Jack Bauer

At least one Union gets it and not high fiving this turd.

Allied Pilots Association on Proposed New Flight and Duty Time Rules: 'Any Change Must Enhance Safety' - MarketWatch

VS

"While ALPA looks forward to submitting our full comments to the FAA, the FT/DT Committee offers some initial observations about the proposal. We are very encouraged."

Time to replace the leadership or form a new union.

pilotrob23

wow. New union? Harsh. Maybe new leadership. If you want certain rest requirements, contact your mec and have them put something in the contract. Since when did everyone think the govt was going to save the day?

mynameisjim

Finally someone speaks out against these new rules in the public spotlight. The FAA is contradicting their own document in the new proposed rules. I made some examples of the contradictions:

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Page 13 says:
"If a person has had significantly less than 8 hours of sleep in the past 24 hours, he or she is more likely to be fatigued."

Proposed Rule:
In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the pilot in command and certificate holder may reduce the 9 consecutive hour rest period in paragraph (d) of this section to 8 consecutive hours.

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Page 13:
"A person who has been continually awake more than 17 hours since his or her last major sleep period is more likely to be fatigued."

Proposed Rule:
The maximum reserve duty period for un-augmented operations is the lesser of – (i) 16 hours,

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Page 13:
"The longer a person has continuously been doing a job without a break, the more likely he or she is to be fatigued."

Proposed Rule:
Increasing Maximum Flight Time Limits for Un-augmented Operations: 0700-1259 10 hours

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Page 14:
"Sleep should not be fragmented with interruptions."

Proposed Rule:
Adding 117.17 Flight duty period: Split duty

gloopy

I like most of the new rest rule proposals. The one that must NOT make it into the final ruling though, is the rediculous 9-10 hour 2 pilot ETOPS flying. Flying in the lower 48, where you are never more than 10-20 minutes away from a suitable airport simply does not compare to a potential 3 hour ETOPS single pilot situation with oceanic divert procedures and maybe an emergency thrown in. That is quite simply NOT SAFE. All the pilot alphabet groups should be doing some heavy lobbying to make sure that extremely pro-management cost saving item is stripped from the final ruling.

Sink r8

Funny, but the article doesn't reflect your title. APA doesn't say the new rules are a big step backwards: they say some of the rules are, while others are positive. Which is pretty obvious to all pilots.

Lambourne

That sounds pretty simplistic. You do realize that everything in a contract has a price tag attached to it. Therefore you are now asking to pay for something that was free previously; ie relief pilot over 8 hours. It reduces your compensation package to keep what the FAR's gave you under the current rules.

ALPA and the goons running the show (No-neck Prater and Rice-a-roni) are too busy upping their playing weight and grooming their mustaches to care about the line pilot.

Oust ALPA and get a real union like the APA. Get a union that is geared to represent your interest versus the RJ laynard wearing union of ALPA.

L

eaglefly

Big business at work again with the assistance of their governmental lackeys. Sadly, ALPA has become one of those lackeys. They don't want to rock the boat too hard and destabilize their income which is their primary concern.

U.S. Airline pilots are for the most part chumps (or chimps) and are just getting a slightly riper banana rammed up their backsides. This will do until the next fatigue-related crash (when, not if) and then a new round of finger-pointing will happen until that storm blows over and it's back to business as usual.

Jack Bauer

As long as extreme circadian rhythm shifts are allowed to continue (reducing duty or flight time a few hours after the damage has occurred is not a remedy) this cannot be touted as science based nor safety centric. Call it what it is, an opportunity airline managements used to spot massage more productivity.

Prater is too close to his old friend Babbitt to speak up and say what needs to be said. Hell, are you going to rock the boat when you have a future in consulting and politics. And the rolling over and lack of representation continues.

pilotrob23

Rj wearing lanyard? Circadian rhythm? Now i understand how this effects the international crews, because that has been talked about a ton on a few of the threads. So, if i am mistaken, and i know there are holes, but the max duty day has been reduced to 13 from 16? And we need 9 hours of rest? Im thinking of the majority of pilots, now rj guys (hope it changes), and low cost carrier pilots, this is a good step. Not great of course. The international 121 heavy pilots in this country is so small. How about the other 80% plus? And paying for somethn in a contract? Like i said, if you want to lean on the govt to take care of you concerning your qol, you already lost. These rest rules have been used for so long. Use your union and payed dues to take care of your contract needs!

Bill Lumberg

Some airlines have contractual obligations to keep 2 pilots under 8 hours, and 3 pilots above 8 hours. Delta is one of those. The contract superceeds the FAA rules in this case. That could be a double wammy for management.