Originally Posted by
Planetrain
I like my time off as does my wife and family. Whenever I chase PB days or try to roll thunder I get eye rolls from the family because I’m constantly on icrew and put myself on SC (so to speak) on my days off and days on LC. I may be technically working less, but I’m never really off. I’m like a corporate pilot chained to the pager waiting for the next call. We make plans to go out to dinner on a Friday night and I’m the weirdo loading my luggage works in the trunk, “just-in-case”. Football games are interrupted by that ARCOS phone call when I’m least expecting it. My weekend isn’t a weekend anymore. This isn’t a way I want to live my life (nor does my family). Am I doing it wrong? Where is the QOL on reserve that everyone seems to find so sacrosanct? When I was new and on reserve, reserve was at least partially liveable because we were full at 70 hours and the schedule was lowest hours out first. Now it’s morphed into a quest for 180 hours and max PB days. Where can I move my X days to torpedo RAW???? This schedule vaporizer isn’t the QOL I’m going for, it certainly is a money maker though.
Yes, you are doing it wrong. I do the reserve GS game and do none of what you listed. I live my life as I normally do, I don't take my bag to dinner (I'll have a beer anyway) and I certainly don't sit around on my self-imposed SC. I'll only occasionally check MiCrew because it doesn't really matter, either ARCOS will call or it will not. The only thing that changes is that I may look at my phone if ARCOS calls, which is no more of an "interruption" than any other text/call. If it conflicts with my plans or I don't want to do it, I decline and go about my business. Nearly every GS I've taken this year was next day anyway.
Not everyone who does the reserve GS game is doing rolling thunder. Being able to drop PB days and break your reserve blocks up into single day blocks is a huge gain in QOL and negates the need for rolling thunder. Not everyone is searching for 180 hours, I'm quite content with getting my ~100 hours while flying less than 5 days/month.
Originally Posted by
MrBojangles
that’s widebody intl pilots. Not the vast majority of us
Truth!