anothermilguy

I am separating from the military and relocating to the CVG area. Quality of life is paramount for me with a young family, so I prefer not to commute. Pay will be enough to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Can anyone give me insight to what that would look like, the likelihood of basing out of CVG, could I sit reserve 80 minutes away in my house? UPS is on the radar, but they aren't hiring and honestly if I was with Atlas for a few years, with good QOL/seniority, I would most likely stay. Is 17 truly 17 days away, or are there layover for trips in CVG where I could go home? What about other CVG cargo, Kalitta and ABX? Am I crazy for even looking at them? Cheers and thanks in advance.

Clue32

So, CVG is the new hire location for the 73,76, and 77. As of today, you could get it on the 74 within a few months. Those two leg commutes to ANC won't last long.

Layovers in base depends upon the fleet. On the 76 and 73 you will spend a lot of time home. You also have the opportunity to have schedule broken up into two or three blocks per month. On the 76 right now there are lines with closer to 15 days of work, but yes, technically all the lines could be built to 17 days.

Reserve from home, you could get it on the 76 within your first year. Our R2 Hotel reserve could be done from 80 minutes away, but we have 90 minutes to report so you are cutting it close. Better would be a Secondary Line. You will have a day and a half to know if you need to work, but it is going to wind up at or close Minimum Guarantee. You will have a lot of time at home.

On the 74 and 77 you will leave base on day 1 and likely not see it again until day 17.

For QOL, I'd say come over to the light twins. The 76 is phenomenal. Especially if you live near CVG.

PM any time. Happy to help. Read the Atlas thread on the 76, lots of great info there Hooah.

BrazilBusDriver

This may be perfect for OP if they're pulling in a MAJ, LTC, or COL pension. If you aren't worried about the $$$ (not me, unfortunately), a secondary line where you maybe get 3-5 landings every 90 days is probably perfect QOL. Still technically "work", might as well be fully retired.

Of course, there's always the danger they reliably use you if staffing continues to deteriorate.

jrmyl

I am a CVG based 74 FO. I bid right around 50% in the base. I can get trips with CVG layovers about once a month on average. Some months I will have more. I have yet to not have a month with a CVG layover and been in base for about a year and a half. My last 2 months were a wonderful grouping of 5 day pairings of nothing but CVG-NRT-NGO-CVG and repeat. Once back in CVG in the middle there you will have heavy rest so approximately 2 days off.

I'm off this month with vacation but my trips for the following 2 months have 1 CVG layover each month. Whether this will continue is anyones guess. If you really need to have CVG layovers try to get the 767. I've deadheaded on them several times recently and it seems they are routinely back in base.

ACMIguy

CVG 767 captain. Home…a lot. Average 16-18 off days/month. Bid for either day trips (CVG-MIA-CVG), (CVG-DFW-CVG) or one day layovers in SCK, ONT, AFW, RFD, PDX where I’m in my own bed every other night. Usually bid a week on/week off schedule or something close to it. That said, I’m at year 13 so results may vary.

anothermilguy

Thanks for all the responses. Other random questions I have:

How much of the flying is day vs night (ie. flipping your bodyclock regularly)?
Do you find you get pretty much an entire month off per year with your vacation days? If my desire is to stay at CVG, is it fair to expect my seniority to build faster?
Do you bid per month or every 28 days?
Any ability/system to swap trips, offer up trips, etc.?
Upgrade time?
While based in CVG, does that guarantee I start and end a trip there?
Jrmyl, how many years did it take for you to get to 50% seniority?
Lastly, best work rule for someone domiciled and worst work rule?

Apologies for all the random questions, but I really appreciate all the time and thought of your responses.

Elevation

To add on to what others are saying the day night amount varies by fleet and base. CVG Amazon will see about 50% at night. The 767 is the sweet spot for pay, qol and diversity of flying IMO. That said you can earn a lot more flying long haul on the 747 or 777. Those planes come with qol penalties.

Clue32

I'll start off with the seniority, but keep in mind that what is true today will most definitely change a year from now.

I have 14 months seniority. 767 FO about #180 of 320ish. 31% in my base. In CVG I would be: 737 at 23%, 747 at 62%, 767 at 46%, and 777 at 49%. Keep in mind that in CVG you find most of the New Hires on the 73, 76, and 77. My class is sitting upper 60s of 139 FOs, but really it is out of 92 that actually bid. Really, then closer to 70%.

Your base is where all trips start and end, Day 1 and day last. Even if that trip is a commercial Dead Head.

TPA I would be 57%. I say this because almost all TPA lines for the past few months begin and end with CVG Commercial Dead Head, most still have CVG layovers every other day. That means potentially two extra full days off at home per block. CVG locals that want primary lines, especially senior ones should, in my opinion, bid into TPA. If this doesn't hold true in the future, CVG always has openings to bid back into it.

767 Amazon flying is all around the clock. Some of the trips are bankers hours, very easy on the body. Some are tough, like the PDX CVG PDX return leg that totally swaps your rhythem every day. Sleep when you are tired, even if it is for a four hours at a time.

Bid every month, for the following 30 or 60 day period. Ex: Bid June 15-18 with award the 20th? for July and August period. July offers a fixed pattern line for the entire next calendar year.

Currently no trip trade or swap system. Reference the Union for displeasure. I believe it is in the CBA, but our software doesn't permit it yet.

Upgrades: 737 is just under 3 years, 76 is just over 5.5 years last I checked.

Hope this helps.

TiredSoul

76 Amazon contract has just been extended by 3 years to match the aircraft drylease contract.
You may be displaced to another fleet after that.
You may or may not be able to hold CVG unless you size down to the 73 if….big if we still have them by that time as Apollo hasn’t played their hand yet.

Radials Rule

FYI to the OP: There are plenty of one leggers between CVG and ANC on our own metal and a good chance at the bunk for the 5 hours and change flights. When I was in the 747, I was based in ANC with great seniority while living near CVG. Getting back and forth is pretty painless.