Cargo Industry Rest Rugulations

After the Colgan accident, the FAA and the NTSB both dug deep into the cause of the accident. Even though both pilots had well over 1,500 hours, the FAA has now made this a new requirement in order to make it to the commercial level. According to the USA Today article covering this topic, it is stated that “It's not always about the hours because we see very experienced pilots with tens of thousands of hours making mistakes” (Tumulty,2014). I personally think the 1,500 hour rule is just a regulation they put in place to make the public feel better or better yet, more safe, when it comes to flying with the airlines. The Colgan accident was not due to lack of experience, but lack of rest. The flight crews were only given eight hours of rest time, and that clock started as soon as they landed. By the time the crews got to their hotels, they most likely had about 6 hours of actual rest time.  The new policy ensures that the rest time starts when the crew leaves the airport. Giving the crew a 10 hour rest period now ensures the crew a minimum of 8 hours of actual rest.

Cargo pilots are exempt from the new limitations, because their flights are sporadically planned. Cargo pilots are expected to fly flights at any time of the day, and even through the middle of the night.  According to Cornell’s law website, flight crews must have “10 consecutive hours of rest for 8 or more but less than 9 hours of scheduled flight time”.  Since cargo pilots tend to fly mostly at night, they are going to be more fatigued no matter what. The human brain is not capable of being 100 percent responsive and alert as it would be during the day. From working previous midnight shifts, I know that I was not capable of completing tasks as efficiently as I could during normal daylight hours.

Essentially, the thought process behind exempting the cargo carriers from the new regulations is due to the fact that they are not carrying passengers. Since they are not liable for other souls on board the aircraft, the FAA believes that the cargo pilots do not need the additional rest that the commercial pilots get. Also, another reason why they are exempt is due to finances.  They believe that it will cost way too much money and would not be worth the safety benefits in the long run.  This is absurd, you can’t put a price tag on safety; these companies should be paying to keep their pilots safe. They will only be losing more money if they have an accident killing innocent families when a cargo plane crashes into their house.  Cargo carries definitely need to be included into the new rules, because they are flying at the most inconvenient times, and they accumulate more flight time than commercial pilots. If they are flying more than commercial pilots, then why are they getting less rest time?

Personally, I have never considered flying cargo. Since I work at Avflight at Willow Run, I get to see the pilots from USA Jet and Ameristar all the time. Honestly, they all look like they hate their lives and don’t even like flying because of the hours they are given. If they were to be included in the new regulations, I believe there would be a drastic change in the cargo industry. They would see more pilots willing to fly cargo rather than fly 200-300 passengers if the limitations were the same. Personally, I would rather fly cargo than be responsible for the lives of 200-300 passengers.

References:

Tumulty, B. (2014, February 11). 5 years after N.Y. crash, some airline safety progress. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/11/colgan-air-crash-prompts-safety-regulations/5372353/

14 CFR Part 135, Subpart F - Crewmember Flight Time and Duty Period Limitations and Rest Requirements. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2016, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/part-135/subpart-F