Eight hour duty days? Who has that?
My duty day can legally be 15 hours long -- and it can be prolonged to 18 hours in extenuating circumstances. My duty day starts when I report for the first flight of the day, and ends when I shut down the engine at the end of the last flight of the day. A new day begins when I have had opportunity for eight hours rest since shutdown, including time for meals and personal hygiene.
Flight duty time is a bit different; it counts only the times between engine start and engine shutdown, and does not count time spent waiting, doing paperwork or inspections in between flights. I may fly 60 hours in a week, 120 hours in 30 days, 300 hours in 90 days and 1200 hours in a year.
I am also required to have thirteen twenty-four hour periods free from duty in any ninety day period. If my last flight of the day ends on Monday at 8:29 am and my first flight on Tuesday has an 8:30 am report, that counts as a day off, even though I didn't get to sleep in on either Monday or Tuesday.
Max duty times depend on your company, your country and, in some cases, your union.