Quality of Life
*** This is based on my experience being based at LZU. The schedule varies greatly based on the base ***
In Atlanta our runs leave between 1800-2030. With only three Baron routes currently; the rest are PC-12 routes. One Baron route departs at 0400 and returns about 1100 Tue - Sat. This is handled by the same pilot each week unless he takes vacation or gets sick.
We are off on weekends. It is not uncommon to have one day, Mon-Fri, where you are not on the schedule. They ask that you do not plan a family vacation out of town that day, unless you take a vacation day. If they do call and ask you to fly a trip that evening and you are not scheduled as the standby pilot, you are compensated. If they are going to call in someone other than the designated standby pilot, this will usually happen by late afternoon at the latest. Pilots are free to swap routes, standby, off-days as we please. We simply coordinate between ourselves and then fire off a simple email to our supervisor.
At about 1500 we receive an email confirming what route we are flying that evening, what aircraft we will fly, and any changes/concerns we need to be aware of. I usually take a moment to glance at the weather/NOTAMs to be sure the daytime supervisors did not miss something important that could affect us leaving on-time or making it to any of the airports on my route. Significant weather events, TFRs, closures will often have already been addressed and someone will contact you with an alternate plan of action.
I usually arrive at the airport about an hour before my scheduled departure. We have an office and heated hangar. I preflight my aircraft, check for squawks that have not been addressed (very rare), get paperwork. The aircraft squawk sheet will have a signature and date whom/when a mechanic last performed a thorough post-flight inspection and indicates whether any oil was added to an engine. I make a final check of weather and NOTAMs, then check-in with our dispatch.
Usually I depart about 10 min. before my scheduled departure time to give myself the best chance of staying on/ahead of schedule. Each stop varies, but normally you do not have to wait more than 30 min., if at all. Almost all the controllers know our routine and have our outbound clearance ready for us when we land (I've received my outbound while still 45 miles from arrival). At a stop, you may take off a few empty bags for the driver, then you will either drop specimens with the driver, receive specimens, or even both. The most important part is counting and verifying the paperwork they give you matches what you are receiving. Then having the driver sign for anything you are giving them.
A night can obviously vary greatly depending on the weather. I have shot 5 approaches, held for 30 min., circled to land, and diverted all in one night. We do our best to plan ahead and divert to other airports before we even takeoff. The other night I departed and half-way into the flight, my destination and everything in the area dropped to 1/8sm visibility (forecast was calling for the weather to be 4sm and OVC008). I simply diverted home to Atlanta and the specimens were put on another flight that was diverting as close as possible to my original destination.
Quest is looking for good decision makers. Recognizing when things are stacking up against you and making the right call to shift the odds back into your favor. This requires planning, self-awareness, knowledge, communication, and probably other important factors you can think of. We are a team and despite being single-pilot, we communicate often. It is not uncommon to call each other throughout the night with questions or to coordinate. Dispatch also does an outstanding job of monitoring all the flights nationwide. Last year we had an aircraft depart home base and experience a maintenance issue shortly after. Dispatch recognized he was turning around (without any notification) and made the necessary calls to have another aircraft staged before he even landed.
Most of our flights return home to LZU around 0030. We have one Baron that returns at 0230 and a PC-12 that returns around 0330. 0030 at LZU is a busy time! We transfer bags to a northbound flight (RDG based); he is usually packed full from front to back. Post-flight our aircraft. Then a pilot or two usually assist in helping line service put the aircraft back in the hangar after they are fueled. Most nights we will usually hang out with each other yapping and gossiping for a few minutes before going home.
This routine repeats each day with surprises occasionally thrown in.