Shurefire E2D
 

I have the Surefire E2D LED Defender.
It was recommended at the FDX Cockpit self defense course.
At that time it could be purchased on your uniform expense allowance as it was $150!
Wicked bright....
Quite easy to see the top of a 777/MD-11 tail on a dark night.
I would highly recommend it.
I carried it in my jacket on layovers when walking in the dark or if needed as a self defense weapon.
The little button flashlight with a LED is used in the CP or travel to the back when everyone is asleep and you don't wish to disturb them.
Sparky

I lived down the shore. Brick/Toms River area. Door to Ops was 1+15 and that included the bus ride from the employee parking lot. Getting Newark layovers is never hard, the question is, how much sleep are you willing to sacrifice to go home? With a Newark layover, it was 30/70 whether I went home or not. Realize that at FedEx, you are parking the plane at 6-8 in the morning after being up all night. Sometimes the last thing I needed to do was go home. Even though my wife and kids were understanding about my needing sleep, internal pressures are always there to take care of things around the house, spend time with the kids, etc. If the kids had a school function, big sports game or something like that, I'd go and do the layover at home. Other than that, I'd just go to the crew hotel. It becomes easier the older your kids get, as they understand that Dad can't play right now because he's napping.

Sometimes my family would drive up for dinner with me. The best thing about Newark it that it's usually pretty easy to get a weekend layover there. Then you can go home and enjoy time with your family on Fred's dime. Or, even better, double-deadheads to and from Newark.

Just realize that for every FedEx pilot that says they bid their home town and sleep in their bed everyday, there are just as many that don't due to sleep/rest constraints.

Is that true for both AM and PM hub turns then? Thanks for the help, trying to get my brain wrapped around all the options, sounds like a pretty good strategy either way.

Layovers for day flying are typically shorter. If you get back to back DDH you can get hotel in lieu of travel pay and also perdiem. Typically they will approve up to three days. Back in the day I would have a week off between DDH same city and collect perdiem for the 7-10 days.
Sparky

You do realize that someone not currently at Fedex is going to have little to no idea what at least 50% of your post actually means. :D

So what? Probably 30% of the guys who do fly for FedEx won't know either.:D:rolleyes:

JJ

Couldn't resist. Sorry.

Yeah, like the guys hired directly into the 777 who've never hub turned or maybe even had a FedEx layover in the lower 48. :D

Couldn't resist that either. :p

Not assuming a new hire was involved at all - just trying to find a suitable place to post.

I'd love to know the story behind the latest hotel FCIF re: checking out of the hotel and not leaving "people" (or stuff) behind while you go fly (unless you're on hotel standby..:confused:). Trailblazers..... we all need to be pushing the boundaries. Until you personally generate a flight ops wide FCIF, you haven't reached the limit. :D

When I was scheduled to return to the same hotel ~12 hours after I left, I never cared to gamble that the op wouldn't be disrupted and I'd get revised. I certainly wouldn't think getting launched off hotel standby would mean I was coming back and leave my stuff. Not a trailblazer, I guess.

Slightly unrelated but could there be a reason why I did not get that FCIF? I am relatively new so not sure if i missed a checkbox somewhere.

In fact I have just realized that I have never received hotel/catering FCIFs.

There is an option to "track" certain FCIF's.

Under the FCIF tab on the flight ops drop down menu there is a button labeled "track" where you can set which ones show up on front page of PFC when a new one is published.