One of our pilots suggested a 5 on 3 off 4 on 4 off shift. The other service in the area uses that so you never work with the same opposite pilot?
Too much math to decide when to take time off, we are sticking to 7/7. It really comes down to the each group of pilots.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0427103938.htm
Twenty percent of the U.S. workforce are shift workers," Menaker says. "Our findings suggest that frequent irregular light cycle shifts may have biological repercussions. Shift workers, for example, often experience reduced alertness, fatigue, ulcers and poor digestion. We do not know yet the full extent of the health issues that may result from regular disruption of circadian rhythm synchrony."
According to Menaker, most catastrophic accidents -- such as the Exxon Valdez grounding, and the Three Mile Island and Chernoble incidents -- are the result of human error, commonly occurring among shift workers late at night.