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News from ALPA International |
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November 15, 2012 |
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ALPA Supports NTSB’s Annual Most Wanted List |
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NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman |
The Air Line Pilots
Association, Int’l
yesterday expressed
qualified support for
the U.S. National
Transportation Safety
Board’s (NTSB) annual
Most Wanted List.
However, with cargo
pilots due to receive a
lower level of
protection from aircrew
fatigue than their
passenger counterparts,
ongoing concerns about
pilot fatigue remain.
The list, announced
yesterday by the NTSB,
included the prevention
of in-flight fires and
illustrates that
concerns about pilot and
controller
professionalism have
been effectively
addressed.
Although the NTSB
dropped transportation
worker fatigue after the
Federal Aviation
Administration published
new flight-time and
duty-time rules for
passenger pilots in
December 2011, Chairman
Deborah Hersman made it
clear that pilot
fatigue—and, in
particular, the
exclusion of pilots who
fly for all-cargo
airlines from the
recently adopted
science-based flight and
duty regulations—must
continue to be
addressed.
“We remain adamant
that the new,
science-based federal
aviation regulations on
pilot fatigue must be
expanded to cover pilots
of all-cargo aircraft,”
said Capt. Lee Moak,
ALPA president. “ALPA
looks forward to
maintaining our
long-standing
partnership with the
NTSB in reviewing
industry progress toward
a true single level of
safety for all pilots of
all airliners.
Read more.
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Capt. Moak Discusses Pilot Shortage on NPR |
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 This
morning, ALPA president
Capt. Lee Moak, Regional
Airline Association
President Roger Cohen,
and Wall Street Journal
writer Andy Pasztor
appeared on NPR’s Diane
Rehm Show to talk about
the anticipated pilot
shortage.
Listen to today’s
Diane Rehm Show.
Read a recent
Wall Street Journal
article on the
projected pilot shortage
as well as
ALPA’s response.
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ALPA to Senate: Fast-Track Huerta Confirmation as FAA Administrator |
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Acting FAA Administrator
Michael Huerta |
As President Barack
Obama begins to organize
his second-term
administration, ALPA
called on the Senate to
accelerate a vote to
confirm Michael Huerta
as administrator of the
Federal Aviation
Administration. Huerta
has faithfully served as
acting administrator
since December 5, 2011,
and the Association and
other airline industry
stakeholders have
greatly benefited from
his leadership,
enthusiasm, and
dedication to U.S. air
transportation.
In a November 14
letter to Senate leaders
Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.),
Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s
president, requested
swift action. “Steady,
long-term leadership is
critical as the agency
navigates the growing
demands on the largest
aviation system in the
world. Michael Huerta is
the right person for the
job, and we urge the
Senate to confirm him
expeditiously,” said
Moak.
Following passage of
FAA reauthorization
legislation last March,
ALPA previously called
for Huerta’s
confirmation. At that
time, Moak credited the
acting administrator for
his ability “to provide
stability and direction
as we undertake a
massive upgrade to our
nation’s air traffic
control system.” Moak
was referencing the
bill’s approval for the
Next Generation Air
Transportation System,
or NextGen, which is
modernizing the nation’s
aviation infrastructure.
Huerta has been an
active ALPA ally and a
strong advocate for
industry collaboration
to advance aviation
safety initiatives. Last
August, he served as
keynote speaker at the
Association’s 58th Air
Safety Forum.
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Delta MEC Officer Elections |
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Today, the Delta MEC met
in regular session in
Atlanta to elect new MEC
officers.
Capt. Kingsley Roberts,
an Atlanta-based 737
pilot, was elected to
the position of MEC
chairman. Capt. Jim Van
Sickle, an Atlanta–based
767-400 pilot, was
reelected MEC vice
chairman; F/O Kevin
Guilfoyle, an
Atlanta-based 767 pilot,
was reelected MEC
secretary; and F/O Bren
Fries, a New York
City-based 767-400
pilot, was reelected MEC
treasurer.
The new officers
assume their new duties
January 1, 2013.
