examples of schedule

[cforst513]

hi everyone. i wanted to ask a question about scheduling. i am looking for typical examples of schedules from ALL areas of aviation: flying for majors, regionals, fractionals, corporate, and freight (both the big dogs and smaller operations). I know everything is typically seniority-related, but can you give me average examples of scheduling that you've experienced in the past? i'm looking for days on and off (like 4 on, 3 off, 5 on, etc.). I'm not looking for totals of days on and off, i'm looking for specific examples. i am trying to get a feel about which avenue of aviation I want to pursue. Thanks!

 

[Geronimo4497]

I have a 6 on 4 off schedule flying for a FRAX company. Today is my 6th day and I am home. )

 

[PCL_128]

Here's my schedule for this month (3rd yr CRJ FO at PCL):

2 off
4 on
6 off
5 on
7 off
4 on
3 off

 

[typhoonpilot]

Here are some that I have had:


Regional airline in the late 80s: 5 on, 2 off

Major Airline in the early 90s: Reserve for 1 year and 8 months. Guaranteed 10 days off per month with one inviolable 4 day off block. Four day trips paid 28 hours, 3 of those and you were done for the month.

Corporate Bandit Captain: 5 on, 2 off with workday starting at 0530 and ending at 1900. Big break in between but still, come Friday I was tired puppy.

Charter (121 Supplemental) DC-9: 5 on, 5 off

Charter ( 121 Supplemental) MD-87: 5 on, 10 off

Foreign Airline Domestic: 24 days of work per month, the money was good and the workday usually no more than 8 hours, home most nights. Mostly single days off, occasionally 2 in a row, woo hoo.

Major Airline in the late 90s/early 00s: 12 to 14 days off per month with mostly 2, 3, and 4 day trips followed by 1 to 4 days off with 2 or 3 being the norm.

Presently, Major International Airline ( non-U.S. based ):

Rotating bid schedule based on a 5 month rotation. You are in one of 5 bid groups so that every 5th month you are bidding number 1 regardless of company seniority. Almost all long haul international with occasional day trips around the Middle East/Sub-Continent. Somewhere between 10 and 15 days off in a month. Trips lengths from 1 to 11 days. Lots of middle of the night, backside of the clock flying. Pretty easy to get a group of 5 to 7 days off in a row most months, otherwise it is 2 or 3. 42 days of vacation in a year starting at year 1.

TP

 

[imacdog]

Piston cargo: weekends and major holidays off, usually one day off during the week and sometimes one day on reserve.

135 seasonal float charter - days off

 

[labbats]

Night freight - Weekdays were 4-5 hours of flying with 12 hour duty day. We were given weekends off.

Regional first year- 6 on
3 off
6 on
3 off
6 on
3 off
2 on
2 off

 

[mynameisjim]

Here's my June schedule as a ground instructor for a major:

5 on
1 off
12 on
2 off
5 on
2 off
5 on

Anyone want a job?

 

[CapnVegetto]

135 charter right now:

On call 24/7, 4 hard days (in a row) per month off.

Realistically,

Home every night
Callouts almost always happen the afternoon before. (In the near 5 months I've been here, I've gotten the "be at the airport ASAP" twice)

I just finished working 12 straight days (but had 7 days of nothing before that), and now I've got at least 5 straight days of nothing, (if nothing pops up for the weekend, it'll be 8) until my next scheduled trip.

On call usually bothers people, most HATE it, but I don't mind this type of on call at all. As long as I'm not abused I'm OK. The 12 straight days on was an anomaly....(2 captains gone to Simuflite and one on vacation, and then all our owners all decided they needed to fly at once, now this week, everybody's back, and we're dead. Go figure.)

 

[Flying Illini]

hahaha, you said "schedule."

is "on call" descriptive enough?

But they are flexible with giving you days off that you need. But no last minute requests.
I've got the next 6 days off for my wedding, then another 12 off for my honeymoon.

 

[ILS8L]

4 on 3 off

Day 1 ATL-MLB 1010-1140
MLB-ATL 1235-1405
ATL-TUL 1600-1659
TUL-ATL 1735-2030
ATL-VPS 2135-2138
D-END: 2153L (NR 900) REPT: 0847L

Day 2 VPS-ATL 0932-1136
ATL-PWM1450-1724
PWM-ATL1759-2049
ATL-GPT 2141-2201
D-END: 2216L (NR 900) REPT: 1722L

Day 3 GPT-ATL1807-2027
ATL-OMA2114-2242
D-END: 2257L (NR 900) REPT: 1856L

Day 4 OMA-ATL1941-2257 /0216
repeat each week (4 trips this month)

 

[CapnVegetto]

hahaha, you said "schedule."

is "on call" descriptive enough?

But they are flexible with giving you days off that you need. But no last minute requests.
I've got the next 6 days off for my wedding, then another 12 off for my honeymoon.

Yeah, my company is very good about that. If I need a day off, I just tell scheduling, and they won't work me unless they're absolutely f--ked, which doesn't happen much b/c we actually have enough pilots for the aircraft.

I also get 2 weeks paid vacation per year, plus sick leave.

 

[FN FAL]

hi everyone. i wanted to ask a question about scheduling. i am looking for typical examples of schedules...

