Equipment by base

[westisland]

Curious to know what equipment type is available to pilots at the each of the four bases (YVR, YYC, YYZ and YUL). Thanks in advance!

[goleafsgo]

There's no yyc base but there's a ywg base

[altiplano]

Here you go... it changes now and then, sometimes inexplicably...

YVR
L767/320/787/777

YWG
320

YYZ
EMJ/L319/L767/737/320/767/787/777

YUL
L319/L767/737/320/330/787

L767 is leaving YVR soon, likely to be replaced with 737

[Flash8]

Which silo of plane/base moves the quickest? (IE gets one off reserve quickest)

[snag]

The rouge planes technically, as they do not have reserve, period.
Fastest movement at mainline would be at the junior positions in Toronto, ie. All RP spots and narrow body FO.

[islandguy]

That's technically correct, but there's a significant caveat when it comes to narrowbody f/o in Toronto...when you get online, you might be showing at 20% right off the bat, but your flying and lifestyle will in no way resemble what 20% would get in a fully staffed roster.

i.e. your life is still going to suck. Pretty much have to avoid mainline narrowbody Toronto if you want to realize the benefits of seniority.

[CZBBYYZPilot]

What's the flying like on the Airbus out of YVR? Will 737 impact it much?

[CZBBYYZPilot]

What's the flying in the Airbus like out of YVR? Will the 737 impact it?

[bcflyer]

The YVR 320 flying is pretty good. Better than out of YYZ in my opinion. Wide variety of destinations. Depending on your seniority it’s possible to get down to 8-12 days a month. As for what impact the 737 will have, it’s planned to do all the Hawaii flying, so initially I would think it won’t make much difference. Long term is anybody’s guess.

[ToolShed]

That's technically correct, but there's a significant caveat when it comes to narrowbody f/o in Toronto...when you get online, you might be showing at 20% right off the bat, but your flying and lifestyle will in no way resemble what 20% would get in a fully staffed roster.

i.e. your life is still going to suck. Pretty much have to avoid mainline narrowbody Toronto if you want to realize the benefits of seniority.

This is not correct.
You will accrue seniority QUICKER as a mainline narrowbody FO because pretty much all new hires are being trained as NB FOs!

[Bravomike33]

Hello !

Thanks, that a nice post.


Some chance to see a A350 in a futur AC fleet ?

Cheers

[islandguy]

That's technically correct, but there's a significant caveat when it comes to narrowbody f/o in Toronto...when you get online, you might be showing at 20% right off the bat, but your flying and lifestyle will in no way resemble what 20% would get in a fully staffed roster.

i.e. your life is still going to suck. Pretty much have to avoid mainline narrowbody Toronto if you want to realize the benefits of seniority.

This is not correct.
You will accrue seniority QUICKER as a mainline narrowbody FO because pretty much all new hires are being trained as NB FOs!

No.

You'll accrue seniority at exactly the same rate, but it will be worth less because the positions are so short staffed. I have friends who were hired on as Toronto 320 FOs and immediately showed under 20% as a percentage of required positions, but were still bidding at the 90th percentile of the guys who were actually on the base. All of these guys have now bid OFF the 320 in Toronto because the lifestyle, to put it simply, sucked.

[8895]

Curious to know what the equipment/base numbers are looking like at this point. Heard a lot of new hires going onto the 220’s. What base/equipment seat gives you the best chance at having your desired schedule at this point?

[bring me the horizon]

.

[bob99]

Curious to know what the equipment/base numbers are looking like at this point. Heard a lot of new hires going onto the 220’s. What base/equipment seat gives you the best chance at having your desired schedule at this point?

The new hire positions can be quite different class to class. Late Jan there were only 3 220 spots, but 26 wb spots (not including the freighter). There's vacancies on everything and it usually comes down to training capacity (sim/instructor availability etc). Everyone's definition of "desired schedule" will be different. How quickly you move up the list won't differ too much between the nb types, and there's frequently so many changes to commercial planning that trying to be strategic about what might happen in the future could backfire.

[8895]

Curious to know what the equipment/base numbers are looking like at this point. Heard a lot of new hires going onto the 220’s. What base/equipment seat gives you the best chance at having your desired schedule at this point?

The new hire positions can be quite different class to class. Late Jan there were only 3 220 spots, but 26 wb spots (not including the freighter). There's vacancies on everything and it usually comes down to training capacity (sim/instructor availability etc). Everyone's definition of "desired schedule" will be different. How quickly you move up the list won't differ too much between the nb types, and there's frequently so many changes to commercial planning that trying to be strategic about what might happen in the future could backfire.

Thanks for the reply. Fair to say anyone getting on over the next year or so would be able to move up the list faster on the NB side of things as opposed to WB? Seems to be more new NB metal coming in compared to WB, even if a decent amount is just to replace aging 320’s.

Any guess on how long all these new WB FO’s would be stuck on reserve? I imagine there isn’t too much growth with the WB ops to change things that much.

[skyhighh]

WB FOs would be on reserve for a while. Often people do their time on other aircraft and then when they have enough seniority and can make enough cash being a WB FO they move onto these positions.
Getting a WB in PIT is nice if you want to fly big planes and get international experience but unfortunately you’ll have someone more senior jumping above you for quite some time keeping you on reserve. It’s one of the reasons why RPs were so popular, almost nobody would be parachuted above you as most people taking RP positions were from PIT and therefor behind you.
I hope that helps.

