Captain's discretion to extend FDP
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: south africa
Posts: 2
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Catch 22 Avi8tor,
Before leaving base you know you will exceed FDP, but you can only decide that when you get there.
1. You decide to leave base knowing you may not be up to a return trip. It costs the company money (flight delays, hotel rooms etc.) If you can't do it.
2. You call in the relief crew. It costs the company... (Actually don't they pay a crew to be on standby? Shouldn't that all be factored in to crew rostering? Or are we talking about one of those airlines that cannot afford to call in standby crew because they in actual fact don't have them [as opposed to theoretical fact, where they are available but it will screw up their rostering for the next month?].
Should be simple. The law regarding FDP was written after an analysis of accidents involving fatigue. It seems to be working, which is why operators forget that there were those accidents in the first place and don't like the law.
Catch 22.
Personally, when I'm fatigued you won't get me into a cockpit, because I want to live with all the pax Not risk killing everyone because I overlooked something because I was tired.
So basically, this law was written after a continued study of avaition accidents where it is quite obviouse that a major proportion of the accidents were caused by fatigue.
However, no one cares about that until the next accident caused by fatigue.
(You have to love it, they do studies on 747 pilots on final approach, and the stress levels go through the roof. Heartbeat etc. So don't tell me flying is an ordinary job. So why should someone sitting in a nice air-conditioned office decide the fate of someone who is exposed to extreme environmental conditions [and for this I mean flying an aeroplane in defiance of the laws of gravity and nature).
So.... At the end of this narrative (or possibly a rant and rave). It does not matter to me how many sectors are planned for me on any specific day. I will reach my limit, and its tough TT for you.
I will always do as much as I can to help the company, but above your profit margins, above your ideallogy, is my licence, which is the ticket for my family to eat.
I don't doubt for one minute that if I broke the law to support your interests and something went wrong, that you would walk away from me (and my interests to support my family) and pass the buck to me.
After all,
I am the Captain:
The final disposition of the aircraft rests with me. NO-ONE else.
Before leaving base you know you will exceed FDP, but you can only decide that when you get there.
1. You decide to leave base knowing you may not be up to a return trip. It costs the company money (flight delays, hotel rooms etc.) If you can't do it.
2. You call in the relief crew. It costs the company... (Actually don't they pay a crew to be on standby? Shouldn't that all be factored in to crew rostering? Or are we talking about one of those airlines that cannot afford to call in standby crew because they in actual fact don't have them [as opposed to theoretical fact, where they are available but it will screw up their rostering for the next month?].
Should be simple. The law regarding FDP was written after an analysis of accidents involving fatigue. It seems to be working, which is why operators forget that there were those accidents in the first place and don't like the law.
Catch 22.
Personally, when I'm fatigued you won't get me into a cockpit, because I want to live with all the pax Not risk killing everyone because I overlooked something because I was tired.
So basically, this law was written after a continued study of avaition accidents where it is quite obviouse that a major proportion of the accidents were caused by fatigue.
However, no one cares about that until the next accident caused by fatigue.
(You have to love it, they do studies on 747 pilots on final approach, and the stress levels go through the roof. Heartbeat etc. So don't tell me flying is an ordinary job. So why should someone sitting in a nice air-conditioned office decide the fate of someone who is exposed to extreme environmental conditions [and for this I mean flying an aeroplane in defiance of the laws of gravity and nature).
So.... At the end of this narrative (or possibly a rant and rave). It does not matter to me how many sectors are planned for me on any specific day. I will reach my limit, and its tough TT for you.
I will always do as much as I can to help the company, but above your profit margins, above your ideallogy, is my licence, which is the ticket for my family to eat.
I don't doubt for one minute that if I broke the law to support your interests and something went wrong, that you would walk away from me (and my interests to support my family) and pass the buck to me.
After all,
I am the Captain:
The final disposition of the aircraft rests with me. NO-ONE else.
