Narrative:

I was assigned to a flight landing in east coast airport at approximately XR00 hours. My schedule contained the earliest east coast departure of XF38 after a very short layover. For a west coast crew; this means to get a decent rest; one would have to go to bed at 5 or 6 pm PST. The layover was so short; there was no time to adjust one's body to the requirements. Scheduling this way requires west coast crew to wake up at XA45 PST. This is the very beginning of the window of circadian low. The body is at its lowest function at this point and there was no opportunity to shift to this because of the short layover. After the flight; I realized I felt groggy most of the time. Nothing happened requiring an fsap other than the realization that this schedule is set up to put a west coast crew in a dangerous position. In order to get myself back on a normal schedule; I stayed awake the whole day and went to bed at XV00. At late night the crew desk called; woke me up from a very deep sleep; and assigned me a flight departing at XW25 hour out of west coast domicile. I was having trouble even determining the day of this flight at this hour after having stayed awake for so long. I asked the crew desk personnel why they had to call me at such an hour and why they couldn't wait until morning. Was told some people 'prefer' to be called then! I don't believe this. I had tried at the beginning of the month of reserve to put in company scheduling computer to avoid late night calls. It wouldn't go through. How is someone expected to switch in a single day from an early east coast departure requiring a wake up at XA45 to an all nighter requiring one to fly from XW25 until XD45 PST. This is dangerous and insane. I am not a robot. I cannot simply lay down and sleep at any time. The realization of all this hit after the crew desk conversation and after 3 hours of wondering exactly how I was going to do this; I became physically ill. At this point; I'd been awake for 23 of the last 25 hours. My body was beyond any point of being able to get a peaceful rest and simply became ill as a result. I called in sick at XO00; and drifted off to a poor sleep at XD00. If we pilots are expected to switch from exact opposite sleep cycles in such a short time frame; I want a doctor's prescription for sleep pills followed by another for 'go pills.' these are used by the military during war to accommodate the horrible disruption of sleep cycles. One is a downer; the other an upper. This is used only during war. We are not at war. If the schedule cannot be built for a reserve pilot in a safer manner; I am left with no option than to ask for medical intervention in the form of pills or call in fatigued; or in this case; I just got sick about all of it. I want to do my job here but I insist it be done safely. I will not knowingly fly fatigued. It bothers me when I can't figure out how to safely fly. It bothers me when I get sick because of absurd and unsafe scheduling practices and the only explanation I get is we do it because we can reset your rest. So I want someone tell me how this is safe to go from early east coast to all-nighter? Someone please call me and call the FAA and tell us how this is safe or how a reasonable pilot can be expected to adjust their sleep in such a short period. You can ask our flight doctor or any member of the safety committee what they think of this and I think you will find they would never recommend it. I am fortunate enough to rarely fly on reserve. Many pilots are not. I cannot imagine how they deal wit this on a weekly basis.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 FO MAKES A PERSUASIVE CASE FOR THE DEBILITATING PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF 'TECHNICALLY LEGAL' RESERVE FLT CREW SCHEDULING.

