Reserve for Dummies
#201
what’s a home phone?!?
And address on record has something to do with sc? Hmm that’s new
And address on record has something to do with sc? Hmm that’s new
I guess you move often.
Good luck however explaining to the CP why you could not make a 2 hour call out to EWR with a address on record 80 mi,es away in PA and then 3 days later could not make a 2 hour call out to JFK. Best to only use a cell phone if you are going to claim you were traveling ect.. Another good reason not to have a home phone. Keep in mind one of your fellow pilots is going to have to cover the trip that perhaps should have been yours.
Good luck however explaining to the CP why you could not make a 2 hour call out to EWR with a address on record 80 mi,es away in PA and then 3 days later could not make a 2 hour call out to JFK. Best to only use a cell phone if you are going to claim you were traveling ect.. Another good reason not to have a home phone. Keep in mind one of your fellow pilots is going to have to cover the trip that perhaps should have been yours.
#202
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2016
Posts: 173
Unstacking happens during PBS bidding for the next month's schedule. Basically the computer figures out there are say 50 trips that have to be flown on the day after Thanksgiving but virtually every pilot has requested that day off. So the PBS computer, before it builds anybody's lines, goes through and assigns trips over that day to anyone who didn't request it off, then it starts from the bottom of the line holders and starts assigning trips to cover flying on that day despite pilots requesting that day off. It then goes to the reserve pilots and does the same thing, starting from the bottom and assigning reserve on that day till it has "sufficient" coverage.
These pilots will have a blue mark on their PBS wide report letting them know they were "unstacked" into covering flying/reserve on that day. In a month with holidays or 3day weekends it can sometimes happen multiple days in a certain month. The only thing a junior pilot can do to avoid being unstacked is to have vacation covering those days.
These pilots will have a blue mark on their PBS wide report letting them know they were "unstacked" into covering flying/reserve on that day. In a month with holidays or 3day weekends it can sometimes happen multiple days in a certain month. The only thing a junior pilot can do to avoid being unstacked is to have vacation covering those days.
#203
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2016
Posts: 173
Base Equipment Seat. Sometimes incorporated into the catchall "category" but to some that can mean an entire fleet across the board.
To reiterate what others have said, you do have some ability to self preference for things (aka "Yellow Slip") but that only goes so far.
Many ask the same question you did based on the old school notion of looking at "the list" and basically knowing you can't be used. That's absolutely not the case here the vast majority of the time, so I'd never, ever, use that as justification not to commute in, to leave early (without asking) or crack a beer obviously, etc. Trips can pop up fast, including ones from other bases cobbled together aka "reserve only" trips that unless you're live streaming every open time trip in every base they will pop up and take you by suprise even if skeds was planning on kicking it to your BES for a while.
"But there's 10 pilots ahead of me, why did I get the call?!" Days available, trip length, report time, release time, block time, credit time, time the trip became available, each pilot's place in their SC or LC window, RAW buckets, Short Call buckets, your and other's Yellow Slip preferences, is someone on the list really even on the list, etc.
To reiterate what others have said, you do have some ability to self preference for things (aka "Yellow Slip") but that only goes so far.
Many ask the same question you did based on the old school notion of looking at "the list" and basically knowing you can't be used. That's absolutely not the case here the vast majority of the time, so I'd never, ever, use that as justification not to commute in, to leave early (without asking) or crack a beer obviously, etc. Trips can pop up fast, including ones from other bases cobbled together aka "reserve only" trips that unless you're live streaming every open time trip in every base they will pop up and take you by suprise even if skeds was planning on kicking it to your BES for a while.
"But there's 10 pilots ahead of me, why did I get the call?!" Days available, trip length, report time, release time, block time, credit time, time the trip became available, each pilot's place in their SC or LC window, RAW buckets, Short Call buckets, your and other's Yellow Slip preferences, is someone on the list really even on the list, etc.
Appreciate it. So basically no sense looking at any list as the variables are too many to process.
#204
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,076
you can look at the list. Sometimes it will be obvious you are #1; so you might as well YS a trip that’s sitting there (if it’s not bad), because they are gonna get you with something.
#205
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2019
Posts: 391
It took me a few days to figure out the Reserve Availability list and how people are racked and stacked, but it is moderately helpful once you figure it out. And then, only in the sense that you know when to relax a little and not stare at your phone, not to relax and be out of position.
#206
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2016
Posts: 173
It took me a few days to figure out the Reserve Availability list and how people are racked and stacked, but it is moderately helpful once you figure it out. And then, only in the sense that you know when to relax a little and not stare at your phone, not to relax and be out of position.
That’s what’s it’s all about.
