Split shifts & total duty time.

[Horatio Leafblower]

Hello team,

over a great many beers the other night the following question arose:

Assuming the standard industry exemption (Chapter V) applies :-
A bank runner works a 12-hour day with a 4-hour break in the middle.

Does the pilot accrue:
a) 12 hours duty, or
b) 8 hours duty,

to their 14-day total?

I am told GAM pilots only work 2 or 3 days/week on the assumption that a) applies.

I know there is at least one bank runner who works his pilots 5 days/week on the assumption b) applies.

Discuss...

[BPA]

Don't GAM operate under an FRMS system?

Back when I did bank runs (20 + years ago), will operated under the standard exemption (split duty) and we operated 5 days in a row.

[Bankstown Boy]

To me, that's an easy answer (which I therefore presume means I'm wrong)

the Part V exemption stipulates that a duty period may be extended (my bold).

To me that's pretty clear, it not that the duty period may be split, it that the duty may be increased by having the rest period.

This is the same terminology that is used to extend the duty when positioning (i.e. adding the 2hrs)

[Horatio Leafblower]

To me that's pretty clear, it not that the duty period may be split, it that the duty may be increased by having the rest period.

Bankstown Boy,

That is my understanding and the expectation of our local CASA bokes too.

Has anyone else noticed that Air Maestro facilitates both interpretations, and offers a tick-box to include the rest period as duty? ( an administrators-only function btw)

[dodo whirlygig]

It's not that hard:


It's a "split duty" (i.e. a duty that has been split) not "two duties with a reduced rest period in between". It's singular.


Single duty, end of story.

[tweekey]

i assume you're talking about sydney based bankrunners horatio considering gam has the market tied up in most other states?

I know gam run FRMS.. Not too sure on the other operators?

[Pinky the pilot]

It's a "split duty" (i.e. a duty that has been split) not "two duties with a reduced rest period in between". It's singular

I did a couple of Bank Runs way back just before certain time and events of which we will not mention!

As far as I can remember the above quote applied! We had break of near to 6 hours between landing on the outbound leg and taking off on the return leg. I spent the time off sleeping in a motel room.

Compared to the flight and duty time limits (er...what???) that were regularly applied in PNG during my time there......well; chalk and cheese!

[Horatio Leafblower]

i assume you're talking about sydney based bankrunners horatio considering gam has the market tied up in most other states?

...I just pulled "bankrunner" out of the air as the most common example, for illustrative purposes. The vast majority of operators I know of are on Chapter V or a FRMS.

[dibloc]

GAM pilots work more than 2 or 3 days per week. Most weeks 4, and sometimes 5.

[Defenestrator]

Quite simply a split duty goes to total duty from original sign to final sign off. The total then applies to total 14 day cumulative duty. However a smart operator (no offence intended) is already preparing to transition to an FRMS which will provide greater flexibility,and ultimately productivity, whilst aptly managing fatigue. I know of one GA operator that went to an FRMS some years ago and has never looked back.
The clock is ticking on the standard industry exemption to CAO48. One hopes most operators will transition sooner rather than later to avoid the last minute scramble that will leave them choking under the non-FRMS rules while waiting for CASA approval of their FRMS. A number of companies in Australia now specialise in designing and implementing company specific FRMS.

D