An ALPA public conference, “Air Cargo Safety and Security: Closing the Gaps,” got off to a rousing start this morning when Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) described the bill he introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday evening to overturn the “cargo carveout” in the FAA’s recent final fatigue rule for airline pilots. The bill, HR4350, was co-sponsored by Rep. Jim Bishop (D-NY).

More than 100 ALPA members and leaders, government and industry representatives, and news reporters gathered in Washington, D.C., for the full day of panel presentations and freewheeling discussion of issues in all-cargo safety and security. Panel subjects included government and industry perspectives, lithium batteries as air cargo, all-cargo security, flight time/duty time issues, bilateral issues and trade agreements, and airport firefighting for all-cargo operations.

ALPA’s president, Capt. Lee Moak, noted, “We’ve made a lot of progress” in passenger airline security since 9/11, but the same level of success has proved elusive in the all-cargo world. Moak stressed that ALPA does not endorse a “one-size-fits-all” solution to the inequities between passenger and all-cargo safety and security, but argued that “greater commonality” could be achieved by all stakeholders working together.

FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta reiterated the benefits of the new flight/duty time rules contained in FAR Part 117. He stressed that he and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have strongly urged all-cargo airlines to “opt in” to FAA Part 117.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman focused her remarks on fatigue, an issue of longstanding concern to ALPA and the Safety Board, and cargo flammability—particularly the risk posed by lithium batteries.

Capt. Bill Soer (FedEx), chairman of ALPA’s President’s Committee for Cargo, led a panel that included NTSB Member Mark Rosekind, Ph.D., a sleep science expert, and others. Capt. Soer explained how the cargo line pilot copes with fatigue, noting that cargo pilots have the same human response to fatigue as passenger pilots. He advocated for cargo pilots to be included within FAR Part 117, the new rule on flight and duty time limits and minimum rest requirements.

F/O Mark Rogers (United), ALPA’s director of Dangerous Goods Programs, outlined what ALPA members want regarding safer shipments of lithium batteries—batteries packed to prevent damage, labeled so that all are aware of the risks, shippers and operators trained, packages subject to acceptance checks and inspections, battery shipments included on pilot notification forms, and batteries loaded in a compartment with adequate fire suppression.

Capt. Fred Eissler (FedEx), ALPA’s Aviation Security chair, listed the areas in all-cargo security where the most improvement is needed—reinforced cockpit doors should be mandated, the security identification display area (SIDA) for all-cargo ops should be bolstered, fingerprint-based criminal history records checks should be mandated for everyone who has access to freighters, and all-cargo Common Strategy and threat-based screening of cargo should be implemented.

F/O Steve Jangelis (Delta), ALPA’s Airport and Ground Environment Group chairman, explained that he has worked closely with the aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) community for a number of years. Airport operators and the FAA are working to create a safer ground environment for cargo operators to include better ARFF technology, training and procedures.

ALPA attorney and international aviation expert Russ Bailey discussed the history and present use of bilateral negotiations to advance the safety, security and economic health of the all-cargo airline industry.

Peggy Gilligan, FAA associate administrator for Aviation Safety, declared, “It is NOT the position of the FAA that the science of fatigue does not apply to cargo operations.” However, she said, “When analyzed, the cost to the cargo airlines of implementing the new rules would be more than the societal benefits the public was willing to pay for.” Gilligan urged pilots to become very familiar with their airlines’ fatigue risk management program (FRMP).

Steve Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association, asserted, “We need to find better ways to identify high-risk cargo and then screen it, whether it goes on an all-cargo aircraft or as belly freight on a passenger aircraft.”

Look for more coverage of this event on the ALPA website and in a future issue of Air Line Pilot.