Pilot Unions Oppose Cockpit Video

Pilot Unions Oppose Cockpit Video


by Jim Ott


04/19/00 11:11:22 AM U.S. EDT

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) opposes using video recorders in airline cockpits, contending that video images are unproven as useful tools in a safety investigation.

Representatives of the world’s organized pilots, meeting last week in Tokyo, also raised the issue of government obligations to protect pilots from the unauthorized use of privileged information that are recorded on existing cockpit recording devices.

In a message sent yesterday to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, IFALPA’s representative Edmund Smart observed that a significant majority of ICAO states have neither implemented nor enforced existing standards for use of “privileged information obtained through the installation of privacy intrusive devices in our cockpit workplace.”

Smart said IFALPA will continue to oppose installation of any new or enhanced information collection devices until all ICAO nations subscribe to and enforce strong protection measures.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board on April 11 urged FAA to require crash-hardened video recorders in existing commercial aircraft cockpits by January, 2005. A second recommendation required video recorders in all new-built aircraft starting Jan. 1, 2003.


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