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Aviation Security Leadership Convenes in Herndon |
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Capt. Fred Eissler (FDX),
ALPA’s Aviation Security
chair, convened a
meeting of the Air
Safety Organization’s
Aviation Security
leaders and subject
matter experts today in
ALPA’s Herndon, Va.
office. First vice
president and national
safety coordinator,
Capt. Sean Cassidy
(ALA), participated
along with a dozen other
pilots and staff from
the Engineering & Air
Safety Department.
The group recapped
events from 2012,
conducted a strategic
planning review which
included priorities set
by ALPA’s 2012 Board of
Directors, and created
plans for security
events in 2013, among
other activities.
Yesterday, the group
toured the
Transportation Security
Administration’s
Transportation Security
Operations Center, which
coordinates and manages
numerous aspects of
aviation security in
North America, and the
National Targeting
Center, which is focused
on improving cargo
security and operated by
TSA and Customs and
Border Protection.
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Capt. Peter Black (FAB),
who chairs the ALPA
President’s Committee
for Remote Operations (PCRO),
convened the group this
week in Ottawa. Black,
PCRO members, and ALPA
Engineering & Air Safety
Department staff
continued their review
of the far northern
airfields in Canada and
the United States as
part of their mandate to
identify safety
improvements in those
areas.
A major focus for
PCRO activity is
identifying all the
changes that are
required to support
establishing precision
approach capability to
all runway ends, which
was identified as an
ALPA priority at the
2012 ALPA Board of
Directors meeting.
Factors such as airport
infrastructure, runway
marking and lighting,
and development of
satellite-based
precision procedures
must all be considered
in bringing this
capability to remote
airports.
Of particular concern
is the availability of
resources to make these
needed improvements. The
committee is
investigating various
means of educating local
communities about the
advantages, both in
safety and efficiency,
of investing in such
improvements, and is
also investigating
government programs that
might be used to provide
resources. In addition,
the committee continued
its work with NavCanada
on the
approach-development
process in Canada.
During the Ottawa
meeting, representatives
of NavCanada and the
Transportation Safety
Board of Canada made
presentations and
engaged in discussions
with committee members.
In establishing future
goals and direction, the
committee intends to
continue gathering data
on existing capabilities
and ways to improve
them, as well as expand
the discussions to
include the U.S. FAA and
Transport Canada.
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Pilots in Atlanta Area Needed for Georgia Tech Study |
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 The
School of Aerospace
Engineering at Georgia
Tech is seeking
glass-qualified airline
pilots to participate in
simulator-based research
into aviation safety
with a focus on
supporting the pilot in
busy air traffic
environments. The
simulator is simple,
based on desktop
computers, and any
current glass-cockpit
Part 121 or Part 135
pilot is welcome.The
research is being
conducted at Georgia
Tech in Atlanta, and
lasts four hours plus
breaks. Participants
will each receive a $200
stipend in addition to
reimbursement for
on-campus parking. Any
transportation and
lodging costs are the
responsibility of the
pilot volunteer, and
sessions are currently
being scheduled for
dates starting November
18 and running through
early December.
If you want to
participate or would
like more information,
please contact Justin
Mullins at
jmullins6@gatech.edu
or (919) 384-5849.
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 An FAA-funded survey is
being conducted under
the Airport Cooperative
Research Program’s (ACRP)
Guidebook for Energy
Facilities’
Compatibility with
Airports and Airspace
Project #02-38. The
purpose of the survey is
to obtain empirical
information from pilots
on the sources of solar
glare and their effects.
The survey should
take you only five
minutes to complete, and
your answers are
confidential.
Take the survey.
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Get the Scoop! 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 members can sign up to receive ALPA Daily in their e-mail:
•
Visit
this link.
• Log in with your ALPA member number and password.
• Select “E-mail Distribution Lists.”
• Check the box for “ALPA Daily.”
• Submit your request.
According to CBS News, First Air has confirmed it will close its jet pilot
base in Yellowknife.
Read more.
Yahoo! Finance reports that Air Transat marked the 25th anniversary of its
inaugural flight yesterday.
Read more.
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A Flying Tigers B-707 completed the first transpolar around-the-world flight.
The crew consisted of three TWA pilots, a Flying Tigers captain, and a Boeing
test pilot. The aircraft departed from Palm Springs, Calif., on November 15,
1965, making stops in Honolulu, London, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, and Christchurch.
The flight took two days to complete, before touching down in Burbank, Calif. 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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