Page 4 - 2016-Issue3

4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Successful industries are

invariably those which get the

basics right!

very pilot knows that our professionalism is built upon a solid knowledge of and
Eproficiency in the basic skills of our role. The ability to fly the aircraft to a high
standard, knowledge and consistent implementation of standard operating procedures,
awareness and practice of high levels of crew resource management or human factors
techniques; these are the core competencies of our professionalism.
It does not seem to matter the variety of cultures, nationalities, approaches or systems;
I am always struck by the core values which professional pilots from across the world all
share. Many pilots then develop deep knowledge and expertise in aviation, allied subjects
or completely separate fields of endeavour – but all of us recognise that to deliver our core
promise of as safe and secure a flight as possible, it is necessary to ensure the core
Capt. Martin Chalk competencies are delivered every day.
President, IFALPA A number of this issue’s topics are written from that premise. Captain Paul Reuter
introduces us to the fundamentals of a just culture – mandated by legislation now around
the world. He explains that the core competence of this concept is not for the manuals, but
must be part of everyone’s approach to everything they do. Captain Don Wykoff, our past
President, explains how Fatigue Management should now be built into the core Flight Time
Limitations or Flight and Duty Time regulations, and how a Fatigue Risk Management
System might enhance this prescriptive system still further. Both of these articles show how
we need to ensure the basics are properly in place before we seek to develop the more
sophisticated concepts.
At IFALPA’s Annual Conference, there was unanimous support for a Conference
Statement which demands that European and US regulators do not approve a new business
model which would undermine the basic employment rights of key safety sensitive staff.
This would be to the detriment of both their employment security as well as the ability
which flows from that to deliver on their professional promise of a safe and secure flight for
their passengers. Regulators must ensure that they do not damage the core values on which
our remarkably safe and efficient aviation system has been built when encouraging
innovative thinking.
Successful industries are invariably those which get the basics right. Civil aviation has
achieved incredible levels of safety and continues to seek to improve these still further; as
we must to retain the trust and patronage of our passengers. We have achieved this by
focussing on thoughtfully reviewing, improving and delivering professionalism built on the
core skills and competences. IFALPA will not allow for this to be put at risk by economic or
technical regulatory change which fails to preserve the basic core values of our industry!

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Issue 3 | 2016 InterPilot | The safety and Technical Journal of IFALPA