How does the schedule actually work?

Do you fly 8 days but travel on days 1&8? Or is it more like 10 days of flying with travel on the bookends? Do pilots get per diem on travel days?

Realistically, how many days can a pilot expect to spend at home a month and make the $100k year one?

First and last days include travel. They can have you fly after you arrive/before you leave, but you will leave your house on the first day and arrive home on the last day (unless you have a long drive). Full pay and per diem on the travel days.

So, for example, on 8 on, 6 off: your footprint is 8 days, INCLUDING travel. Then 6 days off at home. (Again, barring any long drives, MX delays, etc).

Short of reading every reply in this thread, I am hoping somebody can give me an updated idea of the flight schedules. I am sure that there is turmoil now that we seem to be pulling out of all the pandemic lockdowns, but for many of us, me included, the schedule is the job driver. Thanks to anybody who takes the time to reply.

Project Lift in effect at the moment, supposed to end in August. It was set up as temporary response to Covid.

Project Lift
pilots working 7-14 day rotations (your choice)
no airline travel, only company aircraft
may be some driving involved to regional hubs (depending where you live)
travel days paid as regular days
Flexjet sets up all transportation


Normal Flexjet Schedules
3 schedules available: PBS, 8-7 & 7-7 (fixed pays substantially less)
PBS: bid 4-7 days, 13 28 day bid periods, vacation is 13 days in a row
home based - no commuting on Off days
normal sked is 14-16 days (anything else must be requested)


These are the basic details. This is what is available for new hire More options on dedicated crew airplanes with increased seniority. Current upgrade about 2 years in Phenom 300. Varies for other airplanes.

Great Info! What is the schedule flexibility like? Are you able to easily move your schedule around to get specific days off?

Also, off topic...I see everyone gets PIC typed. How do yall log PIC time?
Thanks

For now, we bid how long we want our rotations to be. Scheduling assigns the dates for trip rotations. If we need specific days off, we have to let the schedulers know preferably before the schedules are finalized.
As far as logging PIC time, it's very simple. When you're the PIC, you log PIC time.
Everyone getting the same type rating doesn't automatically make them PIC. That's still an upgrade.

Are they pretty good about meeting your requests for certain days off?

PIC time..so youre saying even though an FO is PIC typed no FO logs PIC time until they are CA?

I don’t believe the company logs FO PF time as PIC time because they’re not listed as PIC on the flight release, regardless of PF vs PM duties. How you choose to log PIC time in your own logbook is up to you, and it shouldn’t matter unless you’re having to explain it to an interviewer. Don’t log what you can’t explain.

They try to be very accommodating for requested days off if they're not informed at the last minute.
As far as PIC, I'm still not sure why that is such a confusing topic as far as logging PIC time.
Manipulating controls (pilot flying) doesn't make you PIC. That's a designated position of authority. At Flex, the pilot flying sits in the left seat and pilot monitoring sits in the right. However, that means the PIC may sit right seat as pilot monitoring but is still in charge of the flight. Doesn't matter if he/she are flying. We swap seats each day, but the PIC can log time as PIC on all legs. The FO cannot log PIC, just flight time.
When it comes to the type rating, everyone gets the same type and checkride.

FOs can log PF (pilot flying) time, but not PIC.
Just like in 121. The only difference is, we swap seats here. PF in the left, PM in the right. The next day, swap seats. With both pilots have the same type rating, theres no issue with that.