I agree about paying a premium for night flying through the sort.

 

Shift work sucks, but millions of people do it everyday.

We all knew when we accepted employment express carriers move boxes at night. This is but one reason why this is a great job, “but isn’t for everyone”.

 

Would seem a little premature to have those figures. We've only had guys that flew 30 years of it and then left for the past few years, and you'd have to wait 18 more to find it out. Can't be a large amount of them yet either, couple hundred? I know a few old timers still around in their 80s but more long haul than night sort. I always hear about these surveys including a flying tigers one, but nobody ever seems to be able to show them to me. It can't be good for you, we all agree, but it's the life we choose.

 

And the crowd recently retiring is of that generation who were more hard hitting, smoking, drinking types vs. our newer plant based, slam clicking, yoga posing, sleep conscious crowd. Their average mortality ages will be lower than ours.

C17B74 - no worries. I was trying to break your balls a little more than trying to be preachy in my post but it didn’t execute like that…oh well.

 

I understood the caricatured juxtaposition. I thought it was funny!

 

Not an issue at all. You’re spot on and longevity is what most seek as they enter their twilight years and it’s normally too late. These youngsters in our industry (not the basement dwellers) seem to be more conscientious regarding health matters and it’s something to learn from. As a foodie/fatty it does bewilder me when abroad (international) when I am with one of them and they are dead set on McDonalds, KFC, etc. Did they not realize it’s a 747 long haul flying machine and not a domestic guppy. We did have one doing yoga in the back during his break time during one of our long haul flights no joke. While I am not jumping on that bandwagon, I did admire the discipline. While I do my fair share of slam clicking, it’s normally done while reading a book. Yup, an actual book with pages and words no pictures. Jumping out of planes, fast roping from helicopters and 12 mile ruck/death marches are something to reminisce and not repeat. While being a dog person I feel like a house cat. A stress free/cortisol free life is a good life at my age.

 

Good observation. All I can admit too is I felt like crap and it was undeniably harder to recover from hub turns/night sort than long haul one and done. Great to return home the next morning, but there’s a price to pay and a pound of flesh to be forked over. To each their own, but I know I am not geared for stoplight operations.

 

Got the call to schedule an interview about a week after the Hogan. Super on the fence, which to me isn't a good sign. I saw ANC 74 went to NH, what can a junior guy there expect schedule wise? How much flexibility is possible for a new guy?

 

I would say pretty tough at the moment. Hard to swap trips due to lack of reserve coverage. Also a lot of choppy trips. 7 to 12 days on then 2 to 5 days off then start another trip.

 

Isn't it pretty easy to bid down to 747sdf on the next system bid??