Originally Posted by
Mason32
Duty is an Obligation
The requirement to answer your phone during specific periods of time is an Obligation... Hence it is duty. Regardless of what they tell you, the cases have already been decided.
The problem is that pilot requirements in the FARs don't talk about duty. They detail "flight time limitations and rest requirements," rather than duty time limits. The 16-hour "duty day" is implied through the 8-hour lookback rest requirement; there isn't a stated duty-day limit in FAR 121.471.