Dont like the direction this is going in....

[Clyde]

If we don't start getting heavily involved in politics we will have no voice. No voice means no position on the issue.

Contribute to ALPA/APA-PAC
Start a Legislative Affairs Committee with your pilot group.

Man this cabatoge is going destroy and when won't even know it...


We need to align the poltiicians to draft legislation that gurantees US Pilot employment....

Nobody can align the politicians unless they have some deep, deep pockets. I don't believe ALPA has enough political pull to be effective with this, and even if they did, I personally wouldn't trust them.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Nobody can align the politicians unless they have some deep, deep pockets. I don't believe ALPA has enough political pull to be effective with this, and even if they did, I personally wouldn't trust them.

Last year ALPA-PAC had over 1MM to spend on Air Line Pilot Issues. That is with less than 30% of the membership contributing. Our pockets can get deeper. Got $5?


Direct questions.... please answer....

Why doesn't ALPA have enough politcal pull?

Why don't you trust ALPA to push Air Line Pilot issues on CapHill?

 

[TCBKING]

quote:
"Next up... cabotage?"

BINGO!!

I posted a thread in the regional section to try and get their attention on this matter (they seem more interested in who has the hottest flight attendants), and do you know what one of the responses was?? "they are only looking to change foreign ownership laws..." or something like that.

Cabotage is right around the corner from this....don't kid yourself.

John I understand your frustration with this cabotage issue. I hope you dont block all of the regional pilots together. There are alot of immature pilots out there, but rest assured the rest of us are well educated, and are very nervous as to where this is leading. Its the tip of the iceburg and we need to protect our jobs from the bottom up. If there is anything more threatening that should unite all of us to take a stand, I dont know what it is. I want to retire a Mainline pilot, but I wont do it if foreigners are flying our routes for $10 an hour. Foreign ownership is first, I can promise you cabotage is next.

 

[Crash Pad]

Go ahead join a political party. Heck maybe even a Union... Call it the Air Line Pilots Association or ALPA for short. This ship is sailing but it doesn't really matter. New BK contracts are going to decimate this industry. Cabotage and open skies will just put icing on the cake. Carrying PAX is already a dead end deal this open skies thing is going to be the beginning of the cargo pilot decline.

 

[FoxHunter]

If there is anything more threatening that should unite all of us to take a stand, I dont know what it is. I want to retire a Mainline pilot, but I wont do it if foreigners are flying our routes for $10 an hour. Foreign ownership is first, I can promise you cabotage is next.

Where are these foreign pilots going to come from? The only place in the world that has an abundance of pilots is the USA. Ten years ago Cathay Pacific decided to crew their freighters with pilots that were not on their seniority list. Guess where they came to hire the 50 Captains, 50 F/Os, and 50 PFEs for their 747-200 freighters? Who did they go to to find these lower paid pilots? They worked with UPAS, a job service, that happened to be owned by an organization in Herndon, VA.

Pick up a copy of "Flight International" and you will see airlines or crewing services trying to recruit crews for every type transport aircraft. When is the last time you saw this type of ad in the USA?

Cabotage and "Open Sky" is a positive for pilots at both FedEx and UPS. Looking at the state of the passenger industry it would probably be a plus there also.

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

Where are these foreign pilots going to come from? The only place in the world that has an abundance of pilots is the USA. Ten years ago Cathay Pacific decided to crew their freighters with pilots that were not on their seniority list. Guess where they came to hire the 50 Captains, 50 F/Os, and 50 PFEs for their 747-200 freighters? Who did they go to to find these lower paid pilots? They worked with UPAS, a job service, that happened to be owned by an organization in Herndon, VA.

Cabotage and "Open Sky" is a positive for pilots at both FedEx and UPS. Looking at the state of the passenger industry it would probably be a plus there also.

Interesting and I hope this is the case. When World bought North American I became worried that they would play the 2 pilot groups against each other. I'm not sure if World pilots will fare well or not, but the rumor is they are worried.

With open skies I was thinking the World situation might happen with FedEx or UPS and a future wholly owned subsidiary. If we are indeed cheaper then we have nothing to worry about, except giving growth to another pilot growth. Wouldn't Fred Smith love that kind of bargaining tool? Fred is starting a hub in China. You FedEx guys have trouble getting it manned?

Most likely scenario (within the next 3-5 years)--If the growth and profits keep coming management will not risk angering the pilot group with that type of situation.


After that my crystal ball is too murky.

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Less expensive crews typically equal less experienced crews. Less experienced crews typically equal more aircraft mishaps.

How 'bout that American flight that landed in a T-storm in Little Rock? That was the ORD Chief Pilot. Or the American F.O. who stomped on the rudder on that Airbus in JFK in Nov. '01? Or the United crew who nearly caused the worst domestic commercial aviation accident to date when they came 40 feet from hitting the towers on a hill coming out of SFO? Or................

How could you say such a thing? Or were you just trying to be funny?

GP

 

[Rock]

I'm not sure whether or not you are being serious here, so I'll answer you like you are. (if I'm missing attempted sarcasm I apologize in advance). I did a quick Google search for some relevent stats on whether pilot experience is a factor in aircraft mishaps. Here is one stat from 2000. Of 1527 accidents in 2000 in which data exists regarding pilot experience, 82.4% involved pilots with 1000 hours of time OR LESS in the accident aircraft type. Of those, 68.2% had LESS than 200 hours total time.

I'm not sure why there is even a question about whether pilots with more experience tend to be "safer" than pilots with less. Assuming you have considerable experience in the flying world, this shouldn't be a new revelation to you. Certainly if you have any time instructing, you should be capable of observing the difference between pilots with varying degrees of flying experience. You will note in my first post that I said "typically" when referring to the subject at hand. Of course there will be exceptions to any rule, but actual evidence points out very clearly that flying experience has some very direct ties to mishap causes. And generally, more experience results in better judgement and fewer fatal errors.

 

[FoxHunter]

Interesting and I hope this is the case. When World bought North American I became worried that they would play the 2 pilot groups against each other. I'm not sure if World pilots will fare well or not, but the rumor is they are worried.

With open skies I was thinking the World situation might happen with FedEx or UPS and a future wholly owned subsidiary. If we are indeed cheaper then we have nothing to worry about, except giving growth to another pilot growth. Wouldn't Fred Smith love that kind of bargaining tool? Fred is starting a hub in China. You FedEx guys have trouble getting it manned?

Most likely scenario (within the next 3-5 years)--If the growth and profits keep coming management will not risk angering the pilot group with that type of situation.


After that my crystal ball is too murky.

Management could do a lot of things now without cabotage or the open sky program. The management at FedEx probably knows the pilot group and pilots better than the pilots themselves. They shape their views without the emotion pilots put into the issues. When FedEx first announced the Subic flying the story was spread that they were going to use those foreign pilots everone so fears. If you read the book Hijack ou will fine that Calloway sp?, bought the story hook, line, and sinker, and it was one of the things that pushed him over the edge.

 

[pilotyip]

Rock, The stats you quote probably cover the entire world of flying and for that the stats are probably valid. However your stats are not valid for 121-air crew. At the majors almost every pilot has less than a 1000 hours in type when they start. These guys are basically accident free due to screening and training. My original reference was about less experienced flight crewmembers. Like a 3000 hour pilot with 1000 TJ PIC instead of a 6000 hour pilot with 1000 121 TJ PIC