I wish...I'm doing this on an iPhone.

Just call pbs assistance and I think they will be able to put a bid in for you.

Can you access pbs via any kind of internet connection? I've never used bidding software and do okay. Just remember to list your avoids first and what you want second.

www.Pbsbiddingstrategies.com

Never used them but might be worth looking into.

Scoop

Quick question for you guys......

I'm converting to a new aircraft in September. I finish training on September 3rd and have shadow on my schedule from the 4th through the the 14th. What is shadow? Looks like I will be on reserve as well for the remainder of the month and suggestions on bidding strategy?

Shadow is the amount of time the company is estimating you will be done with the sim, but not yet OE'd, therefore unqualified to actually fly a trip.

The general gouge is cram as many trips or RSV days into your shadow period as possible. Any trips awarded in your shadow period will be put on your line for construction purposes, and then immediately put back into the pot, to be awarded to someone junior to you (or left in open time.) In short, you will get paid to not fly these trips. If/when they call you for OE and it falls within your shadow period, then you will receive the greater of the trip you fly or the one they dropped.

Use something like:

AWARD Trips IF Depart on SEP 4 - SEP 14
Then do the rest of your bid...

Hopefully a good majority of your trips will be awarded during this period. Same strategy applies for RSV bidding.

The pay stacks on top if they don't get to you, and you end up doing your OE on days off after the shadow. I bid max credit in April and got a ~80 line. All of the trips touched the shadow and were dropped/paid (thanks FAR 117.)

Then I ended up doing OE near the end of the month on days off resulting in 110+ hours of pay for flying 2 3-day trips! It definitely pays to stack your days off after the shadow and then "volunteer" with the OE planner to do your OE AFTER the shadow.

This was when they were backed up on the 717 in the winter/early spring so YMMV. Happy Bidding.

Sent you a PM

I wouldn't hold my breath.

If it could save a few hundred training cycles (which would only wind up being reversed in a 2-3 years anyway as displaced pilots bid back in to their previous categories as retirements pick up) it would save the Company a boatload of coin.

I'm a perfect example of what will happen if 747 guys get displaced in the beginning of next year. (Since the company has already stated it won't happen before then.)

I would get displaced and then have reinstatement rights when the 4 new 330 position bids start coming down the pike next spring. Why do they want to train me and then have to retrain me... Two training cycles that can be avoided and make everyone happy...................hopefully.....:o

Denny