Important - Tc Releases Draft Of New Flight Duty Time Regulations

[Brian Jenner]

What hasn't changed, and I hope won't, is the PIC's prerogative to pull the plug anytime he/she feels safety is an issue. Most places I've worked in the past will back their pilots up 100% on that.

 

Regardless of the quality of accommodations, if I can't get sufficient rest, I simply don't fly. I've been billeted in a private room with air conditioning and even my own bathroom...above the hotel bar open until 3am...and refused to fly early the next day. Some of the best accommodations I've had were in a weatherhaven shared with my engineer...

 

I pulled the safety card twice this summer. In one case, I flew back to town every night (0.6 return) because camp accommodations were inadequate. In the other, we were going to be two hours from town and I warned the customer that if accommodations were inadequate I'd be pulling the plug. They made alternate arrangements, and instead of sleeping in pup tents in polar bear country, we stayed in weatherhavens at an outfitters camp nearby. I don't know many people who sleep well spooning with a loaded shotgun...

 

Any pilot with a backbone can usually make the customer understand the importance of crew rest. There are ways of communicating with the customer without it getting ugly.

Under the proposed new regulatory system, what you describe is what's called an alternate means of compliance. And under the new system your good sense and good judgement will not be deminished. On the contrary it will be invested with regulatory authority. Moreover reasonable and wise people, such as yourself, will be joined by the unreasonable and unwise (forcibly) and by the unsure (assuredly).

[mmck]

What a joke you guys are. You got more problems before something happens. you all think this is going to change things and you have no proof. Get a life stand up for yourselves. i'm looking forward to this. I

won't take time off in the bush, mortgage or not. There's more complainers and babies in this industry.

The whole thing is a joke. Working 14 hours and flying 12 hours moving drills or whatever is a thing of

the past, lifes getting better, enjoy it. Been there done it.

[Skidmark]

 

 

There's a call for comments at the end of the document. We have until October 3 to send our comments to carrac@tc.gc.ca . I think we all need to send notices of opposition to this thing ASAP.

Or you can email in with your support and positive feedback. Thanks for the link.

 

Truck drivers were given similar regulations years ago with respect to duty time and rest periods and amazingly enough there are still trucks on the road today (sarcasm).

Anyone who has flown in the US of A recently has most likely worked with in these regulations. I did, and I liked it. Had a day at the beach mid tour.

This may be good news for the small local operator who takes care of local customers. If you don't have to do crew changes across the country you may have the upper hand over the other guy moving in from out of province to steal your work who has to bring their crews back to BC or Quebec.

Maybe its not so much the regulations but your pay structure. High hourly flight pay may need to be reconsidered. It should have been reconsidered a few years ago when companies started selling clients 2 aircraft to fly 3-4 hours a day instead of 1 flying 6-8 hours a day. Great move and value for the client giving them more flexibility but bad for aircrews relying on flight pay in a mostly seasonal profession.

[Hazy]

2 and 2 sched is awesome. I'm for a change, 14 hours a day is cr@p.

[oil pressure]

Finally maybe we will do at least one little thing to evolve the safety of the industry, at the grass roots level in the field. To think that a Helicopter Pilot can work 14 hrs a day for 42 consecutive days is ridiculous. Particularly given that we know the majority of accidents and incidents are the result of a poor decision....which, of many things, fatigue is a major contributor. We need to give up on the offense of finances and operational logistics....who cares....that will take care of itself with time and client education/adaptation...perhaps the recommended changes are too restrictive, but as the FDT's stand, something has to change. Thankfully most companies already recognize that, and mitigate the risks of fatigue related issues within their own systems. Experienced pilots know when they are compromised and not on their game due to fatigue....and often they manage it themselves... Fatigue is real, but hard to measure and manage.

One should not ***** without offering some kind of solution. As a basic start I propose...

A 12 hr duty day with VERY SPECIFICALLY defined starts and finishes.

8 hrs of flying in that 12 hrs.

Max 28 days on duty then 7 days free...NOT including travel.

And so on....

[Bif]

2 and 2 sched is awesome. I'm for a change, 14 hours a day is cr@p.

 

I would kill for a 2/2 right now!

[Freewheel]

We try our best to maintain 3/3 rotation. The fact is most clients sit down before a job and discuss their budget. This discussion usually includes how they can minimize the helicopter cost. It is their responsibility to do so. If they don't do this, they are not doing their job. They usually have a limited amount of $$$ for the project. If they feel they require two pilots at a remote location (due to new regs), I'm assuming they would consider splitting the duty and flight times to ensure you remain compliant with regs.

 

Since they have two pilots; it would not be unreasonable to give you 1 day of "time free from duty" per week on the job and do crew change every three weeks to a month (or more depending on your company and the client)

 

Since the amount of money a client has is a finite amount, if the helicopter costs are increased (due to increased crew requirements) the program will be shorter with less flying. To suggest that pilots will increase flight pay and fly half as much is a fantasy.

[Freewheel]

Were very happy. These have been a long time coming, said Capt. Dan Adamus, president of ALPAs Canada Board.

There are certainly some that will comment that this is going to hurt them. But I say those folks are talking from the economic side, he said in an interview.

 

Say what? Any Safety Management training I've taken recently stresses the link between economics, efficiency and safety. One should not be discussed without considering the other.

[Skidz]

We try our best to maintain 3/3 rotation. The fact is most clients sit down before a job and discuss their budget. This discussion usually includes how they can minimize the helicopter cost. It is their responsibility to do so. If they don't do this, they are not doing their job. They usually have a limited amount of $$$ for the project. If they feel they require two pilots at a remote location (due to new regs), I'm assuming they would consider splitting the duty and flight times to ensure you remain compliant with regs.

 

Since they have two pilots; it would not be unreasonable to give you 1 day of "time free from duty" per week on the job and do crew change every three weeks to a month (or more depending on your company and the client)

 

Since the amount of money a client has is a finite amount, if the helicopter costs are increased (due to increased crew requirements) the program will be shorter with less flying. To suggest that pilots will increase flight pay and fly half as much is a fantasy.

 

That's one element in these new regs where they've left the door wide open to abuse. The definition of time free from duty doesn't limit where this time free from duty can be taken. So are you saying you will be requiring your pilots to take days off in camp Chad ?

[Freewheel]

I'm not saying anything about what I'LL be doing. I'm telling you what WILL happen in our industry.

There are currently quite a few operators and pilots who do this now regularly. I'd expect to happen more frequently under these proposed changes. Have you ever heard of an operator who mans an intermediate on long term MNR hire for an entire season with one pilot? A few maintenance and wheather days...and they make it work. It happens.

 

I would suggest that many pilots would be open a variety of options depending on their beleifs, wants and needs. I say again: Look around you. There are many pilots and operators who will do it (if that's what it takes)...particularily in this market. You call it abuse; I call it "what is Legal". Since they choose to leave the regulations open after years of discussion with scientific experts, I suspect the Science supports the fact that all you require to minimize the effects of fatigue is sufficient "time free from duty". That time can be taken anywhere in "Suitable Accomodations". I take this to mean that the working group feels "going home has nothing to do with the science of fatigue...". By the way I am not of this beleif. That is why we have tried to maintain 3/3 rotations for many years prior to these proposed changes.

 

The point of the Canadian Aviation Regulations is not to represent you from a labour standpoint (on your rights as an employee), but to ensure Safe Operations and minimum regulatory compliance standards.