[LordKenT]

Controlling the hours of work whilst at The Airport or on Board is pointless if you dont also have any control of what the Pilots are doing outside their Airline work.

There was an Easyjet Pilot on TV lst night who also owned and helped run a Mid sized Hotel and Restaurant, plus I recall in the past a Pan Am Captian who also founded and owned a Multi-Million Pound Drain Clearing Company the Biggest in the UK. .

Surely that was more stressful than flying an aircraft.

Pilots cant work 15 hours a day running an outside business and then expect to be alert enough to fly an Aircraft..but nobody says anything.

[millionsofmiles]

Is there anything NOT substandard on BA?

apart from seating, loungs and catering now the pilots are either overworked or just irresponsible people.
BA going down and down and down

[MartynSinclair]

@LordKenT or worse still, the pilot who has contracts with 2 different companies based on licenses from different jurisdictions (UK & USA for example). Legally, he has to take rest from flying duties on his UK license, but flying duties can still be worked based on his FAA license..

[FormerlyDoS]

Let’s take some of the heat from this thread.

Fact 1 – the UK CAA regulate pilot’s duty hours (flying) to 900 in a year

Fact 2 – the CAA does not regulate pilot’s working hours, their employer can ask them to perform other duties not subject to the CAA limit and they are also free to enjoy the same libertiesa as the rest of us in running their own business

I’m not aware of a single death caused by a pilot working on a outside job, so LordKenT’s point falls under the heading of scaremongering.

The real issue here is raising the 900 hours per year, that concerns me.

[MartynSinclair]

FDoS, you are half right.

For example: A pilot with dual FAA/JAA licensing, works for an Airline on one license and a Corporate operator on the other license. Separate logbooks…

Everything can then be doubled…! and rest time shortened..

[craigwatson]

Now obviously I wouldn’t weant to see the limit increased, as I would have to work more for the same… but it is nothing to concern the general public.

There are quite a few BA pilots ( and others from other airlines ) who routinely bump up on the 900 hr limit with 2 or even 3 months left in the year, then then do administrative duties or more often just get more paid holiday time.

[FormerlyDoS]

Martyn

Not challenging you on a specific case, as I know you know you are well connected in this business.

Although I’m not a lawyer, but would have thought that anyone using two logbooks to avoid a mandated limit would be breaking the law in the jurisdiction than mandates the limit.

e.g. I knew a guy who held an ATPL for a UK airline and a US PPL for his N reg toy. He took the view that he had to be very careful not to exceed the 900 hour limit, as the hours in the toy counted towards that.

PS: how many peeps can log hours concurrently in a US private aircraft? That was always a hot topic and subject to tremendous abuse 🙂

[MartynSinclair]

Using split logbooks is an extreme case and I am not sure how many pilots would go that far.

However, a year or so back, I was involved in a demo flight with a pilot for a European Airline, who was using an FAA license to demo the aircraft. This came to light when I asked about the airline stickers on his flight bag.

In the States, I often fly with contract pilots who fly corporate and airline. Duty time is sometimes down to the pilot honesty…

[FormerlyDoS]

Fair enough.

[BigDog.]

one of the DT comments…

My pilot friend says the best air safety is to put autopilot and a German Sheppard in all cockpits. If the pilots try to touch the controls, the dog bites them.

[FormerlyDoS]

That joke is older than BA’s 747 fleet 😉

Goes back to the launch of the A320, IIRC.

[BigDog.]

Off topic. Very sad about a 63yo United pilot.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/10341312/Plane-makes-emergency-landing-after-pilot-fatal-heart-attack.html

am somewhat surprised about the mandatory retirement age being raised from 60 to 65 in 2007, though the annual medical is very rigorous.

[BA4ever]

I don’t have the knowledge to comment on the retirement age but this shoes the importance of at least two pilots on board!
May he rest in peace.

[ImissConcorde]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24327366

[BA4ever]

Good news then!

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