Airlines Pushing The Limit Of A Pilots Ability!
You wouldn't think that an airline would want to flirt with the limits of a pilots ability. It actually goes on all the time. Pushing a pilots schedule to the edge of causing fatigue.
Pilot fatigue is a tough thing to deal with. The good old FAA tells pilots they must be rested and mentally and physically able to do their job. When a pilot is becoming fatigued how can the FAA expect the pilot to recognize this and make good decisions when to call it quit for the day.
Instead of leaving it up to a fatigued pilot to try to make good decisions how about the FAA make more common sense duty regulations. Instead they favor the airlines and allow a pilot to work up to 16 hours in one day if there are "operational delays". This is the most stupid rule the FAA has in my opinion.
Example:
I just did a two day trip that had 5 flight legs the first day and 3 the next. The first day we dealt with maintenance and bad weather all day so we were just over an hour late to the overnight where we only had 9:20 minutes of rest scheduled. We had exactly 8 hours rest that night.
When we have 8 hours rest this means the van ride to and from the hotel is in this 8 hours. Getting anything to eat in the morning at 6:00am is in this 8 hours. So to sum it up I got 5:30 hours sleep.
How do you feel after 5:30 hours of sleep? That is right, not too good. Well the FAA thinks it is ok for an airline pilot to fly passengers with this much sleep. This much sleep is not enough to recover after working a 13:30 hour day the day before. Oh and we also flew almost 8 hours. After a long day like this I need at least 8 hours sleep to feel good.
The next day we did only work 3 legs but we were late again so I worked about a normal persons 8 hour day. You can believe me I took a nap when I got home. I was exhausted.
This goes on all the time and you are riding around in the back with tired pilots who the FAA thinks can make good decisions when to call "too fatigued to fly". Again the FAA puts it on the shoulders of the airline pilot to keep it safe while the airlines try to work the pilots to death to make a buck.
Again I suggest you write the FAA and tell them what you think. Tell them that you want the pilots flying you around to have adequate rest before flying you. 5:30 hours is not enough after a long day!!!
You are hearing it from the source. I see what goes on up front and you don't. Write them a short email now.
Even better call the FAA Whistle Blower Line at 1-866-TELL-FAA (1-866-835-5322).
Pilot fatigue is a tough thing to deal with. The good old FAA tells pilots they must be rested and mentally and physically able to do their job. When a pilot is becoming fatigued how can the FAA expect the pilot to recognize this and make good decisions when to call it quit for the day.
Instead of leaving it up to a fatigued pilot to try to make good decisions how about the FAA make more common sense duty regulations. Instead they favor the airlines and allow a pilot to work up to 16 hours in one day if there are "operational delays". This is the most stupid rule the FAA has in my opinion.
Example:
I just did a two day trip that had 5 flight legs the first day and 3 the next. The first day we dealt with maintenance and bad weather all day so we were just over an hour late to the overnight where we only had 9:20 minutes of rest scheduled. We had exactly 8 hours rest that night.
When we have 8 hours rest this means the van ride to and from the hotel is in this 8 hours. Getting anything to eat in the morning at 6:00am is in this 8 hours. So to sum it up I got 5:30 hours sleep.
How do you feel after 5:30 hours of sleep? That is right, not too good. Well the FAA thinks it is ok for an airline pilot to fly passengers with this much sleep. This much sleep is not enough to recover after working a 13:30 hour day the day before. Oh and we also flew almost 8 hours. After a long day like this I need at least 8 hours sleep to feel good.
The next day we did only work 3 legs but we were late again so I worked about a normal persons 8 hour day. You can believe me I took a nap when I got home. I was exhausted.
This goes on all the time and you are riding around in the back with tired pilots who the FAA thinks can make good decisions when to call "too fatigued to fly". Again the FAA puts it on the shoulders of the airline pilot to keep it safe while the airlines try to work the pilots to death to make a buck.
Again I suggest you write the FAA and tell them what you think. Tell them that you want the pilots flying you around to have adequate rest before flying you. 5:30 hours is not enough after a long day!!!
You are hearing it from the source. I see what goes on up front and you don't. Write them a short email now.
Even better call the FAA Whistle Blower Line at 1-866-TELL-FAA (1-866-835-5322).
posted by Jet Airline Pilot at 6:54 AM
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