Absolutely. Plenty of guys in my class do it.

 

Just make sure you have enough time to study. You don't want to be distracted at home and it cause a negative impact on your classework.

 

What these guys said is spot on. It's not uncommon to get guys to commute home. Just stay ahead of everything. It's just like flying you never want to get behind.

 

I was just curious if this was an option, but I can see how all staying in the hotel could be beneficial as well.

 

You just gotta do what's best for YOU. You know how smart you are, how you study, etc. Some people claim that you MUST stay at the hotel to succeed -- there will be "group study," etc. Ehhhh, maybe for them. Some guys need a group, that's fine. Other's don't. As with any "group," you'll find there are plenty there who don't know what they're talking about and haven't studied on their own, instead counting on the group -- that can waste your time if you're a guy who knows your stuff. As long as you are committed and have a place to study quietly like you did for CFI, in college, etc., you'll be fine. Or join a group if that's your style, whether at the hotel, on the weekends at the training center, whatever your needs are.

In fact, the company wasn't even covering hotel for local folks at one point (I know this policy has changed on and off), and the local guys did JUST fine not being at the hotel and commuting.

If you've gone to college, you've studied before -- and will be fine for the ground stuff.

The sim is a different story, of course, but a good comprehension of the systems, flows, etc. is a great head start for the sim, too.

 

I'm transitioning over from the military and I appreciate this forum, so I'd figure this would be where to ask some questions. Sorry if they might seem dumb to you, but I don't have any civilian (airline) experience.

First, what is a "proffer" and "RAP"?
Also, if I'm the new guy at the bottom of reserve list at DFW as a commuter, how many days am I on duty before I can commute back home? How many days on and off? I'm trying to figure out how this reserve time will affect my family life.

 

Not sure where you see me saying it was a dumb question, but OK.

Rap= reserve available period, the time frame you will be on call. 4am to 6pm, not sure on the other windows after that.

Proffer= the day before a rap you submit a request for any open trips, ready reserve or one of the rap windows. You proffer as long as nothing is on your schedule the next day, except rap. Once on a trip they don't touch you more or less then the line holder.

Reserve, you get 11 days off. Jr. You will usually get the 4am rap on the first day of reserve block. As far as getting home on last day, this is where proffering is important, make sure you keep setting yourself up to get am rap on the last day.

I just looked at the crj bid pack, it looks like you can expect 5 on 3 off with the occasional 2 off. Crap, the reserve Schedules look better then the lines.

 

for those interested....ioe is on a 2 week backlog as of today. Just received my call from scheduling.

 

Smutter, thanks for the quick reply. My apologies, about the "dumb" thing. It wasn't at you or anything you said. I was referring to my questions in general terms. I guess the confusion was created because I used your quote. I meant it to show that I already had a partial answer. Again, sorry for the confusion. A lot gets lost through text.
So I can expect to commute to DFW, remain there (at work whether RAP or on a trip) for 5 days, then I can commute home for 2-3 days? Or are you saying 5 days working, travel home for 11 days before I go back to DFW?

 

Good input. I found studying with one other person max was beneficial. Study in one of your rooms vs the dining room to avoid a crowd gathering.