What can BeCA do for me?

This is the question a new member asked me recently. I could of course have talked about all the individual services (legal, medical, licence, hotline, etc.) our association provides to our members. A simple and straightforward answer and which fulfills the basic missions of a professional association.

I chose instead to explain that, in addition to these (critical) individual issues, an entire context has a direct or indirect impact on our professional life.

When BeCA actively contributes to the improvement of conditions in other airlines, we are raising the standards for the whole country and not only for those concerned.

Likewise, acting at the company level on collective issues does not always benefit directly to each individual, but it creates (or reinforces) a positive movement for the whole group, and hence for each of us.

Finally, a large part of our “pilot” national and European files often requires years of commitment, with ups and downs, before providing some results. However, ignoring them would be a terrible mistake. The best recent example is our actions towards Cabinet Bacquelaine to push forward our green book on pension. The cabinet agreed to consider pilots as heavy profession, then the government falls. We will have to do the work again with the upcoming government, but we are already prepared.

The impact the context can have on each individual is a basic concept that we must comprehend to understand why we need to join an association. BeCA does not have “clients” but members; and this difference is crucial. We have objectives, at short or long term, easy or difficult, that we achieve altogether.

I also explained to this new member that our association provides a very high level of work although it is only composed of volunteer pilots and that it only depends on our members’ participation and funding. This is what guarantees our independence and strength.

But the professionalism of our communication should not hide that our core structure requires, in exchange, participation from as many active members as possible.

Every member can also do something for our association: talk actively about it around you and encourage all your colleagues to join.

Our 2018 annual report shows it well: in addition to a large number of individual files, BeCA provides concrete results and is a growing association with a healthy and cost-saving management of our resources, a committed and deeply pilot-minded team.

That’s why every pilot in our country must join us if they have some kind of ambition to defend, improve or prevent the downgrading of the pilot profession and of their own working conditions. If BeCA does not do it, who will?

Capt. Alain Vanalderweireldt, BeCA President