June-July 2015 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: » ALPA’s Executive » FFDOs: The Last Line » The Mighty Board Convenes of Defense page 24 Hercules page 37 Air page22 Line PilOt Official Journal of the Air Line Pilots Association, International Virgin America Pilots Vote for ALPA Page 19 ALPA Pilots Take On Capitol Hill Page 20 Follow us on Twitter PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. @wearealpa ADP80654-02_I22195_1a.ai I22195x01A_280u.tif 04.29.2015 Epson dh 34 JUNE-JULY2015CONTENTS VOLUME 84, NUMBER 5 COMMENTARY 4 TAKING OFF Taking Control 5 OUR UNION Mighty ALPA 6 WEIGHING IN Working to Safeguard Our Skies FEATURES 19 AND VIRGIN AMERICA ON THE COVER MAKES 31 A Virgin America airplane prepares for its next depar- 20 ALPA PILOTS SEEK ture from Washington Dulles OUT CAPITOL HILL International Airport. Photo POLICYMAKERS by John Perkinson. 19 22 EXECUTIVE Download a QR reader BOARD CONVENES, to your smartphone, 33 ALPA TOOLBOX IMPLEMENTS POLICY DEPARTMENTS scan the code, and Give Me 5 for Supporting P4P CHANGES 7 PREFLIGHT read the magazine. 34 HEALTH WATCH 24 FFDO PROGRAM: THE @ Air Line Pilot (ISSN 0002-242X) is pub lished 28 ALPA WORK Arrhythmias: Meds and FAA monthly except for combined January/Feb- LAST LINE OF DEFENSE Training Pilots to Successfully ruary and June/July issues by the Air Line Certification (Rhythm Control) Pilots Association, Inter national, affiliated 26 UNITED PILOTS’ NEW- Negotiate and Enforce with AFL-CIO, CLC. Editorial Offices: 535 Agreements; Intel Agency Herndon Parkway, PO Box 1169, Herndon, HIRE MENTOR PROGRAM 36 RECENTLY RETIRED VA 20172-1169. Telephone: 703-481-4460. Reps, Pilots Talk Security See Who’s on the List Fax: 703-464-2114. Copyright © 2015—Air TAKES OFF Line Pilots Association, Inter national, all at ALPA Conference; HIMS rights reserved. Publica tion in any form Seminar Addresses Complex 37 THE LANDING without permission is prohibited. Air Line Pi- lot and the ALPA logo Reg. U.S. Pat. and T.M. Issues; Membership Seminar The Mighty Hercules Office. Federal I.D. 36-0710830. Periodicals Preps Reps to Make ALPA’s postage paid at Herndon, VA 20172, and additional offices. Best First Impression 38 WE ARE ALPA ALPA Resources and Postmaster: Send address changes to Air Line Pilot, PO Box 1169, Herndon, VA Contact Numbers 20172-1169. 8 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40620579 Canada Post: Return undeliverables to P.O. Box 2601, 6915 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON 37 L4T 0A9. 26 June-July 2015 Air Line Pilot » 3 ADP80654-02_I22195_1a.ai I22195x01A_280u.tif 04.29.2015 Epson dh TakingOff carry forward the airline pilot message. In the United States, as the summer approaches and the FAA Taking reauthorization expiration date looms, ALPA pilots and staff are fervently campaigning to keep America flying safely. With the Control powerful and recognizable tagline of “This Is Your Captain Speak- ing,” ALPA is imploring Congress to pass an on-time FAA reauthori- Lori Garver, General Manager zation bill that puts safety first and to put aside any attempts to roll [email protected] back safety regulations and add extraneous measures that could his month unveiled a superb il- delay passage of the bill. lustration of pilots’ taking control: An army of pilot foot soldiers and ALPA staff have been knock- Tthe pilots of Virgin America voted ing on the doors of members of Congress, drawing attention to the overwhelmingly in favor of ALPA representation. I was privileged all-important safety perspective of passing the FAA reauthorization to witness this historic accomplishment, which was the hard- bill. Personally witnessing ALPA members from more than a dozen earned result of Virgin America pilots working alongside ALPA pilot groups embrace our safety message and engage with their pilots and staff with team precision to reach their goal. home-state members of Congress to seek support for ALPA’s safety In a similar fashion of taking command in Canada, ALPA pilots priorities was indeed inspiring. and staff worked together to develop the Association’s newest As ALPA staff, as we continue to support the endeavors and activi- advocacy white paper, State of Our Skies: Canada, which calls on the ties of each pilot group and the union as a whole, we are continu- Canadian government to promote an environment that allows fair ously impressed by the foresight and vision of the members of this opportunities for Canadian airlines and airline workers. ALPA dis- union. With our newest addition of the Virgin America pilots, we are tributed the document on Parliament Hill, and pilots participated now 31 pilot groups strong. Regardless of individual differences, we in Calls to Action, demonstrating their desire to take control of and know that it’s the sum of our parts that makes us whole. E mergency V ision A ssurance S ystem When smoke fills your cockpit... Will you be protected? Learn more at 800 441 