Redeye shouldn't mean the pilot

[Sleeve_of_Wizard]

Copied from another Forum...........

'Redeye' shouldn't mean the pilot

David Nason, New York correspondent | May 16, 2009

Article from: The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/)
TAKING a flight from New York City to upstate Buffalo to see Niagara Falls is commonplace for tourists visiting the US northeast, but after this week's shock revelations about the February 12 crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, which killed 50 people, many visitors may rethink their itineraries.
Over three days the National Transportation Safety Board heard testimony that raised grave questions about the experience and ability of the pilots in charge of commuter aircraft. At the same time, the hearings peered deep into the airline culture behind the tragedy, finding extraordinarily low wages, bizarre work practices and a stunning management indifference to pilot fatigue.
But for ordinary travellers perhaps the most jarring discovery was summed up in the anguished words of Scott Mauer, who lost his daughter Lorin in the crash and attended the hearings to find out why.
"My daughter ordered a ticket from Continental Airlines," he said. "I'm sitting here listening to people from Colgan Air. Do the American people understand what's happening when they buy an airline ticket?"
Colgan Air is a regional airline hired 18 months ago by Continental to provide services on its Newark-Buffalo route.
While Colgan's relationship with Continental is not readily apparent when customers buy a ticket on the Continental website, the airlines would have you believe that by calling the flight a "Continental Connection", punters understand they'll be flying with someone else.
Even so, customers would assume safety procedures and pilot competence would be the same. How else could Continental allow another airline to represent its brand? But as Mauer found out this week, safety and management standards can "all take a step down" when airline services are contracted out, which happens much more than people realise.
The US has 640 airports and 75 per cent are served only by regional airlines, of which there are 70. Many are commuter carriers that typically fly small, turbo prop planes with capacity of 20 to 80 seats.
The pilots tend to be inexperienced, as was the case with Marvin Renslow, the pilot of Colgan's death plane.
On Tuesday the hearings were told that Renslow had failed flight checks in the aircraft five times before he passed, and that he was unfamiliar with emergency procedures to prevent the aircraft from stalling.
It also emerged that Renslow was one of 29 Colgan pilots who commuted more than 1600km to work. Paid just $US55,000 ($72,500), he couldn't afford to live in New York, so he flew in from Tampa, Florida. On the day of the crash he arrived at Colgan's Newark offices at 3.15am.
Renslow's co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, 24, was even worse off. Her salary was a paltry $US25,000 and she lived with her parents in Seattle on the other side of the country. The hearings heard she once had a second job in a cafe to help make ends meet.
Testimony by Colgan officials on Wednesday revealed the company did not pay cost-of-living adjustments so pilots could live in New York. But they did pay such adjustments to managers.
Asked if Colgan expected Shaw to live in the New York area, vice-president Mary Finnigan said: "Pilots are told what the pay scales are. Our pay scales are within the industry standard."
On the day before the crash, Shaw left Seattle on an overnight FedEx flight and arrived in Newark at 6.30am after changing planes in Memphis, Tennessee. She then sent text messages throughout the day, evidence that she wasn't sleeping.
Renslow was seen sleeping in the crew lounge, which is prohibited by the airline.
Asked how the company monitored the fitness and alertness of pilots who commuted such long distances to work, Colgan flight operations chief Harry Mitchell said: "We expect professional pilots should show up fresh and ready to fly an aircraft."
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[bobrun]

Our latest pattern to DEL is a tough one, and a good example of a pattern with a lack of rest. Two nights flying in a row without a proper sleep opportunity.:sad:

[badairsucker]

Same as the Friday BOM. 2 consecutive nights with little or no sleep.:=:=:=:=

Or the CMB shuttle then PXing on the same airplane back to HKG...:=:=:=:=

[Sleeve_of_Wizard]

YEs, and the 2 DXB Patterns on the Airbus. Also CX257 does not give us required Physiological rest.

[8driver]

Gents:

If you have never flown under the FAA's Part 121 flight and duty time limits, consider yourself fortunate. I have no doubt that the BOM and DXB patterns you mention are not easy, but compared to the FAA regs the CAD regs and the company Flight Time Limitations "Scheme" are a walk in the park. Coming from the States, the CAD regs and the "scheme" are the best I've ever had, hands down. I fear the erosion in the flight and duty time protections that have been rumored and promised for so long, because I've been there, done that, and got the T-shirt. I spent eight years flying in regional scheduled Part 121 operations in the States, and another five flying non scheduled Part 121 cargo ops. I present for your consideration the following FAA regulations and industry practice.

