7 on 7 off...

[AJL5236]

Looking for some feedback on the 7 on 7 off schedule or similar schedules for the fractionals. Do most of the pilots like it, dread it, tolerate it etc. How is the QOL, family life etc. Thank you for the info.

 

[On Your Six]

Looking for some feedback on the 7 on 7 off schedule or similar schedules for the fractionals. Do most of the pilots like it, dread it, tolerate it etc. How is the QOL, family life etc. Thank you for the info.

I've heard good and bad things about that schedule from NJA friends. Although imagine if you take one week off during a particular month - you could conceivably have 3 weeks off in a row... Not bad. I've heard that after 7 days at home, you are ready to fly again and vice versa - you're pretty beat up after 7 days on the road.

Keep in mind that at NJA, the fleet you are on can determine how hard you work during those 7 days. The X and Excel fleets work pretty hard (because those fleets are the most popular with owners and have the most aircraft) while the Beechjet and Hawker fleets evidently work less hard.

 

[brewerdog]

at avantair, we have a 7.5/6.5 (which is really a 8/6) and I love it

we are (they say) working toward a real 7/7

it is enough time to be able to go somewhere and still be home long enough to get stuff done around the house

my wife and kid sometimes don't love it as much as I do, usually around the 5th day the stress at home rises and . . .

 

[USC***]

Most other pilots I talk to love it. I like it too, but it's not good with a family. My wife starts going nuts with our little ones on about day 5 away. Luckily I can relieve her when I get home for 7 days, but it's still tough on her.

 

[Guitar Guy]

I just started the 7/7 schedule at the beginning of Jan. I'd previously been on the 17-day schedule. So far, it's been a good schedule. On the 17-day schedule, most of my tours were either 5 or 6 days long, so going out for 7 days was that drastic of a change. And it sure is nice to be home for a full week. I can imagine that it would be a fairly tough schedule for pilots with families but my wife and I don't have children, so she's been able to adapt fairly easily.

Interestingly, my first-ever 7-day tour ended up being an 8-day tour because the company couldn't return me by midnight on my 7th day. It's nice to get a big payment for that sort of situation.

 

[HiSpeedFlyer]

7 days away sucks.... 7 days away from work rocks!

My solution? I got a pair of Webcams so My little one can see daddy even though he is away on the airplane.

It is a much better life than the 17 day schedule I have had previously, and with a little adjusting my wife will like it too, she sees that it is truly better being home a seven straight days.

 

[ghostrider64]

Dread and tolerate and now enjoying my first of 3, 21 day vacations Say good bye to cold weather ops

 

[Nightmare67]

Going out for 7 days SUCKS!

But, one week of vacation in march, and I only work 7 days!!! Sweet.

 

[Chewbacca]

Messed up post, sorry...

 

[Chewbacca]

7 days away sucks.... 7 days away from work rocks!

My solution? I got a pair of Webcams so My little one can see daddy even though he is away on the airplane.

I love the 7/7. Webcam is awesome too, I use it with my 2 kids, makes you feel at home.

7/7 is nice as well, becuase you know your sched. for the whole year, not worrying about bidding every month.

 

[Gina]

de ice?

Co. recurrent, 7 off, 7 "on" babysitting broken plane, 21 off, 7 on, 21 off, then sim. My winter ops have been minimal this year too. I like it. Every minute of it has been earned though.

 

[gkrangers]

How do you bridge the gap and get 21 days off?

 

[Guitar Guy]

How do you bridge the gap and get 21 days off?

According to our contract, if you are on the 7/7 schedule, you shall have no less than 21 days duty-free for each week of vacation. There's a small exception if someone is switching day-of-week start on the 7/7, but for the most part, one week of vacation means 21 days off if you're on the 7/7.

Not too shabby.

 

[be-400xpdriver]

My wife is not to fond of the 7/7.

she can only stand me for about 5 days and then bugs me about getting some extended days and leaving early. I guess she really hates being away from the boyfriend for 7 days.

 

[av8orboy]

We are 6/4 and I wish we were 7/7.

 

[cush]

7/7 means way less airline travel in any given year. (Two tours a month versus 4.) Airlining is my least favorite part of this job. Plus, you can plan your life very far in advance because as per our new contract the lines don't change. Vacations (21 days) are what it's all about though.:beer:

 

[FL510GV]

7/7... sweet!

I just got 7/7 thanks to the NJA guys. (THANKS)

Was on 6/5. 7 days gone vs 6 is hardly noticed, but the 7 days home is great. I have a lot of little ones at home and the regular sched. is much better. I get every other weekend off and I leave and return on the same day every other week. Much more stable than the 6/5, which "marched" through the month and was hard to schedule home life around. The webcam idea is a great one, I'll have to try that.

Plus, 7/7 is (technically) a pay raise and the vacation (21 days off) is a wonderful thing. 365-42(2wks-vacation)=323/2=161.5 days of work a year. Compare that with a 5 day a week 9-5 job (~250 days +/-). Not bad for a "full time" job.

Compared to my airline buddies, I work either 14 or 16 days in a month and they are working between 18 and 21 days with no more than one block of 5 days off (AS). My QOL is much higher; I work less and my schedule is much more stable.

 

[Nixon]

365-42(2wks-vacation)=323/2=161.5 days of work a year.

I think you've got a little problem with your math there. 365/2=182.5 days of work per year without vacation. 182.5-14=168.5 days of work with 2 weeks vacation.

It still compares quite nicely to the 365*5/7=261, 261-10=251 days of work per year for a M-F guy with 2 weeks.

 

[gunfyter]

What does it cost?

6on/5off

There are 33 tours per year. 198 work days. Minus 10 days vacation = 188 days.... in 31 tours

7/7

there are 26 tours per year, 182 work days minus 14 days vacation is 168 days... in 24 tours.

The first and last day of a tour is often mostly crew movement. If we subtract these days we get THE PRODUCTIVE DAYS.

188-62= 126 Productive days for the 6/5.

168-48=120 productive days... for the 7/7. Additionally 28 fewer airline tickets!

 

[FL510GV]

Bad Math

Public math is fun, isn't it?

What's 7 kts, er..days, among friends, eh?