Flying the line

[FlyinBrian]

WHere can I get a copy?

 

[Cardinal]

It's getting slightly more difficult to find it, but copies can still be had. Something to note, there are two distinct books in the series by George Hopkins.

Flying the Line, The First Half-Century of ALPA
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0960970800/


Flying the Line II, The Line Pilot in Crisis:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0960970835/


Both are basically a history of ALPA, the first covers through the early 70s IIRC, and the Second starts out with the late seventies trough early nineties.

Another book by Hopkins, if you're a glutton for punishment, is The Airline Pilots, A Study in Elite Unionization, a pretty good read that discusses the origins of ALPA and it's position relative to the rest of labor. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966551400/

 

[skydiverdriver]

I just walked into my local ALPA office and asked for both of them. They gave them to me without even asking who I was. You live in PHX, and AM West, Mesa and SWA all have crewbases there. I would suggest you see if they have a local ALPA office, or ask a line pilot you know to get you a copy of you can.

Honestly, they are a slow read, as the style is a bit tough, in my opinion. However, there is a lot of information in the books, and they do present a pretty good airline history lesson. Another good book to read is "'Confessions of a Union Buster," but I don't have the authors name. Several of our captains read it during our strike and said that management must have read it too. They picked it up at the local Barnes and Noble. Good luck to you.

 

[Cardinal]

That didn't even occur to me. Now that I think back ALPA mailed a copy of Flying the Line II to all the Cal pilots during the merger push.

Anyway, here ya go:
Confessions of a Union Buster, by Martin Jay Levitt, Terry Conrow (Contributor)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0517583305/