The "scheduled reduced rest". Reduced rest, as defined under Part 121, is for unforeseen circumstances. Weather delays, etc. In other words, a regular rest should be reduced on the day the event occurs. So how can one have "scheduled" reduced rest? Beats me, but the airlines, particularly the regionals, have always done it. The roster comes out with a scheduled reduced rest followed by a compensatory rest the next night. A rest may be reduced to eight hours, transportation local in nature not to be considered. So a crew might be on duty 16 hours, with six or eight regional sectors, multiple approaches in low weather, lots of down time in the crew lounge, then get five hours of actual sleep after securing the aircraft and transport to and from the hotel. This is sometimes built when the roster comes out, even without unforeseen circumstances! FAA refuses to enforce, the regional airline association (RAA) is too powerful. They will never enforce. The result of the Colgan accident will not be a proper interpretation of these regs, but rather a new reg to restrict commuting.

The "stand up overnight". This is akin to the TPE split duty, but always overnight and usually four or five days in a row. Regional crew takes the last outbound to a city from the hub at night and brings the first one inbound in the morning. Four or five hours rest in a hotel, day off in base. If crew doesn't live in base, day spent at the "crash pad". Maybe no rest there. All back of the clock flying and then the next week as likely as not back to day time flying.

The Part 91 ferry flight. This one is great, one of my favourites. The aircraft finishes somewhere but needs to be returned to the hub or maintenance base. So the crew is told to ferry it back under Part 91 of the regulations. There are no passengers or cargo, so this is not a revenue flight. Therefore it is conducted under Part 91 instead of Part 121, and no flight or duty time regs apply. Part 91 is what most corporate and GA flights operate under. So maybe you've had your 16 hour duty day but, guess what? You now have an unlimited duty day! FAA hasn't got a care in the world with this one. I know of one crew that came out of Ypsilanti, Michigan, outside Detroit in a DC-8 and flew to Vienna with auto parts. When they had delivered their cargo they were told to Part 91 the airplane home across the North Atlantic and did so! Yes, they could have called fatigued. But the FAA track record on this is so bad, and they are so ineffective, that crews are easily intimidated. Particularly at the regional level where they are low time and just starting out.

When you take the lack of sufficient flight and duty time regs and combine it with the incredibly low salaries that the US regional airlines have traditionally paid, it is a recipe for disaster. US regional pay has always been low, US GA can turn out a lot of pilots who would "just love to fly for free." Until they realize what its all about. Then all those guys and girls who would take that job for free are seen as a huge weight dragging down compensation. Even at the US major airlines there is the tradition of paying pauper's wages during the probationary year, followed by a huge raise. The probationary year being the one year you are without any union protection.

Think about it. A sixteen hour day on a two man crew, multiple sectors and approaches. As many as six or eight. A fifth sector for us is "exceptional" and our longest duty day limited to 11 hours (normal ops, acclimatised).

So I'm sorry guys. I'll take the CAD regs any day, and our "scheme", and I hope we don't see them weakened. As for the poor bas****s sleeping on crew room couches, I know what it's like. The FAA ought to be ashamed, and their lack of regulation and not backing crews played a part in the Colgan disaster. I wouldn't cross the street to pi** on most of the FAA guys if they were on fire. They oughta get back to that all important job of ramp checking Piper Cherokees.

At least the American public is finally being made aware of the atrocious working conditions and pay in the regionals and the lack of adequate flight and duty time regulations. But my bet remains that all we'll see is a regulation to restrict commuting.:ugh:

[Rook]

Canadian TC is similar to FAA. Oh god I don't miss 7 days of standups. :{

[Pathos]

...and if you are in the military you do the XX hour crew day if required and when it is required.
All interesting but what has that and the previous posts got to do with responsible commercial aviation in the Fragrant Harbour?
Confused.

[yokebearer]

There is a move in the Fragrant Harbour towards 3 man Ultra Long Haul - thats why its relevant.

Despite research that have shown a fourth pilot as relief makes a much much bigger positive difference to level of crew fatigue than an extra day of downroute....ask Air New Zealand who did the research.

[air pressure]

The new FTL's will have much increased 3 man...not good

[8driver]

The biggest difference between three man freighter from ANC to HKG and four man pax from North America to HKG is rest. The flight is longer on the pax airplane but the rest time will be at least double what you get on that three man sector. Makes all the difference in the world. Might be seven and a half hours in seat west bound out of LA, with seven in the bunk. Compare that to a winter west bound from ANC. 10+ hours and almost seven hours in seat with three hours twenty minutes rest time. Shorter flights practical rest gets down well under three hours. If you can sleep straight away and you don't need head trips for water and coffee consumed you might be okay.