More than 130 pilots, government officials, and representatives of manufacturers, training organizations, and academia gathered today in Washington, D.C. at a one-day “Evolution of Safety Through Pilot Training” conference hosted by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, and sponsored by Rockwell Collins and GE. Several A-list news media reporters also attended the event.

Opening the conference, ALPA’s president, Capt. Lee Moak, noted, “It would be tough for us to cover all of the factors related to the training of qualifications of airline pilots, but at ALPA, the topic is important enough for us to start and lead the discussion.”

Read more.

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ALPA views the establishment of improved flight and duty rules as among the most important flight safety undertakings in modern times. Recently, the U.S. government published a final rule on flight- and duty-time regulations for passenger-carrying airlines, FAR 117, which will implement much-needed and long-awaited safety improvements over the next two years. Unfortunately, cargo operations were not included in the new pilot fatigue rule. For decades, ALPA has demanded “One Level of Safety” for the simple reason that fatigue affects all pilots.

ALPA pilot volunteers will be in D.C. for the remainder of July advocating for lawmakers to cosponsor and pass the Safe Skies Act (H.R. 4350/S. 3263). This bill achieves One Level of Safety by ensuring that all pilots are protected by science-based rest requirements, regardless of whether they fly passengers or cargo.

Read more about ALPA’s recommendations to improve aviation safety.

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Grassroots meetings will allow pilots to discuss the pilot partisan agenda directly with their members of Congress and educate them on our proposals to level the playing field for U.S. airlines and improve the future for the piloting profession.

We are seeking August Advocates who can commit to meeting locally with their federal representatives during the month of August. A grassroots training webinar will be provided to all volunteers. For more information or to sign up, please contact Carly.Hepola@alpa.org.

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ALPA has long maintained that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is the appropriate entity to develop a global emissions plan for the aviation industry, and welcomes this progress. We are strongly opposed to the European Union’s emissions trading system tax, which will only harm pilot jobs and hamper investment in emissions-reducing technologies such as high-tech engines and air frames, alternative fuels, and NextGen procedures.

In a public statement issued Wednesday, ICAO reported that “Global aviation moved an important step closer to establishing a worldwide CO2 Standard for aircraft yesterday, as (ICAO’s) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) unanimously agreed on a CO2 metric system which characterizes the CO2 emissions for aircraft types with varying technologies. . . .The CAEP agreement on the new aircraft CO2 metric system will allow the States and observer organizations that together comprise the CAEP to move onto the next stages in the development of an ICAO CO2 aircraft Standard.”

Read the entire ICAO statement.

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Read about how ALPA is bringing government, industry, and pilot leaders together to explore ways to bring one level of safety and security to cargo airline operations on page 22 of the June/July issue of Air Line Pilot magazine.

On the 17th installment of The FlightDeck, hear what ALPA first vice president Capt. Sean Cassidy had to say to the Senate Commerce Committee on the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.

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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The typical simulation requires about four hours to complete, but some research may require longer or shorter time commitments. CAASD’s primary simulation facility is located in McLean, Va.

Any interested ALPA pilots (including furloughees who have flown within the last 12 months) can read the full description of the solicitation and fill out an application at mitrecaasd.org/research/pilots/.

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On July 12, 1949, ALPA signed its first contract with Caribair, which began operations as Caribbean Atlantic Airlines in 1939. Caribair merged with Eastern Airlines in 1971 and has no affiliation with the current-day, Dominican Republic–based Caribair.

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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.

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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW | Washington, DC 20036 | 703-689-2270