Hi my name is Sarah, I am dating a pilot and thugs are getting serious I want to know what I can expect for his future schedule as first officer and how long it takes to get seniority? Right now he’s finishing his instrument and then he is going to do his commercial and he needs to build hours so he still has some stuff to get done but I just wanted input
Thanks so much
Sarah,
That’s a question that’s very difficult to answer. Seniority is a relative thing and depends on many factors (size of the airline, aircraft, base, etc). What you (and he) need to know is being a pilot means being flexible. Gaining any real seniority where you can have the exact schedule you want can take years or decades (if ever). You may have to get used to spending holidays apart and him missing more than a few family events. On a positive note being able to jump on a plane and fly anywhere for free does help to balance things out.
If he only has his instrument he has a ways to go which will give you plenty of time to figure out how much this relationship is worth.
Adam
Thanks Adam that is helpful! It’s seems scary at this point looking st the lifestyle but I’d does work for most! Right now I only see him 8 xs ( I have 2 kids)a month so anything more than that would be awesome moving forward in our realationship like if we live together
Sarah,
Take a look at our “Schedules” section, it will give you a very good idea of how much we are on the road. Also, if you really want time with your boyfriend, move to wherever he is based. Expecting him to commute from where he is based to where you live can be an absolute recipe for disaster. Trust me on this one.
Chris
Hello, thank you for creating this forum. I am in serious relationship with a pilot. Why is it that you cannot tell the details of your flight with family or girlfriend? He is only able to say in generalities due to rules, why is that such a big deal?
Kiley,
It depends on what kind of company your boyfriend is working for. If he is doing contract work for the government in Afghanistan, then there are security concerns. If he is flying for a US airline, there is no known reason that I am aware of to conceal a schedule. I give my wife a printout of my schedules, just in case something happens. It might be time to have a real, honest conversation with your boyfriend.
Chris
Kiley,
It’s not. Not sure if this is a joke but unless you’re BF is a pilot for the FBI or CIA (or as Chris said doing some military covert ops) there’s ZERO reason he can’t tell you his EXACT schedule. The only rule he’d be violating is from the “Cheater’s Handbook”. I’d ask him to show you the reg from his Ops Manual.
My telling you this is more a violation of the “Guy Code” then him showing you his flight schedule.
Adam