In this issue of our series “Know your CWA” we would like to expand on the maximum “Flight Duty Period (FDP) for flights with an Augmented Flight Crew”.
B1-36.5 Extended FDP with in-flight rest (Augmented Flight Crew)
B1-36.5.1 Crew Composition
The crew composition shall be as follows:
- Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot
- Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots
- For 3 sectors or more 2 Captains + 2 First Officers
In CWA Part III, Augmented Flight Crew is defined as “..Means a flight crew which comprises more than the minimum number required to operate that aircraft, allowing each flight Pilot to leave his/her assigned post, for the purpose of in-flight rest, and to be replaced by another appropriately qualified Pilot.”
Standard Flight Crew is defined as “1 Captain, 1 First Officer, total 2 Pilots”
CWA B1-36.5.1 defines the crew composition and clearly states that for 3 sectors or more an augmented crew comprising 2 Captains and 2 First Officers is required!
The FDP can be extended with the use of inflight rest as follows:
B1-36.5.2
The FDP can be extended with the use of in-flight rest provided that within the Maximum Extended Flight Duty Period:
- the Pilots at the controls (PF and PM) for the landing(s) have at least a consecutive 120 minute period in-flight rest opportunity and
- the other Pilot(s) have at least a consecutive 90 minute period in-flight rest opportunity
In-flight rest should be taken during the cruise phase of the flight. For the purpose of in-flight rest the cruise phase of the flight should be considered from FL200 until 10 minutes before top of descent. In-flight rest periods should be allocated in order to optimize the alertness of those flight crew members at controls during landing. The rest period for an individual Pilot should not include the time necessary to change seats. All time spent in the rest facility is counted as FDP.
A Pilot may not start a positioning sector to become part of the operating crew on the same sector.
Only if the pilots at the controls and other pilots have at least a consecutive 120 minute and 90 minute period in-flight rest respectively, the FDP can be extended according to the tables below. This rest period must be applied within the FDP and in cruise from FL200 until 10 minutes before top of descent.
In addition all pilots of an Augmented Flight Crew must start their FDP at the same place and at the same time.
Important: According to OM-A, Chapter 7, Section 7, the Minimum Rest at destination following a FDP for which crew augmentation was required is at least as long as the preceding duty period, or 14 hours, whichever is greater.
The following tables show the maximum extended FDPs and the respective crew composition.
Important: The tables below distinguish between:
- Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot
- Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots
In this context, it is important two recognize that:
- Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots can also mean 1 Captain and 3 First Officers
However, according to CWA B1-36.5.1:
- For 3 sectors or more, 2 Captains and 2 First Officers are required
If in addition to the conditions above, the FDP consists of maximum 2 operating sectors with one sector with more than 9 hours of continuous flight time, the following extended FDPs apply:
Flight Time is defined in the CWA Part III as “…Means the time as an operating Pilot between first moving of an aircraft from its parking place (Block Off) for the purpose of taking off until it comes to rest on the designated parking position and all engines are shut down (Block On).”
To keep it simple; irrespective of the Reporting Time and State of Acclimatization:
- If 3 sectors are scheduled, the maximum FDP is 17 hours, irrespective of the sector length. In addition, the crew composition must be 2 Captains and 2 First Officers.
- the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew +1 Pilot is 16 hours with a maximum of 2 sectors.
- the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots (1 BC + 3 FO) is 17 hours and 2 sectors.
- the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot is 17 hours if one sector is more than 9 hours continuous flight time with a maximum of 2 sectors.
- the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots (1BC + 3 FO) is 18 hours if one sector is more than 9 hours continuous flight time with a maximum of 2 sectors.
Example A:
A pilot is scheduled to operate LUX-KRW-SIN. The crew is augmented and comprises a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot. None of the 2 sectors is longer than 9 hours continuous flight time and therefore the maximum FDP is 16 hours from Reporting Time until block on in SIN. Due to the sector lengths, the required distribution of inflight rest of a minimum of 120 and 90 minutes respectively can be achieved.
Example B:
A pilot is scheduled to operate LUX-BEY-CAI-LUX. Since this FDP involves 3 sectors, 2 Captains and 2 First Officers are required. The maximum FDP in this case is 17 hours. Due to the relatively short sector length, it is important to make sure that inflight rest is adequately distributed.
If any crew in the above situation does not manage to obtain 120 minutes/90 minutes inflight rest, they are not compliant to be able to operate as PF or PM.
Example C:
The crew is augmented and comprises a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot. The FDP required is 17 hours with two sectors. The first sector is scheduled for a continuous flight time of just over 9 hours. After landing you notice that the total flight time is 8:55 hours. In this case, the total FDP cannot exceed 16 hours duty.
But what if the “Maximum Flight Duty Period” for an Augmented Flight Crew would be exceeded?
In this case it is the obligation of the company to change the Flight Duty accordingly to be within limits or to add additional crew members.
Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.
All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.
