Sunday, October 18, 2015

The Cargo Industry and Flight Duty Changes

The Colgan Air crash was a defining moment in aviation history and led to some major changes to flight duty and rest requirements.  The new requirements minimize pilot fatigue, but also increase costs to airlines.  According to the (FAA, 2011) the new requirements vary based on when the pilots day begins.  Also, it limits flight time to a maximum of eight or nine hours, with a ten hour minimum rest period.  Next, the new rule combats cumulative fatigue with 28 day and annual limits on flight time.  Even with all of these requirements the airlines and pilot must both believe the pilot is fit for duty.  When this rule came out cargo operations didn't want to copy because it would destroy operations.  Cargo carriers often are on demand 24 hours and it would cost them a lot of money.  So the Cargo operators ended up being exempt from the new regulations and just kept the old one, which is CFR 135.267.  (FAA, 1996) Under these rules Crew member's flight time could not be over 500 hours in any calendar year, 800 hours in any two consecutive calendar months, and 1,400 hours in any calendar year.  Also, this rule has much more lenient rest requirements, that in some cases may not be adequate.

Another reason I believe cargo operators were able to become exempt is because they do not carry the mass public.  So from the perspective of a citizen it wouldn't matter to them because they would not be in harms way from a cargo pilot with fatigue as much as an airline pilot.  Also, if a cost-benefit analysis was done I believe one would see that the cost to cargo operators would far out weigh the benefits of this rule.  Personally, I believe that all operators should use the new rule because all lives are equal.  Just because there are less souls in a cargo airliner, it does not mean that they are any less valuable.  If these new rules were to be enacted for cargo pilots this would be a very good thing.  The job would be much more enjoyable and much safer.  I would be more interested in a career flying cargo if these rules are to be put in place for there operations.

References:
FAA. (2011, December 21). Press release. FAA Issues Final Rule on Pilot Fatigue. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=13272

FAA. (1996, January 26). FAA. 14 CFR 135.267 Flight Time Limitations and Rest Requirements-Unscheduled One-and Two Pilot Crews. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/135.267
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4 comments:

  1. tucoOctober 20, 2015 at 12:12 PM

    I think you are correct when stating that all lives are equal. I know if I had a relative of mine hurt or killed due to a cargo operator not complying with the new rules, I would be very upset.

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  2. x wing fighter pilotOctober 21, 2015 at 8:45 AM

    I too think that a job as a cargo carrier pilot would be much more enjoyable if these new rules were in place. I know that I would feel safer if I could get adequate rest before my flights each day. It is also true that no life if lesser than another, but I’m sure that general public would still deem it necessary just to save more lives by implementing these rules to passenger carriers. Who knows, we could see great results from these rules and the FAA might force cargo carriers to implement these rules regardless of the cost.

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  3. UnknownOctober 21, 2015 at 1:13 PM

    When the pilots are fit to fly is there a procedure they do with the airline, like sign a waiver before they go onto the aircraft? I would have to disagree, as a citizen I believe you should still have concern with cargo carrier pilots being fatigued because what if they just fell asleep and crashed into a massive populated city? With cargo pilots flying differently than airline pilots they don't have long hour flights so even though they might be on call for a 24hr period they might only do one or two flights that might last 3 hours each. I do agree with you that rules may need to be put in place for cargo carriers, just different than the airlines so those carriers who do fly a lot in a day or week etc. like the airlines have regulated rest periods.

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  4. DhoskOctober 21, 2015 at 1:57 PM

    I agree that cargo pilots should not be exempt from the new rules. Money is important for the cargo industry but the result of harming someone on the ground could be even more costly than money lost from more stringent flight schedules and hiring additional pilots.

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