9230 Innovative Solutions from www.visionsafe.com [email protected] 4 » Air Line Pilot June-July 2015 OurUnion fic control service organization and governance. Mighty ALPA ALPA recently updated our policy to underscore the essential characteristics of any organization afety is the cornerstone of ALPA’s existence. charged with operating the U.S. air traffic control On July 27, our union will celebrate 84 system. It must be not-for-profit. Its governance S years as the leading advocate for safety and must ensure that the system’s ultimate users such security in our industry. Throughout its more than as ALPA and the National Air Traffic Controllers eight decades of existence, ALPA has never backed Association play a strong role in establishing its down from its uncomplicated motto: Schedule strategic direction and oversight. And any air traf- with Safety. With the FAA authorization set to fic control service organization must safeguard the expire in September, ALPA has once again taken employer-employee relationship. the lead in steering Congress to pass a long-term, For more than 80 years, ALPA has served as an safety-focused FAA reauthorization bill on time. immutable voice for airline safety, security, and the During the last reauthorization cycle in 2011, airline piloting profession. Our voice became even when the U.S. air transportation system endured stronger on June 4 when Virgin America pilots a two-week partial government shutdown, the voted overwhelmingly to join ALPA (see page 19). industry suffered a tremendous loss: 4,000 FAA ALPA stands ready to help Virgin America pilots employees and 70,000 airport construction work- chart their future by first assisting them with es- ers were furloughed—and it was reported to have tablishing their internal structure to effectively rep- cost the FAA more than $350 million in uncollected resent their pilots and then helping them achieve airline ticket taxes. their first collective bargaining agreement. For obvious reasons, ALPA is vehemently Also on the collective bargaining front, Delta’s opposed to this happening again. The authoriza- Master Executive Council (MEC) leaders approved tion forms the indispensable policy blueprint and a tentative agreement on June 11 (see page 13). In de- federal authority under which the FAA maintains scribing the process to reach the agreement, Capt. operation of the U.S. national airspace system and Mike Donatelli, the pilots’ MEC chairman, cited the conducts its safety oversight mission. “incredible dedication from our negotiators, profes- Discussions on FAA reauthorization are happen- sional staff, subject-matter experts, and [Delta] ing now––and ALPA is concentrating its resources elected representatives.” Delta pilots will now have across Capitol Hill with our call for an on-time bill. an opportunity to cast their individual votes for the Congress must resist adding the extraneous mea- contract. As this issue goes to press, the MEC will sures that delayed the bill’s passage in the past and conduct road shows to explain the contract and work to prevent stop-and-start extensions that fail take questions and hear concerns from the pilots. to fund progress and keep aviation the safest mode And while the news from the Delta pilots is of transportation in the world. positive, our pilots at Air Wisconsin, Atlantic To underscore the urgency of our position, in June Southeast/ExpressJet, and Sun Country continue to more than 150 ALPA pilots came to Washington, face challenges in achieving a contract. And FedEx D.C., to meet with federal lawmakers on this issue Express and Mesa pilot contracts are well past their and others as part of our annual Government Af- amendable date. Our union will show equal resolve fairs Legislative Summit (see page 20). On the same in working toward the successful conclusion of day, ALPA launched a new ad campaign to keep bargaining for these—and all—ALPA pilot groups. America flying safely. With the tagline, “This Is Your As Forbes reported in its June 5 story “Mighty Captain Speaking,” the campaign targets Capitol Hill ALPA Reaches Deal with Delta and Signs Up Virgin with our FAA reauthorization message (see page 8). America on the Same Day,” each pilot group we ALPA’s Hill visits and public relations push add to our collective voice has a direct effect on our have not only communicated our concerns, ability to carry our message forward. they’ve also helped counter the misguided efforts ALPA’s might lies in its members. of some who are demanding rollback of hard-won safety regulations. The FAA reauthorization could also contain di- rection from Congress to create a new U.S. air traf- Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA President June-July 2015 Air Line Pilot » 5 WeighingIn Working to Safeguard Our Skies By Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA First Vice President s ALPA’s first vice presi- system, including giving ALPA a role in the leadership structure.