Pilot fatigue
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You Splitter has made a very valid point, in that crews often don't help themselves, but I will of course acknowledge that rosters have a major impact upon their lives.
The term fatique should not be confused with 'tiredness'. Bader described the difference between the two as being, 'if tired you can be arosed to full awareness and competence', whereas in 'fatique your performance is almost certainly going to be below normal response level'. You shouldn't be flying if you believe yourself to be fatiqued.
Pilots have been flying with CAP371 based FTL schemes for over 30 years now, I believe the profession would have killed it off a long time ago if it did not offer protection from 'Fatique', but readily acknowledging the NOTAOCH on pushing it too the limits of the rules.
The term fatique should not be confused with 'tiredness'. Bader described the difference between the two as being, 'if tired you can be arosed to full awareness and competence', whereas in 'fatique your performance is almost certainly going to be below normal response level'. You shouldn't be flying if you believe yourself to be fatiqued.
Pilots have been flying with CAP371 based FTL schemes for over 30 years now, I believe the profession would have killed it off a long time ago if it did not offer protection from 'Fatique', but readily acknowledging the NOTAOCH on pushing it too the limits of the rules.
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Splitter,
Its not always possible to use a full allocation of rest time to sleep. Most company's (certainly mine) roster more than their fair share of 24 hour slip patterns. If you could tell me how to fit 2 full sleep patterns into 24 hours I would be pleased to hear from you. Also, bear in mind that you usually arrive at your dest airport absolutely knackered so the option of staying up and having only 1 sleep is a non starter.
We all do our best, but sometimes (more often than not) - it impossible.
Usually, its people with no long haul experience who go on about this as they have never experienced the situation, and until you have....well, you just haven't!
Its not always possible to use a full allocation of rest time to sleep. Most company's (certainly mine) roster more than their fair share of 24 hour slip patterns. If you could tell me how to fit 2 full sleep patterns into 24 hours I would be pleased to hear from you. Also, bear in mind that you usually arrive at your dest airport absolutely knackered so the option of staying up and having only 1 sleep is a non starter.
We all do our best, but sometimes (more often than not) - it impossible.
Usually, its people with no long haul experience who go on about this as they have never experienced the situation, and until you have....well, you just haven't!
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AC, whilst the profession may have been operating to CAP 371 for 30+ years the pressures today are vastly different to the 70s. In addition it was pointed out to AOC holders that they have a legal duty to avoid fatiguing their crews back in 1996.
If you are regularly scheduled to CAP 371 limits you will become fatigued: the Guantanamo accident was the first to cite fatigue in the report as a causal factor. The NASA Ames site has some good papers available for those interested.
CHIRP and the CAA are aware of the operators who are pushing the rules and in one case blatantly breaking them and are in the process of dealing with the problem of "loopholes" in CAP 371.
If you are regularly scheduled to CAP 371 limits you will become fatigued: the Guantanamo accident was the first to cite fatigue in the report as a causal factor. The NASA Ames site has some good papers available for those interested.
CHIRP and the CAA are aware of the operators who are pushing the rules and in one case blatantly breaking them and are in the process of dealing with the problem of "loopholes" in CAP 371.
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EDDNHopper. Thank you for raising this issue.
CAP 371 has definately not kept up with contemporary airline operations. Repetative early reports and multi sector duties are a common working pattern now. This has been fueled by the rise in the low cost airline market trying to satisfy the market for businessmen trying to make that 'first meeting' in European cities.
The basic problem being waking yourself at 0400 to 0430 and working through to the early afternoon up to five days in a row. Whilst this may not appear severe, a problem arises on days 3, 4, and 5, of such blocks of duty. In plain terms it is very difficult gain a good nights sleep by going to bed early and rising in the middle of the night on a regular basis.
You might be reasonably alert for 3 days of this but not for 5.
But you need to be alert for every minute of your working day in a short haul operation; even more so in the London area.
The only way that fatigue on early shifts for short haul pilots will be reduced is by an amendment to CAP 371 limiting the number of early consecutive starts to a maximum of 3 in a row. This would allow a pilot to have a lie in, catch up on sleep and be refreshed for further duty.
PaulDeGearup: I hope you are right and that the CAA are on the case. Remember that the CAA are not allowed to predjudice the commercial aspects of airline operations without good cause and that fatigue can be a subjective issue as people are effected differently.
There are a lot of very tired crews over London these days. DERA have conducted fatigue trials with two UK scheduled airlines and have the most up to date picture of the problem.
CAP 371 has definately not kept up with contemporary airline operations. Repetative early reports and multi sector duties are a common working pattern now. This has been fueled by the rise in the low cost airline market trying to satisfy the market for businessmen trying to make that 'first meeting' in European cities.
