Cargo Carriers: Should they be exempt?
The accident of Colgan 3407 was not only a tragic accident towards everyone who's families who were on this aircraft but changed everything in the aviation industry as a whole. The FAA had to commit to a change in how businesses train their pilots and how much rest they need to be able to have. Fatigue has been the number one issue for this industry because of the ever growing demand of travel from customers. Sarah Huston says, "Pilot fatigue has been a real problem since the beginning of air travel. Long haul pilots have reported falling asleep at the controls and Cargo pilots that fly at night face fatigue from challenging the body's internal clock" (Houston, 2017). I agree with these points because before this accident, the FAA wasn't as lenient with how many hours a pilot could fly consecutively or the rest period for their employees. The job was to get to point A to B in the fastest but cost effective approach but after this accident all of the attention on pilot fatigue was changed. Houston also states that the new rules implemented were "Pilots must sign a document affirming that he/she is fit for duty and the airline is required to remove the pilot if fatigue is reported, reserve pilots must be given at least a rest period of at least ten hours, and flight duty period has stricter limits based on the number of flight segments and the start of the day" (Houston, 2017). The flight time a pilot could fly was also decreased as well during the day and night time as well. How all these rules differentiate from each other is that now big time companies like Delta, United, American, and others are more focused on the pilots than getting their planes to their destinations. The pilots are their backbones of their corporations and without them they will lose money and could eventually go bankrupt if they don't focus on what the pilot needs to be able to function.
Now for cargo carriers its a little bit different on how they operate. Most airlines and commercial pilots operate part 117 which stands for flight duty times. This lays out how long a single pilot can fly for without any rest time. In an interview with Captain David J. Wells, who is a FedEx pilot and also sits on the flight time/duty time committee, explains on how even more demanding the cargo side of the industry is. He goes on by saying "The air cargo industry of today must operate 24 hours per day to meet operational demands. Growth in global long-haul operations in regional, overnight cargo, and short-haul domestic has increased round-the-clock requirements" (Wells, pg.18). He also goes on to saying that pilots are usually flying at night which most pilots aren't used to flying than during the day. He explains that "Most human beings are less alert and aware during backside-of-the-clock periods (midnight to 6:00am) and are, therefore, more susceptible to making errors, to failing to notice errors, and failing to quickly and accurately rectify errors" (Wells, pg.18). I firmly agree with him because with even working midnights at the airport it really messes with your circadian rhythm and there's really no getting use to the hours. Your always tired and can mess up easier than being on a different shift.
I feel that cargo carriers have been excluded from the new changes because of the overwhelming demand that they have with delivering things on time. Whether it be an overnight or even an international flight, they have a time period in which the pilots have to get the packages where they need to go on time. I also feel that the public perception on the cargo side of aviation isn't as much appreciated as much as someone who is flying commercially because their more looked up to than someone who flies boxes for a living. The cargo life as a cargo pilot isn't easy and is more stringent than on the airlines. I believe that they deserve the same if not better treatment than their commercial counterpart because of what they have to do to complete the task that is given to them.
In my personal opinion I do believe that cargo carriers should be included in these new rules regardless of how much demand cargo has. At the end of the day, its someones life that is on board with those packages and as a CEO of the company it is your job that they get the rest they need to complete the flight not only safely but also in a timely fashion. This will not only get the packages where they need to go but also will send a positive message to your customer and to the pilot knowing that who they are flying for cares about them.
From a pilots perspective, I believe this will benefit pilots greatly with sleep schedules and rotating shifts. Having pilots who are more alert during flight will increase safety and will make their routes much easier. From a management stand point it might be a little bit more work for them to see which pilots have to have rest or which ones are good to go for the flight but in the long run I believe that this will only increase production and efficiency.
References:
Wells, D. J. (2004, September). Airline Pilot. Retrieved February 02, 2018, from http://www2.alpa.org/alpa/DesktopModules/ViewAnnDocument.aspx?DocumentID=5524
pg.18
Houston, S. (2017, June 22). The Pilot Fatigue Problem. Retrieved February 02, 2018, from https://www.thebalance.com/the-pilot-fatigue-problem-282930
Houston, S. (2017, November 17). Learn About the FAA's Final Rule for Pilot Duty and Rest Requirements. Retrieved February 02, 2018, from https://www.thebalance.com/faa-final-rule-pilot-duty-and-rest-requirements-282927
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