INTERNATIONAL RELIEF PILOT REPORTS FATIGUE INDUCED BY DEADHEAD TO GERMANY AND FERRY FLIGHT BACK TO US WITH SINGLE AUGMENTED CREW.

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BLOCKED IN AT ZZZ AFTER FLYING A SINGLE AUGMENTED FERRY NON-STOP FROM NURNBERG; GERMANY. SINCE THE FLT WAS SINGLE AUGMENTED; THE REST BREAKS WERE SHORT; 2:30. OF THE 3 PLTS; ONLY 1 WAS ABLE TO SLEEP FOR EVEN A SHORT PERIOD. THE FLT STARTED WITH A DEADHEAD TO MUNICH. SLEEP ON THE DEADHEAD FLT WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE; AS ANYONE WHO OPERATES THE B767 IN A SINGLE AUGMENTATION FLT (THE SEAT IN FIRST CLASS IS A JOKE AS A REST SEAT; AND REMAINDER OF FIRST CLASS AND BUSINESS CLASS IS NO BETTER). THE FLT WAS FOLLOWED BY A 120 KM DRIVE TO NURNBERG FROM THE MUNICH ARPT. AS ALWAYS HAPPENS WITH CHARTERS; THE PICK-UP AT MUNICH WAS CONFUSED AND DELAYED; FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 30 MINS. ARR AT THE HOTEL IN NURNBERG WAS AT ABOUT XF00 AM LCL TIME; OR XA00 BODY CLOCK TIME. PICK-UP TO THE NURNBERG ARPT WAS LATER DETERMINED TO BE A LITTLE LESS THAN 14 HRS LATER. I SPENT NEARLY THAT ENTIRE HOTEL TIME SLEEPING. PICK-UP WAS ON TIME. DEP FROM NURNBERG WAS ONLY 10 MINS LATE AND ARR AT ZZZ WAS SLIGHTLY EARLY. I WAS ABLE TO LEAVE ZZZ FOR THE DRIVE HOME AT ABOUT XA30 AND ARRIVED HOME AT ABOUT XB30. I WAS ABLE TO SLEEP AT HOME FROM XD30 TO ABOUT XF30. I HAD THE RINGER TO THE PHONE OFF. I DISCOVERED UPON WAKING THAT THE CREW DESK HAD CALLED AND ASSIGNED ME A SHORT CALL OUT TO BEGIN AT XS00 THE FOLLOWING MORNING; AFTER I HAD MADE THE TRANS-ATLANTIC XING. IT MAY BE FAA LEGAL; AND IT MAY BE CONTRACT LEGAL; BUT IT IS CERTAINLY NOT SAFE TO BE ASSIGNED THE POSSIBILITY OF FLT AFTER A 36 HR PERIOD IN WHICH THERE WAS ONLY ONE REASONABLE SLEEP OPPORTUNITY. ANY 6 HR TIME ZONE CHANGE; TWICE; IN 36 HRS; AWAKE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE BODY CLOCK TWICE; IS COMPLETELY DRAINING. THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM SHIFTS ARE 'MURDER.' TO BE ASSIGNED A SHORT CALL WITHIN 24 HRS OF THAT EVENT WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF YET MORE MULTIPLE TIME ZONE CHANGES IN THE FOLLOWING 48 HRS IS ABSOLUTELY STUPID. I DECLINED THE TRIP; FATIGUED. SHORT CALL SHOULD BE BANNED WITHIN 48 HRS OF ARR FROM ANY MULTIPLE TIME ZONE OP. I HAVE BEEN ON THIS FLEET FOR NOT QUITE 2 YRS AND HAVE FOUND THE SCHEDULES AS A RESERVE TOLERABLE ONLY BECAUSE BACK-TO-BACK ASSIGNMENTS ARE RARE. THIS IS THE PERFECT CASE WHERE FATIGUE WOULD INDEED BE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN MY ABILITIES AS A PLT. I WOULD NOT BE SAFE AT THIS MOMENT DRIVING A CAR. SEVERAL TIMES; IN THE LAST 2 YRS I HAVE PULLED OFF THE ROAD ONLY 4 OR 5 MI FROM HOME BECAUSE I WAS FALLING ASLEEP. IN THOSE CASES I SLEPT IN MY CAR; FOR ABOUT 20 OR 30 MINS WHICH WAS ENOUGH TO GET ME THE LAST FEW MI TO MY BED. I AM TYPING THIS BECAUSE I CANNOT GET TO SLEEP; EVEN THOUGH I AM EXHAUSTED. AND I WAS EXPECTED TO BE READY TO ACCEPT A SHORT CALL IN 1 HR AND 38 MINS. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY; THIS SHOWS UP AS A SICK CALL. I AM NOT SICK; I AM TIRED. FOOLISH.