rickair7777

There are differences between airlines, particularly with how things like leave administration, bidding, and benefits are handled. Best to talk to a military reservist at your airline who has been there a while. If you're going on extended leave, talk to someone who's done that recently.

Basmith97

2. Drop trips etc. Any pilot input on how to best handle this so that its advantageous would be greatly appreciated.

I am curious on this as well. Especially for Skywest. If I am a line holder and I would like to do my ftp's or drills at some point during a trip what is the process of cancelling that trip. Any limitations to this?

Thanks

Flyer2000

Line holder or reserve, it doesn't matter. I believe the preferred method by ANY employer is to let the company know your Drill dates as soon as you can. At SkyWest I'm sure they would appreciate knowing them prior to the PBS load so they could pre assign you for it. My unit published our UTA's for the entire year. Sometimes these were subject to change, but I could usually let skywest know ahead of the month so it wasn't an issue.

as for AFTP's or any other status less than 30 days, you simply need to notify scheduling that you will need MIL days on these dates. If it happens to be in the middle of a trip you can use user time to cover the legs lost to get you back to domicile. You are not required to provide orders. They may ask, but it is not required unless you go over 30 days.

rickair7777

Actually that whole five year limit is almost always not applicable. Most types of duty do not fall under that limit. If all the wars end, that might change but even so you are always exempt to do your assigned monthly drills (even if more than four), and your annual training (even if > 12 days).

rickair7777

What he said. If you submit the "application" (they call it an application but under USERRA it's just a notification and they have no choice but to honor it) at least a couple of work days before the bid closes, it will be pre-assigned and you will not have trips overlapping your mil days. That's easier than having to split a trip in the middle, but if some military requirement comes up after the bid, you can do that.

Also...usually best to add a travel/rest day on either end of your mil leave. A work day can be SCHEDULED to end as late as 0200 on the FOLLOWING day...so since you have to go home, sleep, and report to the unit at 0700, that's obviously a problem (especially if you fly for the military). To say nothing of a commute by air or a long drive.

Cheesus Chrust

Does anyone have experience with obtaining a leave of absence BEFORE starting an extended period of military duty? CFR 20 1002.74 states you're able to get some sort of leave in order to get your personal affairs in order, but has anyone actually utilized it? had any issues with the employer? I don't work for Skywest by the way...

Terantious

I took 3 months of mil leave with SkyWest about 5 years ago. CASS ended after 30 days but a simple call to the base chief pilot gave it back to me for the other 60 days.

Sidenote: This chief pilot did not have the initials M.H. I would not even bother asking M.H. cause you won't get any help from him on anything personal related. Guys a turd!

At my current employer CASS does not end, no matter how long the military leave is.

hindsight2020

bumpity bump. Have a bro being told by a certain 737 operator that his 31 day order request is being denied. He's new to the reserves and already advised him what they're doing is illegal. Already perused the ESGR for the particulars. Anybody have additional inputs to help this guy out quote USERRA chapter and verse to rectify this situation. I believe this is one of those things where they guy is being pushed around because he's new to 121 and reserves and they hope he won't call the bluff.

Is the letter of notification plus furnishing orders require a time frame other than merely providing notice? Does the law require a specific pre-advance time frame?

stanherman

From my experience there is one key fundamental about military leave. Straight from the JAG office is that any member is NOT REQUIRED to give orders, or any official document to their employers period. If your CP or any individual mandates you give them orders or any kind of paperwork, respectfully refuse and let them know you are not required to. I'm sure if you give advance notice none of this should be an issue.

That being said, usually it's in the best interest of the pilot to email their chief pilot a formal email stating the days they have to report for duty, or any extra mil days. This goes especially for the military pilots because usually they are present for more than just a weekend. Envoy, or any airline does not need to know the yearly drill calendar, nor receive copies of orders which have PII on them.

Best advice is send a formal email asking to be removed by scheduling, and give as much notice as you can. Airlines are getting brutal with mil leave, especially because of staffing. I don't really know much about the whole keeping travel benefits, although it seems ridiculous you can't continue to use them (even though you're still holding a seniority.)

Turbosina

Hah! How right you are. And he's a menace on the flight deck. If I ever have to fly with him again, I'm calling in, because not only is he a complete DB, he scared the bejesus out of me on every leg. How people like that are allowed inside a flight deck, let alone made chief pilot, is utterly beyond me.