The basic problem being waking yourself at 0400 to 0430 and working through to the early afternoon up to five days in a row. Whilst this may not appear severe, a problem arises on days 3, 4, and 5, of such blocks of duty. In plain terms it is very difficult gain a good nights sleep by going to bed early and rising in the middle of the night on a regular basis.
You might be reasonably alert for 3 days of this but not for 5.
But you need to be alert for every minute of your working day in a short haul operation; even more so in the London area.
The only way that fatigue on early shifts for short haul pilots will be reduced is by an amendment to CAP 371 limiting the number of early consecutive starts to a maximum of 3 in a row. This would allow a pilot to have a lie in, catch up on sleep and be refreshed for further duty.
PaulDeGearup: I hope you are right and that the CAA are on the case. Remember that the CAA are not allowed to predjudice the commercial aspects of airline operations without good cause and that fatigue can be a subjective issue as people are effected differently.
There are a lot of very tired crews over London these days. DERA have conducted fatigue trials with two UK scheduled airlines and have the most up to date picture of the problem.
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Do not believe that the CAA will do much about this until there is an accident or serious incident attributable to fatigue in an official AAIB report. The CAA are the 'authority' that grant dispensations and variations to the FTLs so that operators can work their schedules.
As an example, take a flight from the UK to the Middle East. A single crew are allowed to operate 2 sectors (out and back) for a total block time in excess of 11.5 hours which would mean a minimum duty time of at least 13.5 hours whereas the FTL's would limit that to 13.25 hours and that does not take into account any slot or turn around delays. The CAA make a variation available so that operators can extend the duty by one hour provided the crew get two days off after.
My point is not that this in itself is fatigueing on its own but that a single crew operating for so many hours is extremely tired by the time they are half way back to base and it is the safety factor should there be any problems towards the end of the flight that worry me. We are of course assuming that the crew managed to get proper rest before the duty and were not already out of synch due to mixed duties beforehand.
Another way that some companies get around the problems that FTLs cause the accountants is the manipulation of the scheduled flight times. I have noticed an increasing likelyhood that some companies will schedule unrealistic sector times, especially on long haul flights as it is the sector time that determines the max allowable flight duty time. By shaving ten or fifteen minutes of a scheduled sector time they can increase the allowable flight duty time 45 minutes.
Some of our American cousins might be suprised to learn that we can operate single crew on one sector for up to 11:15 (block time) before even considering going into discretion. That means that with a 1:15 before departure report (and we all know how unrealistic that is) and a clever commercial department who schedule a long haul flight to be exactly 11 hours whereas in reality it is most likely to be 11:30 or more, a single crew will probably be operating a flight into somewhere west of the Rockies after being on duty officially for 12:30 and unofficially for nearer 13:30 (plus the journey into work) with no inflight relief crew or rest.
The authorities seem to believe that just because the crew will get time off to recover and therefore not become fatigued that there is no problem but it is my beliefe that they do not in any way take into account the danger of a tired crew just because of the actual duty time. Heaven forbid the passengers should have to pay an extra 20 or thirty quid a head to cover the expense of having a relief crew and a proper rest area for the crew.
After all, it is only a balancing act between safety and money and safety is no accident! I am not confusing tiredness with fatigue but there are so many factors to be taken into account and they are not properly addressed in my opinion. When the FTLs in CAP371 were introduced so many decades ago they did not have the knowledge we have today about the physiology of fatigue and the circadian rythm and it is time for a proper review of the rules. Of course pigs might fly too.
As an example, take a flight from the UK to the Middle East. A single crew are allowed to operate 2 sectors (out and back) for a total block time in excess of 11.5 hours which would mean a minimum duty time of at least 13.5 hours whereas the FTL's would limit that to 13.25 hours and that does not take into account any slot or turn around delays. The CAA make a variation available so that operators can extend the duty by one hour provided the crew get two days off after.
My point is not that this in itself is fatigueing on its own but that a single crew operating for so many hours is extremely tired by the time they are half way back to base and it is the safety factor should there be any problems towards the end of the flight that worry me. We are of course assuming that the crew managed to get proper rest before the duty and were not already out of synch due to mixed duties beforehand.
Another way that some companies get around the problems that FTLs cause the accountants is the manipulation of the scheduled flight times. I have noticed an increasing likelyhood that some companies will schedule unrealistic sector times, especially on long haul flights as it is the sector time that determines the max allowable flight duty time. By shaving ten or fifteen minutes of a scheduled sector time they can increase the allowable flight duty time 45 minutes.
