Canadian Aviation Regulations · SOR/96-433
Reserve
Rules for reserve: notice of the reserve availability period, limits on changing its start time, a 14-hour cap on the availability period, 10 hours rest between them, and reserve-duty-period ceilings that depend on start time and augmentation.
Applies to 703704705 · in force since December 12, 2020
Some terms first, verbatim from CARs 700.01:
- A flight crew member on reserve is “designated by an air operator to be available to report for flight duty on notice of more than one hour.”
- The reserve availability period (RAP) is “the period in any period of 24 consecutive hours during which a flight crew member on reserve is available to report for flight duty.”
- The reserve duty period (RDP) “begins at the time that a flight crew member on reserve is available to report for flight duty and ends at the time that the flight duty period ends.” AC 700-047 § 4.84 summarises it as RAP + FDP = RDP.
- The window of circadian low (WOCL) is “the period that begins at 02:00 and ends at 05:59 at the location where the flight crew member is acclimatized.”
Notice and changing the start time
- Notice of the RAP (start, end, location): at least 12 hours ahead, or 32 hours ahead if any part of it falls in your WOCL (700.70(1)).
- The operator may shift the communicated start time by no more than 2 hours earlier or 4 hours later (700.70(2)(a)); and no more than 8 hours either way within any 168 hours unless you get 2 consecutive days free from duty in that window (700.70(2)(b)).
- Moving the start past 02:00 blocks another RAP until you’ve had 2 consecutive days free (700.70(3)).
- Moving the start into your WOCL needs 24 hours’ notice (700.70(4)).
Duration limits
- A RAP may not exceed 14 consecutive hours (700.70(5)).
- At least 10 consecutive hours’ rest between RAPs (700.70(6)).
- The RDP may not exceed:
| RDP begins between | Maximum RDP | CARs |
|---|---|---|
| 02:00 and 17:59 | 18 hours | 700.70(7)(a) |
| 18:00 and 18:59 | 17 hours | 700.70(7)(b) |
| 19:00 and 20:59 | 16 hours | 700.70(7)(c) |
| 21:00 and 22:59 | 15 hours | 700.70(7)(d) |
| 23:00 and 01:59 | 14 hours | 700.70(7)(e) |
Augmented crew and the quiet-WOCL extension
With an augmented crew and rest facilities, the RDP ceiling rises (700.70(8)): 20 h (1 extra crew, class 1 or 2), 22 h (2 extra crew, class 1 or 2, RAP starting 21:00–03:00 acclimatized), or 26 h (2 extra crew, class 1, RAP starting before 21:00 or after 03:00).
If the RAP starts between 02:00 and 05:59 acclimatized and the operator doesn’t contact you during that window, the RDP may be extended by 2 hours or 50% of the RAP time falling in 02:00–05:59, whichever is shorter (700.70(9); AC 700-047 § 4.86).
Assigning an FDP longer than the RDP allows
The operator may assign an FDP that would exceed the RDP limit (or the 700.28 maximum, whichever is shorter) only if all three hold (700.70(10); AC 700-047 § 4.87):
- at least 24 hours’ notice of the assignment before the FDP begins,
- that notice is not given between 22:30 and 07:30, and
- no duties are assigned between the notice and the start of the FDP.
Related
- Standby (700.71)
- Maximum hours of work (700.29) — reserve counts 33%
- Split flight duty (700.50) — reserve + split can extend the RDP by 2 hours
Regulation text — CARs 700.70
Reproduced from the consolidated Canadian Aviation Regulations ( SOR/96-433) on the Justice Laws website. CARs 700.70
700.70 (1) An air operator shall notify a flight crew member on reserve of the start and end times of the reserve availability period and the location where it will take place no later than
- (a) 12 hours before the start time of the reserve availability period, if no part of that period falls during the member’s window of circadian low; or
- (b) 32 hours before the start time of the reserve availability period, if any part of that period falls during the member’s window of circadian low.
(2) An air operator shall not change the start time of a reserve availability period of a flight crew member by
- (a) more than two hours before, or four hours after, the start time that was communicated to the flight crew member under subsection (1); or
- (b) more than eight hours before or after the start time that was communicated to the member under subsection (1) in any period of 168 consecutive hours, unless the member is provided with two consecutive days free from duty within that period.
(3) If the start time of a reserve availability period is changed to a time after 02:00, the air operator shall not assign another reserve availability period to the flight crew member unless the member is provided with two consecutive days free from duty before the start time of that period.
(4) An air operator shall not change the start time of a reserve availability period so that it falls in a flight crew member’s window of circadian low unless the air operator notifies the member of the change at least 24 hours before the revised start time.
(5) An air operator shall not assign to a flight crew member a reserve availability period that exceeds 14 consecutive hours.
(6) An air operator shall provide a flight crew member with a rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours between reserve availability periods.
(7) An air operator shall not assign to a flight crew member a reserve duty period that exceeds
- (a) 18 consecutive hours, if the period begins between 02:00 and 17:59;
- (b) 17 consecutive hours, if the period begins between 18:00 and 18:59;
- (c) 16 consecutive hours, if the period begins between 19:00 and 20:59;
- (d) 15 consecutive hours, if the period begins between 21:00 and 22:59; and
- (e) 14 consecutive hours, if the period begins between 23:00 and 01:59.
(8) Despite subsection (7), an air operator may assign to a flight crew member a reserve duty period of
- (a) no more than 20 hours, if the flight crew is augmented by one additional flight crew member and a class 1 rest facility or a class 2 rest facility is provided for the member;
- (b) no more than 22 hours, when the reserve availability period begins between 21:00 and 03:00 at the location where the flight crew member is acclimatized, if the flight crew is augmented by two additional flight crew members and a class 1 rest facility or a class 2 rest facility is provided for each of the members; or
- (c) no more than 26 hours, when the reserve availability period begins before 21:00 or after 03:00 at the location where the flight crew member is acclimatized, if the flight crew is augmented by two additional flight crew members and a class 1 rest facility is provided for each of the members.
(9) If the reserve availability period begins between 02:00 and 05:59 at the location where the flight crew member is acclimatized and the member is not contacted by the air operator during that period, the air operator may extend the reserve duty period by two hours or 50% of the reserve availability period that falls between 02:00 and 05:59, whichever is shorter.
(10) An air operator shall not assign to a flight crew member a flight duty period that exceeds the maximum reserve duty period set out in subsection (7) or (8) or the maximum flight duty period set out in section 700.28, whichever is shorter, unless the air operator
- (a) provides the member with at least 24 hours’ notice of the assignment before the beginning of the flight duty period;
- (b) does not provide the notice during the period that begins at 22:30 and ends at 7:30; and
- (c) assigns no duties to the member between the time the notice is provided and the beginning of the flight duty period.
What changed in 2018
In plain language
New with the 2018 rules: a structured reserve regime — advance notice keyed to the window of circadian low, tight limits on shifting the start time, and reserve-duty-period ceilings by time of day.
Paraphrased from Advisory Circular 700-047 .