Originally Posted by
CASmessage
What guidance can pilots lean on to understand how far they are allowed to be away from base on SCR? How many pilots who drive to JFK are 200 miles or say 2-3 hours drive from base (no traffic, because NYC traffic is utterly insane).
“Promptly available” is the book answer. There is absolutely
not a hard time limit, but is generally agreed to be about
2ish hours to
the nearest domicile if a co-domicile base like NYC (LGA/JFK/EWR or LAX/SNA/ONT). So… if you live in Philly, EWR meets that expectation regardless of the fact it might take you 3+ hours to drive to JFK. Also, traffic is not assumed, so if you do hit major traffic, you are still okay. Just keep Crew Scheds informed.
It’s actually not typical (though definitely still possible) to get an immediate report/leave now type call though. More likely is a report less than the 12 (about to become 18) hours from notification. My most recent SC assignment, I knew about it 10 hours in advance.
Having said all that, don’t be out of position. Some folks who live 4 hours away from base will drive to a point within that “promptly available” distance for the day and sit at a Starbucks, or similar. No need to actually be at the airport, ever.
Hope that helps.