There is one thing that would be required from the crew and that is a maximum of 10 hours duty by the end of the trip.
Most guys are on the road 6 to 7 days at a time with a rest requirement of 10 hours/day and no schedule (that's the hard part). That means that you have to eat, sleep, shower and drive back to the airport in 10 hours...no time for exercise or sight seeing.
It is not unusual to have several 14 hour days back to back. NO ONE can fly safely in those conditions. In my 18 months as a frac. pilot, i have seen only 1 capt. having the courage to raise is voice and turn down a trip...Of course no action was taken against him but the safety call should be made by someone not too tired to make a judgment decision.
I have a new family and i decided to take my career somewhere else. I even had to pay the company back almost 10K to get out. Good thing i was making the big $36K/year with capt pay.
Next time you fly in the evening, just ask the crew if they have been on duty all day...some owners do.
And please do it nicely: Those guys are the nicest, most dedicated pilots in the universe.
But remember that fatigue is the primary reason of aviation accidents.
Last thing: It seems that most guys don't mind getting a tip. I have seen limo drivers making more money on a tip that i was making all day...It's nice to take your family to dinner when you see them.
Be nice, safe and keep the airplane clean.
Most guys are on the road 6 to 7 days at a time with a rest requirement of 10 hours/day and no schedule (that's the hard part). That means that you have to eat, sleep, shower and drive back to the airport in 10 hours...no time for exercise or sight seeing.
It is not unusual to have several 14 hour days back to back. NO ONE can fly safely in those conditions. In my 18 months as a frac. pilot, i have seen only 1 capt. having the courage to raise is voice and turn down a trip...Of course no action was taken against him but the safety call should be made by someone not too tired to make a judgment decision.
I have a new family and i decided to take my career somewhere else. I even had to pay the company back almost 10K to get out. Good thing i was making the big $36K/year with capt pay.
Next time you fly in the evening, just ask the crew if they have been on duty all day...some owners do.
And please do it nicely: Those guys are the nicest, most dedicated pilots in the universe.
But remember that fatigue is the primary reason of aviation accidents.
Last thing: It seems that most guys don't mind getting a tip. I have seen limo drivers making more money on a tip that i was making all day...It's nice to take your family to dinner when you see them.
Be nice, safe and keep the airplane clean.
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