Group Says Rule May Actually Shorten Rest Time

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations is concerned that portions of the FAA's NPRM on Flight and Duty Time published on Tuesday may have a negative impact on flight safety, according to a press release issued late Thursday.

While CAPA applauds the FAA for its efforts in looking at a broad range of causal factors with regard to fatigue mitigation, CAPA’s safety professionals feel the proposed solutions "often address industry economic issues to the exclusion of safety concerns."

Although the proposal places limits on how long pilots can be on duty based on time of day, CAPA says it falls short of the mark to protect pilots against fatigue in many areas.

In its recent statement, CAPA says the new rule proposes a 25 percent increase in the amount of flying a pilot can be expected to accomplish in a day.

For augmented, or three person, crews there is no specified limit on hours flown in a duty day.  So, using only "total duty" as a limit, CAPA suggests three pilots could fly as much as 15 hours, a 25 percent increase over the current limit of 12 hours.

CAPA also says the rule calls for a nine-hour rest period which they feel still does not provide adequate time for a pilot to get eight hours of sleep. The minimum rest would apply following extended international flights as well, a major reduction compared to today.

And finally, CAPA says even "this nine-hour rest period can be shortened once a week to eight hours, further inducing fatigue.'

Pilot fatigue is an ever present threat to the safety of traveling public and has been identified on the National Transportation Safety Board’s “Most Wanted” list of regulatory changes for two decades.

CAPA insists logical regulatory reforms "must take precedence with government regulators over the economic interests of the airline industry."

CAPA President Paul Onorato was quoted in the press release, “You cannot make a pilot less fatigued by requiring them to fly more hours”.

The FAA's new proposed rule has stirred the interest of industry safety experts across the country. In a recent letter to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger states, “The stated purpose of the rulemaking process was to enhance the safety of the traveling public by reducing pilot fatigue. This NPRM does neither."

FMI: www.capapilots.org