Originally Posted by
whooooooocares
Thanks. I wasn't necessarily asking for permission to call in fatigued, but wanted to now how others gauged their level of fitness for duty.
I've just heard it said, "if you're tired, call in." I didn't think that was super helpful or descriptive.
You know yourself, you have to make the call.
Not a morning person here, really early shows are not going to find me at my best. I will not feel as chipper as I do at 1100, but I know that if I have some coffee and proceed methodically and slowly by the time we're ready to start moving I'll have perked up. But if I no-kidding actually feel sleepy at that point, it's a no-go.
For some people feeling sleepy may not be the same as fatigued, it's impossible to clearly define as it's on a spectrum. The FAA allows schedules which are clearly out of whack with circadian rhythm so they can't expect you to be at the top of your game. You have to assess where you are on the scale and make the call.
Even if you don't feel fatigued, there are times you should call in to CYA...say the commute went horribly wrong and you spent all night sleeping in terminals or airplanes instead of a crashpad. If something bad happened on one of your flights, the NTSB and FAA would assume you were fayigued.