Question for the wide body guys/gals

[conmachine]

I guess I'm not very smart, and don't have any 705 flying experience, but can somebody explain this to me. Regional carriers are gruelling, I get it. 14+hour days, work 20 days a month, sleep in crappy motels and eat gross motel food - it's bad. But widebody? That was supposed to be the point where you have "arrived", so to speak. Work 8 days a month, nap enroute the plane while relief pilots take over, 1-3 day layovers in 5-star hotels in fancy destinations. Where does this exhausting fatigue come from? Not trolling, btw, just genuinely curious.

14 hour days would be great! Try 22 hour days if you can not sleep in the bunk bucking around in turbulence while basking in the radiation over the pole.

I fly wide body 22 days a month, mix of long haul across 12 time zones with night turnarounds at exactly the wrong times. Everyone I work with is doing 100 hours plus a month, minimum rest at home base, do not count the time in the bunk towards legal limits. 18 to 20 hours in the hotel at layovers after traffic and delays, depending where the theoretical 24 hour layover is.

Repeat for 10 years straight. Get leave assigned two or 4 days at a time, then max your hours that month as well. Eventually go sick and get a warning letter for taking sick days.

You have arrived.

[sstaurus]

I guess I'm not very smart, and don't have any 705 flying experience, but can somebody explain this to me. Regional carriers are gruelling, I get it. 14+hour days, work 20 days a month, sleep in crappy motels and eat gross motel food - it's bad. But widebody? That was supposed to be the point where you have "arrived", so to speak. Work 8 days a month, nap enroute the plane while relief pilots take over, 1-3 day layovers in 5-star hotels in fancy destinations. Where does this exhausting fatigue come from? Not trolling, btw, just genuinely curious.

14 hour days would be great! Try 22 hour days if you can not sleep in the bunk bucking around in turbulence while basking in the radiation over the pole.

I fly wide body 22 days a month, mix of long haul across 12 time zones with night turnarounds at exactly the wrong times. Everyone I work with is doing 100 hours plus a month, minimum rest at home base, do not count the time in the bunk towards legal limits. 18 to 20 hours in the hotel at layovers after traffic and delays, depending where the theoretical 24 hour layover is.

Repeat for 10 years straight. Get leave assigned two or 4 days at a time, then max your hours that month as well. Eventually go sick and get a warning letter for taking sick days.

You have arrived.

This can't be a Canadian carrier... Right?

[PROC_HDG]

I guess I'm not very smart, and don't have any 705 flying experience, but can somebody explain this to me. Regional carriers are gruelling, I get it. 14+hour days, work 20 days a month, sleep in crappy motels and eat gross motel food - it's bad. But widebody? That was supposed to be the point where you have "arrived", so to speak. Work 8 days a month, nap enroute the plane while relief pilots take over, 1-3 day layovers in 5-star hotels in fancy destinations. Where does this exhausting fatigue come from? Not trolling, btw, just genuinely curious.

14 hour days would be great! Try 22 hour days if you can not sleep in the bunk bucking around in turbulence while basking in the radiation over the pole.

I fly wide body 22 days a month, mix of long haul across 12 time zones with night turnarounds at exactly the wrong times. Everyone I work with is doing 100 hours plus a month, minimum rest at home base, do not count the time in the bunk towards legal limits. 18 to 20 hours in the hotel at layovers after traffic and delays, depending where the theoretical 24 hour layover is.

Repeat for 10 years straight. Get leave assigned two or 4 days at a time, then max your hours that month as well. Eventually go sick and get a warning letter for taking sick days.

You have arrived.

This can't be a Canadian carrier... Right?

This sounds like Emirates to me?

Nobody at AC or WJ is working anything like this.

PROC_HDG

[Qdrivermann]

Another question for the widebody drivers.
How do you kill time during cruise?

Position reports, fuel checks, ATC communications, unique airport operations, weather updates... you know, pilot stuff.

Then the other stuff; eating, studying, family bragging, coffee, debating world politics, solving all the airline problems, more coffee, solving contract issues, cars, girls, motorcycles, more coffee, retirement plans, industry rumours, AvCanada layover plans, more coffee.... land.

That just about sums up a day at the office!! Pretty funny actually! A hard day flying sure beats a full day of hard work! Hands down!!

[yycflyguy]

14 hour days would be great! Try 22 hour days if you can not sleep in the bunk bucking around in turbulence while basking in the radiation over the pole.

I fly wide body 22 days a month, mix of long haul across 12 time zones with night turnarounds at exactly the wrong times. Everyone I work with is doing 100 hours plus a month, minimum rest at home base, do not count the time in the bunk towards legal limits. 18 to 20 hours in the hotel at layovers after traffic and delays, depending where the theoretical 24 hour layover is.

Repeat for 10 years straight. Get leave assigned two or 4 days at a time, then max your hours that month as well. Eventually go sick and get a warning letter for taking sick days.

You have arrived.

This can't be a Canadian carrier... Right?

This sounds like Emirates to me?

Nobody at AC or WJ is working anything like this.

PROC_HDG

Might be wrong, but that sounds like a senior FA experience.