Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 151; Flight Crew Total 20080; Flight Crew Type 4483
Fatigue
Other Fatigue
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Human Factors
[On this international flight] we complied with the letter of the new FAR on crew rest. The government has now managed to legislate me into a lower level of safety! Only an individual pilot can know what his body responds to and won't respond to. On the ultra-long haul flights I can see how having the flying pilot's break all in the second half makes sense. On mid-level Europe flying it lowers the level of safety. My entire career almost all flying pilots chose the mid break. They got some level of sleep; were back in the cockpit a few hours before landing to thoroughly plan the descent and approach. Now; after being forced by the government to take the last break; you get back to the flight deck just before beginning descent. You don't have adequate time to get ATIS; plan the descent and find hidden gotchas. Same goes for the approach. If you get assigned an approach you're not used to flying you don't have adequate time to plan for it. The big question; 'why don't you have adequate time'? The reason we all chose the mid breaks before is when your body is already sleep deprived  from multiple overseas trips per month; it takes much longer than normal to fully wake and get your head back in the game. I've watched many of my co-pilots (and myself) over the years and we tend to be sluggish and lethargic for a longer period of time than you might think. On [this] flight I found myself reacting to the situation. My mind is normally three miles ahead of the aircraft; in this case it was all I could do to keep up.Earlier this month I [flew another international flight] with a new hire on his first day in the airplane. The other first officer was on his fifth day in the airplane! I really needed to have my approach and descent well planned out since I would also be in teaching mode with my new pilots. [The destination airport] can be very difficult if you don't manage your energy level perfectly as they often give you a direct that cuts a few miles off the approach. If you have not managed your energy; you will find yourself high and fast rolling out on a short final. This leads to an unstable approach. I found it more difficult to stay ahead of the aircraft and perform to the level that I expect of myself than before the FAA mandated a rest break that my body doesn't adapt to.
B767 international Captain reported he felt less rested and therefore less safe following the FAA mandated international rest break schedule.