Fatigue-Management Training
Secondary reference. Every 703, 704 and 705 air operator must run a fatigue-management training program for its flight crew members. The requirement is CARs 703.98(4) for air-taxi operations, 704.115(4) for commuter operations and 705.124(4) for airline operations — the wording is identical in all three. It sits inside the operator’s Minister-approved ground and flight training program.
What the program must cover
The regulation lists seven things the fatigue-management training program has to contain (703.98(4)(a)–(g)):
- Personal fatigue-management strategies — sleep hygiene; lifestyle, exercise and diet; and the consumption of alcohol and drugs ((a)).
- The impact of fatigue on aviation safety ((b)).
- Sleep requirements and the science relating to fatigue ((c)).
- The causes and consequences of fatigue ((d)).
- How to recognise fatigue — in yourself and in others ((e)).
- Sleep disorders — their impact on aviation safety, and treatment options ((f)).
- Human and organizational factors that may cause fatigue — including sleep quality and duration, the impact of shift work and overtime, the circadian rhythm, and the effects of changing time zones ((g)).
Who it applies to
The program is for the operation’s flight crew members. Having it and delivering it is the operator’s obligation; the CARs fix the content but leave the delivery method and the refresher interval to the operator’s approved training program. If your operator runs a Fatigue Risk Management System, its training and promotion elements build on this same base.
Why it exists
The training requirement came in with the 2018 fatigue amendment (SOR/2018-269). The prescriptive 700.28 limits and the 700.26 duty to declare when you are not fit for duty only work if crews can recognise fatigue and manage it — this program is meant to give everyone the same baseline for doing that.