I have a couple of questions. As a pilot, how many flight hours are logged per week, and do you do any overtime work?
Second, on average, how much time is spent away from home? I have a wife and kids and I’m curious about how much time I’ll be spending away from them.
Andrew,
That can be a bit of a tough question to answer, as it can really vary from one week to. Take a look at our “Schedules” section as it will give you a good idea of what our months look like. That being said, I usually fly about 80 hours per month. “Overtime” does not really exist in the airline industry, but there are times when the company is in need of pilots that they will offer extra incentive pay for pilots to pick up trips, this can be very lucrative.
I would say that I am gone from home about 12-15 nights per month, this is made slightly worse by my decision to commute to and from my base in NYC. Make no mistake, this job involves a lot of time spent on the road, but there are also large periods of days off. To me, it all balances out.
Chris
Andrew,
As Chris said this can vary greatly based on many factors. The airline, the aircraft and of course your seniority. There are airlines and operations that will have you home every night (which is rare), others that will have you gone for 2 weeks at a time and everything in between. Most pilots like to be home so when you’re new with low seniority you’ll get the trips no one else wants which can mean you being gone more than you like. As you build seniority you gain more control over your life. Pilots that commute often lose a day on either or both ends of the trip.
Adam