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

[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.