#207
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2016
Position: Looking left
Posts: 3,265
"Category" = Pilot's position and base
"Position" = Pilot's aircraft type and status
"Status" = Pilot's rank as Captain or FO
So using the definition of status, within the definition of position, within the definition of category, Category does in fact = Base/Equipment/Seat (BES)
#208
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2016
Position: Looking left
Posts: 3,265
Many ask the same question you did based on the old school notion of looking at "the list" and basically knowing you can't be used. That's absolutely not the case here the vast majority of the time, so I'd never, ever, use that as justification not to commute in, to leave early (without asking) or crack a beer obviously, etc. Trips can pop up fast, including ones from other bases cobbled together aka "reserve only" trips that unless you're live streaming every open time trip in every base they will pop up and take you by suprise even if skeds was planning on kicking it to your BES for a while.
"But there's 10 pilots ahead of me, why did I get the call?!" Days available, trip length, report time, release time, block time, credit time, time the trip became available, each pilot's place in their SC or LC window, RAW buckets, Short Call buckets, your and other's Yellow Slip preferences, is someone on the list really even on the list, etc.
"But there's 10 pilots ahead of me, why did I get the call?!" Days available, trip length, report time, release time, block time, credit time, time the trip became available, each pilot's place in their SC or LC window, RAW buckets, Short Call buckets, your and other's Yellow Slip preferences, is someone on the list really even on the list, etc.
It is unfortunate the Reserve Avail List (RAL) isn't a complete list of truth data, but with a little cyber-sleuthing around icrew, you can find the missing data to make the list more usable. I don't mind taking the extra 6-9 minutes because I have used that knowledge on quite a few occasions to call scheduling and have an errant YS trip assigned to me, or to have a short call assignment completely removed because there were not 1 but 2 pilots junior to me in the same days of availability grouping that were legal for the short call.
The RAL starts with listing pilot in order of their days of availability. For NB, those groups are 4,3,2, and 1. Then within a days of availability grouping, pilots are put into Reserve Assignment Weighting (RAW) buckets. RAW is a score based on a pilots accumulated credit....the more you get used, the higher your RAW Score. When you RAW gets over 81, you move from RAW bucket 1, to bucket 2...over 130, into RAW bucket 3, etc. Finally within a RAW bucket, pilots are listed in inverse seniority order.
Lets assume scheduling has a 3 day rotation to cover. If no one submits a Yellow Slip requesting the trip, then in very simple terms, assuming everything is equal and everyone is legal, the most junior pilot, in RAW bucket 1, in the 3 day of availability grouping is going to get the rotation.
Obviously, everything isn't always equal. At the start of my block of RES on call, I will write down the names of all the junior pilots that are in my days of avail grouping and in same RAW bucket as me. I then pull up their monthly schedule in icrew. If their landing currency is expired, it will show in a remark at the bottom. If they are scheduled for some kind of training (IQ, CQ) that will also show. From here, I can see if today is their first day of on call...if so, they can't be used prior to 1000. If they are coming on vacation, they can't be used before noon. Have they been on call the last 6 days? Then they are due for a 30 hour rest period.
All of these items above affect when/if a person on the RAL is actually available.
Short calls are a slightly different animal. Scheduling can choose which days of avail grouping they want to choose from, and decide how many total short calls to assign within that day grouping. But within the days of avail grouping, SC assignments still go in inverse seniority order (unless someone puts in a yellow slip asking for short cal). Again, in general terms, our PWA states that junior folks can get up to 2 Short Call assignments before someone senior to them gets their first. If you are the only person in the 3 day grouping, there could be people junior to you in the 4 day grouping and the 2 day grouping, but if scheduling decides they want a 3 day person on short call, you are going to get it, even if you have already done two.
I assume this is why DL requires a 4 year college degree to get hired....so you have an above average chance on figuring out when/if you are going to work that day.
#209
Roll’n Thunder
Joined APC: Oct 2009
Position: Pilot
Posts: 3,582
This. The RAL is deadly accurate when you are in the barrel for an assignment. So you know when you will have to work. In extreme cases it's obvious when you're completely off the hook (for example. you're #20 on the 3 day list and 2 3-day trips in open time...but still don't crack open that beer...). It's the middle ground where the RAL falls apart and you need some good detective work (good gouge posted above) to see where you really stand.
#210
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2016
Posts: 173
What Gloopy said is correct about short notice trips popping up because someone banged in sick.... trip cobbled together and covered with out of base reserve, etc.
It is unfortunate the Reserve Avail List (RAL) isn't a complete list of truth data, but with a little cyber-sleuthing around icrew, you can find the missing data to make the list more usable. I don't mind taking the extra 6-9 minutes because I have used that knowledge on quite a few occasions to call scheduling and have an errant YS trip assigned to me, or to have a short call assignment completely removed because there were not 1 but 2 pilots junior to me in the same days of availability grouping that were legal for the short call.