Some of our American cousins might be suprised to learn that we can operate single crew on one sector for up to 11:15 (block time) before even considering going into discretion. That means that with a 1:15 before departure report (and we all know how unrealistic that is) and a clever commercial department who schedule a long haul flight to be exactly 11 hours whereas in reality it is most likely to be 11:30 or more, a single crew will probably be operating a flight into somewhere west of the Rockies after being on duty officially for 12:30 and unofficially for nearer 13:30 (plus the journey into work) with no inflight relief crew or rest.
The authorities seem to believe that just because the crew will get time off to recover and therefore not become fatigued that there is no problem but it is my beliefe that they do not in any way take into account the danger of a tired crew just because of the actual duty time. Heaven forbid the passengers should have to pay an extra 20 or thirty quid a head to cover the expense of having a relief crew and a proper rest area for the crew.
After all, it is only a balancing act between safety and money and safety is no accident! I am not confusing tiredness with fatigue but there are so many factors to be taken into account and they are not properly addressed in my opinion. When the FTLs in CAP371 were introduced so many decades ago they did not have the knowledge we have today about the physiology of fatigue and the circadian rythm and it is time for a proper review of the rules. Of course pigs might fly too.
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I fly only at night on a cargo operation in Europe.
The working pattern is 8/6 or 16 days on/12 days off. Your choice.
Rarely we work 16 days in a row because we have reserve days or sby in between. However the last block, I worked 15 nights in a row and it was very tiring. Even, with more than legal rest between flights because we can't sleep 12 hours if we have 12 hours rest or 18 hours if we have 18 hours rest.
We are lucky if we can sleep 5 or 6 hours in a row during day time in an hotel. Then the rest of the day, you try to rest but you can't sleep. Then, 1 or 2 hours before pick-up time, you feel sleepy again but it's too late.
Despite our so-called night pattern, almost every night, I can see the F/O or the F/E fighting to stay awake (myself included). And very often I can see one of them falling asleep for a short period (especially young guys).
Whatever the regulation, the pattern, the schedule we can't be as sharp at night than at day. Let alone at the end of your working block !!
But what the hell ! If we crash, it's only 3 crews. It won't make the headlines !
Cheers
The working pattern is 8/6 or 16 days on/12 days off. Your choice.
Rarely we work 16 days in a row because we have reserve days or sby in between. However the last block, I worked 15 nights in a row and it was very tiring. Even, with more than legal rest between flights because we can't sleep 12 hours if we have 12 hours rest or 18 hours if we have 18 hours rest.
We are lucky if we can sleep 5 or 6 hours in a row during day time in an hotel. Then the rest of the day, you try to rest but you can't sleep. Then, 1 or 2 hours before pick-up time, you feel sleepy again but it's too late.
Despite our so-called night pattern, almost every night, I can see the F/O or the F/E fighting to stay awake (myself included). And very often I can see one of them falling asleep for a short period (especially young guys).
Whatever the regulation, the pattern, the schedule we can't be as sharp at night than at day. Let alone at the end of your working block !!
But what the hell ! If we crash, it's only 3 crews. It won't make the headlines !
Cheers
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How on earth can it be legal, let alone safe, to work 16 (or even 8) days in a row???
It astonishes me that the authorities allow such patterns, that Channel 4 has to resort to invention to procure a story on pilots drinking, yet ignore this aspect of air safety.
Too many companies are so complacent about pilots' duty times that they will work their crews to the limit of the regulations. Too often they consider that that is the limit of their responsibilities, and if a pilott demurs at a duty, commercial pressure is brought to bear, or a "black mark" is thereafter put on his record. Most companies' schemes contain a phrase that implies that if a pilot is having difficulty obtaining adequate rest, he should see a doctor - not that there could be any problem with the way he is being made to work!
IF IT'S LEGAL IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S SAFE.
A plea to arlines:-
Be proactive on safety. Don't hide behind the regulations. Don't be smugly satisfied that you're sticking to the letter of the law and effectively ignoring the welfare of your crews, the safety of your passengers and cargo. And if pilots point out fatigue problems, TAKE NOTICE.
It astonishes me that the authorities allow such patterns, that Channel 4 has to resort to invention to procure a story on pilots drinking, yet ignore this aspect of air safety.
Too many companies are so complacent about pilots' duty times that they will work their crews to the limit of the regulations. Too often they consider that that is the limit of their responsibilities, and if a pilott demurs at a duty, commercial pressure is brought to bear, or a "black mark" is thereafter put on his record. Most companies' schemes contain a phrase that implies that if a pilot is having difficulty obtaining adequate rest, he should see a doctor - not that there could be any problem with the way he is being made to work!
IF IT'S LEGAL IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S SAFE.
A plea to arlines:-
Be proactive on safety. Don't hide behind the regulations. Don't be smugly satisfied that you're sticking to the letter of the law and effectively ignoring the welfare of your crews, the safety of your passengers and cargo. And if pilots point out fatigue problems, TAKE NOTICE.
