Originally Posted by
kls81
The aircraft do seem to break a lot and the schedule does change quite frequently while on the road but it is what it is.
Even the pilots here complain about that, but they need a littler perspective. We get an email any time a plane on our fleet breaks. Almost every problem is a minor one. Lav doors getting stuck, radio altimeters not working, external door micro switches acting up, etc. Very rarely does something related to engine or flight controls actually happen (although they do). Almost everything just get MELed for a couple of days until the plane is at an airport where it can be fixed. Those thing happen to every plane that flies regularly. When I was at a regional, PACKs, APUs, trim switches, APs, and even external panel coverings would be MELed up until the last allowed day. Pilots just like to complain.
As far as the schedule changing, like you said, that is what 135 charter is. I have had about 3 pop up trips in the last 6 months. Most of the time you can trust the schedule looking 24-48 hours out. The problem is when you start looking at day 7 and 8 on day 1 of your rotation. That stuff changes all the time as airplane move over the country and aircraft are swapped to shorten repo flights.