CAL pilot question...

[Skywriter70]

CAL guys, quick question for you. As a new hire first year pay is the same at CAL no matter what equip you are on. But for second year on, I'm trying to figure what it's best to do. Pay is strictly the issue, and as quickly as possible for my family. Hours are not important, and reserve is also not the highest priority. I already have plenty of part 121 flt time in the south pacific. The question is, should one work 92 hours a month on the 737 and be a lineholder or go with the GAURANTEED same pay (76 hr on reserve) and fly once a month on the 777. Either way I look at it I am a commuter.. I live in the DFW area. If I lived by a domicile it would be a no brainer. Insite is what I am looking for, and what am I missing. Perdium for trips flown on 737 brings me to the same monthly pay on 777, and will still need a crash pad at approx 180.00 a month. I am aware every three months I would be back for landing qualification. In addition, the equip lock for 2 years. Fill me with your knowledge and insite people.... Thanks in advance guys....

 

[geshields]

Go with the 737. No seat lock for that one..as long as you bid up in equipment next...

 

[Hutchman]

No more 777 slots for newhires............ Take the 737 and get to IAH as soon as possible. Commuting to reserve is not that fun. You will get 90 hours a month on the 737 no matter how you bid.

 

[COpilot]

You do not want to commute to reserve; done it, it sucks.

 

[EWR_FO]

You do not want to commute to reserve; done it, it sucks.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[Pig]

I commute on A reserve (long call) for the 756 and its works very well for me. I have a commute into IAH with lots of options, and I can drive if need be. I'll get several days off at home on long call. Also, I have heard of guys sitting 777 EWR long call reserve at home in IAH or in Florida. I think it works because the window they have to use you is quite small since the trips are so long, and there are only 7 departures a day out of EWR (3 a day out or IAH), making it fairly easy to see when you could be called. Also, if they do use you for a 3 day, you're frequently released for the last 3 days of your reserve block because of flight hour limits.

 

[Palomino]

737 will get you a fixed schedule the quickest. IAH 737 fo's are sitting a few months reserve. you can easily do 'A' reserve out of DFW with a 9 hr callout. lots of DFW-IAH flights but they are very full these days.

756 EWR is commutable if you have a line. lots of IRO from what i hear. but schedules are late show, reasonable release time. don't forget the Terminal C to Terminal A commute at the EWR airport. not too big of a deal with the inter-terminal bus now. IAH 756 is stagnant last i checked. you'd stay on the bottom for a while.

777? not for me. again...bottom feeding for a long time especially in IAH if and when you can hold it. long trips and few landings.

i would enjoy my current quality of life a lot more if i didn't have to commute (DFW guy myself). things were a lot better before PBS. now it's a complete crapshoot as to what your next month's schedule will be. basically, our lives are at the mercy of a computer that never fully executes all possible bid scenarios. when they run out of time for the computers to calculate then that's what you get stuck with. great system, right?!

i prescribe 737 IAH FO for you. but that's based on my experience which is minimal. IAH line holding was an extra month or two compared with EWR - but still only 6 months or so. and the commute gets tougher by the day. IAH is the most sane of the options available if you wanna stay in Texas and commute.

 

[Flopgut]

You might be factoring this in, but if not, don't forget that as you grow more senior you can fly more premium pay airplanes. I agree with Palomino, IAH 737 is the way to go. In less time than any other sub base you'll have a line of time with premium 737 pay, and a good schedule.

 

[ATRedneck]

Do you have a class date, or are you just asking in general? There should be a system bid in August-ish, so if you have a class date before the bid, you could be in IAH by October... if you bid the 737.

Other advantages to bidding 737:

1. You get a 737 type rating. If the industry sh*ts the bed, you can do more with a 737 type than a 757/767 type.

2. You'll hold IAH as soon as there's a bid.

3. No seat lock.

4. More variety. IAH 757 domestic flying is MCO, LAX, LAS, and very little else. What few 767 trips there are in IAH are ridiculously senior.

'B' reserve on the 756 would pay 76 hours a month... but is non-commutable from DFW. 'A' reserve pays a 72-hour guarantee, but scheduling can convert your days to short-call, thus root-jacking you out of your commutability.

To make the same money you'd make sitting B reserve on the 756, you'd need to fly about 85 hours a month on the 737, about 50% on the 800s and 900s. The average line is about 85 hours, so it's break-even $ wise, but if you factor in per diem, and the ability to pick up stuff, you'd come out slightly ahead on the 737... plus you're not scheduling's butt-puppet.

