The Cargo Industry

1) As a result of the Colgan Air accident, the FAA institute new flight and duty regulations. Summarize these new regulations and describe how they are different from the old flight and duty regulations.

-        The FAA stated (2016) that the three major changes the FAA has implemented are the way flight instructors grade check rides and flight simulators during stalls, the way the industry views pilot fatigue, and the 1500 hour rule. This is a drastic change from the way the FAA was having regional and commercial airlines operate before the accident. In short, when it came to stalling the aircraft the pilots were only required to stall for a few seconds before regaining control, because of this, most pilots were uncomfortable when they actually stalled and never learned how to properly control their emotions when stalling.


2) Cargo carriers are exempt from the Part 117 rules. What are the current flight and duty limitations for cargo carriers?

-        According to Captain David Wells (2018), “The NTSB’s 2004 Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements include "Set working hour limits for flight crews." U.S. domestic pilots have a flight-time maximum of 30 hours in 7 days, while flag pilots are allowed up to 32 hours in 7 days. Supplemental pilots can fly 48 hours in a 6-day period, or 60 percent more than domestic pilots.”


3) Why do you feel that cargo carriers have been excluded from the new changes? Value of life? Public perception? Too much money for the carrier? Other reasons? All the above? You may find that reading the preamble of the final rule is helpful in answering this question.

-        Cargo carries don’t have to operate under the same laws as airline carriers because the nature of their job is different. A cargo pilot may be transporting a few million dollars with of cargo at a time while the airline pilot is transporting up to near a hundred human lives valued at nearly 2 million dollars a life.


4) Do you believe cargo carriers should be included in the new rules? Why or why not?

-        I believe that as long as the cargo industry continues to operate in a safe manner they shouldn’t be required to operate under the new laws. Unfortunately, most FAR’s are written in blood and the Colgan Air accident triggered a huge amount an attention and motivation towards reform of the fatigue rules because so many innocent people died. The cargo industry realized how expensive all of the new regulations would be for the industry and found a way to bend the rule to get the two (cargo and airline) recognized as separate; to benefit the cargo industry.   


5) Finally, what would be the impact to your career if cargo carriers were to be included in these new rules - Pilots, address this from a pilot perspective, management address from a management perspective.

-        I hate to be that guy but I don’t think that change would affect my career at all. I’m going to be flying for the military and under an entirely different change of command than either the commercial airline pilots or the cargo pilots.




Citations

FAA to Boost Pilot Professional Development. (2016, October 10). Retrieved February 02, 2018, from https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=86647

Wells, Captain David. Retrieved February 02, 2018, from http://www2.alpa.org/alpa/DesktopModules/ViewAnnDocument.aspx?DocumentID=5524


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