safe operation of our aircraft.

These ALPA members—and so many others—are exactly what our Association is all about. Safety comes first to them, whether in the cockpit demonstrating their training and qualifications that keep our skies safe or volunteering their time and energy outside of the cockpit to enhance aviation safety and security.

Our North American air transport system continues to boast an unparalleled safety record, and this is due in no small part to gatherings like ALPA’s Air Safety Forum. Through collaboration, we continue to seek out improvements and guide government and industry stakeholders with our expertise and passion, all to advance the cause of aviation safety and security for our passengers and cargo—now and in the future.

Keep flying safely.

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of Air Line Pilot.

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