Air Line Pilots Association

Some people are saying one pilot is enough. That’s like saying one wing is enough. Air travel in the U.S. is the safest mode of transportation because there are always two pilots on the flight deck. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eS4PQeEj #SafetyStartsWith2 EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency Airbus

The rainy weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of 1,500 people who recently participated in a “Girls Can Fly” event hosted by the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. As an event sponsor, our Education Committee staffed a booth in the hangar for students to talk with real-life airline pilots about the profession and continue our work of striving to inspire the next generation of airline pilots. F/O Elly Mansourian, who led our outreach at the event, and Capt. Seena Ali-Mirsalari (Air Canada Pilots), Capt. Mehrab Dastoor (Jazz Pilots), F/O Heather Jennings (ACA), and F/O Quinn Meyer (JAZ) talked specifically about flight training programs and scholarships. They also answered questions about ALPA and its role in the industry. Through these conversations, they inspired many young women from southern Ontario to become airline pilots and provided them with the tools to navigate the process. Our Education Committee promotes the piloting profession, mentors aspiring aviators, and prepares future generations of pilots to join the ranks of our members. For more information or to get involved, contact Education@alpa.org. #MotivationMonday #DreamJob #Pilot #Career

Having a mentor is important at every step of an airline pilot’s career. These mentorship opportunities allow us to reach the new generation of pilots and make a favorable impression of our union. Standardizing our mentorship curriculum across ALPA carriers will build an informed, engaged ALPA member.

As an airline pilot, I can tell you that technology fails, even on the flight deck. Putting increased trust in autonomous systems creates an overreliance on systems that could fail—or be hacked—and requires more complex interactions between systems and pilots. All of these threats combined create a more failure-prone environment on the flight deck—and places our entire system at risk. #SafetyStartsWith2

We recently hosted our first Mentorship Seminar to spotlight the importance of providing meaningful guidance for ALPA members who are experiencing new and different phases of their career. All ALPA pilot group leaders were invited to participate in an open discussion that focused on building a stronger union, said Capt. Kandy Bernskoetter (FedEx Pilots), the union’s Membership Committee Chair. Dozens of pilots from 18 airlines attended the meeting held June 20-21 at the United Pilots office in Chicago. “There is a desire to collaborate and discuss what works and doesn’t work,” Bernskoetter said. “We all know there are no right or wrongs in this area and no “one size fits all” answer, but a plan to educate and mentor our members makes us stronger.” The group heard several individual mentorship presentations from different MECs, discussed best practices, and shared lessons learned. Capt. Sean Creed (Spirit Airlines Pilots), ALPA’s VP Admin who has oversight over the union’s Professional Development Group (PDG), said that the massive amount of hiring since COVID creates an opportunity to rethink how ALPA onboards new pilots and ensure they are informed, engaged, and translate into ALPA volunteers. “Since May 2023, ALPA carriers have hired more than 11,000 pilots,” he said. “This timely discussion and follow up action are both necessary to ensure we properly onboard our newest members and we provide guidance to those who are making moves in their career. We have pilots who are advancing from first officer to captain, others who are going through a merger, and some who want to become union volunteers.” Capt. Jade Schiewe (Endeavor), ALPA’s National Resource Coordinator, highlighted the importance of learning programs and technology. He reported on the significant progress of the newly implemented mentorship program at Endeavor, a case study for using the mentoring software, Qooper, on the property. Several other MECs are signed up to start up similar programs. #Aviation #Pilot #Career

Reduced-crew operations not only suffer the safety risks of higher workloads for the remaining pilot, or the incapacitation of the single pilot, but it also puts aviation safety on the edge of what technology is capable of. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3RBhCCP #SafetyStartsWith2 #Automation #Airbus

Happy #FourthOfJuly! 🇺🇸✈️As we celebrate our freedom and the spirit of America today, let's give a special shoutout to the pilots who keep us connected for these special moments. Their dedication and hard work allow us to reunite with loved ones, explore new places, and experience the beauty of our great nation. #IndependenceDay🎆🎉

In the final installment of our popular Flying the Line Vol. 2 podcast, Hank Duffy’s executive administrator, Randy Babbitt, wins the ALPA presidency in a closely contested election against Roger Hall. We wish to thank all our loyal listeners for their continued support. For those new to the podcast, follow Volumes 1 and 2 of Flying the Line to learn about the many challenges ALPA has overcome to emerge as the most powerful and influential airline pilot union in the world. Listen today: https://lnkd.in/eyGFYr45

At its core, what Airbus is trying to do would leave one pilot alone on the flight deck during the cruise phase of the flight while the other pilot is in another part of the aircraft. When this one pilot attends to physiological needs or becomes incapacitated it leaves no one at the controls, the only person who can step in to fly that aircraft will be asleep in a bunk rather than on the flight deck where they belong. Single pilot operations are effectively zero pilot operations in airline transportation, which could be catastrophic in an emergency.     I have thousands of hours over the North Atlantic, and can tell you with no uncertainty that in the middle of the night in cruise, having only one pilot is a significant degradation in safety. Imagine an emergency like an engine fire, security event or incapacitation of the remaining pilot.      The safety of the traveling and shipping public demands we refuse to entertain this unsafe idea.

It has become very apparent that EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency has been working with EU aircraft manufacturer Airbus to develop criteria for the development of enhanced minimum crew operations and single pilot operations on specific aircraft with the goal of eliminating a two-pilot flight deck. The regulatory agency’s timeline for assessing issues with and implementing reduced-crew operations into the EU regulatory framework is aggressive, with no data or information to justify such a drastic degradation of safety in the aviation industry. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3RBhCCP #SafetyStartsWith2 #Automation #Airbus