Old 02-10-2012, 10:10 PM
  #6  
FailOperational
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Joined APC: Jul 2011
Position: airplane
Posts: 115
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and now for some contrasting humor... here is the garbage ALPA sent me today to make me feel better about being a 2nd class Cargo citizen...

February 10, 2012

Dear ALPA Member,

I want to give you some good news for cargo pilots regarding the recently passed FAA reauthorization bill, and update you on the status of our effort to include cargo pilots in the FAA’s FAR 117 pilot fatigue rule.

First, ALPA was able to exert significant influence on numerous portions of the FAA bill, which passed earlier this week, and secured improvements for our cargo members. We are very pleased that the legislation requires the FAA to analyze the feasibility of installing cockpit doors on “all cargo” aircraft and/or develop alternatives to a secure door to limit access to the flight deck. This has long been an ALPA priority, and this is a win for cargo airline safety.

The House-passed FAA legislation included language regarding the transport of lithium batteries that was unacceptable to ALPA. As you know, transporting lithium batteries as cargo is already prohibited on passenger aircraft. ALPA has been working hard to get regulations in place restricting transport on cargo aircraft as well. As a result, electronic equipment and battery manufacturers worked to include a provision in the original House-passed bill prohibiting the government from more stringently regulating shipments than the current ICAO standard.

Through our collaboration with key members of Congress on the final negotiating conference committee, we were able to ensure that the legislation changed substantially. Under the final bill that passed this week and is on its way to the president’s desk for signing, the government will be able to implement more stringent regulations for transporting lithium batteries. The language gives the government the ability to take action when it affirmatively finds that lithium batteries have contributed to an aircraft incident or accident. This compromise, while not everything we wanted, is a significant improvement to the bill’s language that started in the U.S. House, and we believe this will allow the government to regulate the transport of lithium batteries, as necessary. In addition to the legislative improvements made so far and those still being pursued in the United States, ALPA representatives are also hard at work at ICAO in Montreal seeking even more improvements on international standards for transport of lithium batteries.

There are many other provisions in the FAA bill that are wins for ALPA members, including funding for NextGen, which will enable long-term strategic planning and equipage decisions that will lead to increased capacity and enhanced safety. Included are runway safety plan provisions; authorizations to keep open Pacific Island airports such as Midway, critical for long range operations; and an ALPA-backed provision that makes shining a laser at an aircraft cockpit a federal crime. There is also a requirement included for Part 91 flight time to count toward the flight time limits of FAR 121. So, no more extra segments that don’t count against the flight and duty limits of the FARs.

On the issue of pilot fatigue, ALPA has been extremely active on Capitol Hill, undertaking a broad education effort on the new fatigue rule, FAR 117, and the need to include cargo operations. During the past month, pilots from across ALPA have joined with our Government Affairs Department to lobby Capitol Hill on this issue. Already, we have met with more than 150 congressional offices, and we are just getting started. Soon, our allies in Congress will introduce legislation to direct the FAA to include cargo operations in FAR 117.

Our argument is simple: the cargo carveout in FAR 117 is not about a single level of safety based on science, but rather about avoiding costs, all at a time when many of these companies are making healthy profits. Science—and common sense—tells us that, as human beings, airline pilots don’t feel fatigue differently based on whether the back of the airplane contains people or boxes.

I don’t want to sugarcoat this—this is going to be a hard legislative effort. The same forces that fought and won a cargo carveout from the pilot fatigue rule will fight us on the legislative front.

I believe in the end, however, that we will win. It will take some time, a lot of money, and even more effort. We will be launching an unprecedented grassroots campaign to engage all 53,000 ALPA members in our lobbying effort, and soon will be calling on our members to join us in Washington, D.C., for a blitz on Capitol Hill to make our case to include cargo in FAR 117. To succeed, we will have to use the clout of our membership as a lobbying tool. All ALPA members will have to step up and engage in the legislative process. You will be hearing from me a lot more on our plan in the coming weeks and months, and I will be asking for your help and participation.

Lastly, ALPA will soon announce a Cargo Safety and Security Symposium that we will host to focus attention on issues that still need to be addressed with regard to cargo airline operations. Leading the list of issues for that symposium is the flight-time/duty-time regulatory carveout that we are working hard to overturn. Other topics include transporting hazardous materials, cargo screening, and the lack of requirements for airport rescue and firefighting equipment during cargo operations and at “all cargo” airports. Look for more information on this event soon; I hope you will be able to join us at this symposium.

Sincerely,

Capt. Lee Moak
President
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