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News from ALPA International |
September 13, 2012 |
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Executive Board Concludes Business |
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The
111th regular meeting of
the Executive Board of
the Air Line Pilots
Association, Int’l,
concluded with
amendments to the
Association’s
Constitution and By-Laws
and Administrative
Manual, insights about
activities and
accomplishments at each
ALPA property from its
MEC chairman, and
briefings from the four
delegate committees on
the status of the
Association’s strategic
planning process.
The Board approved a
Major Contingency Fund
allocation to the PSA
pilots for strategic
preparedness programs,
following more than
three years of contract
negotiations. The pilot
reps also reviewed
proposed changes
regarding Air Safety
Organization
appointments, income
exemptions from dues,
adjustments in expense
procedures based on
expense reimbursement
software the Association
recently implemented,
and other matters, many
of which will be acted
on by the ALPA Board of
Directors next month.
In a point of
personal privilege, CMR
MEC chairman Capt. Erik
Jensen told the members
of the Executive Board
“how honored I am to be
an ALPA pilot.” Comair
is scheduled to shut its
doors September 30, and
Jensen expressed his
sincere appreciation to
the other ALPA leaders
for their support and
encouragement during
this difficult time.
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NMB Chair Speaks to ALPA MEC Chairs |
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NMB Chairman Harry Hoglander |
National Mediation
Board (NMB) Chairman
Harry Hoglander
addressed ALPA’s MEC
chairs during the
Wednesday plenary
session, in a special
presentation to the ALPA
Executive Board. The
former ALPA executive
vice president and TWA
MEC chair observed,
“I’ve walked many miles
in the shoes you now
wear.”
Speaking candidly,
Hoglander talked about
the timing and
practicalities involved
in requesting a proffer
of arbitration during
the collective
bargaining process. He
said, “The whole idea
here is to get the
Board’s attention.” The
NMB chair described what
he referred to as the
“Zone of
Reasonableness,”
explaining that pilot
groups seeking proffers
should have only a
limited number of open
items left to resolve
during the negotiating
process.
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ALPA Weighs in on NextGen Advances |
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ALPA
president Capt. Lee Moak
submitted a statement
for the record to the
U.S. House of
Representatives
Transportation and
Infrastructure
Committee, Aviation
Subcommittee, for a
hearing it held on the
progress of NextGen.
Recognizing that the
potential benefits of
NextGen have been widely
discussed, ALPA’s
comments focused on the
tangible benefits that
are already accruing
through the
implementation of
various initiatives.
Included in the list of
such “success stories”
were:
• Seattle Greener Skies
Initiative
• Metroplex—Optimization
of the Airspace and
Procedures in the
Metroplex (OAPM)
• Parallel Runway
Operations at Airports
• Time-Based Flow
Management
• Automatic Dependent
Surveillance–Broadcast
(ADS-B)
• RNP/RNAV En Route
Airways (Q/T/TK Routes)
• Continued Expansion of
RNP/RNAV Approach
Capability
• Increased Capacity in
Oceanic Areas
• Reduced Vertical
Separation Minima
ALPA’s
comments illustrated
that each of these has
resulted in benefits
like greater safety
margins, reduced fuel
expense, reduced
emissions, and more
efficient ways to move
air traffic. In some
cases, the programs and
initiatives have taken
advantage of existing
avionics and/or
optimization of
procedures and do not
require new equipage for
the aircraft or the FAA.
Read the full text of
the statement.
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FAA Expands Use of RNAV SID Phraseology |
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On
Monday, September 17,
based on successful
testing at ATL and CLT,
the FAA will implement
new phraseology for RNAV
SIDs at all locations
conducting simultaneous
parallel runway
departures (see
ALPA Operations Bulletin
2009-04). ATC will
advise aircraft of the
initial waypoint for
RNAV SIDs designed to
begin at the runway. The
phraseology used will
be, "RNAV to
(fix/waypoint), runway
(number), cleared for
takeoff.” (Example:
"Airline 123, RNAV to
MPASS, runway two-six
left, cleared for
takeoff.”) The pilot
is expected to
acknowledge the
advisory, just like any
other ATC communication.
These new procedures
are meant to provide a
final crosscheck to
ensure the programmed
FMS path matches ATC
expectations. Crews are
expected to verify the
first-named fix in the
FMS matches their
takeoff clearance before
departure. Note that a
point defined solely by
altitude, without an
associated
latitude/longitude in
the database, is not a
“named fix.”
Read more.
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CCI, ATI MECs Conduct Road Shows, Management Attends |
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The Capital Cargo and
Air Transport
International MECs
kicked off their road
shows last week to
educate their membership
on the terms of a joint
collective bargaining
agreement that both MECs
approved to send out for
a membership
ratification vote.
This Sunday, September
16, company president
Dennis Manibusan and
vice president John
Vestal will attend the
CCI MEC road show in
Cincinnati at the crew
hotel to answer
questions from any CCI
and ATI crewmembers in
good standing. The road
show begins at 10:00
a.m., and management’s
question-and-answer
session will follow at
1:00 p.m.
Voting closes on
September 24 and future
road shows to educate
the crewmembers run
through September 23.
