Blue Ribbon Panel Members Named

ALPA's president, Capt. John Prater, recently named Capt. Chris Beebe, ALPA's vice-president–finance/treasurer, as chairman of the ALPA Age 60 Blue Ribbon Panel, and the following pilots to serve as members of the Panel:

Capt. Jim Foster (ExpressJet); chairman of ALPA's Aeromedical Committee; chairman of the ExpressJet MEC's Human Performance Committee
Capt. Mary McMillan (United); chairman of the United MEC's Central Air Safety Committee
Capt. Scott Schleiffer (Atlas Air); ALPA Executive Air Safety Vice-Chairman; chairman of Council 72's Central Air Safety Committee
First Officer Neal Schwartz (Continental)
Capt. Scott Stratton (FedEx); member of ALPA's Retirement and Insurance Committee
Capt. Don Wykoff (Delta); chairman of ALPA's Flight Time/Duty Time Committee

The mission of the ALPA Age 60 Blue Ribbon Panel is to study the long-range effects of potential changes to the FAA Age 60 rule and to identify issues connected to possible changes to pilot mandatory retirement age. The panel will focus on the goals of

• ensuring that ALPA plays a strong role in shaping the future of pilot retirement,

• preserving the credibility and effectiveness of ALPA as a public advocate, and

• building consensus on the issues connected to possible changes to the mandatory retirement age among members of ALPA to the greatest degree possible.

The Panel's first meeting is scheduled for February 21–22. The Panel will provide a report at the May meetings of the Executive Council and Executive Board. The creation of the Panel was prompted by the FAA’s announcement that it will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) later this year to amend the maximum age at which a pilot can no longer fly as first- or second-in-command of a U.S. airliner.

“This topic has the keen interest of every airline pilot in the United States,” Capt. Prater wrote in his invitation to the panelists. “While ALPA’s official policy is supports the current rule, the fact that the FAA is proposing rulemaking requires serious deliberation.

“Because the rule is likely to change with or without ALPA involvement, our union must use its considerable influence to help shape the final rule to protect our members’ interests,” Prater continued. “To influence the rule, we need to gather all of the facts about the subject, educate pilot leaders and members about the implications of the pending FAA NPRM, and receive direction from ALPA’s governing bodies on how the union should proceed on this important issue.”