Air Georgian Limited announced today they support the amendments to the Pilot Flight, Duty, and Fatigue/Rest times published today.
While no set of regulations can be expected to entirely address any one stakeholder’s concerns, and Air Georgian has expressed their reservations about aspects of the regulations, Air Georgian sees this amendment as a positive first step towards the inclusion of scientific research and evidence-based individual data into pilot fatigue management.
These regulations provide the flexibility needed for Air Georgian to continue to be amongst those operators leading the industry in their understanding of human rest, the effects of fatigue, and the risks of inaction in addressing fatigue.
Air Georgian has been working closely with their pilots and Fatigue Science, a Canadian company offering the most advanced wearable technology available, to collect de-identified sleep data. This data has been collected over the past year and is establishing a sleep hygiene baseline for their fatigue program. This will allow Air Georgian to apply their expanding knowledge of human rest rhythms and the effects of fatigue as it specifically relates to the construction of fatigue-compliant schedules.
As Air Georgian advances, they are improving their sleep analytics to better understand and apply the concepts of rest hygiene, fatigue-related risk, and how to best safely optimize pilot performance.
Air Georgian’s goal, working in collaboration with their pilots and Fatigue Science, is to develop a Transport Canada compliant Fatigue Rest Management System (FRMS) that will promote aviation safety and improved pilot sleep hygiene. The regulations announced today provide the necessary framework for their FRMS.
For years Air Georgian has taken a no-questions-asked approach to fatigue. A fatigued pilot should not be flying; they should be resting.
“There is increasing attention to the risks of flying while fatigued or at risk of becoming fatigued,” says John Tory, VP Corporate Development, Air Georgian. “Today’s regulatory amendment breathes energy into and provides an approval framework for Air Georgian’s ongoing research into sleep hygiene, rest planning, and pilot fatigue cycles.”
