Independent pilots have been joined by flight attendants and mechanics in the newly renamed Independent Contract Aviation Professionals of America association (ICAPAmerica). The organization, which grew out of an online forum for independent contract pilots, held a breakfast get-together in Orlando, Fla., on the last day of this fall’s NBAA Convention. Some 15 pilots met to discuss issues facing independent contract pilots and to plan the future course of the association.
Underlying the concerns of ICAPAmerica’s leadership is the perception that a contract pilot is one who cannot hold a permanent job. Jeff Beck, an independent Gulfstream-qualified pilot, began his address at the breakfast with a USA Today statistic indicating that three out of five Americans would like to be running their own business. “As contract pilots, that’s what we’re doing. And we’re doing it because we want to,” he said. Beck spoke about raising the training and qualifications bar so operators can be assured that association members will have the polish and professionalism they need in a temporary contractor.
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