Release #08.041O
August 14, 2008

ASTAR Air Cargo Pilot Ken Young Receives ALPA’s Presidential Citation Award
Franklin, Ohio, resident recognized for defending safety standards in cargo

WASHINGTON—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will recognize Capt. Ken Young, who currently flies as a first officer for ASTAR Air Cargo (DHL), with a 2007 Presidential Citation Award for his dedication to bringing “One Level of Safety and Security” to the cargo airline industry. This award, the Association’s honor for outstanding work in aviation safety, will be presented today at ALPA’s 54th Annual Air Safety & Security Forum and Awards Banquet in Washington, D.C.

“Capt. Young spends his personal time giving back to the piloting profession, trying to improve his fellow cargo pilots’ working environment,” said Capt. John Prater, ALPA president. “Having flown cargo, I know that’s a tall task that requires true devotion and leadership. Capt. Young has earned this recognition.”

The Cargo Safety Project Team, led by Young, works toward achieving “One Level of Safety and Security” for cargo operations, as ALPA did in the 1990s for FAR Part 135 passenger operations. Young recently exhibited his leadership on this issue through his involvement in FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee on FAR Parts 125/135. Here, he valiantly worked to block cargo operators from dramatically increasing the maximum payload that can be flown under FAR Part 135 (from the current limit of 7,500 pounds to an astonishing 30,000 pounds).

“I have witnessed Ken’s tireless efforts to improve aviation safety at ASTAR. He is a true asset to both our company and our profession,” said Capt. Pat Walsh, chairman of the ASTAR unit of ALPA. “The entire cargo sector of the airline industry has benefited from Ken’s work.”

The Cargo Safety Project Team was also a driving force in the NTSB’s decision to hold an Air Cargo Safety Forum in 2004, which then Safety Board Chairman Ellen Engleman Conners announced in August 2003 at the ALPA Air Safety Forum. Young played an instrumental role in organizing one of the most significant follow-ups from that meeting, an ALPA-hosted Cargo Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Symposium in November 2007, attended by 76 representatives from the airline and ARFF communities.

ALPA created the President’s Committee for Cargo (PCFC), of which Young is a member, in 2001 to address the unique issues facing cargo pilots. The PCFC works within the ALPA structure as an advocate on issues specific to cargo operations.

Founded in 1931, ALPA represents 55,000 pilots at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.alpa.org for more information.

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CONTACT: Pete Janhunen, Linda Shotwell, Molly Martin, (703) 481-4440