New Rules 'Allow For Increased Flight Time And Fail To Address
Fatigue'
It wasn't hard to predict that the release of the FAA's long
awaited regs on crew rest and duty times would see some flak... but
the chorus of opposition keeps growing. This time, the US Airline
Pilots Association (USAPA), representing the pilots of US Airways,
have expressed concerns over the new FAA Flight and Duty Time rule
addressing pilot crew rest. The new rule is the result of efforts
to address pilot fatigue, brought to light primarily as a result of
the fatal accident of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, NY that
occurred in May 2009.
USAPA welcomes the publication of the long overdue rest rule,
and acknowledges that positive steps were taken to mitigate fatigue
in Wednesday’s final ruling. However, USAPA believes some
areas of the rule are in conflict with the stated goal of the
improving passenger safety.
In response to the release of the new rest rules, USAPA
President Captain Mike Cleary stated, "The new rule demonstrates
troubling inconsistencies in its application to cargo operations
and, therefore, fails to meet the FAA’s stated goal of One
Level of Safety. Congress directed the FAA to create new
science-based flight and duty rules to appropriately establish one
level of aviation safety to protect the public. Under intense
pressure from the cargo industry lobby, the FAA has failed to carry
out this basic congressional mandate. Pilots work in a complex
environment where a poor decision due to fatigue of one flight crew
can magnify and affect the lives of many. The final rule exempts
cargo carriers from adhering to the flight and duty regulations,
allowing them to opt out of the new rule."
President Cleary continued, "USAPA strongly supports One Level
of Safety – what’s safe for one pilot is safe for all,
and these new rules fail to incorporate that commitment."
All pilots are subject to the same physiological needs
regardless of the type of air carrier operations. The new rule
fails to acknowledge that basic fact by exempting certain segments
of air transport. Added Captain Cleary, "Fatigue is fatigue,
regardless of whether you're carrying passengers or cargo. USAPA
believes that, in the largely adversarial work environment that
many are faced with today, strict government regulation must be in
place to protect against potential abuses. Faced with the many
potential challenges in round-the-clock air transport operations, a
pilot must have the protections of strong Flight and Duty Time
regulations and be free to remove him or herself from a flight due
to fatigue without fear of recrimination."
The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) represents the more
than 5,000 mainline pilots who fly for US Airways.