10 Things About My Life on Reserve

#1: I Commute to Work... by Train & Plane

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.

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!

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.

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! 

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.

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!

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).

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). 

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!

First Flight as a First Officer [Landing Pic Included]

My first trip is officially complete! I now have just over 20 hours of actual turbine time.  Whoa! I am absolutely exhausted from the pace of it all. But here's a quick recap...

Aircraft: CRJ700 Taxiing at PHX; Pilot Arm: Mine; Photo Cred: Wifey aka Sara

Preparing

First of all, preparing for the details of the trip was much quicker and easier than I anticipated.  I packed up my suitcase with a couple uniforms, work out clothes, toiletries, a casual outfit, some food (Easy Mac and Uncle Ben's Chicken Rice), my laptop, and a book called The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us (which I did not read at all because I was so rung out by the time I got to the hotel, but I am eager to dig in).  I put all my flight necessities in my lunch bag along with some more snacks for the actual flight, put on my uniform and was ready to head out...until I realized I was wearing my flip flops. (Changed shoes!)

Some items I packed in my bag

Ready, Set, Adrenaline.

Time to go. My stomach immediately shrunk, I couldn't eat any more spaghetti.  Sara and Isaac took me to the airport.  Classic Isaac fell asleep on the way, so our goodbye was a bit anticlimactic. I was grateful to have my wife there to send me off....and she was conscious so that's good. ;)

I went straight through Known Crew-Member security to the crew lounge to print out our trip sheets for each leg of our flights.  The other pilots could immediately tell it was my first day; they offered some advice, and wished me well.

Sara & Me at PHX Airport

Flying

So I know my pilot friends will want some more nitty gritty details. Call me. Otherwise, here's a recap of what my experience was like, Q&A Style.

• Q: Did you actually fly the plane? A: Of course! Why else would they have hired me? But really... a big misconception I've run into is that people assume the Captain does all the flying and the Co-Pilot/First Officer... ???? Twiddles his thumbs? Is there in case the Captain dies? I'm not sure what people assume but often folks are surprised when they learn that yes, both the Captain and First Officer fly the airplane. Usually, you take turns flying different legs.  But ultimately, the Captain has the final authority over the safe operation of the flight.
  
• Q: Ok, but did you land the airplane? A: Yup. Of the 14 legs of our trip, I landed the plane 4 times all on my own; without the Captain's assistance (but always under his supervision!).



Sara picked me up on my last day and snapped this photo of my Captain and I.



• Q: Did you ever takeoff? A: Yep. Of the 14 legs, I was responsible for takeoff 10 times.
  

• Q: Did you make a PA announcement to passengers? A: Every flight it's my job to tell passengers our sequence for departure... and on a couple flights I gave PA announcements in cruise and for our initial descent.  I probably said something like: "Ladies and gentlemen, we're starting our initial descent into Santa Rosa.  We should be on the ground in the next 20 minutes. It's a beautiful day here: calm winds, visibility unrestricted, temperature 68 degrees.  Thank you for flying with us today."
  
• Q: Where'd you sleep? A: My trip basically consisted of flights between Phoenix (PHX), Monterey (MRY), Grand Junction (GJT), Yuma (NYL), and Santa Rosa (STS). I spent two nights in Grand Junction, CO where I enjoyed some Applebee's with the Crew and then one night in Yuma, AZ where the Captain paid for some In and Out Burger.

• Q: What was a typical day like? A: Here's a look at my schedule from Monday.  When there's any time before your report time, it's at your disposal.  Some people exercise or read or what not.  That'll be me someday! Not much time for me to leave the plane during the day so I pack enough snacks to curb the hunger and take a restroom break between flights.
  
• Q: How early do you have to be there before the flight? A: Not as early as the passengers! No really... because of how expedited the security process is for crew members, and rules about pilot rest/duty periods...we're typically required to report 45 minutes before departure.
  
• Q: Were there actual passengers? A: Of course! It's too expensive to take one of these guys up empty for this purpose.  Our CRJ700 can hold up to 70 passengers and all flights were pretty full.
  
• Q: Did the passengers know it was your first flight/trip? A: No, of course not. Does it make you wonder how many times you've been on board with a rookie? No worries... it's safe! Check Airman Captains are specifically qualified to train and teach a new pilot throughout the Initial Operating Experience and prevents anything unsafe from happening.

My wife snapped some pictures of us landing and taxiing from the top floor of Terminal 4 Parking Garage in PHX.  So... here you go... here's me landing a jet.

The start of a new normal has begun and it is exhilarating!

Landing the plane in PHX on Runway 26; Photo Credit: Sara aka Wifey

We're Adding to the Team! Click to Find Out Gender

We're excited to share with our friends and family that we are expecting a baby! We are looking forward to relocating back to Minnesota in May and then welcoming our new baby at the end of July, God-willing!

We had an ultrasound this morning and learned that we will be having a...

BOY! 

We are both surprised and excited and look forward to meeting the little man.  

So how does Isaac feel about it all? We asked him a while ago if he wants a brother or sister...he said: "pancakes."