You really get paid what the web site says you do, but that's the starting point, and it doesn't work as a 9-5 job might. If the listing identifies a third-year F/O making 157/hour, that's not 40 hours a week...that's based on 65 hours a month, or whatever the guarantee is. 65 hours a month, in turn, doesn't mean you work just 65 hours, and you have the rest off. Those are pay hours. Actual time away depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is for whom you're flying, and where you're based. If you must commute to work, that is sometimes done on days-on, sometimes done on days-off, but is typically outside the scope of your flying, so it's extra time spent away from home. Some companies, collectively referred to as "ACMI operators," are airlines that usually have "home basing," that buy a commercial ticket to get to work, and have different work rules.

The amount of time that you're gone from home really depends on what you're flying, and for whom; with some operators, if you live in your "base," then you may have out-and back day trips; home at night. This isn't common. Otherwise, you may be gone a few days at a time, up to half the month at a time, depending on the flying and operation. A base is an assigned location that if often not your home. You might live in Salem, Oregon, but be based in Dallas, and it may be your responsibility to get to Dallas to begin a trip, then find your own way. home after the trip, or series of trips...every single time. When you do that, you have to go to each gate agent and ask for a ride, and hope there's a seat, and try to work your way back and forth across the country on a "jump seat" or spare seat, to get to work. When you do get to Atlanta, or Dallas, or where ever your base may be, you may need to have a "crash pad" or share of an apartment that you rent or pay to use, and a vehicle, if needed.

Pay hours are not the same as flight hours or work hours; all are different. The number of hours you're gone from home are different, too. You don't get paid for all of them, or fly all of them. Pay hours are affected by a number of things, such as "trip rigs," in which you might get paid a certain number of pay hours for each hour of actual flying or assigned flying, or in some cases a certain amount of pay credit hours for a trip, or for a day. Some pay for commuting time, some simply calculate it into duty time, that affects how long or how much you can work in a given day. The regulations regarding duty and flight and rest limitations and requirements are varied and complex, depending on what your'e doing.

One operator might have a 65 hour guarantee, but employees might be averaging 90 pay hours a month. Another might be getting only guarantee, or never "breaking guarantee," such that they can count only on the basic guarantee of pay per month (157 x 65, for example).

Hours worked per week or day or month will vary with your assignment. Bear in mind that hours worked is relative. If you do a 9-5 job, then. your hours worked are the hours you're at work on the job, but you might view hours worked as the time gone from home, in the context of your wife's veiw; In this case you might be away from home for several days, up to several weeks, depending on the employer. Also depending on how much flying you choose to take on. Some choose to work more, picking up extra trips, to increase income and increase experience. Others choose to do the minimum. With some operations, the company can put you to work when you're not otherwise assigned, starting with the most junior person on the seniority list. This is sometimes called "junior manning," or involuntarily assigning you to duties that you didn't plan on and that aren't on your schedule. Some people stay on reserve, with nothing assigned except to wait for a phone call. They serve as the "backup" pilot.

ACMI airlines, mostly freight carriers, but some passenger, typically work 15-18 day blocks of time, or up to that per month sometimes split into two blocks of a week or more. Flying for legacy carriers or majors or regionals, your flying will typically be several days gone from home, a little time off in between, and some of that time off spent getting to and from home. For some ACMI carriers, your flying schedule, destination, and the number of hours may be different every single day, and for others, it may be back and forth each day doing the same thing. With a regional airline, you may be flying several legs per day, with landings at several different airports, while at a legacy carrier you will often have just one, perhaps two legs.