Dont get me wrong..Im not trying to be negative to what your aims are.
But the bottom line is this:
This crew F'd up.......badly
MANY professional pilots fly tired. Its part of the job and its just the way it is.
It doesnt excuse someone from putting his/her aircraft in a stall, then make matters worse by making a completely improper "recovery".
IN THIS CASE...The fact that the crew was tired was not the company's fault-- It was a result of their personal negligence that they got themselves into situation where they were up for 30 hours.
The end result is going to be that since no rest regulations were violated by the company. Theere will be no change to any law.
the best that you will see out of this is perhaps more oversight on training and pilot applicant background checking.
You can blame 3407 all you want on low pay, etc. but when it comes down to it..you cant regulate common sense. This crew didnt show much of that.
Sorry to be harsh.
Thank you for sharing your opinion.
Luckily, not many on here feel the same.
Let's be clear: The "aim" as you call it, of Remember 3407 Airline Labor Reform Act will have nothing to do with pay increase. It has everything to do with work rule reform.
I think we will all agree that most airlines, be they mainline or regional, have their own interpretation of the FAR's and abide by them so as not to violate those FAR's.
The problem is, the FAR's, as they are written now, are open to interpretation as to deprive pilots of 8 hours of rest
behind the door. Example:
Sec. 121.471 - Flight time limitations and rest requirements: All flight crewmembers.
(a) No certificate holder conducting domestic operations may schedule any flight crewmember and no flight crewmember may accept an assignment for flight time in scheduled air transportation or in other commercial flying if that crewmember's total flight time in all commercial flying will exceed --
(1) 1,000 hours in any calendar year;
(2) 100 hours in any calendar month;
(3) 30 hours in any 7 consecutive days;
(4) 8 hours between required rest periods.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no certificate holder conducting domestic operations may schedule a flight crewmember and no flight crewmember may accept an assignment for flight time during the 24 consecutive hours preceding the scheduled completion of any flight segment without a scheduled rest period during that 24 hours of at least the following:
(1) 9 consecutive hours of rest for less than 8 hours of scheduled flight time.
(2) 10 consecutive hours of rest for 8 or more but less than 9 hours of scheduled flight time.
(3) 11 consecutive hours of rest for 9 or more hours of scheduled flight time.
(c) A certificate holder may schedule a flight crewmember for less than the rest required in paragraph (b) of this section or may reduce a scheduled rest under the following conditions:
(1) A rest required under paragraph (b)(1) of this section may be scheduled for or reduced to a minimum of 8 hours if the flight crewmember is given a rest period of at least 10 hours that must begin no later than 24 hours after the commencement of the reduced rest period.
(2) A rest required under paragraph (b)(2) of this section may be scheduled for or reduced to a minimum of 8 hours if the flight crewmember is given a rest period of at least 11 hours that must begin no later than 24 hours after the commencement of the reduced rest period.
(3) A rest required under paragraph (b)(3) of this section may be scheduled for or reduced to a minimum of 9 hours if the flight crewmember is given a rest period of at least 12 hours that must begin no later than 24 hours after the commencement of the reduced rest period.
(4) No certificate holder may assign, nor may any flight crewmember perform any flight time with the certificate holder unless the flight crewmember has had at least the minimum rest required under this paragraph.
We are not saying that Colgan, or any other regional carrier, violates these rest rules. We are saying that many regional carriers liberally interpret those rules to our detriment as crewmembers.
At my regional, we begin our "rest" period 15 minutes after we set the brake.
That does not allow for:
1. Waiting for the van;
2. The drive to the hotel;
3. Checking into the hotel;
4. Getting into the room.
Then, our rest ends 40 minutes before departure.
Many, many times, we end up with an average of 6 hours of rest
behind the door.
The FAR's, as stated above, can be easily amended by stating as follows:
(1) 9 consecutive hours of rest [BEHIND THE DOOR/AT A HOTEL] for less than 8 hours of scheduled flight time.
(2) 10 consecutive hours of rest [BEHIND THE DOOR/AT A HOTEL] for 8 or more but less than 9 hours of scheduled flight time. (3) 11 consecutive hours of rest [BEHIND THE DOOR/AT A HOTEL] for 9 or more hours of scheduled flight time.
AND
(1) A rest required under paragraph (b)(1) of this section may be scheduled for or reduced to a minimum of 8 hours if the flight crewmember is given a rest period of at least 10 hours [BEHIND THE DOOR/AT A HOTEL]that must begin no later than 24 hours after the commencement of the reduced rest period.
(2) A rest required under paragraph (b)(2) of this section may be scheduled for or reduced to a minimum of 8 hours if the flight crewmember is given a rest period of at least 11 hours [BEHIND THE DOOR/AT A HOTEL]that must begin no later than 24 hours after the commencement of the reduced rest period. (3) A rest required under paragraph (b)(3) of this section may be scheduled for or reduced to a minimum of 9 hours if the flight crewmember is given a rest period of at least 12 hours [BEHIND THE DOOR/AT A HOTEL]that must begin no later than 24 hours after the commencement of the reduced rest period.
Some carriers (American Airlines) already have that in their contract.
However, our safety, and that of our passengers, absolutely should NOT lay in the hands of schedulers who, while not violating the FARS
as they are written , still liberally interpret those FAR's to get their on-time departures.
"Remember 3407" Airline Labor Reform Act is dedicated to changing the Regulations, so as to protect crews and the flying public from fatigued pilots.
:crazy:
