Day 3 of 4: A Charter Extension That Does Not Fit the Scheme
You hold a CPL(A) with a multi-engine turboprop type rating and fly single-pilot charter for a small AOC holder. You are on day 3 of a 4-day rotation and have had two consecutive duty periods starting before 06:00; you slept 5 h 30 min last night. You reported at 04:40 local for a 05:30 departure after a 10-hour rest. The planned day was three sectors, 6 h 40 min flight time, duty ending 14:30. De-icing and a slot delay have brought you to 13:10 with three sectors complete, 6 h 05 min flight time and 8 h 30 min duty. The operations controller now asks you to add a two-sector round trip of 2 h 10 min flight time, returning to base at 18:55. Your operator's approved scheme sets a maximum flight duty period of 13 h for your report time, a maximum of 9 h flight time in any FDP, 10 h rest before the next duty, and commander's discretion of up to 2 h. The destination forecast is 240/25G40 with a 22 kt crosswind limit and no alternate within 40 minutes.
1. The controller wants an answer within five minutes. Work through the limits and state your decision.
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Step 1 – identify what binds you. The limits that bind you are the State's FTL regulation as implemented in the operator's approved scheme and operations manual, not the roster or the OCC's plan. Commander's discretion is yours to exercise; a controller or dispatcher cannot 'use it' on your behalf.
Step 2 – project the duty. Report 04:40 to planned end 18:55 = 14 h 15 min. The scheme maximum is 13 h, so the extension needs 1 h 15 min of discretion, leaving only 45 min of the 2 h margin. Flight time becomes 6:05 + 2:10 = 8 h 15 min, inside the 9 h limit - flight time is not the blocker, FDP is.
Step 3 – test cumulative fatigue. Day 3 of 4, two prior pre-06:00 starts, 5 h 30 min sleep last night. Post-flight duties end about 19:25; 10 h rest puts the next report at 05:25 - a fourth consecutive early start with no recovery. Discretion exists for unforeseen circumstances, not to absorb a schedule the operator chose to sell.
Step 4 – look at the operation itself. 25G40 against a 22 kt limit means a probable diversion or go-around, adding unplanned time to an already marginal day.
Decision: decline the full extension, offer one sector with a firm return time, or request a crew swap. The reasoning goes in the ops log either way.
2. Suppose you accept a single-sector compromise that requires 40 minutes of discretion. What must be recorded, and what rest and reporting duties follow?
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Recording. Use the discretion entry prescribed in the operations manual: date, scheduled report time, actual FDP, flight time, the amount of discretion used, the specific unforeseen circumstance, and the commander's signature. Notify the OCC so the roster and the next duty are adjusted - discretion is not a private arrangement between you and the aircraft. Check whether your scheme permits retrospective discretion at all; many do not, and it must be declared before the flight.
What discretion cannot do. It cannot extend the maximum flight time, cannot reduce the minimum rest, and cannot be used to fix a rostering error that was foreseeable at report time.
Rest. Off duty plus 30 min post-flight, then at least the 10 h scheme minimum; if the scheme adds a recovery rest after discretion is used, apply it. Practically, the next day's report must move later, or the rotation must change.
Reporting. File an internal fatigue or occurrence report if the cause is systemic - repeated early starts, short sleep at the crew hotel, unrealistic scheduling. That report is what allows the SMS to fix the cause. Personal note of the decision in your logbook or diary is useful if the flight is later examined.
3. Two hours into the accepted sector you notice slowed reactions, a dry mouth and difficulty holding the radio calls in sequence. What are your options in flight, and what is not an option?
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Recognise it for what it is. Those signs - slowed processing, missed calls, poor monitoring - are a performance decrement, not a character flaw, and they are exactly what the FDP rules are meant to prevent. The commander is the only person on board who can act on it.
Options. Reduce workload: engage the autopilot, brief the approach earlier, hand the radio to the other pilot if one is carried. Increase alertness honestly: oxygen if available, hydration, avoid the temptation to press on because the destination is close. If the decrement is significant, treat it as a threat to flight safety: consider a diversion to a suitable aerodrome, a delay on the ground, or asking the OCC for a crew change. Declaring the situation to ATC is available if you need priority or a hold to reorganise.
Not an option. Pressing on silently because the flight is short, or because reporting fatigue feels like admitting weakness. Under Annex 6 principles and most State rules, the commander must not continue a flight when unfit through fatigue, and the operator must have a fatigue reporting system.
After landing. File the fatigue report the same day, with times, sleep history and symptoms. It is the only mechanism that changes tomorrow's roster.