I'm actually thinking of bidding the 756 since reserves don't fly a whole lot, but then I live 20 minutes from IAH. There's no way I'd do it if I commuted.

 

[pianoman]

You asked about the 777- I wouldn't recommend it for your situation. They are only awarding EWR slots, so that'd mean you commute to EWR to sit at the pad and never get used.

If you're a local it's a great deal, sweet plane and some interesting trips provided you can sleep in the bunk.

 

[ATRedneck]

You asked about the 777- I wouldn't recommend it for your situation.

I forgot to mention... IAH 777 FO goes more senior than IAH 737 CA.

I.e., it'd take 5 or 6 years to get to IAH on the 777, or a two-year wait to downsize airplanes.

 

[acbarney]

756 EWR is commutable if you have a line. lots of IRO from what i hear.

Junior IRO trips will dissappear in 68 days and counting.

On July 1, IRO 757 pays more than flying.

 

[Palomino]

Junior IRO trips will dissappear in 68 days and counting.

On July 1, IRO 757 pays more than flying.

great point. the only 'snapback' provision that the wizards built into the contract.

isn't it fun to watch our profitability go into others' pockets instead of the people who took the biggest hit? every concession should've had 'snapback' provisions. keep your profit sharing and stock. get my rate back that affects my entire compensation package. i digress.

nonetheless...say it with me...IAH 737 FO, IAH 737 FO, IAH 737 FO. large variety of trips. -800/-900 premium pay with more -800/-900s coming every month. definitely the most flexible seat position for a commuter. only reason to bid 757/767/777 as a junior person is if you live in base. otherwise, it robs you of at 2-3 days off every month. and we all know how valuable each day off is to a commuter.

good luck.

 

[whymeworry?]

I am on the 756 but wish I went with the 73. Sure the guppy is less pay but the trips are way more productive and the movement is swift so the pay argument is a wash. Buddies of mine are planning on bidding B777 on the next bid for the pay... but they will more than likely be commuting to rsv. I would never commute to rsv if given the choice.

 

[da90drivr]

What if you happen to live within an hour +/- drive of EWR?

 

[acbarney]

great point. the only 'snapback' provision that the wizards built into the contract.

isn't it fun to watch our profitability go into others' pockets instead of the people who took the biggest hit? every concession should've had 'snapback' provisions. keep your profit sharing and stock. get my rate back that affects my entire compensation package. i digress.

nonetheless...say it with me...IAH 737 FO, IAH 737 FO, IAH 737 FO. large variety of trips. -800/-900 premium pay with more -800/-900s coming every month. definitely the most flexible seat position for a commuter. only reason to bid 757/767/777 as a junior person is if you live in base. otherwise, it robs you of at 2-3 days off every month. and we all know how valuable each day off is to a commuter.

good luck.

I agree with all of that. I live within 2 hours of EWR and I think the 75/6 EWR flying is the most varied and best available in the system, however because of things like 50% pay (now 75%) for DH and the lack of any meaningful rigs (like 5 hour min day), the days off are hard to come by. Because I live in base, a 12 day (13 for May, whoppiie doo) off line is livable because I'm home most working nights. I can bid B reserve in the winter months for a month off at home if I want (if I bid B I'm usually #1 or #2, your mileage may vary depending on seniority). A reserve on the 756 in EWR works almost every day.

From what I've heard 737 EWR is uncommutable, while 737 IAH is livable if you need to commute. The best advice I can give anyone starting out is, move to your base. I've done both for several different companies, and by far, living within a 2 hour drive of your domicile makes this the best part time job you will ever have. I know all of the stories of closed bases, I've lived through a few, but still it makes life 100% better to drive to work.

 

[Skywriter70]

Thank you all. I will consider staying in B737, switching to IAH from initial hire Domicile of EWR, and bid every DFW overnight. Hours, days off, home, money, no seat lock, line holder, etc.... Thanks again all, see ya on the line...

 

[ACWild]

What if you happen to live within an hour +/- drive of EWR?

That's my situation as I live 50 minutes from the airport. I bid the 777 because it's less work for more pay. It seemed like a no-brainer until the last two months (in the 737). Now I'm getting my first choice in lines and am home every day. Had I known that I would get lines like this, I wouldn't have bid the 777.

Of course, it's still hard to complain about working less and getting paid more.:beer: