Hold Short for Runway Safety

Fellow Air Line Pilots: We ve all been there. A push for an on time departure, after pushback, as we begin radio calls to company and ATC for our release and clearances, complete our preflight paperwork, finish inputting our flight plan, check the weather—suddenly as we cross Runway X, we ask our crewmate: Were we cleared to cross Runway X? He looks over and says, I don’t know. While ALPA has spent millions of dollars and countless hours dealing with safety in the air, it has also focused on safety during ground operations. The fact remains that the threat of a runway incursion, excursion, and confusion can be just as deadly as any threat we face once airborne. ALPA has worked hard and successfully for many years to improve runway design, markings, signage, and technology that guides us. But nothing can replace the awareness of a pilot in the cockpit. Through our new campaign, Hold Short for Runway Safety, ALPA will focus its efforts on preventing runway incursions, excursions, and confusion. We will provide you commonsense guidance that will help prevent operational breakdowns. Every pilot knows we have too much to do and not enough time to do it between getting in the cockpit and hitting Vr. Through our professionalism and skills, ALPA pilots complete thousands of flights each and every day without incident. While we are accomplishing all that we do in the cockpit, we have to keep our awareness high, so we can continue to make aviation the safest form of transportation possible for our passengers and cargo. John Prater President Rory Kay Executive Air Safety Chairman Link: http://www.alpa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3064