Flying that keeps you home the most?

[Hawker1]

I'm 21 and laying out the plan for my life. I'm planning on flying in the military, and then when my time is up look for a civilian flying gig. I just read the thread "would you do it all over again", and I must admit I'm a little intimidated at some the things you guys have been through. I know the title of this thread probably seems too good to be true, but I am wanting to know what flying jobs do you keep you home at night with your family? What about coroporate guys? What's the lifestyle of pilots who fly for small businesses? What are jobs that keep you flying everyday, but are home most of the time?

Does a job out there like this even exist? I want to fly, but I want to have a family and actually be there for it. Reading that thread about "would you do it all over again" has gottem to my head... Thanks in advance.

 

[amaineiac]

I was home every night when I flight instructed. There's not much money in it, so you're probably not going to want to do it as a career.

The first regional I worked for did mostly day trips and I was home every night. There are some regionals that still do it that way, but most do 3 and 4 day trips. If you're looking for max time at home, I would definitely recommend living in your base. Commuting is tough, especially when you're junior. Chances are you will have to fly into your base on your last day off to make an early show on your first day of work , and/or commute home on your first day off because you finished too late on your last day of work. With only 2 or 3 days off per week, you won't spend many nights at home.

For the last few months, I've been biding 2, 2 day trips. I'm away from home the first night, back in base (home) the second night, away the third and back home on the forth, followed by 3 days off. Sleeping in your own bed 5 nights a week isn't as good as 7 nights, but it beats the 1 or 2 nights a week at home I was getting when I was junior and commuted to a base a 1000 miles away. I'd recommend living within an 1 1/2 from your base.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gulfstreamlover]

Helicopters will normally, flying for the state police will keep you home ever night. I read an article about a guy flying traffic for the state 3 hours a day 5 days a week, home every night, it's a goverment job so the pay is probally ok. I used to do almost no over nights, maybe 1 a month, untill they bought houses in Florida, as a corporate pilot. We normally just did long days (like 6am departures, 8pm returns) 2 or 3 times a week. A company called Gor-tex flies a Westwind out of ILG and they noramlly just did (about 2 years ago) a shuttle for employees out to flagstaff in one day (10 hours of flying in one day) and you were noramlly hom by 8pm and I lived 2 hours from ILG. So they are out there you just need to flind them.

 

[SuperFLUF]

I sit reserve for a major international airline and I'm home quite a lot. (My wife says its too much )

Reserve policies vary from airline to airline (and can change with new contracts), but at mine if you're senior you don't get used that much. I have been home every night since the 8th of Jan and I haven't flown in 16days. I have been home 26 nights this month. There were several months last year when I didn't fly at all for the month. The widebody guys work even less. (usually have to go into the sim to stay current)

I can hold a hard line of flying but even the best lines wouldn't give me as much time off. 23 days without going to work for the month of Jan beats even the most senior narrow body lines.

As long as our reserve polcies don't change with any future contracts, my retirement day will be on call at the golf course. They can send the fire trucks out to the 18th hole.

If you go to a major airline that has a good reserve system you will be away more in the beginning (when you're junior) but if you choose to stay on reserve and sacrifice a few $$ you can be home quite a bit. Besides, a couple of nights away from home a month can be a good thing. It helps your family to appreciate when you are home.

 

[Gulfstreamlover]

I know a UPS guy (he's a member here aswell) who only flew 99 hours this year and still made 6 figures. Don't know how senoir he is, but that's sounds like a schedule I'd like.

 

[msw]

Home every night?

Many many years ago, I got out of scheduled airline type flying because I hated being gone from home a lot, and did not want to spend half my life sleeping in hotels. Essentially, I'm one of those few pilots that likes to fly but does not like to travel.

I'm not sure if your military goals are fixed wing or helo, but like the other guy said, most helo jobs are home every night. Smaller corporate operations flying things like King Airs are often (mostly) home at night. Law enforcement and fire pilots are mostly home every night, but those are primarily helo jobs; and you have to be committed to the primary career (law enforcement or fire). And most of these jobs will not have the pay potential of the big corporate iron jobs or the major airlines; though their pay should be comparable to top end regional airline pay.

 

[LAZYB]

Not a lot of, but...

corporate shuttles. M-F, home every night (usually), and weekends off. I flew for 2 Fortune 100 companies using shuttles.

