Sputnik

Lotta good advice here. Will still add my 2 cents.

I was in a similar boat, last job involved zero nights away. First year was a kick in the junk for all of us. After that period of adjustment though, wow.

Here was the hard part for me--lack of imagination. Other than flying, there is zero commonality between being an AF pilot and an airline pilot. It was hard for me to figure that out. Walking off the plane after last leg/day has a feeling of freedom like no other. There is nothing for me to do, no anything packages, no email, phone wont ring (and if it does Im under no obligation to answer), no nothing till its time to go back.

Nights away were tough at first, but not as much as I thought. And we all adjusted. I work too much, domestic narrow body line holding works out to 4 four day trips at worst. Thats 12 nights away from home. No joke, but then you have to add up all the other hours home. It is amazing what you can do with all that time.

As has been said, living in base makes this a completely different job.

duece12345

There will be the months that you get lucky on reserve or after a number of years you can bid for turns (out and back day trips), but being gone is part of the job. Plan on spending roughly half your life in hotels and at airports. If that’s a problem, and it is for a lot of folks, rethink being a career airline pilot. That’s the downside. Lots of upside...incredible compensation, when you are off you are 100% off, no mil bs, the list goes on.

take all of these comments with a grain of salt. Lots of 1-2 year guys talking about how much better it is than AD mil. Maybe it is, I was never AD. With that said, the honeymoon phase doesn’t last forever here.

135tankerdriver

Thank you all who have commented thus far and to anyone who comments in the future. I truly appreciate for all the great advice, opinions and different points of view.

Sliceback

When you are off you report to no one.
When you are off you only have to answer to yourself.
When you are off you wake up when you want.
When you are off you go to sleep when you want.
When you are off you don’t have to answer the phone.
When you are off you don’t have to shave.
When you are off you can wear gym clothes, even the same gym clothes, until your next trip.
When you are off you can choose to play in the sand. No one can force you to.

You’ll be gone 6-12 nights per month if you live in base. Reserve will be fewer nights away.

Your days off start with O.F.F. and end with O.F.F. Every day between the first and last day is the same - O.F.F.

You can stop worrying about, or thinking about, your next OER, TDY, remote, or assignment. There are no ‘mandatory fun events’.

P.S. if you’re married you’d better forget all the ‘when you’re off’ comments. Try living that way and you’re a dead man. ;-)

P.P.S. Non rev travel can be tough, especially if you’re trying to do it when the kids are out of school or over holidays. It was easier years ago when the load factors were 65-70% instead of 85%+.

biigD

This is commonly quoted about the career, but if you live in base it's not really half the month. I tend to work 14 day months and lay it out as four 3 day trips and a pair of day trips. So that's 8 nights. My average TAFB for 2018 (including training) was about 230 hours, which works out to be roughly 31.5% of the year. And I tend to be busy (by choice) - lots of guys work less, and if on reserve - far less.

To your point, it's still not a lifestyle for everyone and the 8 nights away sucks, but I tend to think the time away is overblown for those living in base at a major airline. A guy working 9-5 has a "TAFB" of 26.7% of the year, and just about any career choice that pays major airline money isn't merely a 9-5 job.

Add in the advantages laid out by Sliceback, and I feel our families actually have it pretty good compared to a lot of people out there earning what we do.

viper548

I moved to base in July and did short call reserve the last 5 months of the year. My TAFB ranged from 65 hours to 262 hours. The month with 262 hours I picked up multiple trips on off days. Average TAFB was 135 hours per month. Living in base and bidding short call reserve it would be pretty easy to be away from home less than 8 nights per month for most airlines.