Fatigue

The FAA is on track to issue final rules of a NPRM later this Summer on new Flight Time/Duty Time (FTDT) rules which will for the first time take into account scientific data in the battle of pilot fatigue.

As you may surmise the ATA, which is the lobbying agent for the major airlines, is against many of the principles outlined in the proposed rules - mainly citing increased costs associated to comply, but also stating that the FAA doesn't understand the manner in which airlines operate and that it would add significant complexity.

While many of the major pilot unions (ALPA, APA, CALPA, etc.) are not entirely happy with all the proposed rules (mainly that it doesn't go far enough to address all the issues) - each see this as a very big step in the right direction.

Last August President Obama signed HR 5900 which set a timeline for implementation of the final FTDT rule to be enacted by July 31st. I fully expected that that the ATA will be screaming to high heavens to amend that date seeing as how that is a little more than 3 months away and it takes some time for the airlines to educate their affected staff as well as change their scheduling software to comply with whatever the final rule imposes.

Fatigue affects each individual differently, but nobody is immune. It is a nasty component of our industry that usually comes up only when highlighted by an accident & is insidiously cumulative depending on many factors:

Multiple time zone changes, circadian rhythm interruptions, lousy schedule, commuting to work, multiple legs in a duty day, long duty days, hotel issues, lack of proper hydration, poor nutritional choices, lack of exercise, etc.; by all means not an all inclusive listing.

This is a decades old battle for improvement - and safety for all involved demands that it be addressed.