 

[flint4xx]

If you are only 21, I would suspect your priorities are subject to change. Lay out the groundwork now for the future. If you fly in the military you will be well into your thirties before you are looking for a job. Get the education and military under your belt. You may not even want to fly for a living ten years from now. It happens.

 

[Hawker1]

flint4xx, very good point. I may not want to fly. Thanks for all of your feedback. I read in flying mag. once that Wal-Mart had guys flying the "top dogs" around 5 days a week, and were gone but only 2-3 nights a month. That's something that interests me. Thakns again for all your advice.

 

[npowless]

So what other companies operate shuttles ...that is something I have been interested in... I know that Bellsouth has one for their employees... what other companies do?

Nathan

 

[Gulfstream 200]

my take...(for whatever its worth..)

having done both the day trips and longer hauls for corp/charter outfits, I can tell you that you have more quality of life doing the longer trips - FOR A GOOD COMPANY. (thats the key)

Day trips of 12 hours of duty - plus driving - leaves you nothing but exhausted when you get home, only to be stressed b/c you have to do it again the next day, and the next...etc..

Now, do a 6-7 day Intl trip, come home - be left alone for a week or so...MUCH BETTER. My kids and wife also agree. It simply adds up to more quality time. Now, there are some outfits that will run you 28 days a month if they could - thats not what Im talking about. BUT, the longer Intl trips are always more scheduled, less likely to "pop up", and are easier to plan your life around. Not to mention that Intl trips are done in nicer equipment (usually) and Intl accomodations beat any Marriott Courtyard dump you may shack up in for 9 hrs in the states!

Flying day runs for execs might sound good now, but its a long, tiring day sitting and some Arkansas FBO or something like that....only to land back home at 4-5 pm (boss wants to see his family) BUT you have to put the thing away and do the paperwork, sit in traffic, then get home as the kids are going to bed, and then get up 0430 to do it again the next day....it $ucks.

Personally, I get very bored flying around the US. No flying job pays a tremendous amount of money- so I figure might as well get some satisfaction out of it..go challenging places, see the sights, check out the babes, etc....then get home...

So, I guess I am saying that dont shun the longer leg flying, the quality of life issue may not be what you think it is....

Good Luck.

 

[fatburger]

Intel, AOL and LimitedBrands have corporate shuttles that I know of.

I think there are a few more.

 

[SkyWestCRJPilot]

When I started off I wanted to fly corporate because of schedules I've read on this thread about being home a lot. I started off flight instructing and once I hit 1200 hours instead of applying for a regional like others with my time I started flying freight. I knew I had to network to get connected with people in the corporate business world. In the mean time I flew the freight and tried to make connections. After 16 months of flying freight my first flight instructor told me to apply to his regional. I kept telling him no, I wanted to go corporate for better schedules. I had since learned that there were some corporate jobs where you were home a lot and others where you were gone all of the time. And getting a corporate job seemed a lot like who you knew and not so much based on merit (flight experirence). When my former flight instructor told me his schedule of flying two day trips back to back and being gone only two nights a week I was shocked. That was great compared to my freight schedule where I was working 5 days a week, on duty for 15 hours each day. I was home at night but I was only sleeping and not getting much of that. Sure I had weekends and bank holidays off but I was gone all of the time. I also realized the regionals, unlike the corporate world, hired much more on merit, not so much on networking. I had more than enough hours and I applied and soon they were all calling me for interviews (this was in 2000).

I've since learned that airline flying is the best lifestyle for me. I love to fly but I hate hotels. Fortunately with some seniority you can bid schedules that allow you to be home a lot. That may mean sitting reserve instead of bidding a high paying 4-day trip line where you're gone all of the time. It may mean moving your family to a junior domicile to be home and not commuting. It may mean delaying upgrade or transitioning to the fancier airplane. At an airline you have that option to bid what you want. That freedom to pick your schedule is great. Last month I flew local trips where I was home every night. This month I'm doing standups where I'm gone 3 or 4 nights a week but home every day during the day. It's great and works for me. I've been here 3.5 years and I will be making over $50K this year.

I don't know your situation with the military but I imagine that type of flying may keep you away from home the most, more than any flying job, especially now. I know a few guys that are gone 6 months, a year, and more over in Iraq and Afghanistan. All have families and that's tough. I think they are doing a great service for our country but that's gotta be hard on families.

Also, you'll probably hear about AIDS. Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome. Being gone from home a lot is a big cause of it.

Whatever you decide on doing, good luck.