Very early report time after day OFF

[despegue]

My company has now started to roster duties after a day OFF that start at around 02.45 local time. is this legal according JAR-OPS /EASA?
I must say that there are 2 days OFF in a row before this duty.

Does your airline pull stunts like that?

[redsnail]

Yes. :hmm: :zzz:

[BOAC]

EUOPS 1.1110 2.1. to be read along with OPS 1.1095. See if that answers your question.

[Denti]

Legally an off day is just from midnight until midnight under EU-OPS. There is a definition of a single day off which has to contain two local nights, however that is just a definition and not used later on within subpart Q.

However with a checkin that early one has to be aware of tiredness or fatigue, operating under the influence of either of those or both is illegal and an unfit to fly call to the company is the right decision in many cases.

"My" company pulls stunts like that on our stations that do not have a night curfew and even sometimes on stations with night curfews (usually then for a taxi deadhead to another airport), the result is an extremely high sickness rate (average between 6 and 8% of the pilot workforce and at the end of a summer between 20 and 30%) and since introduction of unfit to fly a few months ago a sharply rising rate of unfit calls.

[Sir Niall Dementia]

Check your FTL scheme in the ops manual and have a good look at the definitions; ours says a day off includes two local nights and is from 22:00 until 08:00, hence two days off should include three local nights from 22:00 on your last day until 08:00 on your first day back on.

If you are being required to wok at 02:00 on your first day then how the hell are you supposed to relax and do what you want?

Our manual is JAR Ops, if EASA wants hours like you are working then safety is likely to be highly compromised.

If we ask a pilot for an earlier kick than 08:00 on his first duty then I always make sure I get a reduced rest form from him, its' not perfect, but it gives a good prod to Ops and the CAA get to see them at audit time.

SND

[BOAC]

two days off should include three local nights - I cannot see any requirement in EUOPS for "two days off" - 36 hours and 2 local nights every168 hours, yes, but we have no idea of the particular roster involved - was this achieved at another time in which case these 'days' referred to would have been 'extra' hours free of duty.?

Sadly I see no reference either to minimum numbers of days off in 28 in EUOPS. Heaven knows what the 'new' regs will bring!

[Denti]

@SND, that is a company regulation i'm afraid. Even the EU-OPS definition of a local night only says that it is a duration of 8 hours between 22:00 and 08:00, so the EU-OPS definition of a single day off (which is in no way mandated to be followed) would provide for a day from midnight until 6:00 the following day. The local night starting at midnight on the first night until 08:00 and on the second night starting at 22:00 until 6:00.

Even worse, if the 36 hour break is extended to be 40 hours or more the second local night can start 2 hours earlier which in turn allows a checkin at 04:00 local. Somehow i share BOACs dread about the new regulations...

Anyway, checking your ops manual and if you have it your collective labour agreement is an excellent idea.

[Max Angle]

Heaven knows what the 'new' regs will bring! A smoking hole I suspect.

[fireflybob]

I used to the love the defintion of a night duty from a dear trusted friend and colleague who alas has passed on now. He said:-

"If I leave home for work after my wife has retired for bed or I arrive back from work she is still in bed then, in my book, that counts as night duty"

Similarly, if he left work before she had arisen from her nightly slumbers, that counted as an early.

When I look back and recall the days when I did 5 earlies on the trot (for multi sector duty days of circa 11/12 hours), I just wonder how I did it! I also wonder what the long term effect of these gruelling work schedules has on one's personal health and longevity. Fortunately, I have no health issues but one of the reasons why I decided to hang up the headset a few years before 65 years was my thinking that if I carry on abusing my body in this way for another 3/4 years something would eventually crack. In short, quit whilst you're winning!

[despegue]

Thank you all for the responses!

My collegues and myself were not sure if two days OFF consist of "Two single days OFF" as described in the regs. and manuals. It seems not unfortunately. We will however cancel all our flexibility if this scheduling will continue.
Quid pro quo.

[Mr Angry from Purley]

I thought SBQ / EASA only made reference to hours i.e. 34hrs and had no definition of a day off?
Max Angle - these rules are in Europe already old chap, when / if they come into the UK don't panic (company schemes, CAA, FRMS) will manage anything too long.
Despague - 2 days off, sure you dont get more?????:\