Dca base questions
02-16-2020, 08:42 AM
#1
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Joined APC: Feb 2020
Posts: 8
Dca base questions
Hi, current 121 FO here with a 175 type rating, and considering a lateral move to YX to be closer to home. DCA is just a few minutes away.
Could anyone comment on FO life at the DCA base? Upon becoming a line holder, what sort of trips are available and what might I be able to hold? I’ve read YX has 1 through 5 day trips, but that thread was more general and not specific to DCA.
I’d be most interested in 1 or 2 day trips and maximizing nights at home, if possible (i.e. what I have now, just in the wrong part of the country). How quickly would that be realistic? For context, I am trying to decide between (a) a long commute to continue with my current regional where I have at least a little seniority and (b) starting over again with seniority but living (a few months after starting over) in base. I’m not super focused on either an upgrade or going to a mainline carrier. If either of those come along someday and was a good opportunity, ok, but in the meantime I want to be a good right seater for the company and continue to work towards better and better QOL.
So... what’s life like as an FO at your company in DCA? Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts.
Could anyone comment on FO life at the DCA base? Upon becoming a line holder, what sort of trips are available and what might I be able to hold? I’ve read YX has 1 through 5 day trips, but that thread was more general and not specific to DCA.
I’d be most interested in 1 or 2 day trips and maximizing nights at home, if possible (i.e. what I have now, just in the wrong part of the country). How quickly would that be realistic? For context, I am trying to decide between (a) a long commute to continue with my current regional where I have at least a little seniority and (b) starting over again with seniority but living (a few months after starting over) in base. I’m not super focused on either an upgrade or going to a mainline carrier. If either of those come along someday and was a good opportunity, ok, but in the meantime I want to be a good right seater for the company and continue to work towards better and better QOL.
So... what’s life like as an FO at your company in DCA? Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts.
02-16-2020, 09:30 AM
#2
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Joined APC: Jul 2018
Posts: 259
This is a calculation I did for February trips, not every base is in here as my spreadsheet went off the rails a bit but this is a weighted distribution of flying. Meaning that 24% of the flying days out of DCA are on a one or two day trip, not that 24% of the trips are one or two days. I'll get this template cleaned up once March is released but I hope this helps!
02-17-2020, 07:45 AM
#3
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Joined APC: Nov 2019
Posts: 75
Originally Posted by GHawk
This is a calculation I did for February trips, not every base is in here as my spreadsheet went off the rails a bit but this is a weighted distribution of flying. Meaning that 24% of the flying days out of DCA are on a one or two day trip, not that 24% of the trips are one or two days. I'll get this template cleaned up once March is released but I hope this helps!
02-19-2020, 07:16 AM
#4
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Joined APC: Feb 2020
Posts: 8
Very cool of you to put that together. Thank you, that helps.
Any other thoughts or information on FO QOL at DCA out there? I have searched and read every post including “DCA” for the last couple of years as well as the pinned post and others with general info, so I’ve read what I can find and am just looking for any other nuggets of data.
What’s winter flying like, for example? Or summer storm season? How many pilots and lines/reserves? I’m guessing with the size of Republic that trips are efficient without long sits or deadheads happening too often. It sounds like DCA is a very established base and isn’t going anywhere. And from what I am synthesizing from other posts and from your spreadsheet it appears an average month as a junior line holder might amount to five three day trips of about 16-17 hours of credit each, three legs a day, with 10 RONs and 15 days off a month. Maybe a little variation in the number of days.
Really, any information anyone felt comfortable posting publicly (or even with a PM) would likely help with my decision. But for my commute, I’d gladly stay right where I am. I don’t have enough logged time for anything but a regional. Life at YX sounds good... but I hate to be wrong and have given up what I’ve got now.
Any other thoughts or information on FO QOL at DCA out there? I have searched and read every post including “DCA” for the last couple of years as well as the pinned post and others with general info, so I’ve read what I can find and am just looking for any other nuggets of data.
What’s winter flying like, for example? Or summer storm season? How many pilots and lines/reserves? I’m guessing with the size of Republic that trips are efficient without long sits or deadheads happening too often. It sounds like DCA is a very established base and isn’t going anywhere. And from what I am synthesizing from other posts and from your spreadsheet it appears an average month as a junior line holder might amount to five three day trips of about 16-17 hours of credit each, three legs a day, with 10 RONs and 15 days off a month. Maybe a little variation in the number of days.
Really, any information anyone felt comfortable posting publicly (or even with a PM) would likely help with my decision. But for my commute, I’d gladly stay right where I am. I don’t have enough logged time for anything but a regional. Life at YX sounds good... but I hate to be wrong and have given up what I’ve got now.
02-19-2020, 11:21 AM
#6
New Hire
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Feb 2020
Posts: 8
Just from reviewing the threads I can answer that one and I don’t work there. Occasionally someone gets DCA out of training. It appears to be about half the time lately. Otherwise you go to a different base for one to three months. LGA seems like a good one because there are ten or more daily flights there from DCA on company metal.
YMMV.
YMMV.
02-20-2020, 05:28 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2015
Position: Captain for Skyhawks
Posts: 482
Originally Posted by Brickward
Hi, current 121 FO here with a 175 type rating, and considering a lateral move to YX to be closer to home. DCA is just a few minutes away.
Could anyone comment on FO life at the DCA base? Upon becoming a line holder, what sort of trips are available and what might I be able to hold? I’ve read YX has 1 through 5 day trips, but that thread was more general and not specific to DCA.
I’d be most interested in 1 or 2 day trips and maximizing nights at home, if possible (i.e. what I have now, just in the wrong part of the country). How quickly would that be realistic? For context, I am trying to decide between (a) a long commute to continue with my current regional where I have at least a little seniority and (b) starting over again with seniority but living (a few months after starting over) in base. I’m not super focused on either an upgrade or going to a mainline carrier. If either of those come along someday and was a good opportunity, ok, but in the meantime I want to be a good right seater for the company and continue to work towards better and better QOL.
So... what’s life like as an FO at your company in DCA? Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts.
Could anyone comment on FO life at the DCA base? Upon becoming a line holder, what sort of trips are available and what might I be able to hold? I’ve read YX has 1 through 5 day trips, but that thread was more general and not specific to DCA.
I’d be most interested in 1 or 2 day trips and maximizing nights at home, if possible (i.e. what I have now, just in the wrong part of the country). How quickly would that be realistic? For context, I am trying to decide between (a) a long commute to continue with my current regional where I have at least a little seniority and (b) starting over again with seniority but living (a few months after starting over) in base. I’m not super focused on either an upgrade or going to a mainline carrier. If either of those come along someday and was a good opportunity, ok, but in the meantime I want to be a good right seater for the company and continue to work towards better and better QOL.
So... what’s life like as an FO at your company in DCA? Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts.
Dca pilot trip trade board has day trips galore on it. After a year you pretty much get what you want minus key west, Nassau, and Hilton Head. Then at 2 ish years you can get those. Bid high credit and for days off then do a 2 hour LGA or BDL or RDU turn and get the min 4:12.
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02-22-2020, 04:26 AM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,152
Originally Posted by GHawk
March trip data, if anyone is curious:
These numbers are a bit misleading as they are by flight day distribution and not by trip pairing length out of total trip pairings per base.
For example, in Boston for the month of March, there are 282 total pairings. Of these 282 pairings, 60% of the pairings are day trips, 28% (78 pairings) are two day trips and only 12% (35 pairings) are three day trips.
Just making it a bit clearer for those that didn’t read the fine print...
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