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AE FO lies about being F-16 among other things.

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The article has been nuked from ALPA.

A couple guys have archived it over at APC though if you find the thread on it there.
 
S
ome men and women grace their
world with a maturity uncommon
for their age. one such is F/o timothy
Martins (American Eagle), a role
model for the ALPA Code of Ethics.

“I met tim 4 years ago on the Saab
in DFW at Eagle,” says F/o Ray Nicoll
(Delta). “he came to me fresh off IoE
at the age of 21. When he came into
the cockpit, he looked me straight
in the eye and shook my hand as he

F/O TimOThy marTins
(american eagle)
persOniFies pilOT
prOFessiOnalism
and living by The
alpa cOde OF eThics

introduced himself to me.”

the ALPA Code of Ethics declares,
in part, that “[an airline pilot] will
realize that he represents the airline

to all who meet him, and will at all
times keep his personal appearance
and conduct above reproach.”

“his shoes were shined and his
uniform and personal appearance were
sharp,” Nicoll continues. “he looked
like a real professional pilot. there was
something about the way he carried
himself that made him stand out from
the other pilots.

“tim is always at work early with a
smile on his face,” Nicoll adds. “the
way he looks through the paperwork
and weather, you would think that he

22 Air Line Pilot April 2010
CAPt. DAVID MIChAUD (AMERICAN EAGLE)

has been a pilot his whole life. he is a
real treat to work with. throughout the
years that I’ve known him, he never
ceases to amaze me.”

Falcons and eagle(s)

Martins got an early start on his path
to the cockpit.

“When I was 6 or 7 years old,” he
recalls, “my family went on vacation.
We flew from Islip to Miami on a
b-727. I got to see the cockpit as we
boarded, and I thought, ‘this looks
pretty cool. this is what I want to do
when I grow up.’”

At the age of 16, Martins started
flying in September 2001—an inauspicious
month, to be sure—as a freshman
in the Dowling College School
of Aviation, located at brookhaven
Airport on Long Island, N.y. he graduated
3 years later, all of 19 years old,
with a commercial certificate and
multiengine, instrument, CFII, and
single-engine sea ratings.

“I was in one of the last classes
at Atlantic Coast Airlines,” Martins
recalls, “but I was furloughed after 8
months, so I joined the New Jersey
Air National Guard.” he flies F-16s as
a member of the 177th Fighter Wing,
which is based in Atlantic City, N.J.;
F-15s might be next.

In August 2006, Martins joined EGL,
flying as a Saab 340 copilot based at
LAX. Since 2007, he’s flown Embraer
135/145s from New york’s JFK and
LGA.

Community service and
ALPA volunteerism

the ALPA Code of Ethics asserts that
an airline pilot “will be a good citizen
of his country, state, and community,
taking an active part in their affairs….”
Martins lives up to that part of the
Code in multiple ways.

In addition to flying for EGL,
Martins, carrying on a family tradition,
works as a firefighter and paramedic
for New york City. “It’s an easy second
job to hold,” he explains, “because I
can work a flexible schedule that fits in
with my flying.” Martins is a member
of Ladder Company two, located in
midtown Manhattan.

“tim is the type of guy who would
give you the shirt off his back if you
need it,” Nicoll points out. “he is always
helping guys at work with things.”

In 2007, Martins took the ALPA
training, hosted by the ExpressJet
Master Executive Council in houston,
to become a volunteer serving in the
Association’s Critical Incident Response
Program (CIRP). he also is cross-trained
in safety and accident investigation,
having completed the ALPA basic
Safety School and the Accident
Investigation Course.

With that background, he was well
prepared to provide CIRP support for
the ALPA accident investigators who

overwhelmed by not only flying larger
airplanes but also learning the myriad
details—such as using the airline’s
computerized bidding system—that
more senior pilots had long since incorporated
into their lives on the line.

Cockpit professional

Capt. Dave Michaud (EGL) describes
Martins as “lots of fun to fly with—
he’s very personable, but that doesn’t
interfere with his professionalism. he’s
not only flying the airplane, he’s hav-

Code of ethiCS Role Model


Nominated by F/o Ray Nicoll (Delta),

F/o Martins was selected from an

excellent field of pilots recommended

by their peers.

Making the selection, with the

concurrence of the EGL Master

Executive Council, were Capt. Chuck

hogeman (United), chairman,

ALPA human Factors and training

participated in the field investigation
of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash
near buffalo, N.y., in February 2009.
Martins spent 10 days at the Colgan
field investigation.

Martins also provides CIRP support
to EGL pilots when they encounter
situations that might seem minor
when compared to working on the
field investigation of a major accident,
but are stressful nonetheless—“a rough
time at home, going through a divorce,
experiencing smoke in the cockpit,
stuff like that,” Martins explains. “I
give ‘em a call and ask how they’re
doing.”

As if his days aren’t full enough,
Martins also volunteers in the food
pantry at holy Cross Catholic Church
in Nesconset, N.y., down the street
from where he lives, and has helped
build houses through the habitat for
humanity program.

“I try to give back to my community,”
he says. “It’s the way I was raised.”

A few years ago, during EGL’s big hiring
push, Martins served as a volunteer
in the EGL MEC’s new-hire mentor
program. Some of the new hires he
guided through their first year on the
airline had as few as 500 hours total
flight time, and were understandably

Group; Capt. John Rosenberg
(Delta), chairman, ALPA Professional
Standards Committee; and Capt.
John Sluys (Alaska), chairman, ALPA
Professional Development Group.

to nominate a member as an
ALPA Code of Ethics role model to
be profiled in Air Line Pilot, e-mail
[email protected].


ing fun doing the job, and I think that
takes a special talent. he has a great
ability to get along with anyone—flight
attendants, dispatchers, maintenance,
everyone he comes into contact with.

“his knowledge of the airplane
probably exceeds my own,” Michaud
adds. “tim does everything above and
beyond the requirements of the job.
he does all the procedures by the book,
following SoPS, and always uses the
checklists. It makes it easier to do the
job right, the way we’re supposed to
do it.

“It’s the little things, like always
saying, ‘My airplane’ or ‘your airplane’
when we transfer control, so there’s no
doubt about who’s flying the airplane.”

“tim, to me, shows the professionalism
that every pilot should show,”
Nicoll says. “he truly cares about his
passengers and crew.” And that brings
us back to the very first declaration in
the ALPA Code of Ethics: “An Air Line
Pilot will keep uppermost in his mind
that the safety, comfort, and well-being
of the passengers who entrust their
lives to him are his first and greatest
responsibility.”

Nicoll sums up Martins thusly:
“he is what ALPA stands for. tim is
ALPA.”
 
In my e-mail inbox a few hours ago:

To All ALPA Members:

We have been advised by several sources that there may be misinformation, misstatements, or misinterpretations in the article "Mature Beyond His Years" published in the April issue of Air Line Pilot magazine.
We take these allegations very seriously, and we have begun an inquiry into the facts of this matter.
At the conclusion of this inquiry, we will take appropriate action to correct any inaccuracies.

Air Line Pilots Association, International
[email protected]
 
I blame ALPA for this entire ordeal just as much as this kid. This whole fiasco is embematic of everything that is wrong with ALPA.
 

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