English· Inactive for more than 12 months
Flying the Line
by Air Line Pilots Association, International
Recount an exciting chapter in aviation history and the beginnings of the Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest pilot union and nongovernmental air safety organization, through an abridged retelling of the book by George E. Hopkins, ”Flying the Line.” Volume 1 narrated by Corey Kuhn. Volume 2 narrated by Gina Leahy.
Episodes
Chapter 12 (Part 2)-”The TWA Strike of 1946”
13 Jul 2020 · 11 min
The pilots of TWA struck over “the four-engine pay problem” and another pilots association threatens to cross picket lines. However in the midst of all this, ALPA President Dave Behncke was rushed to the hospital with a suspected heart attack.
Chapter 12 (Part 1)-”The TWA Strike of 1946”
29 Jun 2020 · 16 min
Advancements in aircraft design inevitably lead to increased efficiency and productivity. With TWA priding itself on being at the forefront of aircraft design and technology, it was all but certain that TWA’s drive to be at the leading edge of air travel would lead to labor unrest with their…
Chapter 11 (Part 2)-”Wartime!”
15 Jun 2020 · 19 min
In the midst of the United States fighting a global war, ALPA fought to protect its pilots. With airline operators using wartime needs as an excuse to roll back flying limits, ALPA successfully navigated the tension between maintaining the safety of the aviation system, and fulfilling its…
Chapter 11 (Part 1)-”Wartime!”
19 May 2020 · 24 min
In the early years of its existence, ALPA made considerable gains in protecting pay and benefits for pilots flying the line. In addition to the gains in labor, ALPA also wielded great power and influence that rivaled the large industrialists of that era. However, with the drumbeats of war growing…
Chapter 10 (Part 2)-”Dave Behncke: An American Success Story”
29 Apr 2020 · 12 min
Dave Behncke's path to becoming the founder and head of ALPA was not a direct one. While Behncke finally achieved the military assignment he had coveted, it was short-lived. This, along with several other setbacks in his career, convinced him that the decks were stacked against him. Learn about…
Chapter 10 (Part 1)-”Dave Behncke: An American Success Story”
6 Apr 2020 · 13 min
Learn about the origins and story of ALPA's first president, Dave Behncke. Join us to retrace Behncke's journey from a small Midwestern farm to the head of one of the largest and most powerful labor unions.
Chapter 9 (Part 2)-”The Rise and Fall of the TWA Pilots' Association”
29 Feb 2020 · 13 min
The flight that killed U.S. Senator Bronson Cutting from New Mexico brought renewed scrutiny to the airline accident investigations process. Until this point, "pilot error" was a commonly cited cause for accidents. However, because a prominent politician was involved in the crash of TWA Flight 6,…
Chapter 9 (Part 1)-”The Rise and Fall of the TWA Pilots' Association”
10 Feb 2020 · 14 min
Learn what chain of events led to the rise of one of the first airline-sponsored pilots' associations, the TWA Pilots' Association. Associations such as these often led to the system being rigged against the very pilots that these associations were supposedly set up to protect. In the early days…
Chapter 8 (Part 2)-”Flying for a Rogue Airline”
20 Dec 2019 · 15 min
Long and Harmon were essentially running a rogue airline that was refusing to abide by Decision 83, which was the National Labor Board edict that required pilots to be paid a certain amount for flying. Facing a hostile, anti-union environment, the pilots of Long & Harmon decided to fight back…
Chapter 8 (Part 1)-"Flying for a Rogue Airline"
2 Oct 2019 · 18 min
ALPA's first president, Dave Behncke was determined to make sure that all airline pilots would be treated equally with the respect they deserved. But airline management would fight hard to create a tiered system of pay. Learn how Behncke and ALPA leveraged the precedent set by Decision 83 to set…
Chapter 7 (Part 2)-"Perils in Washington"
30 Aug 2019 · 20 min
Expert maneuvering by ALPA's first president, Capt. Dave Behncke helped propel ALPA from a small lobbying group to the most respected voice for airline pilots in Washington. Through ALPA's advocacy in the early days of the National Recovery Administration's "Code Hearings," ALPA was able to secure…
Chapter 7 (Part 1)-"Perils in Washington"
29 Jul 2019 · 18 min
The early days of ALPA's presence in Washington were filled with political maneuvering spearheaded by ALPA's founder, Dave Behncke. Through ALPA's support of President Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal, ALPA positioned itself into a formidable force in commercial aviation which allowed ALPA to…
Chapter 6 (Part 2)-"The Trouble with E.L. Cord"
24 Jun 2019 · 15 min
The Century Airlines Strike of 1932 was quite the spectacle during the early days of commercial aviation. Not only was it a pivotal event in the history of commercial aviation, but it was key to positioning ALPA as a major player in the labor movement as well as the aviation industry. Learn how…
Chapter 6 (Part 1)-"The Trouble with E.L. Cord"
7 Jun 2019 · 16 min
E.L. Cord was the owner of Century Air Lines, but more importantly, his name was the rallying cry for organizing pilots in the 1930s. The Century Air Lines Strike of 1932 gave ALPA its first opportunity to negotiate a labor dispute between its members and management. In this first part of Chapter…
Chapter 5 (Part 2)-"The Livermore Affair"
17 May 2019 · 17 min
In this episode, we hear the conclusion of the Livermore Affair and learn how this tragedy set the groundwork for ALPA's critical role in setting high standards for aviation safety, eliminating the practice of "pilot pushing," and setting the bar for aviation safety for pilots, passengers, and…
Chapter 5 (Part 1)-"The Livermore Affair"
25 Apr 2019 · 15 min
In 1937, a young widow by the name of Lorna Livermore helped ALPA shed light on the practice of “pilot pushing” with the public for the very first time when she sued Northwest Airlines alleging that “Pilot pushing” is what killed her husband, pilot Joe Livermore.
Chapter 4-"The Airmail Pilots' Strike of 1919"
4 Apr 2019 · 15 min
The Airmail Pilots' Strike of 1919 was one of the earliest organized actions taken by pilots. This 4-day strike led to concessions by Post Office management to eliminate the practice of "weather pushing" and to increase safety for airmail pilots. The roots of modern-day pilots' unions can be…
Chapter 3-"Pilot Pushing"
27 Mar 2019 · 15 min
This week, we’ll hear about how the deadly practice of “pilot pushing” played a huge role in Capt. David Behncke’s drive to organize his fellow brother pilots.
Chapter 2-"Stepping on Toes"
5 Mar 2019 · 14 min
This week, hear about the 24 "key men" who saw themselves as good "company men" but were labeled as "troublemakers" by their airline management. ALPA's Key Men faced much opposition from both management and other line pilots, but persevered in their work for labor protections, safe working…