The FAA announced today, September 10th 2010, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) intended for fighting pilot fatigue. Once approved, the new rule will change part 121 airline pilots rest and duty requirements.
Currently, part 121 airline pilots can work continuously up to 16 duty hours every day while resting only as little as 8 hours before. This rest time doesn’t consider the time required to get from the airport to the hotel, check-in and leave in the morning, so those 8 hours can, and often do, shrink significantly.
Since the Colgan Air 3407 accident in February 2009, there's been pressure from the public and media to tackle the pilot fatigue problem. The FAA believes that this new rule is the answer. The public, airlines, and the pilot unions now have 60 days to give their feedback to the NPRM, which closes on November 13.
Once the rule passes, rest time would not be less than 9 hours and should begin only when the crew reaches the hotel. However, maximum total daily flight and duty times will increase, in some cases, when compared to the current regulations.
Another change is that domestic, international and unscheduled flights will all be under the same rule.
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