Pedro4President

Alright here it goes. If you have any questions about reserve feel free to ask it here.

Tips from my many years of flying reserve.

-If you are on a RAP, Ready Reserve, or reserve day without an assignment then you should return all voice mails that reference some sort of assignment. (I know many won't agree and it may not be contractual but the union is pretty inept at reserve issues. )
-play along to get along. (If you get on their naughty list then they will make your life miserable. If you are a commuter and/or junior then CS can make your life miserable. As long as they are appropriately staffed getting out early is pretty easy. All bets are off when staffing levels drop.
-never say you won't do an assignment. Phrase it I don't think that's legal. I don't think that's contractual. "I dont mind doing it but I don't think I legally can do it."
-pick your battles. Sometimes it's just not worth it. But sometimes it is.
-you are never "sticking it to the company" when you get out of an assignment due to a technicality. You are sticking it to the guy senior to you.
-CS that have been there the longest are more likely to let you go early. The new ones don't want to risk it even if there is no conceivable way they are going to use you.
-If you are going to NOT confirm your trip then you better answer your phone when they call at midnight.
-If you are sitting ready reserve and you want to leave early because all the flights are out CALL TO GET RELEASED. They will let you go once all the planes are OFF. Don't just leave because MESA may cancel and they recrew it with and Envoy crew. I have heard it has happen to someone and they got a career decision day(really bad) from it.
-Once you finish IOE then call CS. Ask them what your assignment is and when you start.
-MOST people don't know how reserve works and they will give you bad advice.
-Pilots on probation should fly under the radar and not rock the boat.

Good luck.

Flatspot89

Thanks Pedro for volunteering some info. So what’s RAP mean? Is there a limit to how many airport ready reserve they can assign? If i read one of your previous post correctly, there are 5 day stretches of reserve?

Jersdawg

Really good guide. I will add:

-Be polite but firm if you think there is a problem with your assignment.
-If you think something is not legal, question it!!
-If you eff up, own up. I have forgotten to confirm S2 on day one - which means RAP1. Not good for a commuter. Found out when I saw the missed call when I woke up. I owned up, kept them in the loop, and commuted in when I could. No MA and no Late Report, either.
-If you're a commuter, try to fly. The more days you're working the less opportunities to get assigned some nonsense.

If these tips all seem somewhat ridiculous, that's because they are. Reserve is not great and is a freaking minefield.

Virga show

I don’t commute and I sit reserve and I haven’t worked in 6 weeks. It all depends where you live and your seniority whether reserve is great or not.

Pedro4President

I think you hit the nail on the head.... Its a minefield. I have stepped on a few and I just don't want the same thing to happen to others going through it.

Pedro4President

RAP=Reserve Availability Period. (Short Call Reserve).

There is no limit on how many airport ready reserves you can be assigned. There is kinda limit (that is not followed) on how many ready reserves can be at the airport at one time. Basically each crew member must have a lay flay or recliner chair in a clean quite and comfortable place.

5 days are common. 6 days happen during the transition from one month to the next month. 4,3,2,1, day stretches of reserve happen but are also rare.

f16jetmech

Good stuff.. thanks Pedro! I’ll be doing the DFW/ORD commute until I can get back to the Dub. I’ll be hitting this up a bunch in a couple months

Flatspot89

So how likely is it to be away from base for the full 5day reserve assignment?

Pedro4President

It is entirely dependent on staffing.... Last year if a CA had a 5 days of reserve he would most likely be away from base for 6 days.

If staffing is good then crew scheduling tends not to turn back pilots. You get assigned a turn go home. Assigned a two day trip go home. Three day trip go home....

Staffing is fairly good across the board right now.

Jamesthunder

It was suggested I move this post here.

Can I call crew scheduling before I go to bed instead of having them wake me at midnight to confirm my assignment?

Also, my IOE captain mentioned that they prefer to keep someone flying and to call CS to additional flying before I time out. Should I call and say "I want to keep flying" or "I want to keep flying and I see X trip in open time." What should I be doing?