Controlled Rest on the Flight Deck

Section 700.72 permits a short, planned rest taken on the flight deck during a flight, as a countermeasure for unexpected in-flight fatigue. AC 700-047 § 4.91 describes it as “an opportunity for a flight crew member to obtain rest during a flight.” It is not a defined term, and it is not something you can plan around — you must be fit for duty when you report, because there is no guarantee controlled rest will be possible. The conditions in 700.72(1)–(4) are what actually govern it.

When it’s allowed

All of the following must hold (700.72(1)):

• the rest is 45 minutes or less,
• it is taken during cruise,
• it ends at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start of descent,
• no other flight crew member is resting at the same time, and
• at least two flight crew members remain on the flight deck.

Before the rest

The resting crew member must (700.72(2)):

• hand over their duties to a crew member who is not resting,
• review the status of the flight and any duties to be done during the rest,
• review the wake-up criteria, and
• tell the flight attendants the start and end times.

After the rest

• No duties for 15 minutes after the rest ends — a recovery buffer for sleep inertia (700.72(3)).
• Another crew member gives an operational briefing on return to duty (700.72(4)).

Related

• Maximum Flight Duty Period (700.28)
• Augmented crew (700.60) — in-flight rest in a rest facility, for longer flight duty periods