What is the definition of Flight Duty Period (FDP)?

• A. The period where a crew member is required to report for duty, ending when the aircraft comes to rest and the engines are shut off.
• B. The time from crew arrival at base to aircraft departure.
• C. The time spent during layover between flights.
• D. The period from first reporting to the next rest period.

Answer: (A)

FDP is the on-duty window for flight crew that starts when they report for duty and ends when the aircraft comes to rest and the engines are shut off. It covers the full sequence of duties for a flight block—pre-flight preparation, boarding, taxi, takeoff, the flight itself, and post-flight duties—until the aircraft is secured and powered down. This end point, aircraft shutdown, marks the official close of the duty period and ties into rest and duty limit rules for the next cycle. The other options describe parts of the schedule or separate periods (like layovers) but do not define the formal start-to-end window of the FDP.