Originally Posted by
WX Guru
Care to embellish why it sucks working there so much? Some of us actually have a life and don't sit on APC all day and read posts.
Some people have never worked outside of aviation and think its so much better working a 8-5 job. I had grossed $46,000 (credit 90h w per diem) for years with 17 days off as an FO. I feel we deserve more but it was livable. I was so bored with well over half of the month off I worked a part time job and made $60k my last 2 years before I upgraded. I would like to move on to a major someday but underpaid or not I can't think of another job outside of flying I would rather have that will give me 17 days off a month. I don't know much about CHQ but even some of the junior guys on the 170 are getting 15 or more days off. The contract is old and pay is below average but it's just a regional. Get your time and move on.
You won't get this on the CHQ certificate. Before I upgraded, I bid for maximum days off. At best I got 16, usually 15 with 82-85 hours of credit. I W2'd $42k my last two years as a topped out FO. First year you'll make $25k. Just keeping it real.
As to CHQ bases, the 145 has SDF, ORD, CLE, IND, CMH, and LGA. There have been a few new hires to get all of them in different classes, so it's the luck of the draw. But the most typical JR bases are CMH and SDF.
IND is the most senior and if you get in you'll be on RSV for a long time. RSV in SDF or CMH has been running less than 3-6 months. RSV is hell if you don't live in base, and still crap if you do; 3am-3pm RSV period, hour and a half call-out, you can be used up until midnight your last day, rendering your period uncommutable on both ends with 11 days off, all for 75 hours of guarantee and a 10 year-old contract with no chance of a new one any time soon.
I'd strongly encourage you to check out RAHContractNow.org and think really hard before coming here. I understand needing a job, but with others hiring I would go to a company that treats its employees with respect before coming here, if given the choice.
I can't wait to leave...