...i'm looking for days on and off...I'm not looking for totals of days on and off, i'm looking for specific examples. i am trying to get a feel about which avenue of aviation I want to pursue. Thanks!

Meanwhile, back at Gotham city, a string of mysterious burglarys are being reported.

 

[EatSleepFly]

135 On-demand/single pilot Freight

Schedule? Ha. Lets see...

Sundays off, and supposedly only on call two Saturdays a month. They won't normally page us out late on Saturday afternoons/evenings. Two of us go on call at 2100 Sunday nights one Sunday a month, on a rotating basis...everyone else on at midnight.

When will the pager go off? Anytime...literally. When it does, we've got 45 minutes to be in the air if it's during the day, an hour if it's in the middle of the night. Planning and filing is all done by the dispatchers, we just show up, check the weather/FBO locations, preflight, and go.

There is no typical trip or duty day. I've had short duty days of only 7 hours, and I've had some that were almost 18 (yes, unfortunately, it's legal...tail-end fairy crap). Not too many RON's, though I have a hunch that might change when (if?) the new 135 re-write takes place. I will say that we do some pretty long trips. I've done several 4-5 hour legs this month.

If we're still good on duty/flight time, they'll hold us wherever we dropped freight and try to bid us out on another trip. If they do, we get extra pay. Sometimes they give us the option of staying, or coming home...not always.

Overall advantages:
Home almost every day/night (not really important to me, but is to some). Good experience (multi/turbine PIC, single pilot), good company, good pay/benefits. Great pilot group. Don't have any other duties with the company besides go in, fly, and go home. Great maintenance, very safe, well-equipped aircraft.

Disadvantages:
Can't really go beyond 20 min. from the airport. Nothing to look forward to, in terms of time off. Having a whopping one day (Sunday) off a week kinda sucks because you can't really go too far out of town to get away. Can't really drink a beer except on Saturday nights, Sunday afternoons, and after trips (you know, at 8am when you get home ).

Overall opinion: I like it, but don't want to stay here forever, that's for sure. It definitely isn't for everyone. You have to be a good at single-pilot flying, be able to work any hours, and be a hard worker, or I think it would break you.

 

[Flying Illini]

Meanwhile, back at Gotham city, a string of mysterious burglarys are being reported.

Hilarious!

police chief: "It's almost as if this perpetrator knew the schedules of these individuals..."

But since we're all pilots, he's not making out too well

 

[HMR]

Which would you prefer?

When I flew charter: On call 24/7. No scheduled days off, ever. It didn't matter if it was your wedding day, you were on call. Wasn't uncommon to fly 28 days/month. I remember when the Feds came by and looked at our duty books and realized we had violated 135.269(d) (req'd days off per quarter). Our CP took them out to lunch and the issue was "resolved", though our schedule stayed the same. Most of our trips were pop-ups from other operators who had a mechanical or schedule problem. I was an expert at driving a stick-shift through city traffic while putting on my uniform and filing flight plans on my cell phone. Two things made it worthwhile- 1) I was flying an airplane. 2) I worked with some great guys.

Now I fly PT.91: Avg. 2 trips/month, 1-2 RON's/month, schedule is known 2-3 months in advance. Pay has tripled from the above mentioned PT135 gig. Just had a meeting this morning with the boss to review our "20 year plan".

 

[Cardinal]

Squawk 7500, this is a hijacking.

ATL-PWM1450-1724
PWM-ATL1759-2049

ATL-PWM in a CRJ, I think I'm gonna cry. Delta used to have MD-88s going from PWM to two hubs during most banks. Sigh. PWM had mainline service from CO, UA, DL, and US. Now it's down to a smattering from DL and NW - but they built a half dozen gates to park all the RJs!

Hijack complete, go about your business.

Returning to the topic, this is the story at a little regional:

3 on
4 off
5 on
2 off
5 on
2 off
3 on
4 off
4 on

Every weekend off except for Sunday evenings. Standups/highspeeds/illegals/nap/CDOs. Every day at home, about 10 hours of duty during the day. Dead, stupid, retardedly tired. This is the best of the CDO lines, in general they go very junior, and make up about 12% of the lines in this base. Probably take another year or two to hold weekends off with a regular line.

 

[PCL_128]

Squawk 7700, this is a hijacking.

Well, you might want to squawk 7500 then.

 

[FN FAL]

Hilarious!

police chief: "It's almost as if this perpetrator knew the schedules of these individuals..."

But since we're all pilots, he's not making out too well

Hahaha! Whoo boy...what the hell would the burglar do with all those Ramen noodles and hotel towels and shampoos?

 

[SkyBoy1981]

Part 91 corporate really varies. I only had 10 days a month off average with the company I used to work for, then I've got friends that have 91 jobs and only work 2 or 3 times a month. There isn't really a standard for that type of flying.

 

[MD11Drvr]

Well in the Non-Sched world typical is what you're doing today. Things can vary wildly. This month I have toting rubber dog s**t from Taiwan to the states, left the house on the 30th and will get home the 19th. I would'nt have any other way. We are home based with regard to no crash pads and they but us a ticket to wherever they need us. A hotel waiting on you when you get there. Most months its 2 weeks+/- on then off 2 weeks+/-. The one thing for sure its feast or famine so I bust a** when the work is out there.......