Maximum flying time for 1 month?

[F16fixer]

So I show up to the airport at 9:30pm to depart for a 30 minute flight to pick up the tests for the day. Usually depart the second airport at 11pm (give or take 30 minutes) 2.2-2.4 hour trip to drop off the freight, then a 2 hour trip home, 15 minutes of paper work and a 50 minute commute home. Usually no more than 7-8 hrs from departure to landing at home. Would this require a 9 hr rest period.--- Starting when I drive my car away from the airport.

Sorry if I'm a little slow, with deer hunting approaching and working, I'm running myself ragged, I don't catch on too quickly lately and it's starting to show!

 

[NoPax]

Would this require a 9 hr rest period.--- Starting when I drive my car away from the airport.

If all you are doing is that scheduled run, and your Operation Specifications specify that 135.265 is applicable then yes - there is no use to remaining on duty. However, if you want to juggle the flight instructing as well (with the same operator), therefore you could at the beginning of the week (after 24 consecutive hours rest):

1 The latest you could go on duty at 21:30, fly 5 hours, remain on duty to instruct another 3 hours until 12:30, then leave, take nine hours rest (away from the airport), and go back on duty the following duty day at 21:30 again.

Or (Assuming you finish your freight flying at around 4am)

2 The earliest you could go on duty - 1300 fly up to 3 hours with students, then fly your frieght as usual and go off duty at 4am (as scheduled/expected).

It would be dictated by the first duty day of the week, after the 24 hours consecutive rest in 7 consecutive days.

On your flight manifest there should be somewhere to write the time you go on duty, amount of rest you got prior to going on duty, time off duty, and time available to go on duty again.

I'll go out on a limb here, and say that you go 'on duty' when you arrive at the airport with the intent to fly - the drive there doesn't count - and off-duty when you leave the airport after you're done with your paperwork.

Your Director of Operations is really the one to ask. He'll be totally familiar with your Operations Specifications (has his signature all over it), and has operational control over you, as a line pilot. Assuming s/he wants to keep their job, and violations to a minimum.

 

[Andy Neill]

.....1,200 hours in any calendar year.
120 hours in any calendar month.
34 hours in any 7 consecutive days.
8 hours during any 24 consecutive hours .....

Small correction here. You are limited to 8 hours scheduled time during any single DUTY period. You MAY be scheduled for more than 8 hours in a 24 hour period if there is a legal rest between the two duty periods in that window.

 

[NoPax]

Small correction here. You are limited to 8 hours scheduled time during any single DUTY period. You MAY be scheduled for more than 8 hours in a 24 hour period if there is a legal rest between the two duty periods in that window.

I cut & pasted directly from the Reg 135.265
http://www.gofir.com/fars/part135/

When you go on duty you look back during the previous 24 hours and ask - Have I had required rest/reduced? Can I complete the flight without exceeding 8 hours flight time / 24 consecutive hours? I haven't heard of any deviations of the 8 hours flight time per 24 consecutive hours for single pilots.

Do you mean to say that you can go on duty at 1800, fly 5 hours, off duty at 0400, back on at 1200 (legal reduced rest) to fly scheduled trip of 4 hours off duty at 1800 again - total of 9 hours flight from 1800 to 1800??? If so - I haven't heard that, and it sounds contrary to the reg.

Maybe the only acceptable exceptions would be Weather, Late Freight, or ATC Delays that weren't forseen.

 

[Andy Neill]

I stand partially corrected. When I quoted, I left out the very necessary phrase ""for a flight crew consisting of only one pilot".

A crew of two could indeed be scheduled for the times you cited but not a single pilot operation. One need only look at the later portion of your quote discussing the required rest for more than eight or even more than nine hours of SCHEDULED time within the last 24 hours to see that such a schedule is allowed for with proper rest.

 

[NoPax]

He's a single pilot cargo op. My 9 hours of scheduled flight time post would still be illegal.

 

[flyer31]

I flew 135 for a company in Alaska. Insurance required at least 25hrs Aalska time as a minimum for all the new pilots under135. The company would hire guys with no Alaska time. They would then fly with us and on the empty legs (no pax or freight), they would take the controls and get the required time. For that time we would not log any time under 135 but could log it under 91. If they pay you by the flight hour, the picture changes cause then you are being compensated to reposition the aircraft (given you get payed for empty legs). That's a little gray area you can work with.
I saw this in a earlyer post and it is my understanding also that all commercial flying counts toward your alotted duty time.