Cargo Flight Regulations

Following the Colgan Air crash of 2009, the FAA made some important changes to flight/duty regulations.  One of the issues that was addressed was fatigue.  This has been a long-standing issue, and was "addressed with a new science-based rule requiring at least a 10-hour rest period for pilots and co-pilots."  (Tumulty, 2014)  This new regulation looks at three things:  Time of day, what time the pilots start work, and the number of legs they are flying for the day, however, the time the pilots take to commute from other cities is not considered.  The old regulation was only concerned with whether the flights were domestic, international, or scheduled/unscheduled.  Another issue that was changed was training for loss of control situations.  This was addressed by requiring all new pilots to undergo flight simulator training.  Previously, there was no requirement for training.  A new 1500 hour minimum flight hour has been added, and is a sore spot among both airlines and pilots.  The controversy stems from the fact that there is no way of guaranteeing if the hours are going to produce the quality pilots they seek.  Lastly, "airlines are required to disclose code-sharing when customers book their travel if a flight will handled by a regional airline partner."  (Tumulty, 2014)  As with the no previous requirement for flight simulator training, there was no requirement to disclose code-sharing as well.

So far as I can tell, cargo carriers have no flight/duty limitations.  The Chief Surgeon for the FAA, James Fraser states that "the FAA's exclusion of cargo pilots from new fatigue rules was done for political reasons. Fraser said the aviation professionals at the FAA understand that there is no difference between pilots who fly cargo and pilots who carry passengers, other than the fact that cargo carriers' management complained that increased rest for pilots would cost too much."  (Goelz, & Hall 2014)  The largest cargo carriers in the world (UPS, FedEx) have spent close to $150 million in political contributions since Obama took office, so there is little surprise that cargo pilots were not included in the new regulations.

Cargo carriers should be required to adhere to the same regulations as those flying passenger flights.  Not having adequate rest will make no difference whether there is passengers or cargo on the plane.  Fatigue is fatigue, regardless of what you are flying.  A 1500 hour minimum requirement will hinder cargo carriers the same as passenger carriers, so there should be no exemption based on that either.  

On the management side of the house, if cargo carriers were required to follow these new regulations, many changes will have to be made.  It will affect me the same as it will someone running the management side in a passenger carrier.  It may be prudent to me to pick the brains of those on the passenger side to find out how they make it happen.  It won't just be about "moving the rig," as we heard in the Flying Cheap segment.  Sure, there might be a loss of money from the aircraft having to sit for periods of time, but the overall outcome will be less pilot fatigue, and a higher degree of safety.  

Hall, J. & Goelz, P.  Cargo pilot hours should be regulated, too: Column USA Today.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/09/11/cargo-pilot-airline-safety-fatigue-regulations-commercial-column/15474061/

Tumulty, Brian.  (2014, February 11).  5 years after N.Y. crash, some airline safety progress.  USA      Today.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/11/colgan-air-crash-prompts-safety-regulations/5372353/