This is a post I made a few months ago on another web board. It was primarily aimed at days off in a particular month, but it does have some of the info you seek.
In a purely unscientific look at the March Rosters here is what I see for some of my friends who are line pilots on the B777:
Friend number 1 - 13 days off plus 11 days vacation. Five days off prior to vacation and 1 day off after for a total of 17 in a row. Flying a Europe trip and a JFK trip plus start another Europe trip on the 31st.
Friend number 2 - 12 days off, 2 days reserve, rest are trips and recurrent
Friend number 3 - 9 days off, 1 rest day, 6 days vacation. Three days off before vacation, 4 days off after for a total of 13 in a row. Fourteen if you add the rest day at the end of the days off.
Friend number 4 - 14 days off, 10 in a row.
Friend number 5 - 13 days off, 9 in a row.
Friend number 6 - 13 days off, 11 days vacation. Seven days off before vacation, 3 days off after for a total of 21 in a row. One JFK, One IAH trip.
Friend number 7 - 14 days off, 7 in a row.
Airbus 330/340
Friend number 1 - 14 days off, 5 in a row. 2 Beijings, 2 Zurichs, 1 day turn, 1 night turn, 1 Available Day.
Friend number 2 - 14 days off. 5 in a row, 4 in a row, 3 in a row. Four Europe trips, 1 Asia trip.
Friend number 3 - 7 days off, 8 days vacation. Two days off before and after vacation.
There are currently two pairings on the B777 that are 9 days long. Both go to Australia. The DXB-BKK-SYD-AKL-SYD-BKK-DXB and the DXB-SIN-BNE-AKL-BNE-SIN-DXB. THe first one has 48 hours is BKK the first time through and 24 on the way back. You stay in SYD for 3 nights with an AKL turn on one of the days. The second one stays in SIN for 24 hours going and coming. You stay in BNE for 4 days with an AKL turn on one of the days.
The Airbus 340 has a 6 day trip that goes to MEL and then Christchurch with an overnight in Christchurch.
The majority of trips are 2 to 4 days in duration as well as quite a bit of night flying that are turns to the Sub-Continent. Nasty flying and very fatigueing.
One must realize that Emirates operates around the clock and one of the biggest departure periods is at 0200 to 0330. International flying entails a lot of sleepless nights. It can be managed, but sometimes it sucks. Personnaly I don't mind the 0330 departures as I can usually get a good 3 to 4 hours sleep before pick-up. A seven-nine hour flight and then an afternoon nap is all I need to recover. Remembering too, that we can rest on the flight deck.
What do you do where you live now? Dubai has pretty much eveything in terms of outdoor and indoor activites that the USA has. Just no greenery.
It's not true that you have to leave Dubai for any length of time. As a resident with a Visa you can stay as long as the Visa is valid.
Typhoonpilot
