FAA action to curb pilot fatigue !
FAA administrator says he'll pursue new rules on airline pilot hours to curb fatigue
6/15/09 11:20PM GMT
By JOAN LOWY , Associated Press Writer
Obama administration officials said Monday they will propose new limits on how many hours airline pilots can fly in an effort to curb pilot fatigue, an issue safety officials have been urging action on for two decades.
Randy Babbitt, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said he will propose the new rule in the next several months. A former airline pilot who has been at FAA only a few weeks, Babbitt said the issues is complicated because a pilot flying fewer hours with more takeoffs and landings will likely experience more fatigue than a pilot on a longer flight with only one takeoff and one landing.