I too am on reserve.

5 days of reserve followed by 2 off, and one 4 day-off stretch a month. It is a 2 hour call out so I can sit reserve at the place I have near the airport. They rarely ever call. I would say I fly about maybe 15-20 hours a month, if that. Nice if you live in base because you don't really mind. But not nice if you are trying to make some money and move on in life. The flying is great, but like another poster mentioned almost everything else sucks. I was all happy and excited when I first started, the regionals will ruin you... though nowadays the majors arent that much better.

For me, I would be able to turn a blind eye to a lot of it if I was paid for it. I can't believe nobody mentioned the poverty level wages yet. After taxes, sitting around all week I make roughly 1,450$ a month. Try living off that, especially if you have debt and bills to pay off, or even a family. It will make you want to drive your head through a wall. If I got paid at least even 2,500$ a month, I probably wouldnt notice some of the things I do, and they wouldnt bother me as much as they do at 1,450. So for me the poverty level wages is the biggest issue I have, and it should be for many more then it is. The rest of the stuff I could live with if I made more.

But when I do get called I am happy to go to work, and I forget about all the rest of the BS even for at least a couple of hours. Sitting around for a week you have a lot of time to think about things.

 

1: Low pay. You actually make half of your hourly rate, since you only get paid for half of your work time. less if you are a commuter.
2: Gone alot.
3: Constant war with scheduling.
4: Infinite responsibility. Everything is your fault.
5: Commuting sucks.
6: No jobsecurity.

There are positives too though.

 

Tell us some positives...I need something to brighten my day.

 

I don't think I ever got my question answered, do pilots need to live within a certain number of miles of an airport to work for the airlines?

 

Normally for pilots on reserve, it's a specified time from phone call to airport. It varies from airline to airline and may be different at different bases.

 

Well, aside from everything else... the flying is awesome! I absolutely love it. For me, it pretty much counters everything else. I get a lot of self satisfaction flying raw data departures, hand flying tight visual approaches and rolling her on the runway in gusty winds and low visibility. Every once in a while you get a really good compliment from a passenger. My favorite one was about a month and a half ago after greasing the landing on in MSP from an old lady as she was getting off. She asked me, "son, did you land the plane?", I said 'yes' and she said, "I have been flying for over 30 years several times a month and that was by far the best landing I have ever had." Things like that brighten your day and I will never forget that flight or her compliment.

 

Watch what you say on APC there, Diver Driver! Folks 'round here don't think it is "proper" to manually manipulate the controls to fly a Jet

Good to see a real Pilot though

 

Hey bro, I gotta do something to still feel human... most of the time it takes so many buttons to get the AP on board its just easier to fly the plane in a tight situation... a lot of guys dont hand fly much and they start to lose their skill.

 

Typical week for me this month.
1. Wake up at 3:30AM and get to BOS to take the 6:00AM to EWR to make a 7:10AM show. I could commute the night prior with ease but I just dont want to.

2.Get to EWR just in time to walk to the crew room and meet the crew and check my inbox for anything important.

3.At the plane 30 minutes early to do the walkaround etc. and do an out and back.

4.SIT FOR 3 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES

5.Fly to non exotic location and overnight landing at 4:40PM.
DAY 2

1.Wake up at 4:30AM and eat some breakfast, take the 5:15AM shuttle and get plane ready just like the day before.

2.Fly back to EWR then fly an out and back and then fly to next non exotic location for an overnight, this time ending earlier around 1:00PM
DAY 3
1.Wake up at 4:30AM again except this time no breakfast because the hotel doesnt start breakfast until 6:00.

2. Go to airport and get plane ready again.

3.Fly to EWR and then sit for 1 hour 20 minutes.

4.Fly to PWM landing at 10:00AM

5.The good part.....DRIVE HOME BECAUSE I LIVE 45 MINUTES SOUTH OF PWM.
DAY 4
1.Wake up obsurdly early again and head to the airport and prepare the plane.

2.Fly five legs (at least 1-2 legs too many)

3.Get done just before 4:00PM

4.Catch the fist flight back to BOS, typically no more than an hour wait or so.

5.Land in BOS and wait 1 hour max to take a bus to where I park my car near my house and walk in my door typically 3-5 hours after ending work in EWR.


3 DAYS AND 4 NIGHTS OFF AND DO THE SAME EXACT THING ALL OVER AGAIN.

 

The flying is good. I enjoy doing trips and even getting into some bad weather. CAT II approaches are awesome. I'm single and not home much. Flight benefits is another reason. Pilots get the best flight benefits of all because we can jumpseat pretty much anywhere on any domestic airline and not pay a dime. I'm always going places on my days off, visited places and old friends from college. If something is going on across the country tomorrow, I can hop a plane and just go. I've done a few desk jobs for some summers where I get up at 6 and work behind a desk from 8 to 5. Not for me. So those are the good parts.

Bad parts....well my airline is having some really bad management/labor relations right now. So thats adding to the stress of this job. And no I don't work at a bottom feeder either.