Release #14.96
December 10, 2014
ALPA to Congress: Safety Must Take Priority for Unmanned Aircraft
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Capt. Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), told members of the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee in testimony (written/oral) today that safety must be the first priority in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) efforts to integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the national airspace.
“ALPA supports the safe use of unmanned aircraft systems,” Capt. Moak told lawmakers. “We recognize the potential benefit to our nation’s economic competitiveness, but we also recognize the potential for a safety risk if we don’t treat them as what they are––airplanes in the airspace.”
As head of the world’s largest non-governmental aviation safety organization, ALPA’s president cautioned against allowing pressure to rapidly integrate UAS into the national airspace to rush a process that must be solely focused on safety. UAS and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPA) include aircraft ranging in size from as small as a bird to as large as an airliner.
Capt. Moak said that standards and technologies must be in place to ensure the same high level of safety as is currently present in the National Airspace System (NAS) before a UAS/RPA can be authorized to occupy the same airspace as airlines or operate in areas where it might inadvertently stray into airspace used by commercial flights.
“We also need to make certain the UAS pilots are properly trained and understand the consequences of possible malfunctions,” said Capt. Moak. “A pilot in the cockpit of an aircraft can see, feel, smell, and hear indications of a problem and begin to formulate a course of action long before even the most sophisticated indicators verify the trouble. Without a pilot on board, we lose this advantage.”
ALPA has long maintained that, without a pilot on board, it is essential that UAS pilots are highly trained, qualified, and monitored to meet the equivalent standards of pilots who operate manned aircraft.
ALPA’s president also underscored that the FAA’s resources are limited, and the agency must have a long-term, sustained source of funding, as well as realistic timelines and a systematic approach that builds the path of UAS integration based on safety.
”We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that safety is held paramount in bringing UAS into the national airspace,” concluded Capt. Moak.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 51,000 pilots at 30 airlines in the United States and Canada. 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
