Originally Posted by
Jakeb
Didn't wanna move to Ohio
First, I don't recommend RAH.
Second, your sentiments about Ohio are strike two for RAH. The company is doing everything they can to grow their favorite outstation bases; Indy and Columbus.
New hires on all three certificates have a very good chance of ending up in Ohio.
...and commuting is not possible. Shuttle America schedules, for example, are loaded with the famous CMH 2-days with 0500 reports, long overnights, and late night arrivals the following day, precluding the possibility of linking trips together (something not possible with RAH biding software) to make a six-on, four-off commutable schedule.
Four-day trips are rare, three-days are also uncommutable, have low credit, and are often loaded with flying on the last day to preclude crew members from calling fatigued on go-home days...which, like is said, usually end after 9PM and most likely get in closer to midnight.
A typical CMH schedule is 3 on, 2 off with one 3 or 4 day off stretch per month. 12-14 days off per month.
The nature of the schedules is inherently fatiguing. Getting up at 0330 to make a 0500 show and then working until midnight the next night will wear you out. It makes for cranky crew members, many of whom will tell you about their sleep schedule problems caused by circadian rhythm disruption. I know of several people who are seeking or considering seeking medical attention for sleep disorders caused by these ludicrous outstation schedules.
Also, don't discount how you're gonna feel on the day after one of these trips. You're gonna be so tired that you'll spend half of your first day off sleeping in an effort to feel like a normal human being again, and the next night, you'll have to go to bed at 1930 in order to get 8 hours of sleep (good luck with that, BTW) for your 0500 report the day after your 2 days off. RAH schedules effectively rob you of a good portion of your time off.
I highly recommend going anywhere else. There are many senior FOs (many recently displaced) trying like hell to get out of CMH for ORD or LGA, but the company is filling very few vacancies at these bases, effectively shrinking them. The moral of the story is that, barring unforeseen and highly unlikely massive growth or movement, new-hire FOs will be marooned at an outstation base with the terrible QoL that goes with it for quite some time.
I really wish someone would have educated me on RAH's outstation basing model before I signed on....had someone done it, there's no way in hell I'd be here.