CAO 48 / Fatigue mngmnt ?
With the abandonment of CAO 48 and establishment of FMS has fatigue been mitigated or as our European and American colleagues have found has it merely been allowed via changes to legislation?
Pilots Group Says EU Rules Are Jeopardizing Air Safety
BRUSSELS (AP) -- A European pilots association criticized the European Union Friday, saying the bloc is endangering air safety by failing to act on the recommendations of experts who say cuts in flying hours are needed to curb pilot fatigue.
The European Cockpit Association, a group of pilots unions with 38,000 members, praised the action taken by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in the wake of the Colgan Air crash Feb. 12 that killed 50 people.
The twin-engine turboprop was nearing Buffalo Niagara International Airport at night in wintry conditions when it suffered an aerodynamic stall, rocked back and forth, then plunged into a house below, killing all 49 aboard and a man on the ground. Testimony and documents indicate the pilots made a series of critical errors, some of which may have been related to fatigue, inexperience and inattention to regulations.
The FAA said last week that it will propose setting new limits on how many hours airline pilots can fly in an effort to prevent pilot fatigue from endangering flight safety.
Philip von Schoppenthau, secretary-general of the European Cockpit Association, said the European Aviation Safety Agency has stalled on implementing similar limits proposed last fall by a panel of aviation experts and scientists.
Last year, the panel came to the conclusion that EU rules are insufficient to adequately protect against flight safety risks posed by pilot fatigue. Its study found that the allowed maximum daily flight duty period of 13 to 14 hours "exceeds reasonable limits."
The European Aviation Safety Agency says the study has yet to be fully evaluated by regulators.
"All stakeholders will be invited to comment and their positions will be taken into account," said Savina Zakoula-Cherdron, a spokeswoman for the agency. She said the study was scheduled to be completed by early 2012.
The Association of European Airlines, a grouping of the continent's flag carriers, charter operators and low-cost carriers, has lobbied against the new rules, arguing the study was scientifically flawed and that experience has shown that current limits are adequate.
Analysts say the new limitations would significantly boost operational costs at a time when revenues are falling because of the economic downturn.