2 week rotation-philosophical question

Roger Roger

Bottom of the list
2 week rotation EMS flying.
Day 1 is Super Monday.
Day 14 is Super Friday.
Days in between...
Day 2 Tuesday, day 13 Thursday, everything in between one long Wednesday?
Or...
Days 2-5 all Tuesday, 6-9 Wednesday, 10-13 Thursday?
Something else?
Does it make a difference whether you’re watching The Expanse and boredom eating vs flying consistently? Day shift or night shift? Responding from the hangar or from home?
 
Last edited:
So your shop is changing from a 10 day shift to a two week shift? Or are you considering a permanent change from the PC-12 to the LR?

Some people prefer nights. They don’t mind being woken up by Dispatch. And they seem to turn down a disproportionately large number of flights, but that’s a different matter. I find nights leave me wonky (or wonkier, according to my wife). Bottom line, it depends on the person.

Flying regularly suits me best, but several of our pilots a perfectly happy not flying. Depends on the person.

Dispatching from home is always superior because you can get stuff done around the house, even if it’s just little chores like vacuuming. Makes a person feel like they accomplished something during the day. And in your case it might give you a chance to spend more time kid-wrangling. If dispatched from the hangar and you own your own plane (and it’s at the same airport) then I’d like that, too. It seems like there’s always something a guy can do to his own plane, even if it’s something as mundane as wiping the oil off the belly.
 
A 14-14 schedule with low activity is just as bad as 7-7, however dispatching from home (home home, not crew apt) would definitely help. I did 14-14 and liked it because of the 6-7 hr drive home, but it drags on. A CAMTS audit ended that practice, though.
 
I’m not an EMS guy, but I very much prefer the long stretches of work. The work part of it sucks, but having the rest of the month to do whatever I want is incredible
Especially if you can get two stretches of off days back to back, it’s incredible.

As for the trips themselves, doing nothing makes them drag on for me. If I’m working a bunch or at least able to get out on overnights the trip goes by much quicker. But these hotel quarantine overnights make these trips feel like an eternity. 14-15 days would be perfect for me because I can stay pretty motivated for about that long, then I get pretty belligerent.

I know it’s different with kids, but getting that much time at home is fantastic.
 
Oh man, this was totally not about the merits of 7 vs 14 etc Just what days correlate to Wednesday etc.
 
So your shop is changing from a 10 day shift to a two week shift? Or are you considering a permanent change from the PC-12 to the LR?

Some people prefer nights. They don’t mind being woken up by Dispatch. And they seem to turn down a disproportionately large number of flights, but that’s a different matter. I find nights leave me wonky (or wonkier, according to my wife). Bottom line, it depends on the person.

Flying regularly suits me best, but several of our pilots a perfectly happy not flying. Depends on the person.

Dispatching from home is always superior because you can get stuff done around the house, even if it’s just little chores like vacuuming. Makes a person feel like they accomplished something during the day. And in your case it might give you a chance to spend more time kid-wrangling. If dispatched from the hangar and you own your own plane (and it’s at the same airport) then I’d like that, too. It seems like there’s always something a guy can do to his own plane, even if it’s something as mundane as wiping the oil off the belly.
They synched the pilatus schedules to the Lear last summer when 2 of us went dual qual. Now the pilatus is in Wenatchee until cruise ships come back to Alaska. Or forever if the blue tail company parks a king air down the ramp (which I would totally do in their shoes).

I don’t have an airplane but I know enough people who do I’ve been keeping busy on those day shifts.
 
They synched the pilatus schedules to the Lear last summer when 2 of us went dual qual. Now the pilatus is in Wenatchee until cruise ships come back to Alaska. Or forever if the blue tail company parks a king air down the ramp (which I would totally do in their shoes).

I don’t have an airplane but I know enough people who do I’ve been keeping busy on those day shifts.
With some of the biggies canceling the first half of the 2021 season it may be a while before the Pilatus comes back. Bummer!

What are you seeing in the real estate market? Any softening of the housing market? Did the condos being built right next to the airport sell (I think they were near the Airport Blvd / Crest Ave intersection)? They looked pretty cool.
 
They synched the pilatus schedules to the Lear last summer when 2 of us went dual qual. Now the pilatus is in Wenatchee until cruise ships come back to Alaska. Or forever if the blue tail company parks a king air down the ramp (which I would totally do in their shoes).

I don’t have an airplane but I know enough people who do I’ve been keeping busy on those day shifts.
Wait, I thought you guys were blue tails? I love night shift because I can have a life durning the day when I’m on shift. However the wx seems to be a bigger problem on the night shift. Partly because we have several airports where the appr is NA at night. If I do get called at night it does throw me off for a few days.
 
PS Lear night shift sucks, that’s when we do all our flying and I always seem to get stuck out for duty or weather at least once in a rotation.
 
Back
Top