APA Leadership
APA President
Captain Ed Sicher has flown for American Airlines since 1998, and he has been based at MIA, LGA, and ORD over the course of his career. Before being elected President in 2022, he represented the pilots of MIA as their Domicile Vice Chair (2015-2018) and Domicile Chair (2021-2022).
Prior to being hired by American, Captain Sicher served in the U.S Air Force, where he piloted the McDonnell Douglas F-4 “Phantom” and the Fairchild Republic A-10 “Warthog.” He also served as an acquisition officer and hardware engineer for U.S. Space and Missile System Center in Los Angeles, and the Military Liaison Officer for the U.S. Consulate in Curacao. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel having earned an Air Medal for Combat. At American, he has served as a Flight Engineer on the Boeing 727, has flown the Boeing 757 and 767, and is currently a Captain on the Boeing 737.
Born in Roseland on the south side of Chicago, Captain Sicher graduated from Marist High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology, where he was a Lincoln State Scholar and his university’s Rhodes Scholar nominee. He was also President of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity before being commissioned into the Air Force. He also studied human resources and labor relations, earning a master’s degree from Chapman University.
Captain Sicher was also a small business owner and extensively involved in community service, receiving the YMCA’s Broward County Volunteer of the Year award after running Fort Lauderdale’s Soap Box Derby Race. He resides in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with his wife and youngest child.
APA Vice President
Captain Chris Torres was hired by American Airlines in 2016. Before being elected Vice President in 2022, he represented the pilots of DFW as their Domicile Vice Chair (2020-2022).
As a member of the APA Contract Compliance Committee, First Officer Torres designed a series of courses to educate his union brothers and sisters on the finer points of their contract. He also volunteered as a mentor with the APA Compass Project, sponsoring newly hired pilots and helping them navigate life at American.
As a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he flew the Northrop T-38 and the McDonnell Douglas F-15E before retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. First Officer Torres has piloted the Boeing 737 since joining American.
A native of Santa Cruz, Calif., First Officer Torres graduated from Santa Clara University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He also earned a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He and his family reside in Trophy Club, Texas.
APA Secretary-Treasurer
First Officer Patrick Clark was hired by American Airlines in 1991. He has piloted the Boeing 787 on international routes, and he has logged domestic time on the Boeing 727, the Boeing 737, and the McDonnell Douglas DC-9. Prior to joining American, he was a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marine Corps.
First Officer Clark's years of APA experience include terms as deputy chairman of the Operational Analysis Committee and former Technical Analysis and Scheduling Committee. Much of the analysis performed by these committees is made possible by technology that First Officer Clark created. He was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 2019 and re-elected in 2022.
First Officer Clark is a graduate of the University of San Francisco. He is based at DFW and resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife.