In >>>MY OPINION ONLY<<< I think what's being looked at is an overhaul of the flight time and duty regs based on circadian rhythm studies, not a mere waiver of a single reg. This implies taking with one hand and giving with the other. For example, want to fly transcon turns? Fine, but you're limited to 11 hrs flight time, 13 hrs of duty, daylight hours, two legs. Any deviation from the plan would require returning to the gate for a replacement crew, just the same as busting the rest requirements. Headwinds got you down? Better have a reserve crew waiting after the first leg. No "legal to start, legal to finish" here. At the same time, the current "legal" flights: daytime rest followed by a redeye, multiple redeyes, six legs and eight hrs of time in 15 hours of duty, etc, would be disallowed in favor of much tighter restrictions. Can't have it both ways. If long daytime flying is good, the current "non-circadian" nighttime flying is bad. As we all know it is.
What is actually being proposed? No idea. I doubt they even know yet. But I don't think it'll be the simplistic screw-job some are trying to make it. Why don't we wait and see how the working group synthesizes the research done since the last flight/duty changes in the 50's before castigating the results? The findings may be beneficial to everyone, even the poor guys doing 8 legs in 14 hrs of duty. We already know the current regs are a joke; maybe this is a chance to fix them, at least for one carrier.
Cheer up. Last I heard from one of the working group, they were a long way from reaching any sort of conclusions. It could be a while.
What is actually being proposed? No idea. I doubt they even know yet. But I don't think it'll be the simplistic screw-job some are trying to make it. Why don't we wait and see how the working group synthesizes the research done since the last flight/duty changes in the 50's before castigating the results? The findings may be beneficial to everyone, even the poor guys doing 8 legs in 14 hrs of duty. We already know the current regs are a joke; maybe this is a chance to fix them, at least for one carrier.
Cheer up. Last I heard from one of the working group, they were a long way from reaching any sort of conclusions. It could be a while.
