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Comair Lines
- Thread starter RichO
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I can't say this is typical, but here's mine. I'm a junior captain, just off reserve. This is a pure line. By that, I mean it has none of the following...vacation time, government leave (GL), training or anything else.
4-day trip 1-4 June
9 days off
4-day trip 14-17 June
3 days off
4-day trip 21-24 June
3 days off
4-day trip 28 June - 1 July
Line credit: 82:26
TAFB: 310 hours
Reserve has been eratic. In October and November, I flew a lot. I had to get my 100 hours in and the company wanted me (and new captains in the same period) to be off high mins for the winter. I flew about 55 hours in December, 21 in January, 76 in February (had vacation and a line), 14 in March, four in April and 21 thus far this month.
All reserves bid on their reserve window and can bid to fly. Bid to fly means some rules are relaxed for the company (FARs are not!) and the pilot expects more flying time. The problem is most reserve pilots bid to fly, thus making everyone equal. I do not bid to fly. As such, they're scraping the bottom when they get to me and need someone to fly.
I hope this answers your questions. Fly safe!
4-day trip 1-4 June
9 days off
4-day trip 14-17 June
3 days off
4-day trip 21-24 June
3 days off
4-day trip 28 June - 1 July
Line credit: 82:26
TAFB: 310 hours
Reserve has been eratic. In October and November, I flew a lot. I had to get my 100 hours in and the company wanted me (and new captains in the same period) to be off high mins for the winter. I flew about 55 hours in December, 21 in January, 76 in February (had vacation and a line), 14 in March, four in April and 21 thus far this month.
All reserves bid on their reserve window and can bid to fly. Bid to fly means some rules are relaxed for the company (FARs are not!) and the pilot expects more flying time. The problem is most reserve pilots bid to fly, thus making everyone equal. I do not bid to fly. As such, they're scraping the bottom when they get to me and need someone to fly.
I hope this answers your questions. Fly safe!
treetop flyer
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Anaconda
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i'm not sure what to tell you about the reserve lines. starting in july a reserve will get 11 days off a month, one group of four and one group of three "hard" (non-moving) days, and 4 "soft" (can be moved by scheduling) days. after the bids are posted you then bid for the reserve window as the poster mentioned above. these are 14-hour long (sometimes less) windows in which the company can call you out on a trip(s). the start times of these windows vary. i think there are eight windows.
when you are in your window you are subject to call out in inverse order of seniority. in other words, the most junior reserve is supposed to get called out first. i'm not sure what the poster above meant about "rules being relaxed" by bidding to fly. all that does is alter your percieved seniority so that you called out before the pilots junior to you. for example, if you are a pretty senior reserve and you want to be called out on trips as opposed to sitting at home. i would like to hear what rules are "relaxed". the contract makes no mention of that.
i'm not in cvg, but i'll share my reserve line (may) with you to give you an idea:
01 - 05: reserve
06 - 09: off
10 - 14: reserve
15: off
16 - 19: reserve
20 - 23: off
24 - 28: reserve
29: off
30 - 31: reserve
i had a couple of trips put on my line in late april for may, and i got called out once or twice. being junior i also got tagged for the max of six ready reserves at the airport. fun!
in may the most junior lineholder has been out on line since november of 2001. not really that long, and probably shorter than you thought it was. the lines went even more junior for june, but i suspect this may have to do with the number of people on vacation, tng, etc.
i suggest you do a search for comair. this as well as other topics have been covered in extreme detail.
it will be interesting to hear about the future class dates. given that the company has just offered leaves of abscence, supposedly due to the situation at bombardier, i'm not sure what the hurry would be to train even more pilots.
when you are in your window you are subject to call out in inverse order of seniority. in other words, the most junior reserve is supposed to get called out first. i'm not sure what the poster above meant about "rules being relaxed" by bidding to fly. all that does is alter your percieved seniority so that you called out before the pilots junior to you. for example, if you are a pretty senior reserve and you want to be called out on trips as opposed to sitting at home. i would like to hear what rules are "relaxed". the contract makes no mention of that.
i'm not in cvg, but i'll share my reserve line (may) with you to give you an idea:
01 - 05: reserve
06 - 09: off
10 - 14: reserve
15: off
16 - 19: reserve
20 - 23: off
24 - 28: reserve
29: off
30 - 31: reserve
i had a couple of trips put on my line in late april for may, and i got called out once or twice. being junior i also got tagged for the max of six ready reserves at the airport. fun!
in may the most junior lineholder has been out on line since november of 2001. not really that long, and probably shorter than you thought it was. the lines went even more junior for june, but i suspect this may have to do with the number of people on vacation, tng, etc.
i suggest you do a search for comair. this as well as other topics have been covered in extreme detail.
it will be interesting to hear about the future class dates. given that the company has just offered leaves of abscence, supposedly due to the situation at bombardier, i'm not sure what the hurry would be to train even more pilots.
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Relaxed Rules
Anaconda just described what I meant by relaxed rules.
Your seniority on reserve is "relaxed." You, as a bid to fly pilot" agree to be called out of seniority for a trip. If you do not bid to fly, which I don't, the company has to call junior pilots before calling you.
The problem, as I described before, is many, perhaps most, reserve pilots bid to fly. By doing so, seniority for most reserve pilots is relaxed and they gain very little by doing so. I have flown with several reserve F/Os who complain they only had 20-25 hours flying time in a given month. If everyone bids to fly, then everyone is in the same scenario.
Fly safe!
