FAR 117 Effect
 

Looks Like same day commutes are over. Some crash pads will not be Suitable accommodations. What are you going to do? Move to base or use more of your time to commute?

eCFR ? Code of Federal Regulations

§ 117.25 Rest period.

(e) No certificate holder may schedule and no flightcrew member may accept an assignment for any reserve or flight duty period unless the flightcrew member is given a rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours immediately before beginning the reserve or flight duty period measured from the time the flightcrew member is released from duty. The 10 hour rest period must provide the flightcrew member with a minimum of 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep opportunity.

(f) If a flightcrew member determines that a rest period under paragraph (e) of this section will not provide eight uninterrupted hours of sleep opportunity, the flightcrew member must notify the certificate holder. The flightcrew member cannot report for the assigned flight duty period until he or she receives a rest period specified in paragraph (e) of this section.

§ 117.3 Definitions.

Suitable accommodation means a temperature-controlled facility with sound mitigation and the ability to control light that provides a flightcrew member with the ability to sleep either in a bed, bunk or in a chair that allows for flat or near flat sleeping position. Suitable accommodation only applies to ground facilities and does not apply to aircraft onboard rest facilities.

I am pretty sure that is for while you are on a trip. What you do on your days off is your business...

That doesn't mean you can't commute on the same day as your trip.

Mark my words...within 2-3 years of this Reg...An accident or incident will have "inadequate rest" as a causal factor...

This has nothing to do with commuting. In fact, commuting was intentionally left out due to ALPA's input.

This is so stupid. I could drive 4-6 hours and be ok with this new rule but if I have to do a 30-60 minute commute on an airplane I will not be in compliance.

Or I could live in base and wake up at 6:30am, then golf 18 holes and be up and awake for 12 hours before my show time and be ok…

Am I missing something here or where is the language about prohibiting same day commutes?

Where does it say you're not in compliance? It calls for rest opportunities. It is referring to scheduling during trips. no where in 117 does it state what you must do on your own time.

This is like saying a 121 Supplemental Pilot is "On Duty" while being on a pager. Wait and see how ALPA interprets it. Commuting will live on indefinitely, I'm sure everyone would quit before having to move in or around JFK for 20k a year.

One of the guys working on this at our company interprets the reg like the OP. He feels that while not specifically prohibiting same day commuting, if the commute takes longer than 2hrs, then you aren't in compliance based on the 8 hrs of uninterrupted sleep opportunity. It's really open to how you see it, but being that the company and the pilot now share responsibility for rest it wouldn't surprise me to see something like "must be in domicile 10-12 hrs prior to FDP start" being written into company manuals. And if you commute via air, then CASS becomes the tattle tale. Hopefully this doesn't happen.