Page 13 - InterPilot 2019 Issue 1

IFALPA.ORG

News &

Notes

We congratulate IFALPA’s Senior Technical Officer, Carole Couchman MBE, who has just completed 20 Years with the
Federation. Carole’s accomplishments over these two decades are impressive and her contribution to improve the avia-
tion safety environment from the professional air line pilot’s perspective are considerable.

One could say that she has “moved mountains” to improve safety: she can be credited for making the case to move the
Control Tower at a major international airport, have an entire Wind Farm moved away from the approach path to an ac-
tive runway, have roofs installed on agricultural buildings to mitigate wildlife hazards, and countless other major safety
achievements.

Carole has been the go-to person at IFALPA for years and she is widely known at ICAO as the universal panel representa-
tive as she has managed to participate in several at once! Most importantly, Carole is a cherished colleague for those for-
tunate enough to work with her. With 20 years behind her now, we hope that we may continue to benefit from Carole’s
dedication, knowledge, and can-do attitude for many more years ahead. (By Captain Mike Jackson)

At IFALPA’s 72nd Conference in 2017 in Montreal, Carole was awarded a Presidential Citation.

Since 1999, Carole Couchman has served the Federation as Senior Technical Officer and Regional Officer. Her dedication,
passion, and commitment to the performance of her duties has been outstanding.

Carole’s role in the Federation goes well beyond her title to include that of unofficial expert historian, Constitutional and
By-Laws interpreter, Conference proceedings expert, ICAO documentation and protocol official, member of a record
number of ICAO panels and other expert groups, and so much more.

There are many other roles at IFALPA for which Carole is the “go-to person,” including the status of most Federation MAs,
the one who knows the most members and contacts in the MAs, the one who knows when everyone’s birthday is (and
possibly even those of their spouses and children), the one who is known by the most members and non-members alike,
the one who spearheads the Japan ALPA Scholarship raffle, and of course, the bell ringer for all Conference meetings!

Carole is the “right-hand person” for many of us, and our jobs are not only made easier by her actions, but she has en-
riched the lives of so many of us by giving so much of herself to all. IFALPA has been a better place because of Carole and
we are so fortunate to continue to benefit from her service to the Federation.