Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
Here's your pop quiz for the night. Good luck!
Your flight is scheduled in at 2230 local time. You block in exactly on schedule at 2230. Your flight duty period (for FAR purposes) ends at 2230. Departure time for tomorrow's flight is 0930... so report time the next morning is 0830. You are scheduled for the minimum 10 hour layover under FAR 117.
You landed in a major snow storm. They had just finally cleared the runway and opened the airport back up. You were the first aircraft to land in many hours. Road traffic in the local area is very slow going and it takes the van a long time to get to the airport to pick you up. Normally, it's a 20 minute drive but you end up waiting 45 minutes (from block in) for the van. It's now 2315. Because of the road conditions and traffic, it takes another 45 minutes to get to the hotel. You get to the hotel at 0000 (midnight). By the time you get checked in and actually get to the room, it is now 0010. Normal pick up time for your flight the next morning is scheduled for 0810. Based on that time, you would have 8 hours "behind the door."
Question: Are you legal for pick up at 0810?
(If yes, why? If no, why not?)
No. You are not legal. You would need to call the crew tracker and give them the new report time.
Q-71. When does a sleep opportunity begin so the 8 hours can be determined?
A-71. A sleep opportunity generally commences once a flightcrew member is at a location where the flightcrew member can reasonably be expected to go to sleep and not have that sleep interrupted, such as a hotel.
Q-72. What should the flightcrew member do if he/she determines that an 8-hour uninterrupted sleep opportunity can't be achieved for some reason, such as delayed van rides, inability to get a room key, etc.?
A-72. The flightcrew member should advise the certificate holder as soon as possible of the need to delay the next FDP reporting time to allow for an 8-hour uninterrupted sleep opportunity.
In addition, the more restrictive release time would be per the PWA & therefore your true release time would be 2300 LCL, not 2230 LCL.