Originally Posted by
dojetdriver
You missed the point. Lots of pilots go a FULL 4 day trip without getting a "full" sleep cycle. Regardless of whether they commuted in or not. I know on nights 1 and 2, or 2 and 3, or whatever combination, I've had less then 6 hours of sleep on BOTH nights. I don't know what you consider a "full" sleep cycle.
I don't consider that "full".
The FAA discussed this @ the hearing yesterday afternoon. The FAA' Civil Aerospace Medical Institute research shows that going over 17 hours between a full sleep (defined as 4-5 full sleep cycles consisting of the 5 stages of sleep) leads to rapid deterioration of skills. Most people require 7-8 hours to attain a full sleep, thus why the FAA recommends a minimum 10 hour rest, allowing for 2 hours to be spent in non-sleep activity. Sadly, the FAR's do not reflect this.