“More Work Must Be Done”

The Air Line Pilots Association urged Congress to stay the course and continue to improve aviation safety on all fronts, building on the public outcry from recent issues in the public eye.

The FAA has been engaged in a flurry of activity, looking to improve the safety of ATC and the terminal environment following a couple high-profile near-hits between large aircraft. In supporting the wider industry effort, ALPA president Jason Ambrosi made an appearance at a recent hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation. In it, he called for improvements to now-proven additions to the industry like flight profile optimization, Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System remote surveillance displays, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out gear, and NextGen equipment.

“More work can and must be done to prevent near misses and other incidents. ALPA strongly supports doing more to advance NextGen to enhance pilots’ and air traffic controllers’ ability to pinpoint the position of aircraft while in flight and on the ground. Moving NextGen forward will not only help prevent near misses and enhance safety, but it will also improve traffic management and aircraft utilization, reduce flight delays, cut aviation emissions, and contribute to airline profitability.”

“The presence of two highly trained and well-rested pilots working on every airliner flight deck is another critical factor in safety. We saw this during a near-miss incident at Austin in February that could have resulted in tragedy if not for the actions of the two FedEx pilots working on board the flight deck,” continued Ambrosi. “The success that we’ve achieved in aviation safety didn’t happen by chance. Our progress has also resulted from critical changes to the regulations governing pilot qualification and training, fatigue, airline operations and maintenance, and technology.”

FMI: www.alpa.org