View Single Post
Old 06-13-2018, 09:33 AM
  #2  
Sliceback
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: Window seat
Posts: 5,157
Default

I'm married to a spouse who's husband is a pilot so, like all of us, I have some insight.

He won't be gone like he has been for deployments. Even training is typically 5 on/2 off and at our company you're home for dinner on day 5 and leave on the morning after your full two days off.

Even at the worst, if he's commuting, he'll be home for at least 8 days and possibly 12 days a month. No phone calls, no reports, no additional duties. Off. OFF. That doesn't mean he won't be tired. I need a solid night's sleep, and prefer two, before hitting the road again. The sleep cycle issues from long haul international flying are the toughest part of the job once he advances further in his career.

Helo guys have a tough time advancing towards the majors since their rotor wing (RW) time isn't applied towards the requirements which are based on fixed wing (FW). Jet Blue and perhaps Spirit(?) give credit for his helo time. As far as I know no other major airline does. He'll get some credit for his officer career but nothing for his helo experience.

A CFI job pays around $30,000? He has up to a year of that to get to a regional unless the regional accepts his helo time towards their minimums. Once he's at a regional he can expect to fly approx. 800 hrs a year. Upgrade is probably in the 2-4 yrs range.

The typical guy getting hired at the majors, who isn't getting hired based on his military fixed wing resume which your husband doesn't qualify for, has 5000-7000 hrs total time and 2000-4000 hrs turbine PIC. The math is one year to 1500 hrs and then another 5-8 years to get to become the average new hire getting hired at the major airlines. Overall it's typically 8-10 years from the start to the majors but your husband is already at the 1-2 year mark.

If he can get a regional job that he can drive to life is MUCH better. At the majors I average approx. 8 nights gone per month. But as a junior line holder I, and another airline pilot dad, were the most likely dads to make the kids sport games. I even coached for two years which meant every spring every day was either coaching or flying. But the reality is some holidays are missed, summer vacations are a long way off, but overall he'll get more time at home with the kids vs the dads who have a 9-5 job.

Here's another issue about vacations - our schedules run month to month. By bidding early flying in the first month, and late flying in the next month, you can get 'end of month' or 'month to month switch over' vacations. I've already had 2 weeks, have another 10 day break coming up, and will get a third 10+ plus break later in the summer, all while using zero vacation days. So large breaks are available it just takes some seniority to get there. And I'm doing this as a junior line holder. Getting a week off, or 8 days, is pretty easy as long as you're not trying to touch a major holiday. The rest of the month will be busy if you have the first 10 days off.

The best gig is getting a job in your home base. Sitting reserve and not getting called is the same as having the day off except for making firm commitments. Golf? Sure. Tennis? Sure? Tear the roof off the house? No, save that for a day off. Take the family to the local park? Sure. Ride bikes with the kids? Sure. Wife take off to her mom's house 3 hrs away? No.
Sliceback is offline