Hi!
The POI from the local FSDO, and the FAA Regional Office both either knew that all the above was happening, and did not say that any of it was not allowed and/or specifically approved the above practices.
That is one of the BIG problems with the FAA. While the head office may have certain interpretations of various rules, they let the Regional Offices, FSDOs and POIs interpret the regs however they choose.
Oh, and I was not on reserve for 10 days (as in, 16 hours per day, with 8 hours off), I was on for 240 CONSECUTIVE hours, and then was called and legal for a trip. Part-121 supplemental does not require any crew rest BEFORE a trip starts, and there is no "on call" status, officially, just duty and rest. So, I wasn't on DUTY for 240 hours, and no rest is required BEFORE the trip, so you can be on reserve indefinitely, and then be called, day or night, for a trip, AND THEN you are allowed to exceed your 16 duty hours, according to some of the Regional Offices/FSDOs, if the trip was ORIGINALLY scheduled to be completed in 16 hours. So, for 2 crew, a trip of potentially 36 hours of duty is legal!!
Not very nice!!!
This is why ALPA is trying to get rid of -121 supplemental, and not have separate regs for them....want to combine them into -121 Domestic/Intntl.
Currently, in the US, aviation organizations are allowed to fly commercially under the following sets of regulations:
-121 Domestic
-121 International (Different Flight/Rest/Duty Rules
-121 Supplemental (charter and frieght-USA Jet, FedEx, UPS: WAY Different Flight/Duty/Rest rules)
-125 (-121 airplanes that supposedly only fly for one customer, but in actually compete against the -121 supplemental ops: The only Flight/Duty/Rest rules are 16 hour duty day and 8 hours rest)
-135 (small aircraft charter, helo medevac: Different Flight/Duty/Rest hours than -121)
-91 Subpart K (Fractionals-NetJets: No Flight/Duty/Rest rules, as Part 91 is non-commercial...makes LOTS of sense!)
-91 Subpart F (large and fractional airplanes that are allowed to operate Part 91, which is non-commercial, but then charge money for their flights!!! Since it is Part 91, there is NO Crew Flight/Duty/Rest rules)
-91 (private, and General Aviation (Exxon, Coca-cola) Many of the private jet owners fly their aircraft commercially with NO Crew Flight/Duty/Rest rules. It is illegal, but allowed by many FAA Regional and FSDO offices.
There is also separate commercial flight rules for Agricultural, Sight-seeing ops, etc.)
cliff
NBO
Last edited by atpcliff; 12th Oct 2009 at 08:28.