Regionals ... or the fractionals?

[SplitBar]

To any regional guy out there... do you have Aug 1st off? How about Nov.1st or Dec. 15th? Not that those dates are significant, but I can tell you right now if i have those days off or not. Can you?

So in other words you are screwed if you need different days off since you seem to claim all of your days off have already been determined? I prefer to bid my days off on a month by month basis as my needs change. There are for sure pro/cons when comparing reg/frac. I personally wouldn't touch the 7 on 7 off stuff with a 10 foot pool......especially when it meant having to move to a gate way city. No thanks but to each their own. I prefer to be based where I live!!! :beer:

 

[Willy21]

So in other words you are screwed if you need different days off since you seem to claim all of your days off have already been determined? I prefer to bid my days off on a month by month basis as my needs change.

Or you could say that you already know what days you have off so you can plan an event more than 30 days prior. Just the glass half full version of what you said. To each his own.

 

[SplitBar]

Or you could say that you already know what days you have off so you can plan an event more than 30 days prior. Just the glass half full version of what you said. To each his own.

So all of the events you want to attend happen to magically revolve around your days off? Holidays, B-days, Anniversarys, Sporting events, Reunions, ect. ect? I guess your lucky if life revolves around your predeterminded days off. For me I like the flexibility to bid my days off on a month by month basis and it's not too hard to plan something a few months ahead of time since we can bid days off around those events that are known well ahead of time.

 

[Flybet3]

So all of the events you want to attend happen to magically revolve around your days off? Holidays, B-days, Anniversarys, Sporting events, Reunions, ect. ect? I guess your lucky if life revolves around your predeterminded days off. For me I like the flexibility to bid my days off on a month by month basis and it's not too hard to plan something a few months ahead of time since we can bid days off around those events that are known well ahead of time.

i concur

 

[Willy21]

All I know is that as a newhire I have the wife's and kids birthdays off, Christmas off and every other weekend. I also have a 21 day vacation, by only using 7 days of vacation, in Feb that we are going to Utah for some skiing. Not many people at ASA could tell you that in early May. In a couple of years when Christmas moves into a work day on this line I can bid over to a line that has Christmas off. For me I enjoy having the ability to look out months in advance and plan thing instead of waiting for the 27th of each month when the final schedules to come out. You like to bid month by month and if you have the seniority to get the days off that you need that is great. For me I never had the seniority to get days off and only once was I able to hold a vacation over Christmas. To each his own.

 

[bailout]

Willy21, they just dont get it. Weve done both and know the difference.

And there is more than just NetJets out there. CS has like 26 different domicles.

 

[imacdog]

So all of the events you want to attend happen to magically revolve around your days off? Holidays, B-days, Anniversarys, Sporting events, Reunions, ect. ect? I guess your lucky if life revolves around your predeterminded days off. For me I like the flexibility to bid my days off on a month by month basis and it's not too hard to plan something a few months ahead of time since we can bid days off around those events that are known well ahead of time.

If you know about events well ahead of time, you are able to bid onto a different 7/7 schedule to accomodate those events. Once you are on that schedule, it is yours until you bid to a different one.

 

[Dooker]

My biggest concern is that I have a 2-year-old daughter and a boy due in September.

To a little kid, a week seems like an eternity. You come back after a week (or, in the case of Flex, eight days) away and they cry when you try to pick them up.

I'm kind of nervous about that. I guess I'd rather take my poison in smaller doses. Three on, two off, four on, three off, etc., etc.

If I didn't have little ones, I'd probably be all over the fracs like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

Eagle interview this week. Wish me luck.

 

[willNOTfly4free]

Exactly! move on....TO A MAJOR! :beer:

Agreed. Go to a regional, get your time and move on to a Major Airline.

Go to a frac, get a type rating and time in type, and move on to a Part 91 gig.

It's all about what's best *for you* and what you want from *your* career. I personally wouldn't touch the regionals with a 20 ft pole.

Good luck man.

