Page 4 - 2017-Issue1

4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Captain Ron Abel
Acting President, IFALPA body affecting aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), we have unparalleled
ISSuE 1 | 2017
Independent Together
to Advance Safety
his first InterPilot installment of 2017 showcases how IFALPA’s decades-long commitment to
Taviation safety combines the power of both collective and independent action. These pages are
filled with examples of the significant safety improvements that result when our Federation leads
collective efforts along with the importance of independent safety work by our members and others
as our industry strives to safeguard air transportation around the globe.
Since 1948, when IFALPA was founded at a conference of pilots’ associations held in London, our
Federation has served as both a voice and visionary for advancing aviation safety on behalf of airline
pilots around the world. As IFALPA interacts with what is arguably the most influential international
credibility and access to decision makers as they debate myriad safety issues, including airline
accident investigation.
Aviation accidents, and the very personal need to do more to prevent them, were among the
forces that inspired our Federation’s would-be members to join together in London that day.
Fast-forward to today and we find many in the general public and news media who rush to point to
a single cause for each accident or incident.
IFALPA and safety advocates across our industry know better. We are keenly aware that accidents
result from a collection of factors. Unlocking the chain of events leading to an incident or accident
has been instrumental in creating our industry’s enviable safety record in the past. It remains central
to continuing our work to prevent accidents in the future.
As you’ll read in a column by U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman the
Honorable Christopher A. Hart, the Board will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017. The idea of
independent safety work is essential to the Board’s mission. Working with political and functional
independence allows the NTSB to evaluate the evidence and improve the quality of accident
investigations and the recommendations it makes.
Key to IFALPA’s work is turning knowledge gained through investigation into effective safety
recommendations. We take the initiative on emerging safety issues and long standing concerns and
communicate the latest information to our members. In a recent example, our Federation learned
that between 2011 and 2015, about 65 percent of all recorded accidents occurred in the approach and
landing phases of flight. Researchers identified unstable approaches as a significant factor in these
accidents. As a result, our Federation (in cooperation with IATA, IFATCA and CANSO) developed
the second edition of a manual that enhances overall awareness of the contributing factors in
unstable approaches and details proven prevention strategies.
Safety is also everyone’s independent responsibility. You’ll read in this issue how Crew Resource
Management (CRM), developed more than 30 years ago for conflict resolution purposes, now
improves the proficiency and competency of individual pilots and flight crews as a whole. By making
the most of all available resources, CRM helps coordinate the independent actions of key people
involved in a flight operation and takes our industry to the next level in promoting safety.
Few events showcase the power of independent action as part of a collective effort as well as
IFALPA’s Annual Conference. We are already deep into planning this year’s event, May 5–8, in
Montreal. As always, our 72nd conference will bring together our committees, membership, and
other industry stakeholders to discuss accident analysis and prevention, along with a range of other
safety issues from aircraft design and operation to air traffic services and dangerous goods.
Working independently together is among IFALPA’s strengths, and it is in doing so that our
industry can secure future success in safeguarding the skies.
InterPilot | The Safety and Technical Journal of IFALPA