As a 9,000-hour ATP-rated pilot and a former senior manager in Allegheny Airlines’ flight operations and safety department, RAA senior vice president of operations and safety Scott Foose perhaps brings as balanced a perspective as one could expect when it comes to the issue of fatigue in the cockpit. So it should come as little surprise that while he appreciates the need for changes to today’s existing flight and duty time rules, Foose at the same time strongly advocates for “shared responsibility” among all so-called stakeholders.
Proposed new rules on pilot flight time and duty periods issued by the FAA in September last year included provisions for varying rest requirements based on the time of day, time zones, number of segments, flight types and the likelihood that a pilot can sleep under different circumstances. It also included provisions related to a pilot’s commute, including consideration of commute time when determining rest periods and of flight and duty time in relation to a pilot’s home base.
