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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Eye in the Sky
Err Travel · July 14, 2000

The National Transportation Safety Board wants to add video equipment to record the activities of flight crews in passenger airliners. Video recording would be used in addition to, and in the same manner as cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) that are used today to help in accident investigations.

Seems pretty reasonable to me, but not to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) . This organization of 55,000 pilots opposes the use of cockpit video because of the potential of "abuses and inappropriate information releases."

Speaking before a congressional subcommittee on aviation a couple of weeks ago, Captain Duane E. Woerth, President of (ALPA), stated that "the privacy issues stemming from the installation of cockpit video cameras are of prime importance to the Air Line Pilots Association. Preventing the release of the imagery for inappropriate purposes is ALPA's highest concern in this regard. ALPA has the responsibility to protect our members from the misuse of recorders."

Misuse? How can an accurate record of events be misused?

Granted, information from CVRs that is supposed to be available only to those investigating accidents has sometimes found its way into the public media stream. This is unfortunate, and the holes in the system that allow this to occur should be traced and plugged. But the potential for leaks of factual information is not a good reason to prevent the implementation of a tool that could help investigators determine the cause of an accident sooner and with more certainty.

Woerth concedes that "although it was reluctantly accepted by airline pilots, the CVR continues to serve its purpose admirably." Yet ALPA opposes the implementation of cameras in the cockpit. "Given the state of existing protective legislation," Woerth said, "cockpit video is an egregious invasion of privacy for minimal, if any, safety data."

Invasion of privacy? Recording on-the-job behavior is done all the time. It is not a matter of privacy. And it would seem to be especially beneficial where an examination of the recorded behavior could have a life-saving effect on airline passengers and crew.

I'm not buying these "misuse of information" or "invasion of privacy" arguments. Professional airline pilots are among the most safety-conscious employees in the world, and should welcome any device that could increase the margin of flight safety. After all, those are their butts that are in the front seats.

Why aren't pilots endorsing this measure? What is really going on here? Does ALPA see this as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with the airlines? Is this a "pissing contest" between the union and the government?

If you're a pilot, I'd like to get your perspective. Send me a message at terry@ticked.com. There must be some substantive issue here I cannot see.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. His column appears on Wednesdays. He is author of the popular book Travel Can Be Murder. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at terry@ticked.com.