Have been following this thread with interest for a while. I am currently a military transport captain who is looking to cross into the civillian world in the near future.
It seems to me the main thrust of this argument is that it is anti-social and unsettling to have sby as part of your duty day. If your rules are as I believe, then surely you can only work an overall maximum, whether all rostered duty, or sby.
What is so wrong with having the last few hours of your duty as sby now and again, rather than working your full duty period. Surely this effectively gives you a bit of time do do a bit of admin on the ground.
I agree that if this were to happen every time, it would be too much.
Sorry if some of my terminology/knowledge of your rules is not up to scratch.