Planespotta

The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math

LAfrequentflyer

Move to Charlotte...

EngineOut

Likely, you'll be away from your base 275-350 (or more) hours per month. If you are a commuter as I am, add about 80 or so hours a month getting to and from work. I'm home about 10 full days a month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I work for SkyWest, generally regarded as one of the better regionals.

Generally, regionals have no "long-call" option which is the 24-48 hour notice you're referring to. Most have short-call which means you have anywhere from 60-120 minutes to report for an assignment that depends on the airline and the city in which you're based. This means, if you commute, you'll be looking at crashpad or hotel expenses. SkyWest reserve is 5 12-hour shifts a week. You're paid 3.75 hours if you're not assigned any flying for the day.

Nobody can tell for sure, but it sure appears that way.

I'd say we credit (get paid for) about that per month. Flying hours may be less than that, though...deadhead, displacement, Daily pay guarantees, etc.

Joe Sheffield

Thanks Engine Out. I appreciate you're willingness to help.

rickair7777

1) Key to commuting is having multiple daily NONSTOP flights, with several on your own (or codeshare) airline. Commuting as a jumpseater on another airline is tough because you are the lowest priority. So a lot of this depends on which airline you work for, in addition to which city you live in. Multiple-leg commuting is a recipe for family or career implosion, you get to pick which one...

2) Majors usually have long-call reserve, where you stay home and have 24 hours to get to work. Short call is 1.5 - 2 hours usually. Regionals almost never have long call, so you would have to sit reserve in your domicile. Usually this is 5-6 days on, 2-3 days off.

3) Yes, unless there is some industry catastrophe (I was in exactly your shoes when I turned on the CNN one Tuesday morning is 2001). Don't get in a hurry and take a job at gojets or mesa...you'll wish you hadn't.

4) 75-95 is more realistic. But if you fly more than 84 hours every single month, you will hit 1000 prior to DEC 31, and take the holidays off (usually with pay). This is called "timing-out" and some folks try really hard to do this. Be aware that due to work rules, you might (hopefully) get paid more than you fly. What you get paid is called "credit time", what you fly is "block time". Block cannot exceed 100/month, but credit often can. I've had 120+ on reserve due to being deadheaded all over the country.

Note: Turboprops often are limited to 120/month. 1200/year so basically they tend to work more.

Joe Sheffield

Thanks Rick. I enjoy reading your posts...especially your side of the debate with Deadstick in another forum concerning national defense. It seems that the best bet for my family is either move to wherever I'm based and to not commute or get my ratings/licenses and just CFI on the side. It really is amazing the naysayers in these forums. All the threads I have read really has me thinking twice.

Joseph

flybywire44

Its amazing that people put this much effort into just getting a regional airline job...

wannabepilot

Does this mean you can only fly 1000 hours every calendar year?

as737700

That's correct.

wannabepilot

and that is because...