KARACHI, Dec 23: Pakistan Air Line Pilots’ Association (PALPA) has announced a series of upcoming events, scheduled up to Jan 10, 2004, as part of the ongoing month-long celebrations to mark the 50th year of its operations.

The events include fun-packed activities for PALPA members and their families. According to a press release, the PALPA has planned Golden Jubilee Mascot design competition for the children of its members, gala fun fair, cricket tournament and entertainment evenings in all major cities. The celebrations would culminate in a seminar on air safety titled: Flight Duty Time (FDT) Fatigue.

Many foreign and local experts would be speaking on the subject.

Highlighting the role of the association in aviation industry, Captain N. A. Bucha, President of PALPA, said that the organization of pilots regarded ‘aviation safety and security for passengers and pilots’ as its mission.

Capt Mohsin Malik, presenting an overview of the seminar, said that an exhausted and stressed pilot could cause a disaster. He indicated that while it was a recommended practice that pilots rest before and after long haul flights, full compliance with this practice was yet to be achieved in Third World countries.

The PALPA and its pilots have time and again proved their worth, both in war and peace times, he said.—APP