Ying and yang of reserve.
 

With all these posts asking about QOL as a reserve captain in ___________ domicile Lets break it down to its most basic elements.

1. Narrow body reserve sucks.

2. Commuting to reserve on a narrow body is a massive turbo, magnum suck.

3. Wide body reserve can either suck or not so much if you live in base.

4. Commuting wide body reserve is slightly better than commuting narrow body reserve. But it still isn’t ideal. (756 not included in this statement in most domiciles)

5. Flying narrow body captain is a great job. Is it worth commuting to reserve on? Like anything it depends on how bad you want it and what you are willing to sacrifice. I did it during the lost decade for several years with a wife, young kids at home and a life. I wouldn’t recommend that unless you have a really good reason to do it.

Just want to have that fourth stripe? The thrill will wear off pretty dang fast if you’re commuting to reserve to do it.

6. Commuting wide body captain? I’ve never tried it but commuting reserve is commuting reserve. If you can’t always APU you will be buying hotel rooms/ crash padding to cover short calls at some point.

Good luck with your new equipment bids folks. I hope you get what you want and want what you get.

Yup. 2 years on NB CA bottom-end reserve. It’s manageable living in base, but would NEVER have done it as a commuter. My friends in the same boat who commute are absolutely miserable.

Exactly....

Not exactly. I'm EWR reserve just below the gline. Narrow body capt reserve works if:

1. Kids are in college. Wife works and is pursuing another degree. No pressure to be at home.
2. You APU. Lots of trips in open time. Almost all other reserves don't APU. 3 Field standbys all year, used on one. Cam't remember last SC, but rarer because I APU.
3. Have a crashpad. Don't have to chase hotels.
4. You can commute in on morning day 1, because they can't use you until noon. The one month I waived everything and got a line, I was commuting in night prior. Time away from home was almost same.

Lots of trips I fly end in DHs from other domiciles. Usually positive space dev. home. I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, but it works for me. If these snapshots hold up, I won't need to waive to be a LH. my 2 cents...

Sooo…. the bottom line is that reserve is reserve, whether NB CA or NB FO. Same applies to WB CA reserve vs WB FO reserve.

I've spent most of my career as a commuting reserve. It's not nirvana but I don't consider it as bad as many here make it out to be.

Exactly...except in SFO you can commute in on day 1 for a 4 day that starts with a red eye, finish late on day 4, and commute home on day 5 (1000 release to HDOs). I’ve always been able to break guarantee thru APU (90-95ish credits/month). Much better QOL than living in base in IRQ/AFG. Bottom line: sucks for some, works just fine for others. We report, you decide.

1 Oct 17 to 22 Apr 18 without setting a foot in a UAL cockpit. 2 landings classes.

DCA 756 FO...living in base (2:15ish drive to IAD)

How often was CS putting you on SC/FSB during this time? Or was it mostly LSR?

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There is effectively no LC rsv. Right?

Wrong. I bid three months of reserve earlier this year and had difficulty getting 5 shortcalls each month to get 76 hours of pay. Different fleets, seats, and bases have different situations. I flew three trips in three months, two of which I picked up to maintain landing currency.