ChazzMMichaels

In the “before times” it was rare for recency to expire. The company nearly always sent you to the sim just before that, so getting time off due to expiring wasn’t much of a thing.

iaflyer

The company specifically discusses it in the FOM, saying that who is in the pilot seat for landing is determined by who needs the landing, not the rotation that is being flown. Also, it does get expensive for the company if they sent half the FOs to the sim every 90 days. And people I've flown with generally don't like going to the sim if they don't have to - yes, you get a few extra $$ but you have to DH to Atlanta, spend the night, do the sim in the morning and head home. I've prefer to just land the real plane - but as someone who usually bids reserve, I don't get a flying in the winter and this not a lot of landings so, I end up going to ATL more than others. But I have never dequaled for landings - I always get sent before I am due, so there is no extra time off.

Hank Kingsley

West coast FO's like the 8 hours, some don't want the landing. Some "forget" to log landings and always need one. Others bid reserve, don't fly for 2 months and expect landings. Most show up and just do the job, know the deal.

crewdawg

We don't have specific rotations to be the Food Boy/Film Critic, it's just 1CA/2FO or 2CA/2FO. The only time seniority really means anything (after bidding) is when there are two Captains, then the senior CA is in charge. You can turn down the landing if you want (I see it from time-to-time), Captains aren't going to force you to take the landing if you don't want it. I guess it's done that way because the going in assumption is that you DON'T want to travel to ATL (or MIA) for bounces....in my base, most don't.

To your last point, during normal times, very rarely will you actually go out of currency as the company is pretty good about getting you scheduled for bounces before you expire. If I'm a line holder, the extra night away from home just isn't worth the 8 hours of pay for me. On reserve months, they're pretty good about getting you scheduled on your reserve days, so the pay bump is even smaller. I don't actively avoid it as it's a pretty easy commute for me, I just prefer to actually fly the plane and have that night at home.

Agreed that neither way is any better than the other. Your way does make it easier to plan your rest for the trip. I show up to a 2130 sign-in and I may be getting 1st break or 3rd break. I've honestly found it to rarely be an issue, but I can certainly see why some guys would prefer knowing.


Interesting, my base seems to be the exact opposite. Maybe it's because I'm in a former NWA base and those guys pretty much loathe everything ATL.

Humboldt

I filled out my 14 days available, the schedulers never called. I started 2 weeks vacation yesterday and expire the day before my last day of vacation. How far out do they call you to get requaled in landings. I might want to move reserve days around to avoid a last minute call to training over the 4th of July. Lastly, how long is the requal? Thx,
Hunboldt

Express pilot

I would call and email the training planners for your airplane. It take about 30-40 minuets in the box. If you expire you have to do a MV and LOE ride.

charleyvarrick

If you expire, you only have to do a RECY sim, not a MV or LOE. RECY is in the DIG. The only substantial difference between a RCY and RECY is the requirement of performing a V1 cut and SE approach/landing,

iaflyer

Not true. Trying to scare people into keeping current?

GogglesPisano

What?????????????????

Drum

My recency strategy is not to be recent as I go UNA in August. I hit 90 days on 20 June, nothing scheduled thus far as I am on golden X days 18,19, 20. Maybe I will/will not get extension to 20 July. I'm on reserve for July so it will be interesting to see what they decide to do with me. I don't see them wasting the sim time to get me bounces when I go UNA on 1 August.