what is reserve like?
01-12-2010, 03:00 PM
#21
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Posts: 161
I am a part 135 cargo pilot working 5 nights a week and back at home each day and weekends. I am thinking of going the part 121 regional pilot route. My question is, what kind of time do you get off when your on reserve? 10-12 days off a month seems to be the normal answer, but are these days off consecutive, and do you know an advance when they will be? I ask because I am wondering if it is possible to jumpseat home on a regular basis when on reserve for a regional airline.
It will most likely be a combination of 4 on/3 off, or 4 on/2 off (it's impossible to work 6 on/2 off all month long, and if you ever do you should be getting your day off restored or at least pay on top of your guarantee for the day you worked).
Reserve does suck everywhere, because you spend a lot of your 20 days a month feeling like you aren't quite working but you're not quite off work either....you have to wait by the phone or sit at the airport. But if you dont work at a ****hole company you can at least enjoy having rolled days off restored, a good fatigue policy, an extra day off or two over the crappiest companies, trading days off, etc.
Last edited by Clocks; 01-12-2010 at 03:25 PM.
01-12-2010, 03:22 PM
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2009
Position: Captain CR7/CR9
Posts: 104
I am a part 135 cargo pilot working 5 nights a week and back at home each day and weekends. I am thinking of going the part 121 regional pilot route. My question is, what kind of time do you get off when your on reserve? 10-12 days off a month seems to be the normal answer, but are these days off consecutive, and do you know an advance when they will be? I ask because I am wondering if it is possible to jumpseat home on a regular basis when on reserve for a regional airline.
01-12-2010, 03:54 PM
#23
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: DD->DH->RU/XE soon to be EV
Posts: 3,732
Or a punch in the yarbles. That is, if ya got any yarbles.
As has been covered, rev sucks just about anywhere you go. There can be exceptions. When I was on reserve in EWR and commuting. I had 12 days "off" one month. But do to the scheduling, and the FACT that it was EWR, I was home for 8 days of that month.
Also, as has been covered, it can depend on the CBA. Especially if there is a long call reserve, and the strength of that long call language in the CBA. When I was LAX based I also commuted. I spent half of my month on my couch at home waiting on a 12 hour notification. Had plenty of time to suit up, head to the the airport, and get into position and show for the trip. XJT's longcall reserve has some drawbacks, as does ASA's or so I hear. I believe that AWAC's is pretty darn good and that it can actually go senior.
The other half of the month I spent in domicile at the crashpad. Being on reserve in crashpad sucks. HOWEVER, there can be exceptions. Like who your cp roommates are, and/or CP location. That other half of the month I spent on Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo beach. Beer in hand, checking out some KILLER scenery, waiting on the 12 hour notification. No regrets what so ever bidding a long call reserve month in that case. Of course, that was subject to where I lived, domicile, and cp location.
If I was based in some of the other locations I've been, or PHL for example, it would have sucked no matter how it sliced.
As has been covered, rev sucks just about anywhere you go. There can be exceptions. When I was on reserve in EWR and commuting. I had 12 days "off" one month. But do to the scheduling, and the FACT that it was EWR, I was home for 8 days of that month.
Also, as has been covered, it can depend on the CBA. Especially if there is a long call reserve, and the strength of that long call language in the CBA. When I was LAX based I also commuted. I spent half of my month on my couch at home waiting on a 12 hour notification. Had plenty of time to suit up, head to the the airport, and get into position and show for the trip. XJT's longcall reserve has some drawbacks, as does ASA's or so I hear. I believe that AWAC's is pretty darn good and that it can actually go senior.
The other half of the month I spent in domicile at the crashpad. Being on reserve in crashpad sucks. HOWEVER, there can be exceptions. Like who your cp roommates are, and/or CP location. That other half of the month I spent on Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo beach. Beer in hand, checking out some KILLER scenery, waiting on the 12 hour notification. No regrets what so ever bidding a long call reserve month in that case. Of course, that was subject to where I lived, domicile, and cp location.
If I was based in some of the other locations I've been, or PHL for example, it would have sucked no matter how it sliced.
01-12-2010, 05:11 PM
#24
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: SF 340B+
Posts: 306
I enjoy reserve, my reserve period is from 7 pm -12 and i live in base. I am free all morning and afternoon and can cook for the wife when she gets home from work. Usually have everything cleaned up and wait for the phone to ring. usually it does not ring and i spend my time watching tv and doing whatever i want. During the day i golf, bike, fish or do anything i want, reserve in base aint that bad!
