54 hours of flying, 72 hours of pay with 12 days off. Last month on reserve in EWR and my first layover in my hometown in CLT. It was pretty nice to drive home, sleep in my bed and go out on the lake before heading back to work. Best layover yet!
I assume you’d eventually bid for more CLT layovers? I know it’s all a guess, but here is my other question. Based on your base (EWR), how long you think it would take you to grab more of them in a consistent basis? And how many per month you think would realistically get?
I can add CLT layovers in my bid criteria… but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll get all the trips with them.
For example, if there is a very efficient high paying trip with a CLT layover senior FOs may want it because it’s simply a good trip. Also if there are trips left with CLT layovers but it doesn’t fit with legal FAR rest rules, it won’t go in my line either.
As you can see, it’s quite complicated. However as a general rule, the more senior I get the better chances I have at getting more of them.
Just to add my .02. While you would think pilots would always bid their hometown overnights, it really depends on the details of the overnight.
I’m from NY and couldn’t wait to hold JFK overnights since I moved to Hawaii. Problem was our JFK gets in at 7am after flying all night so you’re toast and is out early the next morning. So it’s actually easier to stay at the crew hotel rather than go home and deal with traffic plus you can’t stay up too late, etc etc etc. Long short sometimes it’s just easier to go home on days off.
That is a really good question. In the spring of this year, we had two night overnights in ORF (where I live). I bid them and was able to hold a fair amount of them. Now, for whatever reason, the people that build trips have gotten rid of the long overnights and they are now short ones, which I do not find to be worth bidding for. So bottom line, overnights at home come and go and aren’t consistent.
That is a good distinction to make. This happened to be an 18 hour layover which was perfect. However, if it was just 12 hours it wouldn’t be worth getting my car from the lot, driving home to get up and drive right back, park the car again, etc.
Thanks for sharing your schedule, looks like it was a good month on reserve! I have my first Charlotte layover next month (we don’t have many), and it is conveniently on the exact day that I wanted off to go back. I hope you enjoyed the extra time at home!
Hey Hannah,
Thanks for sharing your schedule. I have two follow up questions if you have the time to answer them. I have been reading up on the difference between flight, duty, and block hours. I am having some difficulties finding more details on duty hours. Would you mind sharing how many duty hours you usually have a month? And what tasks go into duty hours?
Thanks.
No problem! So duty hours are counted as the time you show up to start a day of flying to the time you’re off and headed to the hotel. Duty consists of everything you do to make a flight happen. So all ground time, including delays and flight time goes in to a running total of a duty day. You could show up for one flight and be delayed for 12 hours and max out on your duty day limits without ever moving an airplane.
If I had a two leg day, IAD-ORD, ORD-SAN the time would break down as follows:
Showing up at report time at the airport in IAD: 0800 Duty clock starts for the day
IAD-ORD, Parking brake dropped: 0900 block time starts for that flight
Takeoff: Flight time starts
Landing: Flight time ends
Parking brake set in ORD: block time ends
……… all that again for ORD-SAN flight
Parking brake dropped: block time start
Takeoff: flight time starts
Landing: flight time ends
Barking brake set in SAN: 1800, block time ends for flight and duty time ends for the day
Yes it does. So you would have 12 duty hours for that day. is 12 standard per day? Assuming a 4 on 3 off schedule, would a typical week be about 48 duty hours? And a month being ~200 duty hours? I understand that schedules are highly variable week to week. Just looking for an average or best guess.
Thanks.
Duty days vary from a few hours to 12 hours and can be extended if a pilot agrees. Then cumulative max duty restrictions are tracked in crew scheduling per the FAA part 117 regs. Duty isn’t something most pilots keep track of unless you’re getting close to your limits. Block time, line pay value and how many days off we have is what we typically care about.
Oh really? Currently I’m a software engineer. its not unusual to work past 40 hours but I keep track just so I can complain about one more thing =)
Thanks for all your time, Hannah.
As Hannah said, the duty limits are based on the regs and can’t be extended for pay. In some cases you can extend 2hrs but that’s most often at the company’s request due to irregular ops.
