Originally Posted by CFI Guy

You get 13 "hard days" off per quarter but also get a number of "soft days" per month. The soft days (if you actually get them off) are counted towards the 13 days off per quarter 135 requirement. This is how it works at Clay Lacy on some fleets.

For example, say you have days off starting next week Thursday thru Sunday. The company calls you Wednesday afternoon and says they have a trip beginning the next day. Your "days off" now get pushed until the trip ends. If another trips pops up before you start your days off they can push them again.

The only way you are safe is (using my example) the company tries to call you on Thursday. You are already off and have no obligation to answer the phone until after Sunday.

So when I say you get no days off in essence you don't and it's legal. You can't plan anything until the last minute. My last company was even worse. You would never know when you had days off until around 5pm the day before.

Days off on the road can also be counted towards the 13 day off per quarter requirement. You are stuck in Podunk, USA for a couple days during a crew swap. You are by yourself so there's no possible way for the plane to fly so the company marks you as being "off".

As someone else mentioned, I worked for a dirt bag operator once who would go back and pencil in your days off when you had absolutely no idea that you weren't on call.