Originally Posted by
andrewtac
Perhaps I am still high on the indoc koolaide, but this thread has me curious. On short call for the first three months I was lucky to break 50 hours trying to get scheduled as much as I could. I got premium trips as well. Now on long call this month and I have been at home more than gone on my duty days, I think I am at about 25 hours right now; and the long call guys are supposed to be flying more. At the end of last month I looked at several different airplanes and domiciles (though none were LUS bases) and the average was between 40-50 hours, some in the 20s and there might have been one or two in the 70s. One of my crashpad buddies on the 73 did break mins a month ago. Short call commuting sucks, no way around it. I am fortunate to have a single leg commute that I can usually get day of and long call commuting isn't bad. Even when I can hold a line I will probably stay on long call as I'll have more time at home.
Andrew,
Most will at some point of sitting on reserve experience the horrors of reserve. But as you express, if managed correctly it is livable. There are bid statuses that are notorious for excessive use. They are the exception not the rule.
Commuting makes it harder, but that's every pilots choice. Don't know many other professions that when your job has you transferred to another city or your hired by a company where your position is in another city you can continue to commute from your home.
Commuting is tough but it's great benefit to have the ability to take advantage of.
If you live in base you do your yard work on your reserve days. You can go golf. Go waterski. Go bike riding.
Whatever you enjoy doing.
Don't know many office jobs where the boss tells his employees go golf, waterski, etc., I'll call you if I need you.
If you commute, you make it harder. If you bid larger equipment or upgrade early and your junior in the status, you just made it harder on yourself.
Often reserve is what you make of it.
Holding a line is always better, unless your goal is to not fly. Go look at the reserve utilization of LWB pilots. I don't hear them complaining.