Originally Posted by
DeltaboundRedux
This is NOT a hostile question.
What is "mid-senior"?
(I've commuted in the past because circumstances demanded it. Sometimes irresponsibly. Not for the backup, but for the "adequately rested" part.)
The Colgan Air crash that principiated the Part 117 rules didn't go far enough, IMHO. Being able to document 12 hours of non-duty time in an adequate rest facility prior to sign in should be a minimum.
Now that I have seniority, when I fly with a pilot who shows up (with the backup) after sleeping in the crew lounge for 8 hours (or tries to) but is still exhausted, I can only say that it's less than ideal. I live in base: I always fly the first leg because I know what's going on on the other side.
I've no solutions.
Living in base is a choice, but from a health/safety perspective, it's the obvious one.
And so from a safety perspective you should be vocally in favor of PSC.
The problem of going after PSC from this perspective is getting forced into the rules like you mention above. I’m a wuss, I don’t do red eyes, complain with even a single time zone change, and commute in the afternoon prior to 95% of my trips. But that’s my choice. I don’t want the FAA or D telling me how or when to commute.
Here is the difference in my case. Currently drive 3 hours to airport, to be there 1 hour before departure, for a 1.5 hour commuter flight. 5.5 hours home to ATL with no backup. With PSC and no backup required, starting a trip with one domestic leg on first day would be ok. Add in backup… most of the flights are less than 2 hours apart, so if we play 2 hour rule as well it adds another 4.5 hours ish. Now I’m 10+ into my day at sign in. And where the wuss factor plays in for me personally.
Take it one more step, PSC and no backup, well there is a small airport with RJ service only an hour away. But not frequent enough to generally have a backup that saves any commute time under current rules. But we get PSC and no backup, now I’m 3.5 hour commute. Compared to 10, that’s huge. And probably 24 days per year I’m home and not commuting.
I know I’m not changing minds. I also know I’m not moving, and without PSC my vote is no.