Refusing Promotion to Captain

[roundout]

Domestic is rough. International, at least for me, is wonderful. I’m always well-rested, well-fed and I’ve already taken off ten pounds by being ablue to eschew fast food and walk until my ankles scream on layovers.

Like today, I’ll get to Detroit about 1300, take a couple hour nap, see what the CPO has to munch on, hit brief, fly for maybe 2.5 hours, sleep another 2.5 hours, fly another 2.5 hours, then hit the layover city about 2300 ‘body clock time’ then sleep maybe 5-7 hours (whereas I sleep about 4h at home). Wake up, work out, go explore the city, meet the crew for happy hour and dinner if they aren’t morons and take a nice after-dinner walk, back to bed around 2100, pop a melatonin and sleep for 8. Wake up, work out, light breakfast, then fly back.

On the four-pilot trips to Asia, it’s even better and more breaks.

That’s my routine international.

There’s no domestic equivalent to the quality of life as a senior widebody first officer and you will outearn your captain. If I showed you @DPApilot’s schedule, as a new hire even, you’ll think “Hot damn, does he know how good he has It?” And he’s a probie.

The CPOs have food?!?!?!?

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Domestic is rough. International, at least for me, is wonderful. I’m always well-rested, well-fed and I’ve already taken off ten pounds by being ablue to eschew fast food and walk until my ankles scream on layovers.

Like today, I’ll get to Detroit about 1300, take a couple hour nap, see what the CPO has to munch on, hit brief, fly for maybe 2.5 hours, sleep another 2.5 hours, fly another 2.5 hours, then hit the layover city about 2300 ‘body clock time’ then sleep maybe 5-7 hours (whereas I sleep about 4h at home). Wake up, work out, go explore the city, meet the crew for happy hour and dinner if they aren’t morons and take a nice after-dinner walk, back to bed around 2100, pop a melatonin and sleep for 8. Wake up, work out, light breakfast, then fly back.

On the four-pilot trips to Asia, it’s even better and more breaks.

That’s my routine international.

There’s no domestic equivalent to the quality of life as a senior widebody first officer and you will outearn your captain. If I showed you @DPApilot’s schedule, as a new hire even, you’ll think “Hot damn, does he know how good he has It?” And he’s a probie.

Napping? That’s an old man gig.

I’m 39. I can’t nap even if I try. What I just read is:

Commute. Nap. Get in plane. Fly 3 hrs. Nap. Fly remaining flight and land. Now another nap at the odd hour of destination. Then hang out with crew. Now nap, er I mean, actual sleep night for 8 hrs. Next day rinse/repeat.




Sorry, but if you can’t hack three domestic 4-day trips on the A320/B737 family and work 12 days while being off for 18-20 days off, I don’t know what to tell you.

Oh wait, I do know. Raise your hand if you know what types of pilots are pushing for age 67. Hint: it ain’t us domestic pukes…

 

[BobDDuck]

Napping? That’s an old man gig.

I’m 39. I can’t nap even if I try. What I just read is:

Commute. Nap. Get in plane. Fly 3 hrs. Nap. Fly remaining flight and land. Now another nap at the odd hour of destination. Then hang out with crew. Now nap, er I mean, actual sleep night for 8 hrs. Next day rinse/repeat.




Sorry, but if you can’t hack three domestic 4-day trips on the A320/B737 family and work 12 days while being off for 18-20 days off, I don’t know what to tell you.

Oh wait, I do know. Raise your hand if you know what types of pilots are pushing for age 67. Hint: it ain’t us domestic pukes…

You've posted some dumb stuff in the past, but this take is easily in your top 10.

 

[Ian_J]

You've posted some dumb stuff in the past, but this take is easily in your top 10.

No kidding.

“Can’t hack”?? Considering the majority of folks on a WB have years slogging it out at regionals and domestic narrow bodies… I mean is a NB domestic schedule suddenly some badge of honor that you “can’t hack” after some amount of time so you wuss out and head over to the heavies?

I haven’t flown hour one in the real plane yet, but my seniority peers are doing 6 legs a month for 35% more cash than the NB folks. And in an 80 hour month, 30 or so of those hours are earned in the bunk. Sign me the eff up.

 

[poser765]

Napping? That’s an old man gig.

I’m 39. I can’t nap even if I try. What I just read is:

Commute. Nap. Get in plane. Fly 3 hrs. Nap. Fly remaining flight and land. Now another nap at the odd hour of destination. Then hang out with crew. Now nap, er I mean, actual sleep night for 8 hrs. Next day rinse/repeat.




Sorry, but if you can’t hack three domestic 4-day trips on the A320/B737 family and work 12 days while being off for 18-20 days off, I don’t know what to tell you.

Oh wait, I do know. Raise your hand if you know what types of pilots are pushing for age 67. Hint: it ain’t us domestic pukes…

“What is copium, Mayim”

 

[roundout]

Napping? That’s an old man gig.

I’m 39. I can’t nap even if I try. What I just read is:

Commute. Nap. Get in plane. Fly 3 hrs. Nap. Fly remaining flight and land. Now another nap at the odd hour of destination. Then hang out with crew. Now nap, er I mean, actual sleep night for 8 hrs. Next day rinse/repeat.




Sorry, but if you can’t hack three domestic 4-day trips on the A320/B737 family and work 12 days while being off for 18-20 days off, I don’t know what to tell you.

