There are only 44 Total Working Days Left in This Session of Congress!  The Time is NOW!

Silent Wings Tribute – A Personal Choice to Change the World

Memorial Day weekend was the kickoff for APSA’s new Silent Wings Tribute Flight Program.  In the next thirty days, we invite you to join thousands of APSA members across the country who will choose a single flight from their schedules to fly in tribute to the first casualties in the war on terror, our colleagues who lost their lives on 9/11.

Wearing a temporary wristband with the name of a 9/11 air crew victim during the flight will spread our message across the country to fellow crewmembers and passengers alike, so thousands of people will join us in our quest for real airline security as they ask about our wristbands; dedicating our salary for the flight will help raise the money we critically need to reclaim our industry’s future. 

Last week, we received a Silent Wings contribution from the parents of Jennifer Lewis, one of the victim flight attendants on American Airlines flight 77.  They were so moved by an APSA pilot paying tribute to their daughter, they wanted to contribute too.  There really isn’t a way to convey what you feel like when you open an envelope like that.

We also have many people who don’t fly for a living dedicating two hours of their own work to Silent Wings, which is truly gratifying.  We have found when people hear about APSA, they want to get onboard!  The Silent Wings Tribute is a perfect way to get our message to thousands!

Everyone who participates will receive a permanent metal bracelet with the name of your chosen tribute victim engraved.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know it’s easy to just keep reading; much harder to download a document and cut out a paper bracelet to wear – then remember to actually do it.  But, it’s important.

Individually, it’s only two hours of your time; while, collectively, your participation can change the world. If 40,000 APSA members dedicate only two hours each, we will raise $20 million and bring thousands of new members aboard!

With $20 million, we can buy commercial airtime, newspaper ad space and professional lobbying firms in Washington.  Our economic power is unstoppable if we will only use it to save our profession and protect our country!

If our members each make an individual decision to give just two hours of their time, it is virtually unthinkable that we would lose this fight!  Each of you have the power to make a personal choice as to whether you want a viable defense on our airplanes to protect our industry and our country from life-changing disaster; and our passengers from tragedy. 

All of the information you need (including paper wristbands to cut out) is here:

http://www.secure-skies.org/wingsmem.pdf.

And, when you get a chance, visit Profile of a Tribute Flight and its Honored Victims to read some of the Silent Wings stories and learn about the amazing people taken from us in the blink of an eye on 9/11.

Please ensure you print copies of the Silent Wings flyer, carry them with you, and place them in your lounges, as well as other employee lounges, your health clubs and your layover hotels.

Secure Donations System

As we promised 3 weeks ago, APSA has implemented a completely new payment and tracking system for donations, Captain’s Club memberships and the new Silent Wings Tribute Flight Program.  It is custom-made, completely secure and is able to quickly accept credit cards directly on the site without signing up for any special services like Paypal.  The system will also immediately email you a confirmation after you join, AND will notify our staff so we can process your membership immediately!

Thanks for being patient with us while we grow!  And thanks, especially to those of you who continue to donate, join the Captain’s Club and fly Silent Wings Tributes; it really is critical to our success!

New and Improved at Secure-Skies!

Contact Congress! - You can now instantly send an automatic pre-written letter direct to your Senators and Congressmen by simply entering your zip code on the APSA website for free.  It literally takes about 10 seconds!  Please give us the 10 seconds!

ALPA Resolution – Members of the Air Line Pilots Association may use a template available on the website to submit a resolution of support for the Cockpit Security Act to their Local Executive Counsels.  Again, it downloads in seconds!

Freedom of Information Act Requests – Captain’s Club members may now use an automatic template available on the site to send a Freedom of Information Act request to the TSA to obtain records used to evaluate them for the FFDO program, also FREE!

Bureaucratic Bias

For those of you who still think the TSA’s bureaucrats “really support the FFDO program,” take a look at, Federal Air Marshal Director's Memo Seeks to Coordinate Homeland Security Effort Against Cockpit Security Bill on the APSA website.  The Director of the Federal Air Marshal Service, Tom Quinn, formerly of the TSA, wrote an internal memo to his supervisors in April, calling for an aggressive lobbying effort against the Cockpit Security Act.  Among Mr. Quinn’s concerns, ‘FFDO’s are not trained in interview techniques or executing search warrants.’  As Congressman Wilson noted, “We’re not training pilots to interview the terrorist as he storms the cockpit!”  APSA has forwarded a copy of Mr. Quinn’s memo to every Senator and Congressman in the country.  A career federal employee subverting the will of Congress has serious ethical implications.  Our press release is on the site.

New Terror Threat – The FBI has issued a new warning about possible massive terror attacks this summer.  Since Al Qaeda toppled the Spanish government with a terror attack, they may think they can alter our November election too.  Watch your backs, folks.  We have a new unconfirmed report of another “flight of interest” where the TSA is treating the flight crew as suspicious persons and refusing to tell them why.  This may be our future if we don’t stand firmly against it!

Captain’s Authority Cards – APSA has available free business-size-size cards that have regulations related to Captain’s Authority printed on them for situations where you are not being provided critical information with which to assess a flight’s safety, especially in relation to a threat.  To obtain some cards, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: “Captain’s Authority Card,” 20 N. Virginia, Conrad, MT  59425, or join the Captain’s Club – they’re part of your new membership package. 

Passenger Cards – We also have cards for you to share with passengers, broadcasting the problem and the need to contact Congress.  Samples of both cards are available on the site.  Send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Frequent Flyer Card,” 20 N. Virginia, Conrad, MT  59425, or, again, join the Captain’s Club; we’ll send you some cards to pass out to your frequent flyer friends, leave in airport lounges, or wherever you do business.  One of our members leaves APSA information in his health club, which is a terrific idea! 

Thanks for all your support.  Don’t forget to click on the Silent Wings link and fly a tribute flight.  We hope to see thousands of permanent metal bracelets on our crews’ wrists by mid summer.

Let us know how we can better serve you and email us any questions you have.