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I just finished Flying the Line Vol. #1 and Flying the Line Vol. #2 and I don’t know what to think.

In general, they were well written “history” texts. They both gave a sense and a flavor of the organization of ALPA, how business is transacted, and the national politics of the organization. One big thing that they didn’t do was bring the issues into perspective for how they affect the day to day line flying pilot. (and yes, I know that’s not the purpose of the books, they are historical texts – but they are being used today to “educate” pilots on the benefits of the union and really need to be appended accordingly)

People need to be educated on the issues presented in the books. You almost need a “Cliff’s Notes” for each section. For instance – the UAL Blue Skies contract in Vol. 2 How did the contract (and the givebacks) affect the pay and QAL of the day to day average line pilot. Pre Blue Skies and Post Blue Skies. What did they have, how do those provisions protect the pilot, and what happened when they were taken away. Or, Frank Lorenzo… most young pilots have very little memory of the 80’s except for Gi Joe and Transformers cartoons. We wouldn’t know a Junk Bond/Savings and Loan scandal from a hole in the ground. Heck, I used to like Reagan until I read about his administration’s history with the Pilots and ALPA.

I think the union is a great thing and is very needed, but you are not going to win converts by passing out these two books. They are DRY people! They are too high level, to use an analogy they deal with the “whole battlefield” and what you need to be doing is educating people on what’s going on in the trenches. It needs to be simple and informative.

So, it’s not a hard stretch of the mind not to get excited about a debate on terrorism/skyjacking of the 70’s and 80’s (in the post 9/11 world) and a 3 chapter debate on the value of the “3rd crewman” when my day to day reality is more like that of the airmail pilot of the 30’s.

The book didn’t really start getting interesting till the middle – enter LORENZO. But, still – you need those Cliff’s Notes. You almost need a history of the history. A lesson of the 80’s, the “greed is good” years and such. Most pilot’s starting out today are coming out of the recession years, they’ve seen predatory economics their whole lives – it’s old hat. “Downsizing”, “Dilbert” and “The Donald” are household words to us. And, again, for the millionth time, it’s hard to sympathize and feel like you have a connection with another pilot group when you only have 8 days off and are working 20 days, 14 hour days, and somehow only making guarantee.

Anyway, I read them Bass-Ackwards - Vol. 2 before Vol. 1 (because of the USPS…) and in the end it seemed to make more sense to me to read them that way. I found out that I have a lot more in common with the “old men” of Vol. 1 than the deregulated pilots of Vol. 2.

Lots of very interesting issues were brought up in the books and I am left with a sense of wanting to know more. I’m still collecting my thoughts on the books and hopefully will have more to come.