Sets Limits For Flight Duty Period,
Flight Time Limits, Fitness For Duty
The final rule overhauling commercial passenger airline pilot
scheduling has been posted to the Federal Register. U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Acting Administrator
Michael Huerta said the new rules in the 314-page
document will ensure pilots have a longer opportunity for rest
before they enter the cockpit.
(L-R) Ray LaHood, Michael Huerta
“This is a major safety achievement,” said Secretary
LaHood. “We made a promise to the traveling public that we
would do everything possible to make sure pilots are rested when
they get in the cockpit. This new rule raises the safety bar to
prevent fatigue.”
The Department of Transportation identified the issue of pilot
fatigue as a top priority during a 2009 airline Safety Call to
Action following the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407. The FAA
launched an aggressive effort to take advantage of the latest
research on fatigue to create a new pilot flight, duty and rest
proposal, which the agency issued on September 10, 2010.
Key components of this final rule for commercial passenger
flights include:
Varying flight and duty requirements based on what time
the pilot’s day begins. The new rule incorporates
the latest fatigue science to set different requirements for pilot
flight time, duty period and rest based on the time of day pilots
begin their first flight, the number of scheduled flight segments
and the number of time zones they cross. The previous rules
included different rest requirements for domestic, international
and unscheduled flights. Those differences were not necessarily
consistent across different types of passenger flights, and did not
take into account factors such as start time and time zone
crossings.
Flight duty period. The allowable length of a
flight duty period depends on when the pilot’s day begins and
the number of flight segments he or she is expected to fly, and
ranges from 9-14 hours for single crew operations. The flight duty
period begins when a flightcrew member is required to report for
duty, with the intention of conducting a flight and ends when the
aircraft is parked after the last flight. It includes the period of
time before a flight or between flights that a pilot is working
without an intervening rest period. Flight duty includes deadhead
transportation, training in an aircraft or flight simulator, and
airport standby or reserve duty if these tasks occur before a
flight or between flights without an intervening required rest
period.
Flight time limits of eight or nine hours. The
FAA limits flight time – when the plane is moving under its
own power before, during or after flight – to eight or nine
hours depending on the start time of the pilot’s entire
flight duty period.
10-hour minimum rest period. The rule sets a
10-hour minimum rest period prior to the flight duty period, a
two-hour increase over the old rules. The new rule also mandates
that a pilot must have an opportunity for eight hours of
uninterrupted sleep within the 10-hour rest period.
New cumulative flight duty and flight time
limits. The new rule addresses potential cumulative
fatigue by placing weekly and 28-day limits on the amount of time a
pilot may be assigned any type of flight duty. The rule also places
28-day and annual limits on actual flight time. It also requires
that pilots have at least 30 consecutive hours free from duty on a
weekly basis, a 25 percent increase over the old rules.
Fitness for duty. The FAA expects pilots and
airlines to take joint responsibility when considering if a pilot
is fit for duty, including fatigue resulting from pre-duty
activities such as commuting. At the beginning of each flight
segment, a pilot is required to affirmatively state his or her
fitness for duty. If a pilot reports he or she is fatigued and
unfit for duty, the airline must remove that pilot from duty
immediately. “Every pilot has a personal responsibility to
arrive at work fit for duty. This new rule gives pilots enough time
to get the rest they really need to safely get passengers to their
destinations,” said FAA Acting Administrator Huerta.
Fatigue Risk Management System. An airline may
develop an alternative way of mitigating fatigue based on science
and using data that must be validated by the FAA and continuously
monitored.
In 2010, Congress mandated a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP)
for all airlines and they have developed these plans based on FAA
guidance materials. An FRMP provides education for pilots and
airlines to help address the effects of fatigue which can be caused
by overwork, commuting, or other activities. Airlines will be
required to train pilots about the potential effects of
commuting.
Required training updates every two years will include fatigue
mitigation measures, sleep fundamentals and the impact to a
pilot’s performance. The training will also address how
fatigue is influenced by lifestyle – including nutrition,
exercise, and family life – as well as by sleep disorders and
the impact of commuting.
The estimated cost of this rule to the aviation industry is $297
million but the benefits are estimated between $247- $470 million.
Covering cargo operators under the new rule would be too costly
compared to the benefits generated in this portion of the industry.
Some cargo airlines already have improved rest facilities for
pilots to use while cargo is loaded and unloaded during night time
operations. The FAA encourages cargo operators to opt into the new
rule voluntarily, which would require them to comply with all of
its provisions.