The RAL starts with listing pilot in order of their days of availability. For NB, those groups are 4,3,2, and 1. Then within a days of availability grouping, pilots are put into Reserve Assignment Weighting (RAW) buckets. RAW is a score based on a pilots accumulated credit....the more you get used, the higher your RAW Score. When you RAW gets over 81, you move from RAW bucket 1, to bucket 2...over 130, into RAW bucket 3, etc. Finally within a RAW bucket, pilots are listed in inverse seniority order.
Lets assume scheduling has a 3 day rotation to cover. If no one submits a Yellow Slip requesting the trip, then in very simple terms, assuming everything is equal and everyone is legal, the most junior pilot, in RAW bucket 1, in the 3 day of availability grouping is going to get the rotation.
Obviously, everything isn't always equal. At the start of my block of RES on call, I will write down the names of all the junior pilots that are in my days of avail grouping and in same RAW bucket as me. I then pull up their monthly schedule in icrew. If their landing currency is expired, it will show in a remark at the bottom. If they are scheduled for some kind of training (IQ, CQ) that will also show. From here, I can see if today is their first day of on call...if so, they can't be used prior to 1000. If they are coming on vacation, they can't be used before noon. Have they been on call the last 6 days? Then they are due for a 30 hour rest period.
All of these items above affect when/if a person on the RAL is actually available.
Short calls are a slightly different animal. Scheduling can choose which days of avail grouping they want to choose from, and decide how many total short calls to assign within that day grouping. But within the days of avail grouping, SC assignments still go in inverse seniority order (unless someone puts in a yellow slip asking for short cal). Again, in general terms, our PWA states that junior folks can get up to 2 Short Call assignments before someone senior to them gets their first. If you are the only person in the 3 day grouping, there could be people junior to you in the 4 day grouping and the 2 day grouping, but if scheduling decides they want a 3 day person on short call, you are going to get it, even if you have already done two.
I assume this is why DL requires a 4 year college degree to get hired....so you have an above average chance on figuring out when/if you are going to work that day.
It is unfortunate the Reserve Avail List (RAL) isn't a complete list of truth data, but with a little cyber-sleuthing around icrew, you can find the missing data to make the list more usable. I don't mind taking the extra 6-9 minutes because I have used that knowledge on quite a few occasions to call scheduling and have an errant YS trip assigned to me, or to have a short call assignment completely removed because there were not 1 but 2 pilots junior to me in the same days of availability grouping that were legal for the short call.
The RAL starts with listing pilot in order of their days of availability. For NB, those groups are 4,3,2, and 1. Then within a days of availability grouping, pilots are put into Reserve Assignment Weighting (RAW) buckets. RAW is a score based on a pilots accumulated credit....the more you get used, the higher your RAW Score. When you RAW gets over 81, you move from RAW bucket 1, to bucket 2...over 130, into RAW bucket 3, etc. Finally within a RAW bucket, pilots are listed in inverse seniority order.
Lets assume scheduling has a 3 day rotation to cover. If no one submits a Yellow Slip requesting the trip, then in very simple terms, assuming everything is equal and everyone is legal, the most junior pilot, in RAW bucket 1, in the 3 day of availability grouping is going to get the rotation.
Obviously, everything isn't always equal. At the start of my block of RES on call, I will write down the names of all the junior pilots that are in my days of avail grouping and in same RAW bucket as me. I then pull up their monthly schedule in icrew. If their landing currency is expired, it will show in a remark at the bottom. If they are scheduled for some kind of training (IQ, CQ) that will also show. From here, I can see if today is their first day of on call...if so, they can't be used prior to 1000. If they are coming on vacation, they can't be used before noon. Have they been on call the last 6 days? Then they are due for a 30 hour rest period.
All of these items above affect when/if a person on the RAL is actually available.
Short calls are a slightly different animal. Scheduling can choose which days of avail grouping they want to choose from, and decide how many total short calls to assign within that day grouping. But within the days of avail grouping, SC assignments still go in inverse seniority order (unless someone puts in a yellow slip asking for short cal). Again, in general terms, our PWA states that junior folks can get up to 2 Short Call assignments before someone senior to them gets their first. If you are the only person in the 3 day grouping, there could be people junior to you in the 4 day grouping and the 2 day grouping, but if scheduling decides they want a 3 day person on short call, you are going to get it, even if you have already done two.
I assume this is why DL requires a 4 year college degree to get hired....so you have an above average chance on figuring out when/if you are going to work that day.
Nice and comprehensive. Thanks.
Now what’s iCrew and what’s miCrew?
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