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HIMS Professionals Meet in Denver |
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Pictured left to right: Capt. Michael Lorenz (PCL), Nat’l HIMS vice chair; Suzanne Kalfus, senior ALPA attorney; Dr. Don Hudson, HIMS program manager; and Capt. Chris Storbeck (DAL), Nat’l HIMS chair |
Nearly 300 pilots,
doctors, airline
managers, and FAA
representatives attended
the Human Intervention
and Motivation Study (HIMS)
basic training
conference, held
September 10-12 at the
Hyatt Regency Tech
Center in Denver. The
HIMS program is a peer
education, intervention,
treatment, and
monitoring program for
pilots with alcoholism
and other chemical
dependencies. Pilot who
are successfully treated
through the program
regain medical
certification through
the FAA special issuance
medical process under
CFR Title 14, Part 67.
HIMS education and
training is funded
through an FAA contract,
administered by ALPA for
the airline industry.
Since the program’s
inception, more than
4,600 pilots have been
successfully treated and
returned to flying.
HIMS is one of five
groups under ALPA’s
Pilot Assistance
Committee, which
includes Aeromedical,
Canadian Pilot
Assistance, the Critical
Incident Response
Program, and
Professional Standards.
Learn more about the
HIMS program at
www.himsprogram.com.
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Catch the Latest Aviation News! Read ALPA Daily |
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The
aviation industry is changing faster than ever before. The new
“ALPA Daily”
feature at www.alpa.org will keep you informed
of the latest industry developments and analysis from around the globe. Check it
out each day to stay up-to-date on the news that affects pilots and the piloting
profession.
ALPA Daily continues to grow in popularity, and members have contacted us
asking if this information can be e-mailed to their Macs and PCs. ALPA’s
Communications and IT Departments are working toward that end. If you want to
receive the electronic version of ALPA Daily, e-mail your name, ALPA number, and
preferred e-mail address to
communications@alpa.org. We’ll let you know when you can expect “home”
delivery.
• According to the Centre for Aviation, Emirates is continuing a year-long
pursuit of a code-share tie-up with American Airlines, as its landmark deal with
American’s fellow oneworld partner Qantas continues to rattle age-old
assumptions about the value of alliances in the current aviation marketplace.
Read more.
• Morningstar reports that the minister of transport, infrastructure, and
communities addressed Canada’s international aviation partners to reiterate
Canada’s commitment to aviation security during the high-level conference on
aviation security hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Read more.
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This year, ALPA-PAC is
proud to introduce the
Key Men Society. This
award, named in honor of
the 24 brave pilots who
formed our union,
recognizes those pilot
groups who have achieved
24 percent or higher PAC
participation. It is the
highest honor ALPA-PAC
can bestow.
So far this year, the
following groups have
already earned entry
into the inaugural class
of the Key Men Society:
DAL Council 81 (SLC)
FDX Council 79 (ANC)
FDX Council 100 (LAX)
FDX Council 123 (CGN)
UAL Council 27 (SEA)
To find out how your
council is doing, please
contact your LEC
officers or
Zack Mooneyham in
the ALPA Government
Affairs Department.
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Stay connected with your
union, your profession,
and your industry by
reading Air Line
Pilot magazine and
watching monthly
episodes of The
FlightDeck.
Read why scope is
important in a pilot
contract on page 27 of the
September issue of Air Line Pilot magazine.
On the 18th
installment
of
The
FlightDeck,
watch exclusive coverage
of the 58th Air Safety
Forum and the
extraordinary pilots
honored at this year’s
event. Remember that both Air Line Pilot
and The FlightDeck
can also be accessed
from the members-only
portion of the ALPA
website at
www.alpa.org.
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On September 13, 1994, the extensively modified Airbus A300-600ST (“Super
Transporter”), now known as the “Beluga,” made her maiden flight. The
modifications allowed the aircraft to carry extremely large cargo, such as
complete aircraft sections, as part of the manufacturing and assembly process
for Airbus aircraft. Return to top
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Feedback & E-mail Address Changes |
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Questions or comments on this FastRead? Give us your feedback at
communications@alpa.org. If you have moved or changed your ISP or e-mail
address, please update your ALPA records. If you don’t, you
will no longer receive the ALPA FastRead and other e-mail bulletins and notices,
and once your postal forwarding order expires, you’ll no longer receive the
magazine and other ALPA mail. You can do it yourself by going to
www.alpa.org and logging
in. Go to “My ALPA” in the menu at the top of the page, and from there, you’ll be
instructed how to make the necessary changes. If you don’t have access to the
members-only section of
www.alpa.org, you can
e-mail your requests by sending them to
membership@alpa.org. Be sure to include your member number or enough other
information so that we can identify you in the membership database, and tell us
what information needs to be updated. Please note that it is not sufficient
just to notify your LEC or MEC of these changes—you should register them with
the ALPA Membership Department in Herndon. Can’t remember your member number
or how to log in? Need information about your ALPA insurance programs? These and
other questions about ALPA services can be answered by contacting
membership@alpa.org. Return to top
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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW
| Washington, DC 20036 | 703-689-2270 |
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