 

[Flybet3]

Agreed. Go to a regional, get your time and move on to a Major Airline.

Go to a frac, get a type rating and time in type, and move on to a Part 91 gig.

It's all about what's best *for you* and what you want from *your* career. I personally wouldn't touch the regionals with a 20 ft pole.

Good luck man.

I completely agree with what you say as well, but to go from a frac to a good stable 91 gig is alot harder than going from a regional to a major. This I know.

 

[Flybet3]

My biggest concern is that I have a 2-year-old daughter and a boy due in September.

To a little kid, a week seems like an eternity. You come back after a week (or, in the case of Flex, eight days) away and they cry when you try to pick them up.

I'm kind of nervous about that. I guess I'd rather take my poison in smaller doses. Three on, two off, four on, three off, etc., etc.

If I didn't have little ones, I'd probably be all over the fracs like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

Eagle interview this week. Wish me luck.

I really do think you are doing the smart thing. Some people just have a different prespective on their family life. I've flown with individuals that after being home with the wife and kids for more than 3 days they are "sick" and need some time away. Me? The more time I spend with my beautiful loving wife, and precious little girl the happier I am. Dont get me wrong, I would love to make over 100K right now, but am I willing to sacrifice my family time for it? NO. I rather not be rich, but live comfortable enough to be next to my wife and baby as much as possible. That's just me.
Good luck at your eagle interview!

 

[Dooker]

Thanks, man. I just bought a new tie. I hope it does the trick.

Hopefully I'll have some good news next week ...

 

[Flybet3]

Thanks, man. I just bought a new tie. I hope it does the trick.

Hopefully I'll have some good news next week ...

When's you're interview? Just know everything about jepps, and I mean everything. Interview really is one of the easiest interviews. Make us proud!

 

[Dooker]

Jepps? I've been studying NOS. Dammit!

Just kidding.

My interview's Monday. I'm like a walking, talking Jepp intro section. You need to know anything about MALSF, ALSFR, SSALR or HIRL, I'm your man.

 

[Flybet3]

You need to know anything about MALSF, ALSFR, SSALR or HIRL, I'm your man.

What the hell are those? LOL, j/k!
Good to know man, well I guess I can safely welcome aboard.

 

[PilotChapin]

What the hell are those? LOL, j/k!
Good to know man, well I guess I can safely welcome aboard.

Dont listen to this guy, he's a doosh! LOL...Hey FlyB What have you been up to bro?

 

[Flybet3]

Dont listen to this guy, he's a doosh! LOL...Hey FlyB What have you been up to bro?

I'm good.....Maricon! LOL hahahaha!

 

[Goose Egg]

As a "young" CFI, looking ahead in the industry and thinking about what I want to do with my life for the next little while, this is a no-brainer. Frac all the way.

-Goose

 

[Flybet3]

As a "young" CFI, looking ahead in the industry and thinking about what I want to do with my life for the next little while, this is a no-brainer. Frac all the way.

-Goose

You said it "YOUNG CFI".

 

[Goose Egg]

You said it "YOUNG CFI".

No, I said "young" CFI, meaning age 30 and about 1100 total time (yeah, 1100 whole hours ), and a little more clued-in than a barely post-pubescent about what I want out of life. The airlines are great for some folks (my roomate included), but it's nothing that I would want to do for more than a couple years. And if I already know that it will be such a grind, I don't see the problem with avoiding if it I can. Do you?

Nothing bugs me more than the "airlines are where you want to be, whether that's where you think you want to be or not" mentality. Let me figure it out for myself, mm-k? Maybe I want to interact with pax and load bags and do my own flight planning and fly to airports with numbers in the identifier. Is that such a crime?

Oh well, it just goes to show you can't win on flightinfo. If you say you want to go fly for a regional, people accuse you of having SJS. If you say you don't want to go to regional, people lecture you about seniority being "everything."

Oh well. I'm just going to do what I want to do anyway. I'm too stubborn to do otherwise.

-Goose