I love JL Beers! I am, however, partial to Wurst Bier Hall and their Bahn Mi-style brat.
In your experience, why are some pilots are regionals “lifers?”
- Thread starter BaronPete
- Start date
I love JL Beers! I am, however, partial to Wurst Bier Hall and their Bahn Mi-style brat.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
@ClarkGriswold you gonna be in Asia between the 14th and 18th?
I love those long layovers. You swiftly forget you’re at work. My favorite was the 72h NCE.
I think I get to TYO on the 18th. Booo.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
Boo. I’ll keep that in mind if I get a schedule change.
That was me. Quick arrival Nap, get up, work out a little, hit the streets!
Now I get in too late to do much or get in too early with a hyper early pickup so I gotta hit the sack early.
Like this trip I get into SAN late, leave late morning. End up in LAS late, leave late morning again. Layover in PHX, but I get in about 2300 and fly the redeye to DTW the day after. Basically a trip full of “Well, at least I can get a run in and eat breakfast like a normal person”.
So five days, minimal time to explore, 12-ish hour layovers and basically the only opportunity I have to do anything is when I layover in PHX. One out of five days. A much different life than international widebody copilot.
I’ll be there for about a week. First few days are Tomfoolery, the last few days are work.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
I assume you’re leaving on the 26th because I get back to NRT on the 27th.
Yup, I’ll be back in the states by then.
It is, however, entertaining watching Cherokee Cruiser try to convince himself that the grass isn’t actually greener operationally, ain’t it?
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
Yup, I’ll be back in the states by then.
It is, however, entertaining watching Cherokee Cruiser try to convince himself that the grass isn’t actually greener operationally, ain’t it?
He’s just angry he’s gotta wear a tie now.
Autothrust Blue
”…trusting ze process…”
Meanwhile, on reserve:Some Pizza Shooters, Shrimp Poppers, or Extreme Fajitas?
(“Office Space”)
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
Meanwhile, on reserve:
You bus drivers can do that at work too.
Meanwhile, on reserve:
I told my financial advisor that I have a “Peter Gibbons” retirement goal. I’m just going to stop going one day. Not quitting, not retiring, but I’ll just stop going. When crew scheduling calls, I’ll tell them “I don’t know, I won’t be in, but I don’t know about next weeks trip yet. No, I’m not sick”
Autothrust Blue
”…trusting ze process…”
It is quite glorious to have a good place to eat, among other things.
My plan, at yellow, should I stay (honestly, after the amount of initial training I've done in the last decade I don't care if I ever see another schoolhouse again unless they are literally handing out gold ingots at the door), for the end days, is to cherry-pick the best trips, drop what I don't want to fly and maybe roll up to work for one four-day a month past about 50 or 55. Maybe.
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
So much angst
I explore what I want on my own time, what’s wrong with that? If the layover is long enough then I also get out and explore.
Keep in mind as a NY based guy for the last 5+ yrs, my layovers were almost always only SF or LA. That’s what one gets when all they do is a 2-day trip out of New York to California. Out and back. 2 overnights for 5 yrs srtaight. I had my filling of those 2 overnights and doing random explore stuff. Took buses to different places. Walked through a shady place called Inglewood (I know, I know, lesson learned). Etc. etc.
I never asked to work for the “PACNW regional” but they bought us and such is life. I make the best out of any given situation. But I’m not gonna walk away from my current job/pay/seniority to fly a widebody. I made it abundantly clear before that me leaving to start over at the big 3 would solely be for the NYC base. But now that I’m moving anyway, plus the usual disclaimer of don’t chase bases around, I’m staying out here and see what happens.
The best gig is living in base on reserve. For February I was called out for only trip, a 4-day. That was it the whole month.
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Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
Yeah, staying current between spaceflights seems like such a bore.
That’s for pilot qualified astronauts only, right? Or do non-flight mission specialists also get to fly these? Regardless, I looked into astronaut salaries and career track and it wasn’t anything too impressive. Actually it’s pretty sad how little they get paid.
My goal about the space program, at the time, was about something completely different.
Remember I grew up in a time where space shuttle launches were routine, we were on the moon and we were probably going to be on Mars before I was driving, BEYOND when I’d be of age.
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
I don't know how they decide, but at least some of the scientists have been qualified as pilots as part of their training.
Additionally, the non-pilots do fly the T-38 with instructor pilots (humble brag: this is one of the jobs I was considering prior to my current airline gig) for the experience as well as just transportation between KSC and JSC.
Some of the T-38 pilots are NASA employees, and some are employed by a contractor. As you say, the pay isn't anything to write home about, and the locations had some bearing on my choice not to take that route.