Best way to describe "reserve" to non-aviation friends/family

[cargoflyr69]

Hi, Honest question here for some of you professional reserve pilots...

Last fall I got hired by a legacy major and I live in base. Even though I could hold a block schedule, I'm choosing to bid reserve because I only get called a couple times a month. in 2008 I've probably only flown about 200 hours!!! Sure I could make more money with a block, but this is the best QOL that I've known in the past decade I've been flying 121. I'm fine with living on guarantee, and I hope to be a professional reservist for a while. I'm getting to do all the hobbies and fun things that I've been putting off while chasing my dream job.

So herein lies my dilemma... Many of my non-aviation friends and even my family who have been with me my whole aviation career are growing extremely jealous and resentful that I am getting paid good money to "sit on my arse and goof off all day."

Last night I even got into a major argument with my brother about how he busts his butt M-F at his office, often staying late to meet deadlines, etc. only to see me being "CEO of the sofa all day long." At least thats what he refers it as. He says its just not fair.

I've been having trouble trying to explain and justify what reserve means to my friends. I know you guys all know what its about, How do you deal with your friends and family that resent your "easy street" lifestyle?

The best analogy I can think of is saying that every airline needs reserves like every city needs a fire department. Much of the time both a pilot and firefighter sit around waiting for a call. Everyone knows what a firefigter does. I say that a reserve pilot is similar in the respect that when there is bad weather, diversions, sick calls, ect that us reserve guys go fix the problem by being extra staffing. I then add that we are like an insurance policy for the airline to keep an ontime schedule and completion factor high... eveyone hates paying the premiums, but when something happens you are sure glad you have it.

Well, thats about all I can think of for a good way to explain my "laziness" how have you guys positively dealt with this topic in the past?

 

[Flyby1206]

The best analogy I can think of is saying that every airline needs reserves like every city needs a fire department. Much of the time both a pilot and firefighter sit around waiting for a call. Everyone knows what a firefigter does. I say that a reserve pilot is similar in the respect that when there is bad weather, diversions, sick calls, ect that us reserve guys go fix the problem by being extra staffing. I then add that we are like an insurance policy for the airline to keep an ontime schedule and completion factor high... eveyone hates paying the premiums, but when something happens you are sure glad you have it.

Sounds like you have summed it up pretty well there. You are flying for a good company that is well staffed, and if the staffing levels dropped your QOL would drop as well. I know many of our reserve pilots block 70-80hrs/mo and that doesnt include the deadheading or shifts sitting airport standby 8hrs at a time. Tell your friends that you do have a great QOL now, but you have put in your time and spent years flying crappy schedules in order to make it to the point you are at today. Congrats and enjoy!

 

[mozzer]

Tell 'em like it is, you're a lazy mofo

 

[STL717]

The best part of reserve is you never have to set the alarm clock.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Everybody chooses his own lot in life. Your brother sounds like a real tool if he can not be happy with your few remaining benefits of aviation life.

 

[C-150ETOPS]

Tell your brother that any person with a normal IQ can finish their tasks in a normal business day. Most studies show that less intelligent people take longer to finish normal tasks.

Is his wife cute? Maybe one of your "CEO" airline buddies could hit on her and say you gave him her phone number.

Do it, let me know how the Jerry Springer Xmas goes :nuts:

I usually envy my friends and neighbors too. Many times I imagine how nice it would be to sleep in 2 more hours until 6:30 am.

 

[cargoflyr69]

Your brother sounds like a real tool if he can not be happy with your few remaining benefits of aviation life.

Normally he is not a tool, I'm pretty sure that jealousy got the better of him last night.

I just get frustrated when people have the idea that this reserve gig is too good to be true, and you can just tell that they think you should be doing an honest days work for an honest days pay. Reality is that I don't know how sitting reserve is not an honest way to make a living...

Yeah, we are well staffed for now, but things can an will change... I'll have to add that caveat to my explanations from now on too!

 

[cargoflyr69]

Tell 'em like it is, you're a lazy mofo

Yep, thats between you and me
otherwise adding fuel to this fire!

 

[Whine Lover]

I'll take a line with minimum days off over Reserve anyday.

To each his own, but I don't like my phone ringing at all hours of the day and night with someone on the other end telling me to jump and how high...But, I have Power and Control issues, so that's just me.

Tell your family members it's like this:

- On Reserve, I AM working. I can't go too far from home in case my phone rings and they need me.

- I can't make plans for events with any certainty, because I don't know if I will get called that day or the night before to go run around the country.

- I can't pull the front end outta' the truck and work on it, like you might on a real day off, because they could call me at anytime and I'd have no way to get there.

- Hell, I can't even go to a good movie, or out to dinner, with any degree of comfort, because I am on call.

- I offer my services on these reserve days, and adjust my lifestyle to acommadate them...That is work.

- If It appears that I am doing nothing, it is only because they don't have something, but at anytime they could have anything, for me to do.

- Is a day off really a day off....If you don't know it's a day off until its over?

Then, just proceed to get violently inebriated ( provided you are not on Reserve ) and start a huge Family argument complete with throwing food and hurling insults you can never rescind.

That outta' shut em' up.

Love,

YKMKR

P.S. - One of my favorite lines: " I have worked very hard to be this lazy. You could have too. Why didn't you? "

 

[skiandsurf]

Stop trying to explain it. Instead go across town and find a hot girlfriend, and then tell your wife and friends that you are now a line holder and are stuck doing 5 day trips and working all weekends.

 

[labbats]

Tell them you don't have time to talk about it. You're too busy working.

 

[charlie2]

How do you like the E-190 at PHL?