Oh wait, I do know. Raise your hand if you know what types of pilots are pushing for age 67. Hint: it ain’t us domestic pukes…

Check back with me in about 2 years

Also, you’d fit right in at Mountain Tough (tm) Air if you ever need another domestic NB gig. I’ll walk your resume in.

 

[BobDDuck]

Check back with me in about 2 years

Also, you’d fit right in at Mountain Tough (tm) Air if you ever need another domestic NB gig. I’ll walk your resume in.

We actually have two (senior) FO on the WB that I can think of, that are doing the best of both worlds. They can't stand dealing with foreign ATC so they just take last/first break and avoid most of it, while still getting the cushy WB gig days off and pay.

 

[mikecweb]

You've posted some dumb stuff in the past, but this take is easily in your top 10.

Don't worry I'm sure something dumber is just a few clicks away.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

You've posted some dumb stuff in the past, but this take is easily in your top 10.

No. Just how I am. I also can’t sleep on planes. It is what it is. Napping? I can try, won’t happen. I just end up lying in bed and waste time.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Check back with me in about 2 years

Also, you’d fit right in at Mountain Tough (tm) Air if you ever need another domestic NB gig. I’ll walk your resume in.

What would change in 2 yrs?


Doing the domestic thing since 2007. I doubt the next 2 yrs will change enough to make me dislike it. It’s still an awesome gig. Mostly day trips and 2-day trips (some months gone only 3-4 nights, or less). Home a ton for the wife and kids.

 

[BobDDuck]

What would change in 2 yrs?


Doing the domestic thing since 2007. I doubt the next 2 yrs will change enough to make me dislike it. It’s still an awesome gig. Mostly day trips and 2-day trips (some months gone only 3-4 nights, or less). Home a ton for the wife and kids.

To be fair, you are satisfied with Sbarro. You probably wouldn't like international anyways. Very little of the "joy" of flying long haul has anything to do with the actual flying.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

To be fair, you are satisfied with Sbarro. You probably wouldn't like international anyways. Very little of the "joy" of flying long haul has anything to do with the actual flying.

I like flying itself. Takeoff/landings are fun. It is, after all, the “why” of this job (for me).

Food, hit or miss. I like sticking to known quantities. I once tried a new place in Philly once, got food poisoning and 3 poop runs inflight from PHL to LAX.

Never again. Subway and Sbarros may suck to most people, but I know I have a 0% chance of getting sick from it.


That delicious Mexican taco shop? I’m gonna have to pass, unless it’s a 30 hr layover but those are rare.

 

[Sculprit]

Subway and Sbarros may suck to most people, but I know I have a 0% chance of getting sick from it.

This may have just been put into that top ten list. @BobDDuck

 

[mikecweb]

Don't worry I'm sure something dumber is just a few clicks away.

Annnnd there ya go

Never again. Subway and Sbarros may suck to most people, but I know I have a 0% chance of getting sick from it.

That delicious Mexican taco shop? I’m gonna have to pass, unless it’s a 30 hr layover but those are rare.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Annnnd there ya go

Actually it’s called to each, his own. I also don’t drink, I’m sure some on JC would ridicule that and say you’re not a real pilot. Affects me nada.

 

[mikecweb]

Actually it’s called to each, his own. I also don’t drink, I’m sure some on JC would ridicule that and say you’re not a real pilot. Affects me nada.

I mean your confidence in not getting sick at subway is impressive

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I mean your confidence in not getting sick at subway is impressive

39 yrs young and 0 sickness from Subway.

 

[///AMG]

I mean your confidence in not getting sick at subway is impressive

We have a subway on base (as pretty much all Navy bases do).....post covid shutdown, it is sadly the only show "in town" (well not actually out in town). When I'm working there a lot, I tend to grab an extremely overpriced sandwich for late bfast or lunch. And then I had one a couple months ago with a big ass hair in it. I remember the girl making the sandwich trying (apparently in vain) to pull something out. That was it, I found it. Haven't been back. Never got sick from there, but I can't have one now without thinking about the onion that turned out to be a human hair.

 

[roundout]

What would change in 2 yrs?


Doing the domestic thing since 2007. I doubt the next 2 yrs will change enough to make me dislike it. It’s still an awesome gig. Mostly day trips and 2-day trips (some months gone only 3-4 nights, or less). Home a ton for the wife and kids.

2 more years of chronic fatigue, especially when you eschew good mitigation strategies.

I noticed it a lot more at 41 than at 39. Ever flown with a late 40s-early 50s pilot and you look over and they're asleep?

 

[GypsyPilot]

2 more years of chronic fatigue, especially when you eschew good mitigation strategies.

I noticed it a lot more at 41 than at 39. Ever flown with a late 40s-early 50s pilot and you look over and they're asleep?

Yes, but often times those guys have absolutely horrible sleep strategies. The ones that drink harder than I did in my 20s and spend a two week trip with FOMO and constant sleep deprivation.

I try to stay on a US sleep schedule on international trips, and have been doing it for a couple years now. Pretty similar to what Derg does, and it works well. I come back to the US with basically no jet lag.

The domestic hub turns at FedEx are a different animal, and I will gladly downgrade if I end up doing that stuff routinely. I’m not good at swapping my circadian like that, and I think it absolutely takes time off your life.