Just started reserve at Air Wisconsin. Mostly out and backs so far.

 

Back at Comair in the earlier 2000's I lived in base and could pick almost anything from a month of out-n-backs to 4 day trips...I liked doing 2+2...

Best feeling in the world not having to pack a suitcase, riding motorcycle to work, parking in long term across for trailer and getting home a few hours later.....

Only bad part was having M.Roberts chase ya around for the stupid hat more often outside the turnstiles(sp?)....

 

Can anyone "easily" explain the bid system to me or is it a long discussion?

Is there a web site that has all the available flights for next month and you check off what you want to fly? Does it roll down with the senior guy bidding one day, then the next senior guy the next etc... or can someone senior to you go in an bump you after you bid? Just wondering how it works.

 

Basic idea of how it works here is a system we have called "line bidding"

We get somewhere around the first or second week of each month a "bid packet" which will have somewhere around 100 pre-built lines. Each line is made up of trips or pairings or whatever you want to call them. After the lines are the "pairings" or what each pairing actually is. In the lines you will see something like N1234. If you scroll down and find N1234 it will tell you exactly what that means, such as a 4 day with overnights in X, Y and Z and it starts at this time and ends at that time.

All the lines tell you is which days you will work, how many days off, how many hours away from base, how much you will fly and what it will pay you. It is the pairings below that tells you exactly what it is.

We have until around the 15th or so of each month to make our choices and arrange those lines in order of how we would like it to turn out.

As a new guy you can assure nothing. You will of course make all your choices like everyone else but will end up with whatever nobody wanted by the time they reach your seniority. As a junior pilot you will have no control over what you fly each month and it will usually be reserve.

If you are number one, you simply look at the lines, pick out exactly what you want and bid for it. You are guaranteed that line being number 1. It gets trickier as you work down the seniority.

 

So you don't bid individual flights/days but more of a package of flights? Are these packages of flights scheduled for the week/month? So what if you wanted a certain day off? Is it more of a put in for it and hope for the best? Just trying to get my head around how it all works. I guess unless you are number one on the list there really is no knowing for sure till you get it.

 

Correct, unless you are relatively senior there is no way of knowing or guaranteeing any days off.

You bid for an entire month the month in advance. Always hope for the best, prepare for the worst. If it is a weekday off you are looking for you can frontload your bids by bidding only lines that have that certain day off. If you are lucky there will be 30 lines with that day off and you are say, number 30 in base. If that were the case you could at least guarantee that day off. If you are junior and its a weekend it is next to impossible to get it off.

As a junior pilot there is no planning of days off per week or certain days off. You will get whatever the company gives you.

 

At C5 in CLE it is mostly 3 And 4 day trips. Most trips start before 9 AM on the first day and generally end after 7 PM on the last day. A typical scenario would be a 4 day with a 14.5 or 15 hour scheduled duty day the first day, 2 really light days of only 9 or 10 hour duty days ending with an 8 hour 10 minute overnight for the last night and a 14.5 to 15 hour duty day with from 7. 7.95 hours scheduled flying for the last day....You should come here...its great!