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Eight THE AIR LINE PILOT November, 1948 New Officers of Air Line Pilots Association for 1949 and 1950 [image] [column 1] President David L. Behncke, graying, top representative of the air pilots, who was re-elected unanimously and without opposition or a dissenting vote to his tenth consecutive term as president of the Air Line Pilots Association and spokesman and chief representative of the nation's 8,000 air line pilots. Mr. Behncke's entire life and world has been that of aviation and the air line pilots. Holder of ALPA membership No. 1, a million-miler, pioneer air mail flyer and air line pilot, a pioneer veteran of Army Air Forces, flying circuses and early barnstormer, Mr. Behncke's aviation background totals 33 years, 18 of which have been devoted to the service of ALPA, which he founded. AT the termination of this term of office, he will have completed 20 years as ALPA's first and only President. He is also the first president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations, a post to which he was unanimously elected although not present at Paris. France, by the pilots of 18 nations on September 21, 1948. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Behncke said: "I am deeply grateful for the extreme confidence that you have evidenced by electing me to serve as your chief representative for the years, 1949 and 1950. I shall give you the best I have during this term, the same as I have during all of the other 18 years that I have represented you. The unanimity of this election has made a very deep impression on me." "... And Gordian Knots Were Solved" (Continued from Page 7, Col. 5) tions and resolutions, and 11 to engineering and air safety. Policy Recommendations Outstanding policy recommendations made by the Tenth Convention included: (1) Reestablishment of the independent Air Safety Board as proposed in Senate Bill 269 and House Bill HR 1540 during the Eightieth Congress. (2) Reaffirmation of the air line pilots' preference for ULS (Instrument Landing System) over GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) in view of the latter's present state of development. (3) ALPA's continued participation in the RTCA program. (4) Clear-cut recommendations in the field of landing aids; namely, clear marking of runways with a distinctive center line and proper runway marker maintenance and the advocating of a single row of approach lights in an extended center line of the runway. (5) extension and closer solidification and recommending activities of the air line pilots throughout all ALPA's 85 [column 2] local councils. (7) Registering of opposition to the formation of the proposed centralized CAA school for air line pilots. The pace of the Convention was set at the very outset in the 5-hour and 20-minute opening speech of President Behncke and the tempo never slackened, even momentarily, until his parting words to the sleep-hungry delegates: "God speed, good luck... until we meet again. Unless there is any further business, I now declare this the Tenth Convention of the Air Line Pilots Association adjourned sine die." The opening challenge posed by Mr. Behncke when he likened the problems confronting the convention to "untying the Gordian knot" was accepted and when the convening gavel fell, the convention had risen to it. He commented, "You have proven yourselves real statesmen." But unlike Alexander the [column 3] [image] 1st Vice-President Jerome E. Wood, Eastern Air Lines captain, who was unanimously reelected to his second term as the first vice-president of the Air Line Pilots Association-the second ranking ALPA office. A regularly scheduled air line pilot whose most recent achievement was to act as Mr. Behncke's alternate during the hearings that resulted in the adoption of CAA regulations regarding flight engineers. Captain Wood began his aviation career with his primary training at the Wynn Bradford School in Chicago. Since obtaining his commercial license in 1929, Captain Wood has logged over two million miles in all types of flying. [continuation of "... And Gordian Knots Were Solved"] Great who has sought fulfillment of the oracles prophecy by severing the knot of ancient King Gordius with his sword, the Tenth Convention has unravelled and solved their "Gordian Knots" strand by strand. Just as the temp of the Tenth Convention has been set in President Behncke's opening speech, its accomplishments were summed up adroitly in his closing comments: " We have faced many problems. Strikes and crashed have been tossed into our laps. You have solved many problems; you have accomplished much. The Ninth Convention covered 79 resolutions in six days; in a like number of days, the Tenth Convention covered 162 subjects. At the beginning, I challenged the delegates that they has many knots to cut. They did a good, clean and effective job. This is the greatest convention ALPA has ever held. Go now into the field and tell your constituents how ALPA operates." Secretary Francis A. Spencer, first officer American Airlines, whose election as ALPA's secretary made him the first copilot in the history ofALPA to hold one of the Association's highest offices. ALPA's new secretary began his air line flying career on the Intercontinental Division of TWA in 1942. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University as well as an M.A. degree from the same university and a B.S. degree from Northwestern. Dr. Spencer has long been prominent in the field of air line statistics an economics and a top-echelon ALPA stalwart at numerous Association arbitrations and other hearings involved in representing air line pilots. Treasurer R. G. Strait, TWA captain who was elected to his first term of office as treasurer of the Air Line Pilots Association. As a former master chairman of TWA and a member of the old ALPA Central Executive Council, he is a veteran of many ALPA campaigns. Captain Strait has played an active part in the activities of ALPA, among them as master chairman of TWA during the history-making TWA strike and subsequent arbitrations. Captain Strait, who has been flying since 1925 and is nearly the two-million-mile mark, dates his flying career back to the early days of barnstorming and flying circuses. He is beginning his tenth year with TWA. [[image]] Citation The most dramatic incident of the Tenth Convention was the citation awarded by the president of ALPA to Captain E. A. Springer of NAL, for services outstanding and unique in character-participating in the NAL stroke, walking the picket lines, and performing other and valuable services far above and beyond normal routine while at the time not a member of ALPA. His citation carried the proviso of full ALPA membership by unanimous vote of the Convention. With appropriate remarks expressing ALPA's appreciation, President Behncke called Captain Springer to the rostrum and personally lauded his actions and affixed the ALPA membership emblem to his lapel. The Convention rose and applauded. Lights Capt. E. A. Cutrell, long ALPA's approach and runway light configuration expert, takes to the mike to relate to the Tenth Convention the progress in this all-important research, while committee-Chairman Burns, veteran ALPA member and only ALPA charter signer present at the Convention, looks on. [[image]] NAL Strike Ends On November 24 One of the greatest tests of the Association's strength and the longest strike in ALPA's battle-scarred history was successfully ended this month with the signing of an agreement ending the National Airlines pilots' strike on November 24, 1948-exactly nine months and three weeks from the date it began on February 3, 1948. Signing of the agreement came after weeks of strenuous, day-and-night negotiations and shortly after the Tenth Convention had reaffirmed the complete and unequivocal support the National pilots by all of the other air line pilots of the country. So involved had things become during the course of the strike that the strike-ending agreement assumed the proportions and complexity of an employment agreement-a thirteen page document containing eleven sections that embodied 43 paragraphs. For the Air Line Pilots Association and the National pilots the agreement was signed by ALPA President David L. Behncke and HAL Pilots' Master Chairman C. H. Ruby, while J. M. Rosenthal and John W. Cross signed the agreement for National Airlines. Also present and active in the negotiations were Stroube S. Lander, of ALPA, and Milton Winn, NAL attorney. Former Civil Aeronautics Board Chairman James M. Landis mediated the agreement. Spasmodic negotiations were carried on throughout the entire lat six weeks of the strike, but from November 1 until the final signing of the agreement negotiations were carried on almost continuously, interrupted only by the necessity of Mr. Behncke's presence at the Tenth Convention. Negotiations took place in both New York and Washington. They were held in New York from November 1 to 6 and then resumed there shortly after the Convention to extend through November 20 when they were moved to Washington because of the involvement of matters requiring the Civil Aeronautics Board.
