View this message on the Web.

News from ALPA International

September 11, 2012

Stay Connected

WordPress Facebook Twitter
YouTube Flickr LinkedIn RSS Feeds
The FlightDeck
ALPAApp

The ALPA App

In This Issue:

We Will Never Forget


View a photo slideshow of ALPA’s
9/11 remembrance ceremony
.

Pilot leaders and staff of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, gathered in the beautiful memorial garden at the union’s Herndon, Va., offices to honor the victims of 9/11 and pay tribute to the crew of United Flight 93, United Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 11, and American Airlines Flight 77 on this day—September 11, 2012—the 11th anniversary of the event that forever changed our lives.

“In the wake of that senseless tragedy, we were unified and repulsed by the events that led to the tragic loss of those on the aircraft and those on the ground,” said ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak. “We will, as airline pilots, never again witness a friend, a family member, a fellow crewmember leave us too early in this manner.”

United MEC chairman Capt. Jay Heppner read the names of the flight crews lost that day. “My fellow United pilots—Vic Saracini and Mike Horrocks of Flight 175 and Jason Dahl and LeRoy Homer of Flight 93 were murdered, victims of an attack that challenged our national character and tested our collective mettle,” Heppner said.

“The deaths of these brave pilots, together with those who were in command of American Airlines Flights 11 and 77, serve as reminders that we cannot afford to be complacent or stagnant in the upkeep of our national security.”

Read more.

Return to top

Everything Matters for the 111th ALPA Executive Board


View a photo slideshow of the meeting.

Following a brief memorial service for the 11th anniversary of 9/11, ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak dropped the gavel to open the 111th regular meeting of the Association’s Executive Board. For the first time, the meeting took place in ALPA’s new, state-of-the-art conference center in its Herndon, Va., office. The union’s four national officers opened the morning plenary with their individual reports, speaking about recent activities and accomplishments, and explaining how Everything Matters—the Association’s theme for this year.

Moak spoke at length about events happening around the globe, which are reshaping the airline industry, including the inroads Emirates Airline is making into Australia and Canada, and the Japanese government’s bailout of JAL. “The environment has changed; our strategy has to adapt,” said Moak, emphasizing that government policy is preventing U.S. airlines from fully competing with their international counterparts.

Moak told Executive Board members, “The union is only what you make it, so make it yours, make it strong, and make it matter.”

Read more.

Return to top

Welcome Back, Congress!

The ALPA Pilot Partisan Agenda reports that both chambers of Congress returned to Washington yesterday after a five-week district work period. The main order of business is expected to be the passage of a continuing resolution, or CR, that will keep the government running for the next six months in lieu of regular appropriations bills, which Congress has been unable to pass. We will also be watching for an administration report that may shed new light on the impact of automatic budget cuts scheduled for January, known as “sequestration,” on transportation and other government programs.

Previous reports have predicted reductions of 5,000 flights per day and thousands of aviation job losses if Congress fails to prevent the sequester from taking effect.

We’re looking forward to two House Committees hearings on Wednesday, September 12, covering aviation issues. In the morning, the Aviation Subcommittee will be discussing the FAA’s management of the NextGen program. NextGen investment and implementation is critical to the success of our domestic airline industry. It will improve efficiency of air operations, enhance safety, increase capacity, reduce delays for customers, and cut down greenhouse gas emissions. Watch the live webcast of the hearing at 10:00 a.m. here.

Read more.

Return to top

We Need Your Help: Pilot Fatigue Survey

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, of which ALPA is a member, needs your help. The Federation is conducting a survey on fatigue risk management systems (FRMS), the scientifically based, data-driven process for addressing fatigue in flight operations.

As part of its work with the International Civil Aviation Organization, IFALPA is participating in the FRMS Forum and surveying airlines, regulators, members of the scientific community, and pilots of IFALPA member associations to assess the current culture of organizations that could support FRMS implementation. The Federation plans to present its survey results at the forum’s next conference in 2013.

IFALPA president Capt. Don Wykoff (Delta) recently circulated a letter to ALPA and other Federation members stating that he firmly believes FRMS will be a prominent feature of our industry in the future. He stressed that it’s vital that FRMS be introduced properly to advance pilot fatigue management, and that this is our opportunity to help influence international policy on this important issue. Make your voice heard.

Take the survey.

Read ALPA’s white paper on Fatigue Risk Management Systems.

Return to top

Catch the Latest Aviation News! Read ALPA Daily
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 Daily continues to grow in popularity, and members have contacted us asking if this information can be e-mailed to their Macs and PCs. ALPA’s Communications and IT Departments are working toward that end. If you want to receive the electronic version of ALPA Daily, e-mail your name, ALPA number, and preferred e-mail address to communications@alpa.org. We’ll let you know when you can expect “home” delivery.

• According to USA Today, a refrigerator-door-size piece of a Boeing 767 fell from the sky and crashed to the ground in Kent, Wash., on Friday. Read more.

• The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a year after the dedication of the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa., the project remains short of its financial goal and is the only one of the three major 9/11 tributes that isn’t fully funded. Read more.

Return to top

ALPA’s 2012 Voter Guide is Here
The 2012 election is just 56 days away. ALPA pilots—will you be flying on November 6? On call? Not sure? For our members who are flying or may be called to fly on Election Day, absentee and early voting offers a convenient way to ensure your vote is counted in November. However, many states have adopted new laws that include changes to voting rules and registration requirements for the 2012 election. This means that if you have voted early or absentee in the past, changes may be in place in your state that could affect your ability to successfully vote in November.

So even if you’ve done it before, check out ALPA’s handy voter information guide, available on our website, to find out all the rules and deadlines for registration and early and absentee voting in your state. We hope you find it useful and we hope that you will vote!

Return to top

Stay Connected
Stay connected with your union, your profession, and your industry by reading Air Line Pilot magazine and watching monthly episodes of The FlightDeck.

Read one pilot’s memories of 9/11 on page 33 of the September issue of Air Line Pilot magazine.

On the 18th installment of The FlightDeck, learn about the pilots’ bill of rights.

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.

Return to top

2012 Dulles Day Festival and Plane Pull
The Dulles Day Family Festival and Plane Pull at Washington Dulles Int’l Airport celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Be a part of this special tradition, Saturday, September 22, for a full day of fun.

Highlights of this annual Special Olympics Virginia benefit include a team-competition plane pull, aircraft and auto exhibits, displays and activities, vendors, food, and entertainment for all.

Join the fun and support Special Olympics at this annual community event. For details, visit www.planepull.com.

Return to top

FastFact
The most horrific day in aviation history occured on September 11, 2001. Terrorists commandeered four U.S. airliners, using them as guided missiles to kill thousands of innocent people and wreak economic havoc. The repercussions from that tragic event can still be felt. In response, ALPA took immediate action, creating the ALPA Security Task Force, a multidisciplinary group of pilots and staff led by the ALPA first vice president. During the next few years, this group developed, lobbied for, and helped implement dozens of security-enhancing initiatives in the United States and Canada. ALPA created and staffed a 24/7 crisis command center for several months, which fielded hundreds of phone calls from pilots with security-related questions and served as a liaison with law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

Return to top

Feedback & E-mail Address Changes
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

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