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Pilot Flight Time and Rest
Ensuring that all pilots receive adequate rest is key to maintaining a safe aviation system. The rules on pilot flight time and rest have evolved along with advances in commercial air travel. The FAA is confident that, overall, the airline industry complies with the FAA?s current rules. The FAA proposed updating the rules in 1995 but an industry consensus was not achieved. The current rules are fundamentally sound but the FAA remains open to any new research or data on fatigue that would assist the agency with developing a new proposal.
Regulations limiting flight time and pilot rest have been in place since the 1940s. Current FAA regulations impose an eight-hour limit for a pilot's flight time during a 24-hour period, provided the pilot has had at least eight continuous hours of rest during the 24-hour period. If a pilot's actual rest is less than nine hours in the 24-hour period, the next rest period must be lengthened to provide for the appropriate compensatory rest. The rules do not address the amount of time pilots can be on duty (standby time). Airline rules may be even stricter than FAA regulations if the issue is part of a collective bargaining agreement.
Contact an Aviation Attorney near you to find out more about your legal rights.
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