 

[acbarney]

My uncle bought me two baseball hats. One says "working" the other says "not working".

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Just one more benefit to living in baseimp:

 

[AWACoff]

Tell your brother that he can have the exact same easy street life you have. All he has to do is pony up $60,000, lose 10 years of his life pursuing that major airline gig (without the guarantee of achieving it), spend over half the month away from his family while working towards that goal, and live on poverty scale wages while all of his friends are making good money and buying houses, cars, etc.

Then tell him to stop being such a lazy POS himself. If he got up off his a$$ and jumped through all the hoops you did, he could be CEO of the Sofa too!

 

[labbats]

I prefer Sofa King.

Well, we did.

Todd did too.

I'm sofa king. We Todd did.

 

[clippyrip]

Tell your brother that he can have the exact same easy street life you have. All he has to do is pony up $60,000, lose 10 years of his life pursuing that major airline gig (without the guarantee of achieving it), spend over half the month away from his family while working towards that goal, and live on poverty scale wages while all of his friends are making good money and buying houses, cars, etc.

Then tell him to stop being such a lazy POS himself. If he got up off his a$$ and jumped through all the hoops you did, he could be CEO of the Sofa too!

Exactly, it is a major sacrifice(lifestyle and monetarily) with no assurance you'll ever get the dream. Even if you do get it, it probably won't last your entire career and then the dream just became a nightmare.

 

[clippyrip]

Hi, Honest question here for some of you professional reserve pilots...

By the way, if that picture is actually you....I love you.

 

[relief tube]

this isn't a dilema like you mentioned. I tell them in staffing gets tight and people get sick you end up working more than anyone else. and tell your brother to quit with the envy crap.

 

[cargoflyr69]

By the way, if that picture is actually you....I love you.

Nope, just my girl

 

[Phrogs4ever]

I prefer Sofa King.

Well, we did.

Todd did too.

I'm sofa king. We Todd did.

Pretty funny after two rum and cokes!

 

[Capt10Matt]

I always just say I'm "on-call" since no one understands "on reserve" and have to be within x amount of hours from the airport...just makes an explanation short & sweet...

 

[SkiFishFly]

Nope, just my girl

Lucky...

 

[bugchaser]

Bitch

 

[NuGuy]

Heyas,

My $0.02 after 20 years of trying to "explain" aviation/airlines to people:

Just don't. Let them believe anything they want to believe.

Don't try to tell them about all the years working scutt jobs making less-than-welfare wages living in crack houses next to the airport. Don't bother to explain furloughs or pay cuts or bidding or any of ther other details.

They won't understand and they won't care. All they know is they see you sitting on your tail while they trundle off to sit in traffic on the way to/from another 10 hour day at the rabbit hutch.

Your bud says "all you do is sit around, while real people with real jobs have to bust their butts".

You: "Yep. I'm livin' the dream. Sucks to be you/them." Eventually, they'll get so pissed off, they'll stop bothering you about it.

Nu

 

[tired]

Cargoflyer,

Good for you and enjoy whhile you got it, I've been there and done that...

As for honest day work for pay...it's all cool as long as you stay current enough to handle the $hit when it hits the fan. I've dodged work for 3 weeks at a time and then went to work just too damn rusty... never again, I am a professional I owe it to my pax, fellow crew, and family

Cheers

 

[FO 4 Life]

Just tell them you're like an insurance policy. You always pay it but rarely use it. Or you could start growing a beard like the guys in my crash pad so we can tell who's been sitting the longest without working. Maybe they won't think you're a pilot anymore just unemployed.

 

[flyguy75000]

Hey man.......put it into something they can understand.

You're like a relief pitcher, and instead of hanging out in the bullpen.....Gardenhire lets you sit at home and calls you when he needs you to come in and pitch.

And by the way...its because the White Sox are lighting up your starter. :uzi: Seriously though, I think the piranhas have been taking HGH. They need to be tested, they are about to take first place from my boys.


Whats else is up man? Ever see your boy Smiling Paul out and about? Sounds like the couch has been treating you well............Don't worry about your brother, mine is a little biotch too when it comes to being jealous that I work 3 hours a month (in his mind I guess.)

I just tell him he could have been anything he wanted to be, and he shouldn't have smoked so much dope in high school and college, and he might want to emphasize that to his kids someday..............

 

[IBNAV8R]

"I had the whole week off. But, I didn't know it until Saturday."

 

[becket]

Dear Family/loved ones.

I take it in the azz.

thanks for your understanding.

MCDU

 

[BigMeat]

Tell your brother that he can have the exact same easy street life you have. All he has to do is pony up $60,000, lose 10 years of his life pursuing that major airline gig (without the guarantee of achieving it), spend over half the month away from his family while working towards that goal, and live on poverty scale wages while all of his friends are making good money and buying houses, cars, etc.

Then tell him to stop being such a lazy POS himself. If he got up off his a$$ and jumped through all the hoops you did, he could be CEO of the Sofa too!

You can do as my friend AWACoff stated above or you can do what I do. The reserve situation doesnt bother my brother because he is also a pilot. My parents on the other hand cannot fully comprehend sitting at home for a whole month and not working while getting paid. My mother was worried the other day that they were going to "fire" me for not working enough lol. Yes they do get cute in their old age.

It seems to bother my friends the most. Instead of trying to make them understand that this is a needed evil in this business I gloat. I do take the time to explain that the reason that I am better than them on Xbox, motorcycle riding, fishing, counting my chest hairs is because I rarely work. As a matter of fact I love calling them ten minutes before their alarm clocks go off to wish them a good day at work. I wish I was joking. Some of them actaully thought that they too could become pilots. Can you believe they audacity of such a stupid idea.