Union Urges ‘Back-to-Basics’ Approach to Pilot Skills

ALPA vice president doubles down on hand-flying, training quality, and technology’s role in safety.

Ryan Ewing

Saturday, December 06, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Boeing 737 flight deck [Credit: Shutterstock/Atosan]

Key Takeaways:

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is calling for a renewed emphasis on fundamental, manual-flying skills among pilots, citing safety data that indicates skill erosion due to increasing automation.
ALPA's first vice president, Wendy Morse, advocates for pilots to "go back to our roots" and maintain proficiency by regularly hand-flying aircraft, even to cruise altitude.
The union actively opposes single-pilot airline operations, emphasizing its "Safety Starts With Two" campaign due to critical safety concerns.
While recognizing the value of technology and AI for supporting pilot decision-making and data analysis, ALPA stresses the need for careful monitoring to prevent over-reliance or bad data.

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The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is calling for a renewed emphasis on fundamental flying skills as automation becomes more common in air carrier operations.

In a recent interview at the Skift Aviation Forum in Fort Worth, Texas, ALPA first vice president Wendy Morse, a Boeing 787 captain, said the union is advocating for pilots to “go back to our roots” by maintaining strong manual-flying proficiency throughout their careers.