[Blueontop]

What is the QOL like for the RPs on the WB vs. being an FO. If one was trying to decide between one or the other what would be the cons and pros of each? TIA

[Crewbunk]

A WB R/P could get senior quicker. (It depends on the base). You’ll have an easier schedule with long legs and high expenses. You’ll see some cool destinations.

But you’re a pilot. You want to fly. An A220 F/O will get lots of flying. Flying a new, pretty advanced aircraft. Flying with young, eager Captains. (Not crusty old gits like me).

One new hire R/P I flew with recently (I fly the 330) said it best. He said it’s very easy to get very lazy very quickly, it’s such an easy job.

I’m not sure when you get access to Aeronet. If it’s before your first equipment bid, check out the blocks. That may help you decide.

[Blueontop]

A WB R/P could get senior quicker. (It depends on the base). You’ll have an easier schedule with long legs and high expenses. You’ll see some cool destinations.

But you’re a pilot. You want to fly. An A220 F/O will get lots of flying. Flying a new, pretty advanced aircraft. Flying with young, eager Captains. (Not crusty old gits like me).

One new hire R/P I flew with recently (I fly the 330) said it best. He said it’s very easy to get very lazy very quickly, it’s such an easy job.

I’m not sure when you get access to Aeronet. If it’s before your first equipment bid, check out the blocks. That may help you decide.

Can you define easy a bit more, besides the not physically flying part? Getting senior relatively quickly means getting off reserve quicker? And being on reserve how often are you getting last min/day off/day before flights? Once off reserve how many days a block flying/how many days away in a row is one gonna expect? Does an RP make less than an FO once off flat pay or is there no RPs off flat pay? High expenses due to international destinations I assume you mean but you going to make more in per diems I guess? I think I would prefer an RP position over FO due to never ending slog I’d be coming from but want to make sure I know all the angles first.

[accountant]

He said it’s very easy to get very lazy very quickly, it’s such an easy job.

He's just acknowledging what the rest of us know....

[Crewbunk]

Can you define easy a bit more, besides the not physically flying part? Getting senior relatively quickly means getting off reserve quicker? And being on reserve how often are you getting last min/day off/day before flights? Once off reserve how many days a block flying/how many days away in a row is one gonna expect? Does an RP make less than an FO once off flat pay or is there no RPs off flat pay? High expenses due to international destinations I assume you mean but you going to make more in per diems I guess? I think I would prefer an RP position over FO due to never ending slog I’d be coming from but want to make sure I know all the angles first.

Easy is relative. But, what I think he meant is that as an RP he was flying few flights. If you consider that each flight requires a certain number of event sets and tasks, then the fewer flights you do, the fewer tasks you do. As an RP you could do as few as 6 flights a month, (on the Pacific) or 5 (on the Atlantic, DHing one way). As an A220 F/O you could fly 40 flights a month.

Yes, senior getting off reserve quicker and having greater control of your block.

Expenses, (called per diems at other airlines) are predicated on city and meal. For example, a 24 hour layover in Zurich could include one lunch, one snack, one dinner and one breakfast. Each has a dollar value, and varies by destination. (It’s more than Regina).

Do you not have a copy of the current pay at AC? I’ve seen it publicly. It will give you an idea of what to expect once off flat pay. Remember, once you go to the left seat, you are off flat pay even if within 4 years.

Yes, off flat pay, an F/O makes more than an R/P on the same type. It’s a percentage of Captain pay.

It sounds like you have the right idea. The only concern is that you might lose your touch, not flying as an R/P. But, the simulators are available during down time for you to practice. (Usually 0200-0600). Don’t forget though, it’s “train to standard”. It’s up to AC to get you capable again after 10 years as an R/P. (Some have done it).

The reserve rules at AC are horrendous. But social. Namely everyone gets screwed equally. My own opinion is that life is better with a block. But that’s just me.

Did I miss anything?

[Crewbunk]

He's just acknowledging what the rest of us know....

Remember, a pilot is paid well for what he knows, not what he does. (Just like an old accountant).

[SkyBagPiper]

Everyone is telling everyone to avoid bidding WB FO to get out of Reserve and get a block as quickly as possible.

But realistically how long would it be for anyone to get a block and off Reserve these days? Since everything is rolling fast it seems…what the new predicted time?

[NotDirty!]

Everyone is telling everyone to avoid bidding WB FO to get out of Reserve and get a block as quickly as possible.

But realistically how long would it be for anyone to get a block and off Reserve these days? Since everything is rolling fast it seems…what the new predicted time?

It depends entirely on how many pilots get trained behind you, and how fast. 5 years ago, I was a new hire on the 320… I held a block as soon as I was finished my line check…. Others in my PIT course were the last EMJ FOs to be trained for months… so they were the bottom 4 on reserve for about 8 months! I think they were on reserve for almost a year in the end… Despite having about 500 more pilots hired in that time, the company was prioritizing training on other fleets, so new hires were not offered EMJ FO positions.

Similarly, if you aren’t based in YYZ, your relative seniority will likely improve more slowly…