Currently, I am based out of ORD (Chicago--O'Hare). The first half of May we were still living in Phoenix, and now live in Minneapolis. So either way you slice it, I've been commuting to ORD. Because I have to be within two hours of the airport on reserve, I have to be in Chicago the days I'm on reserve. To get to the airport, I take the light rail from my home. We're only a couple stops away from the terminals. To get to ORD, I take a plane! All commercial airline pilots have privileges to commute on any airline to the base they need to get to at no cost. From MSP, I've flown American, Delta, and United to get to work.
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| Taking the Light Rail to MSP with my son |
#2: I Sleep at a Crash Pad
Because I don't live in base, I (and all pilots/flight attendants in this scenario) have to have a solution for where to sleep. The airline only puts you up in a hotel while on a trip, not while on reserve... and there's no way I can afford a hotel for 18 days a month! So a common solution to this problem is a crash pad. Mine is basically a rental space shared by 10-12 other same gender pilots... 2 bedrooms, 12 bunks, a full kitchen, a living room with a sofa and big screen TV, wifi and cable. I pay $190/month. I brought my own sheets, pillow, towel, and got a top bunk right next to an extremely loud AC wall unit. Let's just say it doesn't afford the best night's sleep...but it's a solution!
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| Bunk Room at my Crash Pad |
#3: I'm a Substitute Pilot
Being on reserve means that I need to be available to fill in for a pilot who is sick or has some other type of emergency or delay that prevents she or he from flying their trip. Obviously I'm only filling in for other First Officers that fly the CRJ... what I'm qualified and trained to do.
Being on reserve means that I need to be available to fill in for a pilot who is sick or has some other type of emergency or delay that prevents she or he from flying their trip. Obviously I'm only filling in for other First Officers that fly the CRJ... what I'm qualified and trained to do.
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| Me, Between Trips in the RJ |
#4: I'm Available 12 Hours a Day
Last month I was on PM reserve, which means that from 9AM to 9PM I am on call. Once I get a call, I have a 2 hour window before I have to report at the airport. That means I could get a call at 8:59PM and be required to take a trip. Thankfully in my experience, I've gotten calls in the morning mostly. I try to take advantage of the days and exercise. My crash pad in ORD is near a park so one day me and another pilot went for a run and spotted some deer!
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| City Deer near ORD crash pad |
#5: I Pack Lunch for 4 Days at a Time
Maybe I should rephrase so I don't get in trouble... my wife and my son usually help pack my lunches, but yes, I try to take as much food as possible to minimize food expenses while on trips. Even though we receive per diem while on a trip, you don't while on reserve. Known Crew Members (KCM) have an expedited security check we pass through to get to the gates and different expectations about what we can carry aboard as far as liquids go and such. So I load up with yogurt, sandwiches, veggies, and trail mix...and maybe carry a homemade coffee through KCM.
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| My son helping load my lunch box with sandwiches |
#6: I Get to Fly!
It's great when I do get a call from the company because that means I get to work! Don't get me wrong, in theory it's nice to be paid for "doing nothing".... but it's also extremely boring and lonely when on reserve while not living in base. If I were on reserve in MSP (which I will be starting in July!!), it would be a totally different story because I'd be near my family and could go on a bike ride or something. Getting a call also means I most likely don't have to sleep at the crash pad that night as they will put me up in a hotel. Last month I got to fly to Traverse City, MI and stayed in a beautiful hotel on the bay there. If only I had remembered a jacket that trip I could have explored a bit more!
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| Traverse Bay view from the hotel in Traverse City, MI |
#7: I May Never Fly...
And of course if I don't get a call, I don't work that day. It's a bit draining in that sense because you want to make sure you're ready to go, and yet you don't want to twiddle your thumbs all day. The days I watch the clock the most are the days I am supposed to be released and get to go home. Otherwise, I've been able to keep myself preoccupied at or near the crash pad by making meals for myself or exercising or doing some of my required Computer Based Training (CBT).
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| Crash Pad Kitchen |
#8: I Hang Out in the Crew Lounge
Some days after a trip, I'll return to ORD but still be on ready reserve until 9PM. Ready Reserve means you must be at the airport, able to respond to a phone call and arrive at the aircraft within 20 minutes. Those days I hang out in the crew lounge! Did you know airports have lounges for crew? Our lounge even has a really dark room you can nap in.
#9: I Work 18 Days a Month
Last month I worked 18 days. This included seven separate trips, and only five full reserve days that I did not get any work. The green indicates those days I was on reserve. The blue refers to a trip. The orange was my guaranteed days off I received for moving (red). And the blank days with nothing on them are the days I'm home or off. So I had 9 full days off for the month of May (not including my move days).
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| My Schedule for May 2017 |
#10: I Have to Entertain Myself
As mentioned previously, sitting around waiting for a call could be boring. And sometimes is. The ways I've kept myself busy include:
- Exercise: going for a run, or I got a hotel room a couple nights from the company and was able to use the hotel gym to lift
- CBT: The company requires pilots to do Computer Based Training (CBT) to continue developing our skills/make us aware of new or altered procedures. These can take up to a few hours so with the wifi at the crash pad I'm able to use that time to complete those instead of time I'm at home engaging with my family.
- Netflix: Mindless and not very productive, but it has it's place!
- Podcasts: I've enjoyed downloading some various podcast episodes. My new friend Jerrid Sebesta's podcast, "Two Week Notice" has been fun to listen to after being featured on it a few months ago. Also some faith-based podcasts, like Desiring God. But I'm a podcast listener noob--tell me what to listen to!
- Reading: I've been able to use time to catch up on some Bible reading and then also the book my wife got me called The Glass Cage: How Our Computers are Changing Us. It's an interesting read, especially in my profession, as it looks at how automation is impacting us as a society and personally.
Do you have any other suggestions for me about what to do around the Chicago O'Hare airport this month? Or a Podcast to suggest? Leave me a comment and let me know!
