Bad Schedules at the Regionals, lets hear yours!

[av8er2]

We all know what a fair safe schedule is.

Give some examples of trips and schedules that scheduling has given you in the recent few months that were not the safest. What schedules really made you tired?

For example: the wonderful 8 hour reduced rest overnight that allows you to get 5 hours sleep and no food because all is closed at midnight. Not to mention the 30 minutes in the van that is included in this FAA approved reduced rest.

Or how about doing contionious duty for a few nights followed by a normal two day. Talk about throwing your body out of wack!

 

[ReportCanoa]

We need a new catchword other than "fatigue" to get out of an assignment.

I'm gonna start claiming "BS".

 

[mu2]

How about sick, broken, or I QUIT!

 

[labbats]

How about you all grow a pair and actually call in fatigued rather than cry on this messageboard?

 

[OPECJet]

How about you all grow a pair and actually call in fatigued rather than cry on this messageboard?

Then file a greivance and let an arbitrator decide whether you should pay for that call through your sick bank.

I'm still waiting to see this happen.

 

[labbats]

I've taken some financial hits to justify my fatigue calls... have you?

Just because the government is in the pocket of the same forces making me complete a 15 hour duty day doesn't mean I'm going to complete it. But hey, that's just me and I'm in the minority anyway.

 

[av8er2]

I have taken the hit for fatigue, have you? We all fly the same schedules and we all have had a schedule where fatigue should have been used. But the FAA or mgt. does not make it easy to use it.

The way I see it is if a pilot has not called in fatigue at least once then they have no ____s. No airline pilot with a few years has had only schedules that were reasonable and did not cause fatigue to some degree.

If more pilots took a stand on their own maybe something would be done. You know ALPA is not getting anywhere fast on this issue.

Anyway, give your examples.

 

[ReverseSensing]

If more pilots took a stand on their own maybe something would be done.

The only way a fatigue call is going to get the company's attention is if it happens in an outstation where no reserve is available. And how many of us are going to call in fatigued at an outstation, just to spend yet another night (or day) in a hotel if we can't get dead-headed back to base?

It the fatigue call happens at a base where reserves are available, the company actually comes out ahead: the original pilot drops the legs, saving the company money, and a (most likely) junior reserve pilot who is probably getting min guarantee anyway gets assigned to the trip.

So everyone who helps their airline out by calling in fatigued a leg or two in advance, giving crew scheduling plenty of time to get a reserve ready, is not really getting management's attention.

Frankly, the fact that the FAA has allowed preemptive fatigue calls ("Hi, crew scheduling? Yeah, I'm gonna be fatigued when I get done with the next turn") is ridiculous, but that's another thread.

 

[Midnight Flyer]

How about sick, broken, or I QUIT!

Sad part is, the company probably hopes you quit, so they can replace you with one of these spiked hair backpack wearing punks who will do anything for the company without complaining.

 

[PunchTheClown]

Really makes this a worthwhile life huh? No money, bad schedule, no life. Sit at 30,000 all day bored to tears in hopes that one day we all might make it to a major where the grass is sure to be greener right?

 

[labbats]

Frankly, the fact that the FAA has allowed preemptive fatigue calls ("Hi, crew scheduling? Yeah, I'm gonna be fatigued when I get done with the next turn") is ridiculous, but that's another thread.

I haven't heard of this. At my company, a pre-fatigue call stops you on the spot. I was dumb enough to do this when I first got hired and instead got my whole day dropped out from under me.

Say the F word and your day is done. I didn't know it could be done another way.

Finally, a fatigue call to your union is put in the database and used against the company during bargaining. So to act like it does the company a favor is stretching a bit. It can and should be done, but most people just keep pushing themselves beyond safety. I'd suggest that if you're too tired to have a fed jumpseat with you and watch your every move, then that should be a fatigue call. You never know when and where a check flight is coming.

 

[jumppilot]

Most of my fatigue is self-induced...


Sleeping in till 2pm on a day off when you have a 5am show the next day.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

Most of my fatigue is self-induced....

Same. West coast commuter for an airline with a lot of east coast flying means getting up at 2am my time.

 

[Philerup]

Most of my fatigue is self-induced...


Sleeping in till 2pm on a day off when you have a 5am show the next day.

I do that too sometimes, but flying at night all the time it is very hard to not sleep when I am tired. I have forced myself to stay awake on my nights off so that I can return to work after a full days sleep. Sometimes though I just have to give in and sleep. I can tell I had a hard week when I go to bed and sleep for 14 hours straight. I normally only sleep 6 to 8 hours.

 

[ratherbeflyen]

Same. West coast commuter for an airline with a lot of east coast flying means getting up at 2am my time.

I was commuting west coast home to east coast base. 2am wake up call and get home on your last day 21 hours later. I feel for/with ya.

 

[dvmthwsvan]

When i was brand new, I got paged for a charter flight. We left CVG at 8pm and got to JFK. Ferried to EWR and then flew a b ball team to South Bend. We finally got back to JFK at 530am just in time to see our plane pushing to CVG. The next flight was after we would time out. Scheduling gave us the option to release in JFK or go to the hotel and dead head home that afternoon. the CA opted to release and nonrev home and I decided to go to the hotel. i had a "soft" day off the next day. Well when i got to CVG I had been extended for 4 days. they said i had legal rest and was good to go. I definitly should have called fatigued. so i flew all night the night before, had a couple of hours nap that afternoon, then had to fly all night again. Stupid of me.

Dave