Thread: Reserve Time
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Old 06-06-2019 | 09:12 PM
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Tyrion
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From: Flying with my right hand again
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Originally Posted by DanMeyer
I have a question revolving around expected reserve time at Envoy. Currently I have a class date in September. After training, how long can I expect to be on reserve on the 175 or 145? To go along with that, how many flight hours can I expect in the first year?
Dan... if anyone can accurately answer your question, they need to pick my powerball numbers.

Envoy has about 650 lines of flying, meaning there are 1300 line holders across all bases and airframes. There are about 2500 pilots on property, 1200 are not lineholders. Take about 200 away for mgt, instructor and other status, and probably another 400 for training, and you are left with about 600 reserve pilots, 300 reserve FOs. So, if we are hiring 50 a month, you should expect 6 months of reserve, give or take.

Each base and equipment has huge waves and bubbles in hiring and flow which causes weird things to happen. For example, the most junior CA lineholders are on the CRJ. They fly with FOs who are senior to them, but cannot hold an FO line.

Our classes lock FOs into different groups in waves. There will be a time period where only 5 per month get DFW 175 for a few months, then 15 per month for a couple months. If you are on the front of this wave, you will have a disproportionately short time on reserve. If you are on the back of the wave, you'll be on reserve much longer.

Last summer, the fastest place to build time as a new hire on the 145 was NY. Now, the most junior NY 145 reserve FO has been here 8 months. When the music stops at a certain base/equipment, the plug stares down a long dark tunnel of perpetual reserve.

For total hours, our aggregate flying averages out to about 50-55 hours per pilot. Line holders will take about 80 hours per month, leaving 30 hours average for the reserves. So, in your first year, you should expect about 300 hours.
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