Release #: 15.29
July 23, 2015

First Officer Helena Reidemar Receives ALPA’s Air Safety Award

Ft. Meyers Pilot Recognized for Contributions to Improve Pilot Training

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) will recognize Delta Air Lines First Officer Dr. Helena Reidemar with its Air Safety Award for her exemplary contributions to aviation safety. First Officer Reidemar, the first female pilot to receive this prestigious aviation safety honor, will be presented with the award today at ALPA’s 61st Air Safety Forum in Washington, D.C.

As director of Human Factors for ALPA’s Air Safety Organization, First Officer Reidemar has performed a myriad of important ALPA safety duties over the years. Her recent efforts as co-chair on a groundbreaking effort to enhance flight path monitoring throughout the airline industry culminated in a manual that is now the benchmark reference for airlines to improve pilot monitoring skills.

“First Officer Reidemar’s dedicated work to enhance aviation safety will have a lasting effect within our industry for years to come,” said Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA president. “Her focus on improving pilot monitoring skills has made her a globally renowned expert and played a meaningful role in reducing the likelihood of human error in the cockpit. First Officer Reidemar’s efforts to improve pilot performance have strengthened the safety of air travel.”

Over the course of her more than 20 years as an airline pilot, she earned a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in aeronautical science with a primary focus in human factors. Furthering her interest in enhancing aviation safety by continuing to improve performance in the cockpit, First Officer Reidemar is a PhD ABD and currently serves as adjunct professor at the University of Central Missouri, where she teaches graduate-level classes in human factors and safety management systems.

First Officer Reidemar began her piloting career with Great Lakes in the early 1990s and, in 1998, was hired at Northwest Airlines where she soon began serving as chair of the Human Factors Committee. Following the merger with Delta Air Lines in 2009, Delta management selected her to be one of five subject-matter expert pilots to serve on a newly formed working group dedicated to evaluating human performance in the cockpit.

Capt. Canoll added, “First Officer Reidemar’s dedication to advancing the piloting profession sets the standard for professionalism in our industry.”

In 2014, the Royal Aeronautical Society in London elected her as a fellow, the highest honor conferred by the organization, for her continued dedication to furthering “the art, science, and engineering of aeronautics.”

As a key part of her ALPA safety work, First Officer Reidemar works alongside industry experts, scientists, and regulators responsible for setting the U.S. national direction in pilot training and safety system design. She has worked closely with NASA human factors experts and regularly writes and speaks to international audiences about the significance of human factors in safe flight operations. 

Last year's Air Safety Award recipient Captain Mike Bender presents First Officer Helena Reidemar with the ceremonial scarf representing her 2014 Air Safety

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 52,000 pilots at 31 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org