Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"The proposals originated in the European Parliament where we had the sorry spectacle of politicians trying to decide what hours should be flown and when. They came to a shoddy compromise which is unsafe, unsound, and impractical. The fact is that science has been shut out. The views of experts in the field were neither sought nor accepted when offered. There is a desire to have one European standard, and that is something that BALPA has been demanding for years, but what we are offered is a half baked set of proposals that will put passenger lives at risk. The public needs to be told."

Source: British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) General Secretary Jim McAuslin, talking about a proposal before the EU Council of Transport Ministers at their meeting in Luxembourg later this week. At that meeting, ministers could decide to standardize the amount of hours a flight crew can work each day. The number is 14. The BALPA quotes an FAA study that says pilots flying those kinds of hours are six times more accident-prone than pilots who work less than ten hours a day. If the EU ministers go with the 14-hour day, BALPA warns strikes and other work stoppages could soon be on the horizon.

FMI: www.balpa.org