Narrative: I WAS ASSIGNED TO A FLT LNDG IN EAST COAST ARPT AT APPROX XR00 HRS. MY SCHEDULE CONTAINED THE EARLIEST EAST COAST DEP OF XF38 AFTER A VERY SHORT LAYOVER. FOR A WEST COAST CREW; THIS MEANS TO GET A DECENT REST; ONE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO BED AT 5 OR 6 PM PST. THE LAYOVER WAS SO SHORT; THERE WAS NO TIME TO ADJUST ONE'S BODY TO THE REQUIREMENTS. SCHEDULING THIS WAY REQUIRES WEST COAST CREW TO WAKE UP AT XA45 PST. THIS IS THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE WINDOW OF CIRCADIAN LOW. THE BODY IS AT ITS LOWEST FUNCTION AT THIS POINT AND THERE WAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO SHIFT TO THIS BECAUSE OF THE SHORT LAYOVER. AFTER THE FLT; I REALIZED I FELT GROGGY MOST OF THE TIME. NOTHING HAPPENED REQUIRING AN FSAP OTHER THAN THE REALIZATION THAT THIS SCHEDULE IS SET UP TO PUT A WEST COAST CREW IN A DANGEROUS POS. IN ORDER TO GET MYSELF BACK ON A NORMAL SCHEDULE; I STAYED AWAKE THE WHOLE DAY AND WENT TO BED AT XV00. AT LATE NIGHT THE CREW DESK CALLED; WOKE ME UP FROM A VERY DEEP SLEEP; AND ASSIGNED ME A FLT DEPARTING AT XW25 HR OUT OF WEST COAST DOMICILE. I WAS HAVING TROUBLE EVEN DETERMINING THE DAY OF THIS FLT AT THIS HR AFTER HAVING STAYED AWAKE FOR SO LONG. I ASKED THE CREW DESK PERSONNEL WHY THEY HAD TO CALL ME AT SUCH AN HR AND WHY THEY COULDN'T WAIT UNTIL MORNING. WAS TOLD SOME PEOPLE 'PREFER' TO BE CALLED THEN! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS. I HAD TRIED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH OF RESERVE TO PUT IN COMPANY SCHEDULING COMPUTER TO AVOID LATE NIGHT CALLS. IT WOULDN'T GO THROUGH. HOW IS SOMEONE EXPECTED TO SWITCH IN A SINGLE DAY FROM AN EARLY EAST COAST DEP REQUIRING A WAKE UP AT XA45 TO AN ALL NIGHTER REQUIRING ONE TO FLY FROM XW25 UNTIL XD45 PST. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND INSANE. I AM NOT A ROBOT. I CANNOT SIMPLY LAY DOWN AND SLEEP AT ANY TIME. THE REALIZATION OF ALL THIS HIT AFTER THE CREW DESK CONVERSATION AND AFTER 3 HRS OF WONDERING EXACTLY HOW I WAS GOING TO DO THIS; I BECAME PHYSICALLY ILL. AT THIS POINT; I'D BEEN AWAKE FOR 23 OF THE LAST 25 HRS. MY BODY WAS BEYOND ANY POINT OF BEING ABLE TO GET A PEACEFUL REST AND SIMPLY BECAME ILL AS A RESULT. I CALLED IN SICK AT XO00; AND DRIFTED OFF TO A POOR SLEEP AT XD00. IF WE PLTS ARE EXPECTED TO SWITCH FROM EXACT OPPOSITE SLEEP CYCLES IN SUCH A SHORT TIME FRAME; I WANT A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION FOR SLEEP PILLS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER FOR 'GO PILLS.' THESE ARE USED BY THE MIL DURING WAR TO ACCOMMODATE THE HORRIBLE DISRUPTION OF SLEEP CYCLES. ONE IS A DOWNER; THE OTHER AN UPPER. THIS IS USED ONLY DURING WAR. WE ARE NOT AT WAR. IF THE SCHEDULE CANNOT BE BUILT FOR A RESERVE PLT IN A SAFER MANNER; I AM LEFT WITH NO OPTION THAN TO ASK FOR MEDICAL INTERVENTION IN THE FORM OF PILLS OR CALL IN FATIGUED; OR IN THIS CASE; I JUST GOT SICK ABOUT ALL OF IT. I WANT TO DO MY JOB HERE BUT I INSIST IT BE DONE SAFELY. I WILL NOT KNOWINGLY FLY FATIGUED. IT BOTHERS ME WHEN I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO SAFELY FLY. IT BOTHERS ME WHEN I GET SICK BECAUSE OF ABSURD AND UNSAFE SCHEDULING PRACTICES AND THE ONLY EXPLANATION I GET IS WE DO IT BECAUSE WE CAN RESET YOUR REST. SO I WANT SOMEONE TELL ME HOW THIS IS SAFE TO GO FROM EARLY EAST COAST TO ALL-NIGHTER? SOMEONE PLEASE CALL ME AND CALL THE FAA AND TELL US HOW THIS IS SAFE OR HOW A REASONABLE PLT CAN BE EXPECTED TO ADJUST THEIR SLEEP IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD. YOU CAN ASK OUR FLT DOCTOR OR ANY MEMBER OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE WHAT THEY THINK OF THIS AND I THINK YOU WILL FIND THEY WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND IT. I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO RARELY FLY ON RESERVE. MANY PLTS ARE NOT. I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW THEY DEAL WIT THIS ON A WEEKLY BASIS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.