Citation: 14 CFR 117.25 (also cited as FAR 117.25)
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 40119, 44101, 44701–44702, 44705, 44709–44711, 44713, 44716–44717, 44722, 46901, 44903–44904, 44912, 46105
Source rule: Docket FAA-2009-1093, 77 FR 398, Jan. 4, 2012; Amdt. 117-1A, 77 FR 28764, May 16, 2012; Amdt. 117-1, 78 FR 8362, Feb. 6, 2013
(a) No certificate holder may assign and no flightcrew member may accept assignment to any reserve or duty with the certificate holder during any required rest period.
(b) Before beginning any reserve or flight duty period a flightcrew member must be given at least 30 consecutive hours free from all duty within the past 168 consecutive hour period.
(c) If a flightcrew member operating in a new theater has received 36 consecutive hours of rest, that flightcrew member is acclimated and the rest period meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section.
(d) A flightcrew member must be given a minimum of 56 consecutive hours rest upon return to home base if the flightcrew member:
(1) Travels more than 60° longitude during a flight duty period or a series of flight duty periods, and
(2) is away from home base for more than 168 consecutive hours during this travel. The 56 hours of rest specified in this section must encompass three physiological nights' rest based on local time.
(e) No certificate holder may schedule and no flightcrew member may accept an assignment for any reserve or flight duty period unless the flightcrew member is given a rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours immediately before beginning the reserve or flight duty period measured from the time the flightcrew member is released from duty. The 10 hour rest period must provide the flightcrew member with a minimum of 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep opportunity.
(f) If a flightcrew member determines that a rest period under paragraph (e) of this section will not provide eight uninterrupted hours of sleep opportunity, the flightcrew member must notify the certificate holder. The flightcrew member cannot report for the assigned flight duty period until he or she receives a rest period specified in paragraph (e) of this section.
(g) If a flightcrew member engaged in deadhead transportation exceeds the applicable flight duty period in Table B of this part, the flightcrew member must be given a rest period equal to the length of the deadhead transportation but not less than the required rest in paragraph (e) of this section before beginning a flight duty period.
[Docket FAA-2009-1093, 77 FR 398, Jan. 4, 2012; Amdt. 117-1A, 77 FR 28764, May 16, 2012; Amdt. 117-1, 78 FR 8362, Feb. 6, 2013]
[Docket FAA-2009-1093, 77 FR 398, Jan. 4, 2012; Amdt. 117-1A, 77 FR 28764, May 16, 2012; Amdt. 117-1, 78 FR 69288, Nov. 19, 2013]
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Acclimated | A condition in which a flightcrew member has been in a theater for 72 hours or has been given at least 36 consecutive hours free from duty. |
| Deadhead transportation | Transportation of a flightcrew member as a passenger or non-operating flightcrew member, by any mode of transportation, as required by a certificate holder, excluding transportation to or from a suitable accommodation. All time spent in deadhead transportation is duty and is not rest. For purposes of determining the maximum flight duty period in Table B, deadhead transportation is not considered a flight segment. |
| Duty | Any task that a flightcrew member performs as required by the certificate holder, including but not limited to flight duty period, flight duty, pre- and post-flight duties, administrative work, training, deadhead transportation, aircraft positioning on the ground, aircraft loading, and aircraft servicing. |
| Fatigue | A physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from lack of sleep or increased physical activity that can reduce a flightcrew member's alertness and ability to safely operate an aircraft or perform safety-related duties. |
| Flight duty period (FDP) | A period that begins when a flightcrew member is required to report for duty with the intention of conducting a flight, a series of flights, or positioning or ferrying flights, and ends when the aircraft is parked after the last flight and there is no intention for further aircraft movement by the same flightcrew member. |
| Home base | The location designated by a certificate holder where a flightcrew member normally begins and ends his or her duty periods. |
| Long-call reserve | Prior to beginning the rest period required by §117.25, the flightcrew member is notified by the certificate holder to report for a flight duty period following the completion of the rest period. |
| Physiological night's rest | 10 hours of rest that encompasses the hours of 0100 and 0700 at the flightcrew member's home base, unless the individual has acclimated to a different theater (in which case, at the acclimated location). |
| Reserve flightcrew member | A flightcrew member who a certificate holder requires to be available to receive an assignment for duty. |
| Rest period | A continuous period determined prospectively during which the flightcrew member is free from all restraint by the certificate holder, including freedom from present responsibility for work should the occasion arise. |
| Short-call reserve | A period of time in which a flightcrew member is assigned to a reserve availability period. |
| Theater | A geographical area in which the distance between the flightcrew member's flight duty period departure point and arrival point differs by no more than 60 degrees longitude. |
| Unforeseen operational circumstance | An unplanned event of insufficient duration to allow for adjustments to schedules, including unforecast weather, equipment malfunction, or air traffic delay that is not reasonably expected. |
| Window of circadian low | A period of maximum sleepiness that occurs between 0200 and 0559 during a physiological night. |
| Class 1 rest facility | A bunk or other surface that allows for a flat sleeping position and is located separate from both the flight deck and passenger cabin in an area that is temperature-controlled, allows the flightcrew member to control light, and provides isolation from noise and disturbance. |
| Class 2 rest facility | A seat in an aircraft cabin that allows for a flat or near flat sleeping position; is separated from passengers by a minimum of a curtain to provide darkness and some sound mitigation; and is reasonably free from disturbance by passengers or flightcrew members. |
| Class 3 rest facility | A seat in an aircraft cabin or flight deck that reclines at least 40 degrees and provides leg and foot support. |
| Time of Report (Acclimated) | Maximum Flight Time (hours) |
|---|---|
| 0000–0459 | 8 |
| 0500–1959 | 9 |
| 2000–2359 | 8 |
§117.25(g) directly references Table B when assessing deadhead transportation FDP overruns.
| Scheduled Time of Start (Acclimated) | 1 seg | 2 seg | 3 seg | 4 seg | 5 seg | 6 seg | 7+ seg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000–0359 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 0400–0459 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 0500–0559 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11.5 | 11 | 10.5 |
| 0600–0659 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11.5 | 11 | 10.5 |
| 0700–1159 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12.5 | 12 | 11.5 |
| 1200–1259 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12.5 | 12 | 11.5 |
| 1300–1659 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11.5 | 11 | 10.5 |
| 1700–2159 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| 2200–2259 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 2300–2359 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Maximum flight duty period in hours for lineholders based on number of flight segments.
| Scheduled Time of Start (Acclimated) | Class 1 / 3 pilots | Class 1 / 4 pilots | Class 2 / 3 pilots | Class 2 / 4 pilots | Class 3 / 3 pilots | Class 3 / 4 pilots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000–0559 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15.5 | 13 | 13.5 |
| 0600–0659 | 16 | 18.5 | 15 | 16.5 | 14 | 14.5 |
| 0700–1259 | 17 | 19 | 16.5 | 18 | 15 | 15.5 |
| 1300–1659 | 16 | 18.5 | 15 | 16.5 | 14 | 14.5 |
| 1700–2359 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15.5 | 13 | 13.5 |
Maximum flight duty period in hours based on rest facility class and number of pilots.
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Weekly rest (168-hr window) | 30 consecutive hours free from all duty |
| Weekly rest — new theater acclimation credit | 36 consecutive hours = acclimated + meets (b) |
| Return to home base (trans-theater, >60°, >168h away) | 56 consecutive hours (must include 3 physiological nights) |
| Pre-FDP / pre-reserve rest | 10 consecutive hours (must include 8 hrs sleep opportunity) |
| Deadhead transportation overage | Rest ≥ length of deadhead transport, not less than 10 hrs |