pilot fatigue due to commuting

[Capn Lucky]

Not many people, me included, would feel fatigued on day 1 of a trip. I get really worn out on day 3 or 4 (or 5 or 6 on reserve). I've been commuting for 5 years and when day 1 is a tough one, I commute out the day before, as do many responsible crew members.

 

[doh]

And one more thing just to pile on turbo. Are you prepared to buy my house? Real estate is not exactly flying off the shelves. I am trying to sell my house right now to move to my base. It ain't happenin' fast! Think on that for a minute.:beer:

 

[Black Hawk]

Not realistic... airlines can't afford to hire pilots with the entire USA... if they were limited to pilots who only lived in domicile then the number of applicants would be severly limited.

Your post is not realistic and inconsiderate of many people that have real lives..

What do you say to the pilot father who has a sick child and needs his parents to help care... he gets displaced to another domicile...

Consider your world is not the only one.. many of us have been furloughed many times and started over.. we can't just back up our families every three years.

Good post. It's clear some folks here just don't know what they're talking about. Given the nature base closures and relocations that span the country it's not realistic to move just because some pilot base starts up or closes. Bases just aren't stable enough to reorder your life around. Even living at company headquarters or at the closest base isn't stable in the same time zone isn't secure. Look at what happened to the AWAC pilot group. Most airlines just don't offer the stability to warrant a move.

 

[IronCityBlue]

oh (big) brother

Maybe if airlines instituted this asinine policy (must live in base) they would finally awaken the sleeping giant when it comes to pilot labor. Being able to live where you want to/need to/can afford is one of the few good things we still have left.

If they did this with Flight Attendants, they would have mass resignations that would cripple the entire system. Would pilots fold? On many issues obviously yes, we will. But for this one, I'm not so sure.

This thread was obviously started either by a management plant/wanna be, a fear mongering journalist or a young buck prodegy superpilot who thinks they will get hired by their dream legacy by age 25 and they would move to anywhere because life's an adventure.

Do a few decades in the industry Mr/Ms Top Gun, and then tell us how we all must live in base. Ain't gonna happen. Ever.

You can be fatigued regardless of time on duty for a number of reasons. If every airline pilot called in fatugued or sick when they were, the system would collapse. With or without commuting. We carry this system on our backs every day. Take away the one good thing we have left and you'll see many pilots get fatigued from not calling in fatigued/sick to help the company.

Next I suppose pilots should be spied upon 24 hours per day, to make sure they actually do get proper rest while at home/on the road. Since you feel we can't be trusted to commute and you advocate taking that away from us, how can we be trusted with our time at home, even if we do live in base?

Shouldn't you have access to our cell phone records, so make sure we weren't talking during our rest period? Should our cable be turned off to guarantee we are sleeping? You can wiretap our phones to make sure we're not having any domestic disputes, cause that could be a distraction. We should also have to log our dreams for you for psychoanalysis, to ensure they are normal and well adjusted. You know, for safety.

In other words junior, mind your own business.

 

[§kyye Candy]

This thread was obviously started either by a management plant/wanna be, a fear mongering journalist or a young buck prodegy superpilot who thinks they will get hired by their dream legacy by age 25 and they would move to anywhere because life's an adventure.

Do a few decades in the industry Mr/Ms Top Gun, and then tell us how we all must live in base. Ain't gonna happen. Ever.

This reply was obviously posted by someone with no sense of dry sarcasm. Read the italicized comment above the article (mine.) Doh!

For the record, I agree with most of the rest of your post. It was the retarded nature of the pinhead journalist who authored the article that caused me to post it.

 

[Big Foot]

Funny thing is that the FAA considers your ride from the Airport to the Hotel as a rest period!

So if your on the wonderful 8 hr. rest overnight it sure is handy to get that awesome rest in the van to and from the airport.

The reduced rest overnight is what needs to be fixed! You should have no less then 10hrs between flight duties.

Agreed reduced rest should be used if all hell breaks loose and they need to keep the schedule going. However trip after trip I am scheduled for reduced rest.

 

[skyaddict]

If the feds or airlines really want to eliminate the safety hazards of commuting, let them homebase all their pilots and airline them to their assignments on the clock like some of the fracs and cargo carriers. As has been stated in this thread, asking pilots to live in base is absurd- beancounters change domiciles on a whim, and many hubs are too expensive for FO's and FA's.

 

[Metro752]

Fatigue waiting for freight, in a plush recliner at the FBO!

 

[Papps]

Fatigue waiting for freight, in a plush recliner at the FBO!

A plush recliner at an FBO is not all that invigorating especially when you are going to part 91 home from mexico city (+ 1 fuel stop)after your 14 hour duty day is done. Just to spend 10 hours at home waiting to get green to do that 18+ hour mess all over again.