Below you find the article as published in the current CWA. Further below we provide some comments and explanations for this article.
Like always it is the obligation of the company to follow these rules and a pilot is entitled to a roster reflecting these rules. If a pilot notices a non-compliance with the CWA, it is his/her right that his roster will be changed to be fully compliant with the CWA.
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36.6.4 Augmented Flight Crew The Maximum Flight Duty Periods for a Standard Crew may be extended with in-flight rest by the use of an Augmented Flight Crew, irrespective of the Reporting Time under the conditions and limitations as prescribed below.
Deviations from these conditions and limitations require the prior agreement of the Pilot Representatives. |
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36.6.4.1 Conditions
a) The aircraft is equipped with Class 1 Rest Facilities; and b) the Pilots at the controls (pilot flying and pilot monitoring) for the landing(s) have at least a consecutive 120-minutes period in-flight rest opportunity within the maximum extended FDP; and c) the other Pilot(s) have at least a consecutive 90-minute period in-flight rest opportunity within the maximum extended FDP; and d) in-flight rest should be taken during the cruise phase of the flight. For the purpose of inflight-rest the cruise phase of the flight should be considered from above flight level 200 until 10 minutes before top of descent. In-flight rest periods should be allocated in order to optimise the alertness of those Pilots at the controls during landing. The inflight- rest period for an individual Pilot should not include the time necessary to change seats; and e) all time spent in the rest facility is counted as Flight Duty Period; and f) a Pilot may not start a Positioning sector to become part of the operating crew on the same sector. |
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36.6.4.2. Maximum Flight Duty Period for Augmented Crew
a) For Flight Duty Periods with a maximum number of 1 Sector, Table 6 applies.
Table 6:
b) For Flight Duty Periods with a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot with a maximum number of 2 Sectors, Table 7 applies:
Table 7:
c) For Flight Duty Periods with a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Captain and 1 First Officer with 2 Sectors, Table 8 applies:
Table 8:
d) For Flight Duty Periods with 3 Sectors, Table 9 applies:Table 9:
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In CWA Part III, Augmented Flight Crew is defined as “Means a Flight Crew which comprises more than the minimum number of Pilots required to operate that aircraft, allowing each flight Pilot to leave his 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 suitably qualified Pilot”
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).” (Therefore: Flight Time = “Block-Time”).
In summary, the maximum Flight Duty Periods for a Standard Crew may be extended with in-flight rest by the use of an Augmented Flight Crew according to Table 6 – Table 9 as follows:
1. The aircraft must be equipped with Class 1 rest facilities
2. The pilots at the controls must have at least a consecutive 120-minute period in flight rest; other pilots a 90-minute period inflight rest. This rest period must be applied within the FDP and in cruise from FL200 until 10 minutes before top of descent
3. All time spent in the rest facility is counted as FDP
4. In addition, it must be clear to all pilots when reporting for an FDP that they are part of an Augmented Flight Crew. If a pilot is planned to position on the same sector, he/she cannot be “activated” to become part of an Augmented Crew.
Irrespective of the Reporting Time and State of Acclimatization the maximum FDP
· for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot with a maximum of 1 sector and a continuous flight time of less than 9 hours is 16 hours.
· for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot with a maximum of 1 sector and a continuous flight time of more than 9 hours is 17 hours.
· for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot with a maximum of 2 sectors depends on the continuous flight time of the shorter sector and ranges from 12 to 17 hours, as per table 7.
· for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Captain and 1 First Officer with a maximum of 2 sectors and a continuous flight time of less than 9 hours is 17 hours.
· for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Captain and 1 First Officer with a maximum of 2 sectors and a continuous flight time of more than 9 hours is 18 hours.
· for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Captain and 1 First Officer with 3 sectors is 17 hours.
Important: According to OM-A, Chapter 7, Section 7, the Minimum Rest at destination following an FDP for which crew augmentation was required is at least as long as the preceding duty period, or 14 hours, whichever is greater.
Example A:
A pilot is scheduled to operate LUX-GYD-SIN. The crew is augmented and comprises a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot. The flight time (block off to block on) from LUX to GYD is 4:50 hours and the one from GYD to SIN 8:30 hours. The total FDP is scheduled to be 15:30 hours. BUT, as per CWA 36.6.4.2 Table 7, the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot with a maximum of 2 sectors and the sector length of the shorter sector of more than 4:30h is limited to 12 hours. Hence, the flight LUX-GYD-SIN can only be done with a Double Crew (Standard Flight Crew + 1 Captain and 1 First Officer) and, since none of the 2 sectors is longer than 9 hours continuous flight time, the maximum FDP as per Table 8 is 17 hours from Reporting Time in LUX until block on in SIN.
Example B:
A pilot is scheduled to operate LUX-BEY-CAI-LUX. Since this FDP involves 3 sectors, as per Table 9, 2 Captains and 2 First Officers are required. The maximum FDP in this case is 17 hours. Due to the relatively short sector lengths, 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 within that FDP, 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 actual flight time (block off to block on) is 8:55 hours. In this case, the total FDP according to CWA 36.6.4.2. Table 7 cannot exceed 16 hours duty.
But what if the “Maximum Flight Duty Period” for an Augmented Flight Crew as per CWA 36.6.4.2 Tables 6 – 9 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 note that if the Company wishes to operate a certain scheduled or Non-scheduled flight beyond the conditions and limitations as described above, the prior agreement of the Pilot Representatives is required and a defined procedure involving the Pilot Representatives must be followed by the Company, as according to CWA 36.6.4.3 Deviations.
