Sitting Reserve-Explained

[88_MALIBU]

What do most do to stay sane while sitting reserve? Is there some hobby that allows you to lead some life while doing this? I dont know much about it other than everyone hates it. How long do you have at most airlines till they require you to check in?

 

[i'mbatman]

It seems to me that the only people that hate it are those that live out of base. If you are at home and on reserve it is not bad at all. I personally think reserve gets a much worse rep than it really is.

 

[SSDD]

Let's see...

Golfed,
Got my real estate appraiser's license,
Played golf,
Coached my kid's baseball team,
Golfed,
Did I say, played golf?

But as was stated above, you can't do much if you commute.

Good luck

 

[mooser]

It seems to me that the only people that hate it are those that live out of base. If you are at home and on reserve it is not bad at all. I personally think reserve gets a much worse rep than it really is.

I am just realizing how much it sucks if you commute while on reserve...as soon as I can find a place I will be moving!!! I can see into the future and life will be better!!!

Mooser

 

[labbats]

Even a single connection commute isn't too bad. I like the variety of reserve, and still do a fair amount of flying, so I'm happy. A line would be better, but it'll happen.

 

[88_MALIBU]

So shooting mallards in the flooded timber of Arkansas is out of the question.

 

[Standby 1]

Ditto on the living in domicile. I commuted for a few months while on reserve and what a huge waste of time. Now that I live in domicile....wow, what a difference. Now, the days they don't use me are truly my own.

That aside, there is a big difference in reserve between companies. I know of airlines that have really bad reserve skeds....ie, 1 hour to get to the airport, long airport standby shifts (where you actually have to be at the airport for a certain amount of time, in uniform, ready to go), and cruddy misuse of reserve pilots' time.

I consider myself lucky. Our company is just implementing new reserve rules with our new contract and it includes 12 days off each month, short call-out shifts (2 hours to get to the airport) and long call-outs (12 hours to get to the airport). Excepting holidays, we aren't abused and the work rules are generally followed well.

If you think you will be on reserve for a while with any given airline, it would behoove you to check into their reserve pilot work rules. It can mean the difference between a miserable experience and a half-way okay experience.





....

 

[shamrock]

Well, I'll be the first to go against the grain and say that I absolutely hated reserve and I live at my base. Of course the scheduling department at my airline sucks donkey b@lls, so that could have something to do with it.

 

[FlyChicaga]

Commuting on reserve sucks. In base it half-sucks. I lived 20 minutes from my domicile airport at my previous company, so I could be asleep when they called and make it well within time after a shower, breakfast, a little TV, computer time, and packing. Completely different when commuting. Often I commute in the day before, and sometimes have to commute out the day after. Sometimes I luck out and end up commuting on my reserve days on both ends. Next month I have a 12-hr callout, so we'll see how that goes. Might improve things a bit.

I can't complain, because I am employed with a good company and the paychecks are on time. But having a line will be very nice.

 

[psysicx]

FlyChicaga how long will that be?

 

[FlyChicaga]

Coming close to a conversion line (reserve converted to line) for February. Hopefully might get a line in March, with a real good chance in April.

For those curious about the reserve time, I was hired in early August, on line in early October.

 

[LearLove]

I was luckey when hired by ALG in 99 that everything was moving fast. I went from IOE to a line-holder in ABE and I lived 45 minutes south of the airport.
I never sat reserve until I upgraded 2 years later. By that time I was based in SYR and lived 3 miles off the end of RWY28 in SYR. I sat reserve as a Capt. but I didn't care. We had an hour callout and I was 5 minutes from the airport in my apartment. Life was good. (Commuting to sit in a crashpad = BAD) Now I live in PA and am on reserve in PHL. I'm about 55 minutes to the parking lot and we get 2 hours. Life is good. For Feb/Mar I got displaced to DCA, about a 4 hour drive. I can hold long call which is a 16 hour call out but the bad side is they can switch us to short call reserve. Then I'll have to drive down and sit n the crew room in DCA. NOT FUN AT ALL.

So I'd have to agree: Sitting at home on reserve=GOOD, Sitting in a crashpad or somewhere away from home on reserve=BAD.

88 to answer your question: You can do whatever you like on reserve as long as you can be at the airport within the time specified in your company contract. BTW a majority of the airlines range from 1 to 2 hours callout while on "regular reserve". Some contracts have what is called "long call" which may be from 12 to 20 hours to get to base. Long call reserve usually goes to the senior reserve guys then the bottom guys on reserve get the short call.

 

[Smacktard]

What do most do to stay sane while sitting reserve? Is there some hobby that allows you to lead some life while doing this? I dont know much about it other than everyone hates it. How long do you have at most airlines till they require you to check in?

There're all kind of great things to do. I'm building a set of Adire Kit 281 home speakers, (http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/AX-KIT281Review.pdf), let's see, others have already mentioned golf, Battlefiled 1942 uses up some time, oh, and my personal favorite, sleeping until 9 or 10am 20 days out of the month. Blockbuster has a Netflix like deal for $19/month (2 movies out for as long as you like), today's showing includes Without a Paddle and Manchurian Candidate. Everyone said reserve at ASA su.cked, I'm still waiting for it to get bad. Time for the morning bowl of cereal, cinnamon toast and oj, enjoy.

 

[AirBill]

When I first started, I sat reserve in a crappad in BOS for two months before holding a line. With apologies to Willie Nelson, I started writing this song:


On reserve again
I just can't wait to get off reserve again
Watching reruns of the Springer Show and Friends
And I can't wait to get off reserve again


I can't remember how the rest of it goes.

 

[upndsky]

Smacktard has the right attitude. It's what you make of it. I commute and sat reserve for five months. Here's my two cents to make it work:

1) Get a laptop. It's a big investment if you don't have one, but it's worth its wait in gold. I have a publishing background and I used it to make some extra money while sitting on my a$$. You can also play games, surf the net or watch a DVD while your roomies are watching soaps or whatever.

At XJT, you can also check for open trips that you could request (although there's no guarantee you're going to get it).

I would have gone nuts without my laptop.

2) Get a crashpad with high-speed internet, for the above mentioned reasons.

3) Unless the crashpad offers a van, get a car. I bought one for $500 cash. My crashpad is not convenient to public transportation. There's a hotel 1.5 miles away where you can use their shuttle, but I don't feel like walking that far through heat, rain, cold, snow, etc. Plus, it's Newark (Okay, Elizabeth. A little better). There's a bigger crashpad up the road that has a van service, but the cost of the pad is almost $100 more per month. Instead, I have a car that I can turn around and sell for $500, so I'm coming out ahead. Plus, I can go anywhere I want at my own time. Again, it has made life on reserve much more pleasurable.

4) If you're commuting, pick a base that's commutable. I have 13 flights a day between EWR and where I live. As a result, I was home much more than I or my wife thought I would be. I had considered going to IAH, but the commute to EWR is too good. I know that not everyone has this luxury, but if you have that option, it's something you need to consider seriously.

5) Hope you have an understanding spouse or girl/boyfriend. If they can stand you being on reserve, you two should make it together through this career. I've seen guys in the crashpad who'se significant other was b!tching and moaning because they were gone so much and it really put a lot of stress on the situation. Remember, this is only temporary (unless you're at a company with not movement). Again, something to consider.

Just my thoughts.

 

[bayoubandit]

Where reserve gets really bad is when they constantly reassign you or you come in after an 8hr layover at 0700 and have to sit airport reserve for 6 hours. OR a 1 day trip turns into a 5 day trip. Reserve quality all depends on how well your airline is staffed.

Ouch!