AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL ALPA JOHN O’BRIEN Director Engineering & Air Safety Department
ALPA 64,000 MEMBERS Flying for 42 Airlines in U.S. and Canada Representing Domestic/International/Pax/Cargo Member, International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations - IFALPA
AREAS OF DISCUSSION ALPA APPROACH EDUCATION TRAINING OUTREACH
VOLCANIC ASH Multi-Faceted Approach Twenty-plus Years of Progress Helped Identify and Categorize Damages Promoted Operational Awareness Promoted Research and Development Promoted Improved Detection Capabilities Helped to Improve and Coordinate Global Communications Working on Education Program
VOLCANIC ASH Education and Training No Innocent Ash cloud Detection and Warning – Limited in Scope Fundamental 1 st step – Avoidance Appropriate Reactions if Ash is Encountered Procedures to Minimize Impact of Encounter –Understand, some damage inevitable Examples of Materials for Academics
VOLCANIC ASH Materials for Academics US Geological Survey (USGS) Bulletin Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety: Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety, Edited by Thomas J. Casadevall, Washington, DC, 1994
VOLCANIC ASH Materials for Academics International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc AN/954 – Manual on Volcanic Ash, Radioactive Material, and Toxic Chemical Clouds, First Edition – 2001
VOLCANIC ASH Materials for Academics US Geological Survey (USGS) World Map of Volcanoes and Principal Aeronautical Features, by Thomas J. Casadevall and Theodore B. Thompson, Prepared in cooperation with Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc., 1995
VOLCANIC ASH Materials for Academics FAA Aviation Safety Journal Reprint, The Volcano Threat to Aviation Safety, Washington, DC, 1991
VOLCANIC ASH Materials for Academics US Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File Report , Volcanic Ash and Airports: Discussions and Recommendations from the Workshop on Impacts of Volcanic Ash on Airport Facilities, by Thomas J. Casadevall, Seattle, WA, April 26-28, 1993
VOLCANIC ASH Materials for Academics Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Volcanic Activity Reporting Form (VAR), 2004
VOLCANIC ASH Education and Training Dispersion Path Difficult to model forecast Critical to define footprint Airport Contamination Equipment damage Runway surface effects
VOLCANIC ASH Education and Training Key Elements Detection – Seismic, satellite, visual Path prediction – Environmental winds, forecast algorithms Communications – Interagency & intergovernmental Difficulties Areas often remote – North Atlantic and North Pacific Night – Lightly populated, no seismic monitoring Lack of lead time – Minimal communications
VOLCANIC ASH Outreach Research and Development Detection – Satellite Sensor Improvements –Resolution – hot spots –Day/night/all weather –Effective alert/action network