Originally Posted by
soakingpilot
Can I just get this straight. As a new junior FO you will still get paid the 75 hrs ie *guaranteed* whether you fly or not?
Further how does the time work in a day. For instance if you are on reserve on monday clearly you are not supposed to stay wide awake drinking coffee until someone calls for 24 hours so how long of a time are you "on call"
Second question is at what point do you move up out of being on reserve? Is it the number you receive which somehow qualifies you in a bidding system? I really dont get this part.
Yes, you make whatever the monthly guarantee is no matter what. If you actually fly more than the guarantee credit, you'll make what you actually fly for the month.
Most companies have reserve availability periods or something of the like. You're on from 4a-4p, 9a-9p, etc. You'll know when you're on and when you're off.
When you're hired you get a seniority number and join the bottom of the seniority list at that company. Reserve tends to go junior, meaning those at the top of the seniority list bid for a line, or a set schedule of flying for the month. The #1 pilot gets their first pick, then the #2 pilot gets their pick of whatever is left over and so on until the lines are taken by the pilots that bid for them. Generally the pilots at the bottom of the seniority list are left with reserve. You can hold a line usually after enough pilots are hired after you to move you up the list to the point where you are senior enough to hold a line.
That's the general idea anyway!