In 2017, I wish….

Dear member,

In the coming pages, you will discover 7 hot topics on which your association has been actively working on for the past months/years. Some of them are recurring and long-term issues, such as FTL and Just Culture, and others have arisen not that long ago, e.g. Pilot Support Programs and Atypical Forms of Employment. But all of them have repercussions – good or bad – on our profession, our lives and aviation safety. And as BeCA, it is our role to ensure that they do not impact negatively on our job.

For 2017 (and after), I personally wish a change of attitude from some of our politicians. Because a lot of aviation files could find an easier and quicker solution if Belgian and European politicians could go beyond their little political gimmicks and look into what’s really happening in and around our flight decks. Sometimes, the political world handles general interest files guided first by their desire for power or are too influenced by particular interests, without taking into account concrete aspects of real life operations.

For 2017, I also wish more solidarity, more unity among all of us, pilots. Challenges ahead of us are big and only all together will we be able to face them. Pilot support programs, for example, can only be efficient with good Peer Support, which requires a change in attitudes both from pilots and managements; the fight against the negative aspects of Atypical Forms of Employment will not be won over individual juridical solutions, but by building a real, European-wide case; unfair competition from US cargo requires collective actions at various levels.

In 2016, BeCA increased its number of members by 10%. It is thanks to YOU: you, talking to your colleagues in the cockpit, in the crew rooms; you, being convinced about our role and impact; you, getting involved in our work, according to your expertise, your interests. Little by little, together, we are able to have our ideas come through. And we know that in 2017, the seeds that we have planted will grow further.

Let me wish you and your family the best for 2017.

Capt. Alain Vanalderweireldt, BeCA President