Anaconda just described what I meant by relaxed rules.
Your seniority on reserve is "relaxed." You, as a bid to fly pilot" agree to be called out of seniority for a trip. If you do not bid to fly, which I don't, the company has to call junior pilots before calling you.
The problem, as I described before, is many, perhaps most, reserve pilots bid to fly. By doing so, seniority for most reserve pilots is relaxed and they gain very little by doing so. I have flown with several reserve F/Os who complain they only had 20-25 hours flying time in a given month. If everyone bids to fly, then everyone is in the same scenario.
Fly safe!
Reserve
I would imagine that most people would want to fly, especially those who commute......What's the current trend in reserve? Is the amount of time on reserve increasing or decreasing? This time next year where do you think it will be? I understand from reading on here that it is close to a year or so at this time....
Thanks guys for all the responses.....
I would imagine that most people would want to fly, especially those who commute......What's the current trend in reserve? Is the amount of time on reserve increasing or decreasing? This time next year where do you think it will be? I understand from reading on here that it is close to a year or so at this time....
Thanks guys for all the responses.....
Not true !!!
The length of time you spend on reserve depends on how quickly new pilots are hired. I started training nov 2001, finished IOE Mar 02, reserve Apr and May, and will have a line June. So I guess I spent two months on reserve, six months with the company. Comair still plans on hiring 600+ between now and end of 2003, so if your the first in a line of hiring you will not spend that much time on reserve. I would have to disagree with the others here, the majority of pliots do not bid to fly while on reserve.
The length of time you spend on reserve depends on how quickly new pilots are hired. I started training nov 2001, finished IOE Mar 02, reserve Apr and May, and will have a line June. So I guess I spent two months on reserve, six months with the company. Comair still plans on hiring 600+ between now and end of 2003, so if your the first in a line of hiring you will not spend that much time on reserve. I would have to disagree with the others here, the majority of pliots do not bid to fly while on reserve.
Anaconda
FLY ARMY!
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yeah, i see we were seeing eye to eye on the "relaxed" thing. i thought you meant they didn't follow the contract somehow.
richo, i talked about the length of reserve above...
beware of bid to fly. sometimes you get what you ask for. you may be a hard-charging young crj pilot, but sometimes you need time off for yourself. one guy i know of was projected for 99 hours in may because he bid to fly. while this may sound cool, it really means a lot of time away from home or crashpad. if you have important things like laundry, watching tv, or eating to do, it kind of makes it hard to plan your life.
sure, hiring a bunch of new pilots can have an effect on your reserve time, but i doubt that's why you are seeing a line. last time i looked there were 204 pilots junior to me since i finished tng last nov. a lot sure, but how much attrition have we had? how many new acft have we really picked up? if you just add pilots without corresponding growth, you are still going to sit reserve for awhile.
case in point: company offered leaves of abscence for july. obviously we are fat pilots, requiring a short-term thinning of the ranks. therefore i think you are seeing a small bubble on holding a line.
keep in mind, you also have about 50 more pilots senior to you due to come up from mco, adding to the reserve time.
richo, i talked about the length of reserve above...
beware of bid to fly. sometimes you get what you ask for. you may be a hard-charging young crj pilot, but sometimes you need time off for yourself. one guy i know of was projected for 99 hours in may because he bid to fly. while this may sound cool, it really means a lot of time away from home or crashpad. if you have important things like laundry, watching tv, or eating to do, it kind of makes it hard to plan your life.
sure, hiring a bunch of new pilots can have an effect on your reserve time, but i doubt that's why you are seeing a line. last time i looked there were 204 pilots junior to me since i finished tng last nov. a lot sure, but how much attrition have we had? how many new acft have we really picked up? if you just add pilots without corresponding growth, you are still going to sit reserve for awhile.
case in point: company offered leaves of abscence for july. obviously we are fat pilots, requiring a short-term thinning of the ranks. therefore i think you are seeing a small bubble on holding a line.
keep in mind, you also have about 50 more pilots senior to you due to come up from mco, adding to the reserve time.
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Broke in CVG
Broke AGAIN in CVG!
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- 385
Guam360
spam and rice please
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Broke in CVG,
that is true but not a bad as it used to be, maybe you have no idea, since you may not have been here before the strike.
It means you only do NO MORE than 6 ready reserve and you will fly the other days you are on duty, if you do the six in the first 10 days of the month, you will only fly after that or stay home with your thumb up your butt.
It is a great reserve duty compared to pre-strike.
Plus the ready's are only 6 hours compared to 8 hours.
that is true but not a bad as it used to be, maybe you have no idea, since you may not have been here before the strike.
It means you only do NO MORE than 6 ready reserve and you will fly the other days you are on duty, if you do the six in the first 10 days of the month, you will only fly after that or stay home with your thumb up your butt.
It is a great reserve duty compared to pre-strike.
Plus the ready's are only 6 hours compared to 8 hours.
Anaconda
FLY ARMY!
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- Posts
- 594
you would think that would be the case, but after several months in a row of never breaking your guarantee but doing plently of ready reserve and unproductive trips, you come to realize that you are basically working for free. why bother going in when you can stay at home or do whatever? the pay will be the same.
the flight hours will come in due time.
as far as being new, well yeah, as a new fo you are required to get 100 hrs in 120 days, but there are provisions in the contract to ensure that happens.
the flight hours will come in due time.
as far as being new, well yeah, as a new fo you are required to get 100 hrs in 120 days, but there are provisions in the contract to ensure that happens.
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