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News from ALPA International |
February 12, 2013 |
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FAA Airline Pilot Fatigue Analysis Flawed |
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In
a Federal Aviation
Administration analysis
of its new airline pilot
fatigue rules, the
administration has
seriously overestimated
the cost, and
undervalued the
benefits, of applying
the flight- and
duty-time restrictions
and minimum rest
requirements to
all-cargo pilots,
according to the Air
Line Pilots Association,
Int’l.
“When realistic
costing is applied and
the benefits to pilots’
health are considered,
an investment far less
than what the FAA
estimates would be
required to bring all
airline pilots under one
set of fatigue
regulations, regardless
of whether they fly
passengers or cargo in
their aircraft,” said
Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s
president.
Read more.
Call to Action!
Support the Safe Skies
Act
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EGL Pilots Object to American–Republic Purchase Agreement |
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The ALPA pilots of
American Eagle Airlines
filed a formal objection
to the capacity purchase
agreement recently
announced between
American Airlines and
Republic Airways. The
objection was filed in
the United States
Bankruptcy Court for the
Southern District of New
York.
The proposed
agreement between
American and Republic
would severely divert
the flying of large
regional jets to a
competitor and would
needlessly undermine the
value of American Eagle,
threatening the
livelihood of Eagle’s
pilots and other
employees at the
airline. American Eagle,
a wholly owned
subsidiary of AMR, has
provided the substantial
majority of regional
flying for American
Airlines, which is also
an AMR subsidiary.
Read more.
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More on Sequester and Its Impact on Aviation |
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According
to a recent
congressional report,
the impact of
sequestration on our
nation’s aviation system
could be severe.
Previous reports have
estimated that up to
5,000 flights per day
could be canceled and 12
percent of air traffic
controllers laid off as
a result of the cuts.
The most recent
congressional report
warns across-the-board
budget cuts that are set
to take effect on March
1 (barring intervention
by Congress and the
White House), would
limit the FAA’s ability
to move forward with
NextGen modernization.
The FAA’s capital
program, which funds
maintenance and
improvements to the air
traffic control system
and facilities, has
already experienced
significant cuts of more
than $205 million over
the last three years.
Read more.
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Membership Volunteers Learn the Ropes |
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Capt. Mark Nagel |
ALPA’s one-and-a-half
day Membership Seminar,
a training
session/refresher course
for pilot Membership
volunteers, kicked off
this afternoon with a
welcome and
introductions from ALPA
vice
president–administration
Capt. Bill Couette and
Membership Committee
chairman Capt. Mark
Nagel (PCL). The two
discussed their roles,
the Association’s
resources, and the
immense network of
pilots and professional
staff available to help
support ALPA pilots.
Read more.
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Implementation Guidelines Issued for FMLA Protections |
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Last
week, the U.S.
Department of Labor
issued a final rule
implementing the Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
protections for airline
flight crews as well as
new military leave
provisions.
In 2009, with ALPA’s
support, Congress passed
the Airline Flight Crew
Technical Corrections
Act to assure that
flightcrew members would
be able to get the full
benefits of the Family
and Medical Leave Act,
which were previously
not afforded to pilots
because of the unique
nature of flight- and
duty-time rules. The
Labor Department
followed key
recommendations by ALPA
in the approach it chose
to adopt for these
implementing
regulations.
Read more.
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ATC Communications Go Voiceless |
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Pilots and air traffic
controllers at Memphis
International Airport
have begun testing the
use of the Data
Communications Tower
Automation Platform, or
“Datacomm,” a key
enabling technology for
NextGen for live ATC
instructions. Select
FedEx Express flights
are receiving
pre-departure clearances
via data messages rather
than traditional voice
transmissions. The
long-term vision for
FAA’s Datacomm program
is to eventually replace
voice communications for
routine ATC
instructions. Datacomm
is expected to be
further tested at Newark
Liberty International
Airport this summer.
Airlines participating
in the Newark trial will
include United Airlines,
FedEx Express, and UPS.
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Airline Fatalities Reach New Low |
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Yesterday’s New York
Times article titled
“Airline Industry at Its
Safest Since the Dawn of
the Jet Age” points out
that “It will be four
years on Tuesday since
the last fatal crash in
the United States.”
The article
continues, “Globally,
last year was the safest
since 1945, with 23
deadly accidents and 475
fatalities, according to
the Aviation Safety
Network, an accident
researcher.”
Authors Jad Mouawad
and Christopher Drew
note that “In the last
five years, the death
risk for passengers in
the United States has
been one in 45 million
flights.”
Read the New York
Times article.
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Aviation is Constantly Changing, Keep Up with “ALPA Daily” |
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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 members can sign up to receive ALPA Daily in their e-mail:
•
Visit
this link.
• Log in with your ALPA member number and password.
• Select “E-mail Distribution Lists.”
• Check the box for “ALPA Daily.”
• Submit your request.
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Teens Travel Abroad with Help of IYE |
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Do
you want your child to
travel abroad, learn
about a new culture, and
have the experience of a
lifetime? Teens of
airline families can
make this dream a
reality with the help of
International Youth
Exchange (IYE), an
innovative program that
has matched more than
3,000 teens over the
past 18 years.
IYE connects teens,
ages 14–19, with a
similarly aged youth in
another country. Using
their family’s airline
benefits, the youths
spend two weeks in each
other’s homes—usually
over summer break.
Participants will
improve their language
capabilities, see how
families live in
different cultures, and
greatly expand their
world view.
Additionally, both
airline families benefit
by hosting a youth from
abroad, and many times
the exchange results in
lifelong friendships.
IYE has matched teens
in a wide range of
countries, including the
United States, France,
Spain, England, Germany,
Austria, Italy, Ireland,
Portugal, Switzerland,
Canada, New Zealand, and
Australia.
To learn more about
how to take part in an
International Youth
Exchange, please visit
www.intlyouth.org.
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On February 10, 1960, a Delta Air Lines Convair 880 flew from San Diego to
Miami, setting a transcontinental speed record of 3 hours, 31 minutes, and 54
seconds. The next day, Delta flew from Chicago to Miami with another Convair
880, reaching a top speed of 715 mph and completing the trip in 1 hour, 50
minutes, and 55 seconds. Return to top
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Feedback & E-mail Address Changes |
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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
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Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW
| Washington, DC 20036 | 703-689-2270 |
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