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December 17, 2013 FacebookTwitterFlickrYouTubeRSS FeedsLinkedInBlog

In This Issue:

ALPA to U.S. Government: Reject Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme
“Securing the Skies” Highlights Aviation Security Achievements, Challenges
ALPA-PAC Tops $1 Million for 2013
Sleep Apnea Update
FDX MEC Hosts Holiday Event at the Memphis Zoo
ASA/XJT Completes First Round of Road Shows
HAL Pilots Cheer Sick Kids at Christmastime
Happy 110th Birthday to Aviation
Consider ALPA’s Emergency Relief Fund Your End-of-Year Tax Deduction
Travel Alert—Madagascar
News on the Net
 

ALPA to U.S. Government: Reject Norwegian Air’s Evasive Scheme

The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today called for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to immediately reject Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) foreign air carrier permit application because the company appears to be attempting to evade its national laws and regulations to compete unfairly against U.S. airlines and their employees. The call came in an answer that ALPA filed in response to NAI’s application.

Read the full release.

“Securing the Skies” Highlights Aviation Security Achievements, Challenges

Aviation security stakeholders, Hill staffers, and news media reporters convened today for “Securing the Skies: Aviation Security a Dozen Years after 9/11,” a one-day conference held in Washington, D.C., and jointly sponsored by the ALPA and Airlines for America (A4A). This special event featured keynote presentations and panel discussions examining ongoing threats to air transportation and what the industry must do to protect itself from terrorist and other criminal threats.

“In our post-9/11 world, we can no longer confine our thinking to stopping criminal acts that take place while an aircraft is on the ground or in flight,” said ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak, in his opening comments. “In this new era, we need our intelligence community to continually devote the resources required to prevent acts of terrorism.” He noted that an effective deterrence approach requires cooperation and that the intelligence community “must collaborate and communicate, not only with others in government, but also with industry stakeholders.”

Read the full article | Watch video from the event

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ALPA-PAC Tops $1 Million for 2013

For the first time since 2008, ALPA-PAC has raised more than $1 million in a calendar year. This great accomplishment shows ALPA pilots’ dedication to creating pilot-partisan change in Washington. It also raises the Association’s prestige on Capitol Hill.

“During the 2011-2012 cycle,” said ALPA Political Representative Zack Mooneyham, “the top PACs in the country gave just over $2 million to federal candidates. For 2014, we’ll be on that level and will be able to match some of our biggest opponents dollar for dollar on political spending. That means a lot in D.C.”

In addition to the monetary goal, ALPA-PAC has also exceeded its participation goal for the year. Since January 1, the PAC has added more than 1,200 new contributors (the best year on that measure since 2002) and raised participation ALPA-wide to just under 15 percent. Special thanks to all of the ALPA members who made achieving these goals possible by contributing to the PAC and recruiting their colleagues this year.

The descriptions of the Air Line Pilots Association PAC are not a solicitation to contribute to the PAC. Only ALPA members, ALPA executives, and senior administrative and professional staff personnel, and their immediate family members living in the same household are eligible to contribute to ALPA-PAC. ALPA-PAC maintains and enforces a policy of refusing to accept contributions from any other source. ALPA members may learn more about ALPA-PAC and about contributing to ALPA-PAC by entering the members-only portion of this website.

Sleep Apnea Update

The FAA held a webinar on December 12, 2013, to brief the aviation medical examiner (AME) community and the aviation industry on the status of new guidance material on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that is expected to be distributed mid-January 2014. The specifics of that guidance are still being developed by the federal flight surgeon and his staff; however, the FAA appears set to publish guidance for use by AMEs that will aid them in identifying OSA as an ongoing condition of medical certificate issuance. OSA has been a disqualifying condition since 1996, and hundreds of pilots who suffer from it have received special-issuance medical certificates. ALPA’s Aeromedical Advisor, Dr. Quay Snyder, has developed a primer on the subject of OSA for the benefit of the membership.

Read the full article.

FDX MEC Hosts Holiday Event at the Memphis Zoo

With the holiday season in full swing, the FDX MEC’s Family Awareness Committee hosted a holiday event for FedEx pilots and their families in Memphis and extended an invitation to other employees within FedEx, the Federal Aviation Administration office in Memphis, and the Memphis Tower. On Sunday, FedEx pilots gathered with their families at the Memphis Zoo for a private showing of the spectacular “Zoo Lights” display which features over one million holiday lights. Children were able to visit with Santa Claus and ice skate during the event.

