Originally Posted by greendotplus10

Ok, here it goes. Outstation base trips are usually 4 days long, with an early morning start time on day 1, and a late night finish on day 4. That means to commute you'll have to get to base in the afternoon or early evening on the day prior to your trip or reserve day. Then, after your trip ends, you'll have to wait until the next day to go home. That's where your "pad" of choice comes in.

I don't care to deal with crashpads and/or roommates, so I rented an apartment. Problems were both solved and created with that decision. It was my own place, quiet when it needed to be, and reliable. That's important when you have a 3am reserve start time in the morning. At around $1k a month though, not everyone can or wants to do it this way. You may have fellow pilot roommates if you choose; then the price would be comparable to a crashpad. Neighbors are a risk too, and usually the commitment is too long (12 months). Also, don't move all your stuff there unless you are planning to stay there for a couple years to make the moving hassle and expense worth it.

I guess you could say I "soft" commuted; a cross between living in base and commuting. During short stretches of days off, I would stay in my apartment, and only took trips to visit family when I had 4 or more days off in a row. Getting 6 or more days off in a row each month was pretty easy, even on reserve. There are options to bid on how you want your days off awarded. I would choose "I want to have a block of 6 days off". This equated to one, maybe two trips per month. Disclaimer: I have a significant other, no kids. The commute to visit her and family is 2 flights. Getting on them wasn't too difficult, as they are all on the regionals, with far less folks on standby than you usually see on mainline. But, I also hate riding in the back. So even doing just one or two trips a month, I was very eager to ditch this commute! I since have and I'm glad I did!