Life on the road

Life on the road for a career pilot can vary greatly depending on the job. If you fly a light twin or turboprop for a local company, there’s a good chance you’ll be home every night and spending your days in FBO crew lounges. However, if you fly a heavy corporate jet such as a Gulfstream V or Bombardier Global Express, you could find yourself in all corners of the globe, possibly for weeks at a time. Living out of your suitcase is a very accurate description of such a job. If you’re single—great. Married with kids? Not a great way to see junior grow up.

In the airlines and Part 135 charter operations, where the duty/flight time rules are more restrictive, you generally cannot work more than about five days in a row. Part 91 operations offer much more flexibility to schedule pilots to fly longer periods. Luckily, however, most operators are aware of the fatigue danger in making pilots fly beyond sensible duty times.

So what’s the glamorous lifestyle of a pilot on a layover? At the regional airlines, you can expect to overnight in the small cities of your region: Greensboro, North Carolina; Spokane, Washington; Saginaw, Michigan, for example. Not exactly “exotic” destinations but you can definitely find charm in every town.

As for major airlines, forget what you witnessed in the movie Catch Me If You Can, where the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio jets off to exotic locales with his arms full of female flight attendants hung on his every word. Those were the days, some might say. Today, with airlines clawing their way back to profitability, there are few luxury hotels that crews stay at. Often, the flight attendants and pilots stay at different hotels.

When I worked for a regional airline, there were some overnights that I liked better than others. I loved going to Savannah, Georgia, where we stayed in a hotel right above River Street. The Howard Johnson along the interstate in Newburgh, New York, however, was not one of my favorites, but if I went there I knew a good pizza place to at least satisfy my tummy.

At the major airline I work for today, the destinations are more mainstream and in some cities, the hotels are nicer. I particularly like our long-layover hotel in Seattle where we’re just steps away from Pike Place Market and numerous other attractions. But for every overnight in a great hotel/destination there are at least a dozen in a hotel where the only excitement for the day is playing a game of human Frogger to get a bite to eat at Denny’s across the street. One thing I’ve noticed about hotels—the fancier they are, the more you’ll get nickel-and-dimed on things such as Internet access, phone calls, and breakfast. Sometimes, a LaQuinta is a great place to stay.

At regional airlines, the crews are younger and more willing to explore the local flavors. In the majors, I’ve noticed that the crews are older and generally less willing to go out and explore, more often partaking in what’s known as slam-clicking. This is the sound the hotel room door makes when closed and deadbolted from the inside. If a crewmember says they’re “slam-clicking” for the evening, don’t expect to see them until the van ride to the airport the next day.

Corporate and charter crews are lucky in the sense that they often have company credit cards and permission to rent cars. Those crews can spend their downtime exploring the area and scoping out the best places to recreate or eat on the company dime. Airline crews are usually paid on a per-diem basis, where you receive a certain amount per day or hour to cover basic living expenses. The per-diem at my airline is only about $40 per day for domestic flying. The more extravagantly you dine, the more you’re taking from your own pocket. If you’re good about packing meals and such, you can save a few dollars per day in per diem. At the new-hire pay rates, every little bit counts.

Life on the road as a career pilot can vary greatly. Expect some days to be boring and borderline depressing while others are exciting and fun. You’ll likely spend lots of time away from your family, including holidays, birthdays, graduations, etc. Sometimes, however, you can bring your family along if the passenger loads are light or you have an understanding boss. Remember, you’re doing what you like to do and getting paid for it—and that’s certainly a good thing.

Pete Bedell is a first officer for a major airline and co-owner of a Cessna 172 and Beech Baron.