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What do you love and hate about your schedule?


Rotortramp

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I'm curious to see the different perspectives mainly of the common 7/7 and 14/14 schedules and if people really like it, or hate aspects of it. Seems like their is the pro of having a chunk of time off to travel and pursue other hobbies/businesses (minus travel time). While a major con would be the time away from family and the fact you may be sleeping in undesirable locations.

 

I'm sure a lot of low time pilots will have some pretty hectic schedules that I'm interested to hear as well.

 

Would you ever prefer a normal 8-5 schedule if it was available? What would your ideal "realistic" (haha) schedule be?

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It's been a while since I saw a 7/7 schedule...most of mine have been 35 or more days on the line and minimal time off. I just got home after three months gone, and it was one of the shorter times.

 

There's something to be said for some folks doing rotations like 7/7 or two one, two off. Personally, two weeks off is fine, but I find myself in a state where I'm feeling proficient about a week into the rotation, then really out of the loop a week into the time off.

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The best thing about a 14/14 schedule is 14 days off. The worst thing is 14 days on. I would like to try 7/7 if I leave the contract I am on. I think the additional commuting cost would be worth it. I have a friend that took an offshore job on a 5/2, as he lives in New Orleans, where the job is based. He is married and has a young son, so this has worked out well for him. Long hitches, marriages and children never go very well together. You will be changing jobs or checking a different box than "married" on paperwork at some point. I think if I had the chance to do 5/2, I would take it as it would be nice to actually go back to a somewhat more conventional lifestyle. Unless I want to move down here, I do not ever see it happening, though. Another upside to 5/2, besides being home every night, is a lot higher pay (about 45%). You do work approximately another 80 or so days a year than on a one for one schedule, so you earn it. I though about international work, but 42 days on? Forget it.

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The best thing about a 14/14 schedule is 14 days off. The worst thing is 14 days on. I would like to try 7/7 if I leave the contract I am on. I think the additional commuting cost would be worth it. I have a friend that took an offshore job on a 5/2, as he lives in New Orleans, where the job is based. He is married and has a young son, so this has worked out well for him. Long hitches, marriages and children never go very well together. You will be changing jobs or checking a different box than "married" on paperwork at some point. I think if I had the chance to do 5/2, I would take it as it would be nice to actually go back to a somewhat more conventional lifestyle. Unless I want to move down here, I do not ever see it happening, though. Another upside to 5/2, besides being home every night, is a lot higher pay (about 45%). You do work approximately another 80 or so days a year than on a one for one schedule, so you earn it. I though about international work, but 42 days on? Forget it.

 

What type of international work do you speak of, and how would one go about getting into it?

 

Still being new to all of this, the more I know, the better. The most I ever hear about is instruction, tours, and GoM. EMS, ENG as well, but not nearly as much.

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I'm on a 7&7 split into 4 days/24 hours off/3 nights/168 hours off. I've been on 7&7 so long, become so used to having 7 days off that I can barely make coffee if I only I have one day off. And that's the bad part of a 7&7 or a 14&14- you get used to having frequent "vacations".

 

A thought on the 5&2 idea: I'm afraid that "get-home-itis" would be a factor near the end of the duty period, tempting me into a bad decision, or keep me from taking a reasonable risk in accepting dispatch against the real possibility that I might not be able to get back to base by quitting time. That's 30 years of 14 hour hitches talking, I do wish I could be home like a "normal person", fly from a real aviation facility, doing something that nobody worried about getting done, and not always working with an overnight bag in the back...

Edited by Wally
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I'm on a 7&7 split into 4 days/24 hours off/3 nights/168 hours off. I've been on 7&7 so long, become so used to having 7 days off that I can barely make coffee if I only I have one day off. And that's the bad part of a 7&7 or a 14&14- you get used to having frequent "vacations".

 

A thought on the 5&2 idea: I'm afraid that "get-home-itis" would be a factor near the end of the duty period, tempting me into a bad decision, or keep me from taking a reasonable risk in accepting dispatch against the real possibility that I might not be able to get back to base by quitting time. That's 30 years of 14 hour hitches talking, I do wish I could be home like a "normal person", fly from a real aviation facility, doing something that nobody worried about getting done, and not always working with an overnight bag in the back...

 

Thanks for the post.

 

I've never heard of the schedule with 4 days/24 hours off/3 nights/168 hours off. That seems like a pretty good gig. A nice break in between the 7 day hitch. According to your numbers though you have 194 hours off which = 8 days. Is that right? Care to share the position?

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I do 14/14. Since I live so far from my base, it's more like 16/12 with the travel times since the last flight headed home usually departs before I finish work.

 

I enjoy it, no real complaints yet. I'm not overly concerned about having to be home every night so that part doesn't bother me. I can see how you might end up being a guest in your own home after a while.

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Thanks for the post.

 

I've never heard of the schedule with 4 days/24 hours off/3 nights/168 hours off. That seems like a pretty good gig. A nice break in between the 7 day hitch. According to your numbers though you have 194 hours off which = 8 days. Is that right? Care to share the position?

 

Fairly common in the EMS world. Example schedule: Monday thru Thursday, Day shift 0800-2000. Off Thursday night until Friday night. Friday through Sunday 2000-0800, go off shift Monday 0800.

 

I work the exact same amount of hours as a 7&7 straight day night, except the first "day off" I'm often zombied-out because I haven't slept well, thus somewhat sleep deprived, and just on the point of having switched circadian rhythm by 12 hours results in being jet lagged too.

 

It's a compromise shift schedule because some people can't sleep and/or switch circadian in a couple days, so they can't do 7 nights...

Edited by Wally
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I work 28/28 on an international contract.

 

Best part is I get a lot of time of with my wife and kids. And getting paid enough that I can afford to do fun things with them and do good things for them. Like this week we are spending a week at Disneyland.

 

The worst part is leaving them and going to the airport on my way to work.

 

Oh, and jet lag. Jet lag sucks.

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