The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released an updated
flight and duty time regulation following the Continental Connection (Colgan
Air) crash. The new regulation requires a minimum rest period of ten hours
(which is an increase over the previous requirement of eight). The regulations
goes on to state that a pilot must have the opportunity to receive eight hours
of uninterrupted rest within each ten hour rest period. The new regulation also
limits a pilot to a maximum eight hour flight period (or nine depending on the
start time) and a fourteen hour duty period. A pilot must also provide a
statement saying he is fit for duty prior to each duty period. These new
regulations were adopted to attempt to minimize pilot fatigue (a factor
associated with the Continental Connection crash).
The cargo industry has been exempt from this new regulation.
The flight and duty time requirements for cargo operations require eight hours
between required rest periods (Carroll 2014). They also require ten consecutive
hours of rest for every eight hours of flight time (nine consecutive hours
below eight hours of flight time and eleven consecutive hours above nine hours
of flight time). There is no requirement for uninterrupted rest. The
requirements also limits a pilot to one thousand hours a year and one hundred
hours a month.
The cargo operations have been exempt from this new
regulation because they do not conduct passenger carrying operations (FAA 2011).
This is stated directly in the preamble of the final rule. A number of other
factors may have also contributed to the exemption. The added costs may be too
high for some cargo operations. The public perception may have also played a
role.
I do feel the new regulation should apply to cargo
operations. The pilots of cargo carrying operations endure similar stresses as
passenger carrying pilots even though they are not carrying passengers. The
pilots of cargo carrying operations also tend to work non-traditional schedules
(including throughout the night or longer legs). The new regulation is relatively
similar to the old one but the change should be uniform throughout the industry.
I would consider becoming a cargo pilot if this new
regulation applied to all operations. The tough and inconsistent schedule of a
cargo pilot along with high flight and duty time requirements make this opportunity
relatively unattractive.
I understand why you don't find cargo companies attractive in terms of starting your professional career. You have to keep in mind that cargo companies only require a commercial license with a current medical, while regional airlines require 1,500 hours and an ATP rating.
ReplyDeleteI think it is ridiculous that cargo pilot governed by a whole different set of rules then commercial passenger carrying pilot. It is not as if there is a such thing as passenger carrying airspace, cargo airspace, general airspace and UAV airspace, which means that the passenger carrying aircraft can encounter that cargo jet at any time because they all fly in the same airspace and into the same airports. If the idea is to improve aviation safety then everyone should be treated the same and have to abide by the same rules.
ReplyDeleteI think that your correct in saying that public perception may have played a role in this new rule. The general public would have freaked if they new their pilot for that day only had 5 hours of sleep and flew 2 other legs that day before their flight. There is virtually no difference between a cargo pilot and a passenger pilot. The general public would only see it as them being on the flight that crashes, but they don’t think about the cargo pilot that comes from a worse schedule flying over their head. I too would consider cargo flying if there were stricter rest requirments.
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