Pilots Must Get More Sleep Says FAA

sleepy pilot crash

Pilots need more sleep, says the FAA! What about what the passengers think? Do you think they also think that their pilots should have had a good night’s sleep the night before they get in an airplane filled with 200+ people?

Here’s is an article from USA Today’s website on the subject:

Pilots Must Get More Sleep Says FAA

WASHINGTON — Airline pilots would fly shorter shifts and get longer rest periods under rules the Federal Aviation Administration finalized Wednesday, in a landmark effort to prevent dangerous fatigue.

The FAA developed the most sweeping changes in pilot rules in 50 years after a Colgan Air crash in western New York state in February 2009 that killed 50 people.

“This new rule raises the safety bar to prevent fatigue,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, who said the crash was his most difficult day in this post.

Existing rules dating to the 1960s are riddled with loopholes. Between overnight shifts of up to 16 hours, the eight hours of rest could include eating, showering and getting to a hotel. Carriers could extend the workday if a pilot is flying an empty plane.

Under the new rules:

Flight-duty times would range from nine to 14 hours, which starts when reporting for duty and ends when parking the plane. Flight-time limits of eight or nine hours, depending on the start time of the pilot’s entire flight duty.
Minimum rest periods of 10 hours. The pilot must have an opportunity for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep during that rest period.

“Every pilot has a personal responsibility to arrive at work fit for duty,” said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. “This new rule gives pilots enough time to get the rest they really need to safely get passengers to their destinations.”

Development of the rules pitted the pilots, who advocated greater rest for safety, against the airlines, which argued that limiting flight times will raise costs.

The National Transportation Safety Board has urged safety enhancements to reduce pilot fatigue for decades. While the board didn’t blame fatigue as a cause in the Colgan crash near Buffalo, the board found that neither pilot appeared to have slept in a bed the night before.

Relatives of the victims lobbied Congress for better schedules to give pilots rest. The relatives also urged FAA to complete the rules that were due Aug. 1, 2011, but were delayed with review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.