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.