Popay,
Although the third pilot is not a "relief pilot", and is carried in order to remove the multi sector restriction there is
nothing whatsoever preventing the aircraft commander from utilizing this pilot in that capacity. Although he doesn't have to, and it may be unnecessary, the resource is there.
Crew available as a
Resource to be
Managed. That is the premise on which the third crewmember is made available.
You ask if the flight plan (plog) on the day shows a flight time (12:12) that requires the commanders use of discretion despite a planned (at the scheduling stage)flight time of 11:45 can you still go ? The answer is
YES,YES.
The discretion is based on what actually happens on the day. On the day when the plog shows 12:12 and not the 11:45 at the planning stage.
If on the day dispatch discover the flight can only be completed as planned by asking the commander to consider using discretion that is fine. Nothing prevents them doing it. You are refusing to see the wood for the trees. The planning stage is when the flight was originally scheduled to operate, not when you get the flight plan or navigation log in your hand on the day, that is what actually happens.
To be clear you ask :
Here we go again: "unplanned and unforeseen" Is a flight time of 12:12 unplanned and unforeseen, if you see it in front of you on the flight PLAN?
The answer is Yes, it was unplanned and unforseen at the stage the flight was originally planned to operate. It doesn't matter for this purpose that when the day of the flight arrived it couldn't actually happen because of the headwinds etc, that then became what actually happened on the day. You are getting too hung up on the flight plan (plog) as being the planning stage. For this purpose it isn't.