NJ schedule

[Scarabus]

Do you start out on the 7 on 7 off as a new hire? Or the 15 flex?

 

[CA1900]

Do you start out on the 7 on 7 off as a new hire? Or the 15 flex?

Neither. You start on the 18-day training schedule, which the company can adjust as needed to accommodate training (with some limits). You'll be on that schedule for up to 120 days beginning with your first IOE tour, or upon completion of IOE, whichever comes first. You'll then go on the 18-day Fixed, or a different schedule if you bid it.

 

[JDREsquire1224]

Neither. You start on the 18-day training schedule, which the company can adjust as needed to accommodate training (with some limits). You'll be on that schedule for up to 120 days beginning with your first IOE tour, or upon completion of IOE, whichever comes first. You'll then go on the 18-day Fixed, or a different schedule if you bid it.

What is the 18-day fixed schedule?

 

[CA1900]

What is the 18-day fixed schedule?

You'll receive your schedule for a given month by the 15th day of the previous month. You can be worked up to 18 days in a month, and the scheduled days won't change once it's published.

There's a preferential bid system that'll let you put in for a couple days off, but they're not guaranteed.

 

[JDREsquire1224]

You'll receive your schedule for a given month by the 15th day of the previous month. You can be worked up to 18 days in a month, and the scheduled days won't change once it's published.

There's a preferential bid system that'll let you put in for a couple days off, but they're not guaranteed.

Very good, thnx for the explanation. And the 15-day flew schedule, from what I understand, is a combo of reserve days?

 

[CA1900]

Very good, thnx for the explanation. And the 15-day flew schedule, from what I understand, is a combo of reserve days?

Basically, yes. You're "on-call" all month, but only in terms of which days you're working.

You'll generally either be home on a day off, or at work and on-duty. Nothing really inbetween. If they actually have something for you to do (say, somebody called in sick), you'll get a briefing to show at the airport the next day. If they don't actually have anything for you, you'll probably be told it's a day off.

It's very rare that you'd be given a duty assignment at home on this schedule, because it would burn one or more of the 15 days, and it would mean they'd have to give you three days off afterwards. So you'll generally only be called if there's a plane to assign you.


The nature of our business means our airplanes are everywhere; there's really no reason for them to send you to the airport "just in case," because the odds of your type of airplane passing through your home airport at just the time that it needs a new crewmember are really remote. In most cases at this job, your week will start with an airline flight to your plane anyway.

Also, we have a provision in our contract that prevents them from rotting us at the airport for no reason. Basically, they won't send us out to the airport unless there's an airworthy airplane, an open airport, and a complete crew. If they do send you out and all of the above aren't there, the clock starts, and after 3 hours, if they haven't released you to a hotel or gotten you a partner and a good airplane, overtime begins. (About $39/hr for a first-year guy.) If you're still at the airport with no plane or pilot after 7 hours, double overtime begins. It's a little financial disincentive to keep them from rotting you at the airport for no reason.

There will be plenty of times where you're sitting at the airport for a few hours as a "spare" crew and plane. They keep a few of those scattered around the country so, if a plane breaks, one can be dispatched on very short notice as a recovery plane to take care of the passengers. These happen to crews on any of the schedules. As I said, the only difference between the schedules is which days you're working. Once you're on duty with a plane, we're all the same in the schedulers' eyes.


If you're one of those spare crews, there's no OT involved, because you're a full crew with an airworthy airplane. That's part of the gig, as available recovery planes are a critical part of taking care of our share owners. (All planes break; it's all a question of what happens when one does. In the case of my last mechanical problem, we ended up diverting to an airport short of our destination. A recovery airplane landed less than 30 minutes after we did!)

Hope that helps.

 

[JDREsquire1224]

Thnks a ton, helps a lot.

 

[SKYLAWYER]

In the case of my last mechanical problem, we ended up diverting to an airport short of our destination. A recovery airplane landed less than 30 minutes after we did!)

That's impressive.

 

[acaTerry]

The 15 day schedule is awesome, unless you are in the early 1900s or more senior....then it sucks. Oh and you really don't want to bid CA on the 400, that sucks too, I'll tell you when it doesn't

 

[Dr Pepper]

From what I have seen of the 15, it is not being used as a reserve schedule but more a heavy days schedule. They know when these days are and the schedules are set around them.
Perhaps it is because I live in a large pilot base and am in a large fleet, we are busy on days 1-5.