Page 24 - InterPilot 2018, Issue 4

PAGE 24 FOUNDING MA: IALPA PAGE 25

“Numerous recipients of the Clarence Sayen Award,

Scroll of Merit, and Presidential Citations have

been IALPA members. We are also proud of the

fact that three of IFALPA’s Presidents have been

IALPA members.”

Along with these industrial issues, IALPA is very proud of the contribu- lessons learned by our predecessors,
there is also an increasing emergence tion it has made to IFALPA since that are forgotten. IALPA, as a small pi-
of IALPA involvement in internation- founding meeting. Numerous recipi- lots’ association, has benefitted from
al safety and technical discussions, ents of the Clarence Sayen Award, its size insofar as these basic lessons
through IFALPA. One note records a Scroll of Merit, and Presidential Cita- have been successfully passed from
meeting in London of pilots from the tions have been IALPA members. We generation to generation. We believe
UK, US, France, and Central Africa to are also proud of the fact that three of that our early engagement with a
discuss crew complement on the Vick- IFALPA’s Presidents have been IALPA fledgling IFALPA has had a significant
ers Viscount and the advisability of members. and positive impact on IALPA, not to
conducting 3-engine ferries. The re- mention the evident educational ben-
port ends by noting, “As no one held All of this activity and commit- efits of participating in discussions
final views on the three-engine ferrys, ment came from an association that, with experts from other countries. In
no agreement resulted, but a feeling through most of the past 70 years, has the modern era of rapid international
that it might be a bit dodgy was evi- had less than 400 members. IALPA still electronic communications there is a
dent.” recognises the vital role that IFALPA temptation to forget how important
plays, not to mention its increasing organisations like IFALPA are.
The early Minutes of the IALPA council importance in an industry where the
show that Irish pilots, along with their traditional co-operation among op- The people who created this context
international colleagues, had a strong erators, pilots and regulators that led for pilots in early commercial aviation
sense of the global aspect of their to our present safety standards are were those who met and decided to
profession. They clearly appreciated coming under sustained attack from create IFALPA. IALPA has no doubt as
the vital need to move beyond purely Operators and some Regulators. to the enduring value and benefits of
local or national concerns. The act of that decision. We hope that the valu-
founding IFALPA gave pilots an inter- These Operators and Regulators, not able lessons learned through fraternal
national orientation that subsequently to mention many pilots, appear to cooperation over the last seven de-
aided and promoted fraternal collabo- have no sense of where our present cades will never be forgotten.
ration across the globe. safety record comes from. Important