Feb 9th 2010 Frontline on PBS - Flying Cheap

Looks like this will be worth watching:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/flyingcheap/

Be sure to check out the preview video at the above link.

Have seen much of the footage. They ran quite lengthy previews of it somewhere a few nights ago.

They nail "regional" flying "to a T". Only the most ultra-senior of regional pilots avoid the punishing daily routines these guys pull day-in and day-out. Yet, even the most senior regional Capt. or F/O, still flies a bruising schedule when compared to a senior "mainline" pilot.

And unfortunately, (salaries aside) the schedules of regional and mainline pilots are starting to be practically interchangable as far as number of days worked, length of rest periods between duty days (bare minumum or slightly over far too often), and hours flown during a month.

And management ALWAYS has the same answer. "It's legal according to the F.A.R.s, so don't blame US for scheduling you this way." In our case it's contractually legal too.

But, of course having BANKRUPTED us TWO times already and threatened us with a third....management has had no problem in getting closer and closer to THEIR goal of getting OUR CONTRACT RULES (protections from fatigue ) to deteriorate to practically F.A.R. levels of (fatigue) protection.
NONE!

Unfortunately, the regional crews have to put in an extra segment or two (or THREE) each day to get what is a "worthwhile" amount of flying time in for the day since their segments are so much shorter than the mainlines as a rule.

Sometimes I wonder how management at night. Oh yeah. They fall asleep counting their BONE-us(es).

CloudDancer

www.clouddancer.org

Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely gonna watch it.

Tonight on PBS.. Check your local listing.