01-12-2010, 06:21 PM
#25
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: O-2 pilot
Posts: 123
Generally speaking reserve sucks!
In the best senario the company is growing fast and you won't spend more than 2 or 3 months on reserve (not happening these days). Also, in the best case scenario you and your family live in your domicle and reserves aren't used much. That way you spend time around home with your family doing stuff you like to do, waiting for a call. If you are a half hour from the airport and have a 2 hour call out, then you have an hour and a half to stop what you're doing and get ready for work.
Worst case scenario is being stuck on reserve 2 or 3 years (typical now-a-days) and being assigned to crew domiclies away from your home.
One company I worked for reserves got 10 days off per month and you knew your days off for the month ahead of time. You also knew your reserve time slot for the days you worked a month ahead of time. Generally speaking you had the same time slot for the entire month. Ready reserve (sitting on call at the airport) was very rare, as well. By contract only very few reserves could be made to sit ready reserve at the airport.
At another company I worked for reserves had 11 days off per month, but you didn't know what time you were on call for the next day until 9pm the night before. You had to bid reserve slots every day instead of monthly. It was very typical that I would find out about 9pm that I had to sit ready reserve at the airport at 4am that coming morning. That system really sucked! There was no way to plan anything even for at least part of your days. You could never get on a normal sleep pattern either because the time of days you were on call/called up kept changing. You might be sitting ready reserve from 4am-noon one day, then 6pm-midnight the next, etc., not knowing what time until the night before.
Most new airline pilots, or people who aren't airline pilots, pooh pooh reserve like it doesn't sound that horrible. Ask anyone who has done it for a few months, though, and I've never heard of anyone who enjoys it. You have no control over anything in your life. You are totally at the mercy of crew schedulers. And 99% of the time sitting ready reserve is like watching paint dry.
If the world was fair I think every pilot on the seniority list would pull a couple days of reserve per month to spread things out. If you have been flying your butt off a couple days of sitting reserve might even seem like a nice change of pace anyways.
In the best senario the company is growing fast and you won't spend more than 2 or 3 months on reserve (not happening these days). Also, in the best case scenario you and your family live in your domicle and reserves aren't used much. That way you spend time around home with your family doing stuff you like to do, waiting for a call. If you are a half hour from the airport and have a 2 hour call out, then you have an hour and a half to stop what you're doing and get ready for work.
Worst case scenario is being stuck on reserve 2 or 3 years (typical now-a-days) and being assigned to crew domiclies away from your home.
One company I worked for reserves got 10 days off per month and you knew your days off for the month ahead of time. You also knew your reserve time slot for the days you worked a month ahead of time. Generally speaking you had the same time slot for the entire month. Ready reserve (sitting on call at the airport) was very rare, as well. By contract only very few reserves could be made to sit ready reserve at the airport.
At another company I worked for reserves had 11 days off per month, but you didn't know what time you were on call for the next day until 9pm the night before. You had to bid reserve slots every day instead of monthly. It was very typical that I would find out about 9pm that I had to sit ready reserve at the airport at 4am that coming morning. That system really sucked! There was no way to plan anything even for at least part of your days. You could never get on a normal sleep pattern either because the time of days you were on call/called up kept changing. You might be sitting ready reserve from 4am-noon one day, then 6pm-midnight the next, etc., not knowing what time until the night before.
Most new airline pilots, or people who aren't airline pilots, pooh pooh reserve like it doesn't sound that horrible. Ask anyone who has done it for a few months, though, and I've never heard of anyone who enjoys it. You have no control over anything in your life. You are totally at the mercy of crew schedulers. And 99% of the time sitting ready reserve is like watching paint dry.
If the world was fair I think every pilot on the seniority list would pull a couple days of reserve per month to spread things out. If you have been flying your butt off a couple days of sitting reserve might even seem like a nice change of pace anyways.
01-12-2010, 09:14 PM
#28
ULTP-Ultra Low Tier Pilot
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,228
The best part of reserve is your phone ringing at 5am, waking you up, and a screw scheduler on the phone telling you that you have a flight in exactly 1.5 hours and having the nerve to ask if you can "get to the airport ASAP"
01-13-2010, 12:44 AM
#29
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Posts: 147
01-13-2010, 06:22 AM
#30
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,107
If they call you early AM before you duty on, it might be for a trip that starts early...which could get you done early (nice if it's your last day).
Or they could tell you to duty off for 8 hours so they can give a later show with an even later finish...long after your normal bedtime.
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