“We tried to come up with a holiday-themed event that we knew our pilots and their families would enjoy. The Memphis Zoo puts together an excellent holiday light exhibit each year and we knew our pilots would enjoy this type of event,” said Family Awareness Committee chairman F/O Pat Meagher. “As the planning progressed, we thought this would be a great opportunity to include those individuals we work so closely with on a routine basis—other employees within FedEx, FAA staff, and air traffic controllers. This event was just a small token of our appreciation for the work they do.”

Capt. Scott Stratton, MEC chairman, commented specifically on the importance of these types of events. “The holiday season is a time to celebrate and spend time with those around you. We think it’s important to take a break from the day-to-day business and come together with our pilots, their families, and those with whom we work each day to enjoy this time of year.”

ASA/XJT Completes First Round of Road Shows

On Monday, December 16, the ASA and ExpressJet MECs and the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) finished their first round of road shows to inform the pilot group of the tentative agreement reached in November. For the last 16 days, the group has traveled to 10 domiciles, holding two road shows in each location. They also hosted the first of three all-pilot calls. Nearly 700 pilots came to the road shows or listened in to learn about the agreement.

More road shows are scheduled for early January at the larger domiciles. In addition to the road shows, members of the MECs and the JNC will be available at the crew rooms. Voting opened on Tuesday, December 17, at 10 a.m., and will continue through January 14. For more information about the tentative agreement, pilots can visit www.asaxjtjcba.com.

HAL Pilots Cheer Sick Kids at Christmastime

Hawaiian Airlines pilots are spreading Christmas aloha to sick and needy children and their families this holiday season. As they’ve done in years past, the HAL MEC’s Community Awareness Committee is sponsoring a series of events where Hawaiian pilots and flight attendants deliver gifts, serve food, and spend time with families via Honolulu’s HUGS (Help Understanding Support Group) program, as well as kids hospitalized at the Kapiolani Women and Children’s Hospital, the Shriners Children Hospital of the Pacific, and Ronald McDonald House of Hawaii.

“Many of these sick kids live on outer islands and are separated from their families at Christmastime because they’ve come to Honolulu for treatment,” says HAL Community Awareness chairman Capt. Donald Del Carmen. “It’s an annual tradition for us to make sure that every child gets a present and a warm greeting from our Hawaiian Airlines Ohana [family] so that none of them are alone on Christmas Day.”

Happy 110th Birthday to Aviation

On this date, December 17, in 1903, in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first step in what would become the aviation industry. With Orville at the controls and battling 27 mph winds, their small plane flew just 12 seconds, but landed in aviation history as the first human-controlled, powered, and heavier-than-air flight in the world. The brothers made three more attempts that day, the last staying aloft for 59 seconds and going 852 feet. Shortly after the fourth flight, the Wright Flyer, now broken by the winds, was packed up and the Wrights returned home to Dayton, Ohio, but not before sending a telegram to their father about their success.

As we now travel around the globe with flights lasting hours and traversing oceans, we owe a debt to a lone biplane on a windy sand dune on the eastern shore of North Carolina—110 years ago today.

Consider ALPA’s Emergency Relief Fund Your End-of-Year Tax Deduction

To minimize this year’s tax expenses, many financial advisors encourage their clients to look for end-of-the-year charitable tax deductions. If you’re looking for a worthy charity, consider contributing to the ALPA Emergency Relief Fund, also known as Pilots for Pilots (P4P). Donations are tax-deductible in the United States.

In the years since its creation, Pilots for Pilots has provided assistance to numerous ALPA members and their families affected by hurricanes, wildfires, river flooding, and other widespread disasters. To learn more about P4P and to make a contribution, visit www.alpa.org/relieffund.

Travel Alert—Madagascar

The U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Alert for U.S. citizens traveling to Madagascar now through February 28, 2014. On December 20, 2013, the country will be holding legislative and the final round of presidential elections. It is expected that there may be protests and gatherings that could potentially turn violent.

For more information, please read the full travel alert.

News on the Net

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