I'm guessing this wheel is already round, but I'm not having any luck searching the archives.

Could anyone point me to any old threads about a typical new hire lifestyle? If that's too vague, what I'm really interested in is knowing what a typical month looks like, some actual real life examples of folks who commute. I know there are infinite variables at hand...just wondering how those first couple/few years look. Fly a week on then week off? Couple days here and there? If you live at domicile you home every day? If you commute or don't hold a line are you typically crashing at the same location or does it change? Does commuting add a day on one or both ends of your trip? Etc...etc.

No irrelevant replies. Thanks for any input.

At FDX as new hire you will likely sit reserve for several years or more. The reserve schedule is 15 days 8 months and 19 days 4 months. The R days can be one long string or strings as short as 4 days. You will train twice a year for what looks like 3 days each. You might be able to conflict. There is some opportunity to work extra if you desire. Commuting is fairly easy but it will add an exra day to your time away from home each time you commute to reserve.

How relevant can one be if you don't mention the airline about which you're asking?

He/she posted the question in the cargo section so clearly it must be about fedex! What else could it be? Any questions posted in the Major sections apply to Delta.. Don't you know that? LOL

As a New hire at Nippon Cargo you can expect your guaranteed ten days off plus a few blank days. Real life depends on your domicile, ORD, LAX, JFK. Which one are you?

If you live in domicile it's impossible to be home every day.

Almost everyone commutes, and no one holds "lines". We bid hard days off, either in a block of ten or two smaller blocks. And yes, commuting adds days away from home, especially for ORD pilots.

Hope that wasn't too irrelevant.

You will probably be flying the 767 out of CVG. Life could be pretty good if you live within driving distance. You might even hold a line right from the beginning but, don't worry, scheduling will destroy it anyway.

747 new guys are in ANC and often have to make several trips a month up there costing time any taxes. 17 days on a month all in a row or split several ways.

Living the dream...

At K4 you will owe them 17 days a month.. meaning you get 13 days off in 30 days months and 14 days off in 31 day months. Bid for days, as the schedule doesn't mean much. MOST of the schedules will have you working 17 days in a row, but sometimes you will have two shorter blocks. In nearly 4 years they have only gotten my home late once... YMMV, but you will have to travel to work late on your last off day to be in position... sucks. The bright spot is thats its true home basing, pick an airport and its up to them to get you there and back again... cost is a factor with them so sometimes the flights suck... but if its delayed, cancelled..etc..its all on them. Some months you will work you tail off.. others you will wonder if we fly airplanes at all.... ymmv.

His statement "No irrelevant replies" was followed by "Thanks for any input." Though ambiguously phrased, I took that to mean that he would consider any replies to be relevant. I could be wrong.

Any of the 40 UPS new hires care to chime in on this?

Yeah, that's exactly what you want, new hires, still on probation, still happy as a clam to have that job, chiming in. It wouldn't be sugarcoated or anything, I'd guess.