Originally Posted by tennesseeflyboy

Hearing a lot of moaning and groaning about the pairings and how bad the flying schedules are getting ........................... Question : WHY are you all allowing yourselves to fly fatigued ? Where is the Union in all of this mess ? SIG ? Safety ? Just did an O/B/ to RNO and once again, NO PILOT FACILITIES for Pilot rest ................................. as is in many other facilities that we fly to, because of a very weak CBA and folks that basically don't give a damn.
Talking Safety ? Walking Safety ? What a joke .................................

Originally Posted by Gunter

I think they've noticed. That's why the Feds have officially warned us about our violation rate. They blame it on poor professionalism and currency......

Originally Posted by BigWatchPilot

The FAA came to FDX with the "FAST" software that the Air Force has been using to create pairings that reduced fatigue. When FDX ran the software 80% of the pairing did not meet the parameters. The company told the FAA that this would not work ($$$) and that the software would need to be altered to match our pairings.

Tail wagging the dog again...

Originally Posted by AFI11-202V3

9.9. Alertness Management Strategies. Commanders, schedulers, aerospace medicine personnel, and crewmembers all share responsibility for dealing with the complex issue of aircrew fatigue.
9.9.1. Aircrew members must receive adequate rest to maintain optimum mental and physical functioning. The principle factors in determining required rest are: the duration and intensity of work done, quality and duration of sleep in the previous several days, the time of day relative to the body’s internal circadian clock, and the degree of circadian disruption (e.g. shift work or jet lag).
9.9.2. When an individual sleeps less than his/her physiologically required duration, or experiences poor quality sleep over successive days, fatigue develops. As little as two hours sleep loss can result in significant reductions in an individual’s performance. Likewise delaying sleep too long results in excessive fatigue and degrades performance.
9.9.3. The failure to acquire sufficient sleep over two or more days results in cumulative sleep debt. Sleep debt persists and results physical and mental performance loss until the individual has achieved adequate sleep. For most individuals, two consecutive night’s sleep is needed to fully recover from a significant sleep debt. During periods of high operations tempo mission planners should give particular consideration to providing aircrew regular opportunities to recover from cumulative fatigue.
9.9.4. Skills critical to flying tend to be among the most susceptible to mental fatigue including monitoring tasks, embedded tasks (e.g. instructing while flying), and higher cognitive processes (such as problem solving in emergencies). Performance is most impaired during the period of the circadian trough, normally 0200 to 0600 hours. Therefore, the use of alertness management strategies must be considered for nighttime missions.
9.9.5. The instructions in this chapter cannot provide a solution to all the challenges posed by the 24-hour demands of Air Force flight operations. It is essential, therefore, that Commanders utilize other reasonable means to sustain crew alertness and performance. Consultation with aerospace medicine or other fatigue management experts is advisable. Examples of alertness management strategies that are currently available include tactics to promote effective rest and minimize pre-mission duration of wakefulness, such as extended crew rest periods, pre-positioning and sleep quarantine facilities; non-pharmacological countermeasures, such as controlled cockpit rest, bright light or physical activity breaks; pharmacological agents (go and no-go pills); and alertness management education and training.
9.9.6. Controlled Cockpit Rest. Unless further restricted in a MAJCOM Supplement or MDS specific Volume 3, controlled cockpit rest may be implemented when the basic aircrew includes a second qualified pilot.
9.9.6.1. Must be restricted to non-critical phases of flight between cruise and one hour prior to planned descent.
9.9.6.2. The resting crewmember must be immediately awakened if a situation develops that may affect flight safety.
9.9.6.3. Cockpit rest shall only be taken by one crewmember at a time.
9.9.6.4. All cockpit crewmembers including the resting member must remain at their stations.
9.9.6.5. A rest period shall be limited to a maximum of 45 minutes.
9.9.6.6. More than one rest period per crewmember is permitted if the opportunity exists.
9.9.6.7. Controlled cockpit rest is not authorized with any aircraft system malfunctions that increase cockpit workload (e.g., Autopilot, Navigation Systems).
9.9.6.8. Cockpit rest shall not be a substitute for any required crew rest.

Originally Posted by BigWatchPilot

The FAA came to FDX with the "FAST" software that the Air Force has been using to create pairings that reduced fatigue. When FDX ran the software 80% of the pairing did not meet the parameters. The company told the FAA that this would not work ($$$) and that the software would need to be altered to match our pairings.

Tail wagging the dog again...

Originally Posted by slaveship

Did you file a grievance? It's your call to file or not.

Originally Posted by tennesseeflyboy

Hearing a lot of moaning and groaning about the pairings and how bad the flying schedules are getting ........................... Question : WHY are you all allowing yourselves to fly fatigued ? Where is the Union in all of this mess ? SIG ? Safety ? Just did an O/B/ to RNO and once again, NO PILOT FACILITIES for Pilot rest ................................. as is in many other facilities that we fly to, because of a very weak CBA and folks that basically don't give a damn.
Talking Safety ? Walking Safety ? What a joke .................................