Rest requirements / duty time history of...

[aland504]

Hey everyone, I am writing a paper for college about rest and duty time regs and was wondering if anyone knew of website that has a good history on how the rules came to be? I have looked and done research but am not satisfied with what all I have found. I know there were changes in 1985 and other details but what I am really looking to find is did the reduced rest idea come from airline lobbyist or just the FAA came up with that? Basically who was pushing for the idea of 8 hours of rest and thinking it was ok...? I guess on the same topic where did the 16 hour rule come from too? Thanks for any advice

 

[densoo]

Eight hours rest was pushed by the airlines to increase the productivity and utilization of pilot labor to reduce costs, at the expense of safety. This is very same reason the White House is holding up the release of the new FAA rest rules, because costs too much. Apparently, the Buffalo crash wasn't expensive enough.

The 16-hour rule came from this accident, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_1420, due to what NTSB said was partially caused by "impaired performance resulting from fatigue."

And resulted in the Whitlow Rule here, http://www2.alpa.org/alpa/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=422

 

[pilotyip]

Do a study on what he NTSB proposed in the early 90's about controlled napping in the cockpit. It is one of the best fatigue fighters. It was killed by the Administration because the american public would not accept legal sleeping on the job. So we continue our illegal sleeping on the job. Reminds me of my first trip after IOE, 1978 TransAmerican L-188 F/O coming out of the Emery sort at KDAY at 0200. We level off and the CA looks at me and says, "Why don't you kick back and get some rest" I answered "Oh no sir, my job to be fully alert to the safety of flight at all times" (or something stupid like that). He looks at his feet and shakes his head and says "You know I am gunna catch some rest on the next leg, and I won't rest well if I think you might not be alert" "If you am not rested I am a grumpy son-of -a-bitch, and you don't want to be around me when I am grumpy" "Now about about you get some rest" I pretended to rest, I was too excited about being an airline pilot. That did not last long, the not resting part, I still loved the airline pilot part. There is no way anyone who lives on their days off on a 7AM to 11PM wake cycle with their family, can now pick up three night of 11PM to 7AM flying and not be exhausted.

 

[Flyby1206]

Also wasnt there a proposed change to the flight time/duty time regs in the mid 1990's that just sat on the books for a decade without ever getting passed? Im worried the same thing will happen with this most recent attempt at change.

 

[aland504]

Thanks for the replies, I am definitely going to use some of that info in my paper! I appreciate it.

 

[waveflyer]

Please write how modern U.S. Airline pilots disenfranchise themselves politically. 70% are hard core republicans (no, not 94% like you all think), while also being hard core union members. Airline pilots, however, are enemy #1 to republicans= the highly paid union worker always wanting something for nothing. Choke the golden goose, etc. Republicans don't pursue pilot issues bc they don't believe in unions, and Democrats don't pursue pilot issues bc they know most pilots not only don't vote for them, but loudly and actively work against them.

So rest rules sit on the sidelines with no one who has any motivation to move them forward in the process. It's the one bipartisan emotion on Capitol hill- "Airline pilots, screw those a$$holes".

Thx tea party.
:-/

We need to get smarter politically and realize how much of our careers are governed on capitol hill. Either start voting Dem, or convince republicans to make an exception and support our unions. But the status quo is ridiculously dumb and the true source of the race to the bottom.

 

[JAFI]

Have you looked at the 1985 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - to get some insight to "WHY" the FAA said the rule was proposed in 1985?

 

[pilotyip]

Thx tea party..

Have you joined also?

 

[ThreeGreens]

Do a study on what he NTSB proposed in the early 90's about controlled napping in the cockpit. It is one of the best fatigue fighters. It was killed by the Administration because the american public would not accept legal sleeping on the job.

You are absolutely right !!!
I flew for a carrier overseas where this was approved. We had an alarm clock in the cockpit as a backup. Worked great and did not feel the fatigue as much as I do now. (maybe i am just getting older).
Imagine the media... "pilots taking naps on the job !!!".
It is all a matter of money and politics, forget the safety.

 

[ThreeGreens]

Please write how modern U.S. Airline pilots disenfranchise themselves politically. 70% are hard core republicans (no, not 94% like you all think), while also being hard core union members. Airline pilots, however, are enemy #1 to republicans= the highly paid union worker always wanting something for nothing. Choke the golden goose, etc. Republicans don't pursue pilot issues bc they don't believe in unions, and Democrats don't pursue pilot issues bc they know most pilots not only don't vote for them, but loudly and actively work against them.

So rest rules sit on the sidelines with no one who has any motivation to move them forward in the process. It's the one bipartisan emotion on Capitol hill- "Airline pilots, screw those a$$holes".

Thx tea party.
:-/

We need to get smarter politically and realize how much of our careers are governed on capitol hill. Either start voting Dem, or convince republicans to make an exception and support our unions. But the status quo is ridiculously dumb and the true source of the race to the bottom.

Dead on !! Never understood why most pilots are republicans but belongs to unions. It's like being pro life, but at the same time support the death penalty.
Oh no, it's getting too political