Reserve life before cell phones
07-18-2024, 10:20 AM
#61
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2011
Posts: 157
Heck, I couldn't believe I remembered the girls name. I do remember one of the guys would put on his uniform to sell AMWAY crap and tell the rubes, "Yeah, I'm a fancy pilot, but I make my real money doing this". Their was also a dog living their named "Testical", some things stick with you I guess.
07-19-2024, 05:11 AM
#62
Not home.
Joined APC: May 2018
Position: Captain
Posts: 216
Heck, I couldn't believe I remembered the girls name. I do remember one of the guys would put on his uniform to sell AMWAY crap and tell the rubes, "Yeah, I'm a fancy pilot, but I make my real money doing this". There was also a dog living there named "Testical", some things stick with you I guess.
07-24-2024, 05:51 PM
#64
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2014
Posts: 308
I was first on reserve in 1988 with Air Wisconsin. I was 1:45 from FWA and they could call at any time. I guess I just hung around the house or my wife did. If I went anywhere, I'd call them and tell them where to find me.
At TWA in 89, I was in a crash pad and there was an answering machine. Usually, I'd just call scheduling and tell them I was going to dinner and I'd check back every hour. We had two hour call out and 8 hour call out. RS1 and RS2. Sometimes, I'd stay home in IND on RS2.
I got my first dedicated cell when I upgraded in '99 (yeah, kids, it took a whole ten years to upgrade to CA back then
).
At TWA in 89, I was in a crash pad and there was an answering machine. Usually, I'd just call scheduling and tell them I was going to dinner and I'd check back every hour. We had two hour call out and 8 hour call out. RS1 and RS2. Sometimes, I'd stay home in IND on RS2.
I got my first dedicated cell when I upgraded in '99 (yeah, kids, it took a whole ten years to upgrade to CA back then
).
07-24-2024, 06:11 PM
#65
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,277
I had a pager from a no-name shady company that also sold car stereos in town. I'd sit in my crappy crash pad apt with nill furniture, when the beep-beep-beep went off I'd trot down the street a block to the market and hope some local rif-raf wasn't hanging on the pay phone, good times. Funny thing when I went to turn it in at the end of my time there I found out they'd shut it off a month prior, explains why I didn't get any call-outs recently, I didn't care as the airline was folding and I was soon out the door.
07-24-2024, 08:38 PM
#67
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,992
I had a pager from a no-name shady company that also sold car stereos in town. I'd sit in my crappy crash pad apt with nill furniture, when the beep-beep-beep went off I'd trot down the street a block to the market and hope some local rif-raf wasn't hanging on the pay phone, good times. Funny thing when I went to turn it in at the end of my time there I found out they'd shut it off a month prior, explains why I didn't get any call-outs recently, I didn't care as the airline was folding and I was soon out the door.
07-25-2024, 07:05 AM
#68
Nonsense Spewer
Joined APC: Jun 2015
Position: In the corner using a lampshade as a hat.
Posts: 525
Specifically speaking to the reserve part, yes you're expected to be available 24/7, two hour callout in most cases and no legal duty limits until assigned a trip. Still a pretty good gig when you consider a government backed railroad retirement that won't vaporize in a bankruptcy.
07-29-2024, 03:29 AM
#69
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2014
Position: Semi-Retired...
Posts: 3,219
I believe it. Back in the day some airlines tracked crew with paper, and paper could get misplaced. I knew a guy who didn't get called on reserve because they lost his index card... for a year. Eventually he got bored and asked them what was up because he wanted to build time and get on with his career.
07-29-2024, 09:32 AM
#70
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2014
Posts: 308
happens even in the computer age. Was in training and the sim broke. Got sent home to wait. The check kept coming, expired landings and all. 3 months later the wife was pestering me to call them. I told her if I did I'd be back in class within the week. She let it go. At 4 months she made me call. I was in class 3 days later. This was during the beginning of the AA bankruptcy. Well, at least I had the winter off.
I was lucky to have avoided the CLT training center. Lots of stories about people needing extra time or busts on non-jeopardy recurrents.
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