Much has been discussed recently about rest issues involving professional pilots. Following the crash of a Colgan Air Dash 8 Q400 in Buffalo in February 2009, the issue has prompted the industry to analyze and revamp the rest and duty-time requirements for pilots. Rules are being rewritten to take into consideration the very-early-morning and back-of-the-clock flying that flies in the face of the human body’s natural circadian rhythm.
Under the current Part 121 rules, pilots can be scheduled to fly up to eight flight hours in a 24-hour period. String three of those days together and you have a short, yet productive week of flying. Eight hours on the job may sound like an average day to a desk jockey; however, they are in fact very busy flying days. Flight time (also known as block time or pay time, since that’s when the pay clock runs) is only counted from the moment you push off the gate until you block in at the destination. Duty time at my airline—the time when pilots must be at the airport and ready to go—starts one hour prior to pushback and ends 15 minutes after the last block-in. Factor in a drive or commute to base and you can see how an airline pilot may be in for a very long day.
The type of trip can also have a factor in perceived fatigue. If I fly seven or eight flight hours in one day, it could be broken up into one long leg, or two legs of three hours or more each—not too difficult. Or it could be four flights of fewer than two hours each. Those four-leg days often have a 13-hour duty day associated with them. Throw in some weather or air-traffic delays, and a pilot can be extended out to a 16-hour duty day, the drop-dead point per current rest rules. Put three of these four-leg, 13-hour duty days together and the body gets run down, especially if it doesn’t get a good night’s sleep between them.
During periods of fatigue, pilots slow way down and motivation is hindered. The term “too tired to care” rings a bell during these times. What would ordinarily be a five-minute exercise to prepare the cockpit for a flight could take 10 minutes or more, and individual tasks might take several more seconds to perform when it’s ordinarily automatic. Thankfully, over the past 11 years of flying airliners, I’m able to recognize these moments and double- or triple-check my work. I also warn my co-pilot that I’m tired and may need a little snap-to here and there. Others have given me the same warning, and I welcome the alert.
Crew resource management, flows, and checklists are designed to stop these threats from becoming actual errors. These techniques work well. In CRM-speak, I’m managing the threats to the flight. Throw in some crummy weather, a tired pilot or two, and some inoperative equipment to make the threat very real.
No matter how tired or fatigued I may be, I’ve always managed to rally for the takeoff and landing phases. It’s likely adrenaline that keeps me fully engaged during these periods. But this adrenaline flow and trek to the hotel or crash pad after a long day of flying can, later, hinder my ability to get to sleep, because I’m still wired. This leads to insomnia and snowballs the fatigue as the subsequent flying days wear on. By the time I get back from three or four days at work, I can be a tired grump—ask my wife.
Pilots of international flights crossing multiple time zones in one day are even more susceptible to fatigue threats. Many international flights use a third pilot or even an entire back-up crew to guard against fatigue. But with such wacky sleep/wake schedules, it’s no wonder that professional pilots suffer some of the worst sleep-deprivation problems. Try pulling two all-nighters a week and you’ll get an idea what international flying is all about.
In a surprising move recently, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that pilots be able to use sleep aids, such as Ambien. After all, a good night’s sleep would benefit pilots (and the flying public) very positively. Sleep aids exit the body quickly, but FAA rules currently restrict use of sleep aids within 24 hours of flying. On the other hand, use of such drugs would have to be strictly controlled since they are not without potentially serious side effects, including addiction.
While we wait for the FAA’s decision on sleep aids, as well as the flight/duty-time overhaul, professional pilots have to be satisfied with getting adequate rest when able—with some well-timed shots of caffeine.
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