Release #13.41
July 18, 2013

ALPA Honors Capt. Steve Ormsbee with Prestigious Presidential Citation
Pilot Commended for Contributions to Aviation Safety

WASHINGTON―The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) presented Piedmont Airlines Capt. Steve Ormsbee with its Presidential Citation for 2012 in recognition of his “outstanding efforts to advance safety through decades of service to the regional airline industry.” Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, presented the award to Capt. Ormsbee today as part of the Association’s 2013 Air Safety Forum in Washington, D.C.

During the ceremony, Capt. Moak acknowledged Capt. Ormsbee’s contributions to ALPA’s groundbreaking ‘One Level of Safety’ campaign for enhanced safety regulations for regional airlines. “The result: in 1995, a watershed policy change for the regional segment of the U.S. airline industry,” said Capt. Moak. “The FAA announced a new regulation mandating that commuter aircraft with 10-30 passenger seats must be operated under the more stringent safety rules that applied to airliners with more than 30 seats.”

Capt. Ormsbee has also served as a member of the ALPA Steering and Oversight Committee and vice chairman of the Association’s Operations Committee. As the Piedmont pilot group’s Central Air Safety Committee chairman for 20 years, he helped develop an Aviation Safety Action Program and a Line Oriented Safety Audit at his airline, cooperative initiatives that provide a systematic approach to aviation safety. In addition, the Norfolk, Va. resident previously served as the Piedmont pilot group’s chief accident investigator.

“Steve has worked tirelessly through the years, helping to sustain safety programs at Piedmont by maintaining an even keel and being methodical in his approach to finding solutions to problems,” said Capt. Moak.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 50,000 pilots at 33 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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