Originally Posted by
BlueSkies
That's tough and RSV can wear on you. As hokey as this might sound, try changing your outlook on RSV from "hoping I don't fly" to "I'm going to fly on my next block." It honestly helped me a lot to think of it that way. In that vein, YS trips heavily in the beginning of the month to get into RSV bucket #2 or #3, that should shield you somewhat, or just YS and try and get Full. Done with some luck you can guarantee yourself a few extra days off at the end of the month.That's not always possible and I personally haven't had good luck with YSs as a junior pilot (usually if it's a decent trip someone senior will YS it) but it's worth trying.
Here's a few more ideas, each a little crazier:
Pursue some type of Project Pilot style position. Many of those will knock out a few days of RSV a month, if not more.
Have you considered 717A? How about commuting to NYC if you can hold a line and just can't stomach RSV?
There's always the nuclear option...bid back to B.
That is exactly how I approach it, too. I fully understood that I was bidding in to reserve for a while, so I will stop short of simply *****ing about it. LIke you said, I did this to me. I don't mind going to work. It just stings when I come off a redeye at the end of a 5-day trip and they assign me SC at 0100 that night for my last day and then an out/back that shows at 0600.
In that same 6 month look-back I was talking about before I have had only 1 (one) LC day that I wasn't used on because I was either full or it was assigned rest. There is just no respite from it. And not enough coverage to use PDs or move XX days. To this point I just haven't had a frame of reference for what the "new" reserve life here is like for anyone else, so I'm trying to see if it is everyone in my cateogry or what. This ain't my first rodeo, but I have not seen reserve utilzation like this even 20 years ago at the regionals in the truly bad-old-days. So, with that in mind I wanted to expand the old team and see what the scoop was. All I can tell so far is that they're not moving anyone in to the 320 in ATL at all for the foreseeable future so I guess the beatings will continue all summer.