Pilot Fatigue | featured news

It's happened to most of us. We suddenly wake up and find ourselves disoriented, wondering where we are, and possibly mistaking a light in the distance for something completely different.

Nearly three years after the deadly crash of a regional airliner flown by two exhausted pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration is releasing rules aimed at preventing airline pilots from flying while dangerously fatigued.

The major U.S. airline industry association criticized efforts to revamp pilot-fatigue rules, calling the government's proposals overly restrictive, politically motivated and scientifically flawed.

Some airline pilots would be required to get nine hours of rest between one work day and the next, an hour more than now, under proposed changes in federal rules.

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The prospect alone could renew focus on pilot fatigue and research that suggests controlled catnaps might actually make flying safer.