Crash Pads a Necessity

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to know to know the purpose of Crash Pads and how Crash Pads work? It seems like a big sacrifice, but a right of passage at the same time.

Yuran

Yuran,

I don’t believe a crashpad is a big sacrifice nor is it a right of passage. A crashpad is simply a place a commuter stays near their base before or after a trip or when sitting reserve. It can be anything from a hotel room to a very nice house or apt a few pilots got together and set up just for that purpose. Let’s say you live in VA but you’re based in NY. If you’re on reserve you need a place to stay while waiting for a call that’s near the airport. Even after you’re off reserve if you’ve got a trip that starts early and finishes late you’re going to need to get in the night before and possibly stay the night after a trip. It doesn’t make sense to set up an apt for a few days a month and hotels can get expensive (airlines pay for your hotel when you’re on a trip but not before or after). The solution is to share something with other pilots. That’s a crashpad. There are pilots who have used them their entire careers.

Adam

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Yuran,

Crashpads are for pilots that chose to live away from their base and commute to work. Typically it is a house or apartment that several pilots go in on to help defray the costs. The house will have many beds in it and is really meant just to be used for short nights before, after, or inbetween trips. It is not meant to be a place to permanently live and I wouldn’t recommend doing so. For pilots that commute this is the norm, those who live in base have no need for a place like this.

Chris

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Thank you again, gentlemen! I wasn’t too sure how the crashpads work or why you would need them, but it makes total sense why you would have one!