742Dash

With all due respect, you do not appear to understand. An Atlas pilot's schedule from last month has -0- value in predicting their schedule next month.

Some trips at Atlas are short. Most are long. There are no fixed routes (well, very few and senior). Some layovers are short. Some layovers are long. Layovers occur on any of 5 continents. The odds of you being on the continent that you “expected” are not high. The only thing that is known is when you leave and, more or less, when you will get home. Trying to see more than that is just throwing entrails onto the ground and trying to read them.

OSAVIP

742dash answered perfectly. If you need to know more than that, it's not knowable. For me, it's a monthly adventure that takes on a life of it's own. I love the unpredictable...keeps things fresh. If that sounds good, then maybe you'll fit at Atlas.

lolwut

I completely understand. You don't seem to understand where I'm coming from though. There must just be a disconnect here.

What I'm trying to say is... if you asked me about what my schedule was like and I said "well it could be anything and it won't be what was originally scheduled." Though accurate, that doesn't tell me anything what so ever as to the actual day to day of the job. When asked where you go for the month, do you tell your brother "Anywhere on the 5 continents" and leave it at that? Do you tell your girlfriend "You know when I left and when I got back, why would you want to know anything in the middle"? Do you tell your neighbor "You wouldn't understand, I'm an ACMI pilot"? No. They already know all those things. You probably give them examples. Last month I went to these places. The month before I had an interesting long overnight in Germany. The month before I rode around as a passenger on airline flights for half the month. And they don't walk away thinking that "742Dash's route is to xyz every thursday"... but they do walk away with a better understanding of what you do for a living. A lot better understanding than "He goes everywhere for 17 days and says I don't understand his life".

In the schedules posted as an example by our very generous forum friend, I am not sitting here saying... ok so I'm going to have 3 HHN overnights a month, I'll be off two weekends, etc. Of course not, but you seem to think thats what I'm trying to get out of this.

What I am seeing, and what I am getting out of it... is there is generally one long chunk of days off a month. It is anywhere in the month. There are typically one to two flights a day. I see a good chunk of deadheads on varied airlines. I see that you can go all around the world in a month. I see overnights in some cities that I would love, some cities I wouldn't care for, and some cities that I've never heard of. It looks like I'd be pretty familiar with ANC. I also don't see 5 flights a day every day. I don't see out and backs between the same podunk cities in the midwest. I don't see a long HNL layover on every month. I see that you guys sometimes limo between cities after rest then go back into rest.


None of this has any bearing on a future schedule. I get that. Thats what you're trying to say. I've read it a hundred times, and trust me, I get it. I don't expect to ever have one of these monthly lines. But you saying that one schedule has no bearing at all on the next is wrong. You can look at the 6 examples and see that they're all pretty similar. They don't go to the same places on the same days, but by looking at them, you can get an idea of what a month looks like. You can see what you guys actually do for a month, and it sure is a lot more descriptive than "17-20 days and you won't know whats coming and don't ask to know more."


You guys live an unpredictable and different life, but when people ask questions about that, the answer is too frequently "we live an unpredictable and different life, and there is no more that can be said about it, and you're clueless if you think otherwise."

I can't believe I just wrote this much defending why I asked a question on an internet message board.

742Dash

I don't have a brother and my wife would be ****ed if I had a girlfriend, but yea -- what you describe is pretty much how it goes. My wife no longer makes any effort to keep track of where I am, and some of my neighbors think that therefore I must work for the CIA.

I have an answer if someone asks where I have been, and that is what my non-aviation friends have learned to do. But the future? Where I am going next week? I don't pretend to have a clue and those close to me don't bother to ask. Where I have been, when I go out next and when I am supposed to get home are the only points discussed.

Your comment about seeing ANC is a good example. I have not been there for probably 6 months. On the other hand there have been periods where I felt like it was a second home. In the last few months I have seen a lot of South America for some reason, and yet none of my schedules showed South America at the start of the month and previous to this set of trips I had not been there much at all.

My next trip is for 2 days (this is rare). I packed for 6.

With regard to DH, there have been years when I have had status in all the airline alliances -- yet 2013 will find me with just Gold on American (and that by the skin of my teeth). At one time I had 5 star gold with Hertz rent a car, but I have not been to a Hertz counter in over a year.

I have spent too much time on this, but it is important for people thinking about Atlas, or ACMI in general, to understand that THERE IS NO TYPICAL SCHEDULE. There is no connection between past schedules, current schedules and future schedules.

lolwut

At least we both agree this thread has become exhausting. haha.

Maxcackel

Ok you guys need to get off the read the whole thread and our scheds are way to complicated to explain so don't ask crap. Lolwut is just asking for a taste of Atlas life and he got what he needed. We should all post six months of schedules from different bases to get an even better taste so potential new hires can make an informed decision.
I was lucky enough to meet an Atlas guy and got a copy of his schedules to get a taste of Atlas life.
My schedules look very similar just mix up the overnights, remove some and add other cool places to the mix.
Pay hours not block run from 75 to 95 a month most are 80ish.
Great place to work, good pay, fun overnights more than crappy overnights, great people to fly with and good training department.
I use to travel internationally for fun and flew regionals so now it's like I'm home 2 weeks then go on vacation for 15-17 days and sight see and take pictures of really cool places.

744driver

lolwut,

I'm glad to hear that you took the time to read the other thread...'nuff said.

Can we please put this thread to bed, and move to the other one?...duplication of effort here.

Worldguy

Good on the guy that answered the OP questions.
If one has to read a 500 page thread just to be interested....eish.

It may be time retire that thread and start a new one as the times they are a changing.
Cheers

Lobaeux

Sorry guys, I actually thought this whole thread had merit and was worth reading.
To know that there is no set schedule is one thing, to see it on a "calendar" is another.
A lot like being in the military, gotta admit, I love it!

744driver

It is nice to post the schedule, but there may be some issue of proprietary information, security, etc that may warrant not posting schedules in the future...IMO, posting schedules is NOT a good idea.