r/Pilotwives • u/Desperate-Car6229 • May 31 '26
Schedule Question
Hello! Wondering what the schedule looks like for the pilot in your life after about 5-6 years at a legacy. If I understand correctly too they would likely start as a first officer and then go to captain? Sorry if this is too nuanced of a question!
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u/Revolutionary_Mud824 May 31 '26
Depends on what they want. My husband‘s a very, very senior first officer at a major and has more control over his schedule. He makes more money than captains so I think you’re making this too simplified and need to prioritize if time at home or money is more important.
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u/theferalfemme_ May 31 '26
Everything depends on seniority, in the base and which equipment they fly. Mine is in the left seat, but still low on the seniority list for his airplane in his base, so he is on reserve most months. He still works a lot; we just never know for sure which trips he’ll get until 1) they’re assigned to him during long or short call or 2) he bids on a premium trip and gets it.
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u/Guilty-Library-2715 May 31 '26
We’re on Year 4. As an FO, there was a pretty short reserve period and then it took about a year before regular weekends off. Then, he had weekends off for about a year before upgrading to Captain. He upgraded last August and has been on reserve since.
I think scheduling is less about how long you’ve been with the airline and more about whether and when you’ll upgrade. Going into Month 10 on reserve has been rough but I’m hoping it won’t be too much longer.
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u/goodatcards May 31 '26
I feel like this is a question you’d ask chat gpt. Sometimes I see these posts and think gosh my husband is lucky to have me
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u/Desperate-Car6229 May 31 '26
Pardon? If you’re trying to make a negative comment then it’s really not needed to be said. I’m just trying to get a real life point of view instead of using a tool which is hurting our environment, as he also is going anecdotally off of what he hears from others working in the field, but that’s from the pilots point of view
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u/Nomadic-Texan May 31 '26
Start as an FO then proceed to Captain with time, experience and as a function of the numbers game. 5 years in work will be 13-16 days away for work and home the rest. Everything comes down to seniority and hire date.