Trainees with weekends off

[Dousand24]

We have 4 trainee slots per RDO set. We also rotate days off. Trainees bid leave per seniority. Our #2 in seniority is a trainee

 

[JackTBP]

At my first facility when I came into the FAA, there definitely was an attitude that "developmentals don't get weekends off" once they certified on GC. While some of it was based on seniority and "earning the right" to those days off, I realized there was practical/technical benefit for it too: the bulk of challenging traffic sessions consistently happened when weekend pilots went up each week. CPC-ITs would usually heed the advice too, take RDOs during the week for training, and then worry about days off once they certified.

Once in awhile a trainee would sneak their way onto a Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun line, and they would usually plateau and struggle. Traffic just wasn't as challenging many weekdays and (as previously mentioned) the senior trainers on those lines would take more leave or have other duties. But then traffic grew over the years and volume/complexity became about the same each day of the week, so RDOs no longer mattered so much for traffic reasons.

What was interesting to see is that CPCs I came in with would still, years later, choose to pass on bidding for weekend RDOs. Getting Sunday pay is important to a lot of people, but I think many also became accustomed to some conveniences of having weekdays off. You can schedule appointments without taking leave, commutes can be easier, fewer crowds out shopping or recreating. From personal experience of having almost every set of RDOs some year, each one has its pros/cons. Obviously each facility is different, but it was funny to see Sat/Sun lines being bid by a couple of the lowest seniority people some years.

 

[SharkBait]

What was interesting to see is that CPCs I came in with would still, years later, choose to pass on bidding for weekend RDOs. Getting Sunday pay is important to a lot of people, but I think many also became accustomed to some conveniences of having weekdays off. You can schedule appointments without taking leave, commutes can be easier, fewer crowds out shopping or recreating. From personal experience of having almost every set of RDOs some year, each one has its pros/cons. Obviously each facility is different, but it was funny to see Sat/Sun lines being bid by a couple of the lowest seniority people some years.

I've worked a lot of shiftwork in my life, and even when I wasnt getting diff pay the fri/sat days off were the best, when your young can still go out and party friday night and anything out in town you would do friday morning when it wasnt busy.

 

[DankVectorz]

I've worked a lot of shiftwork in my life, and even when I wasnt getting diff pay the fri/sat days off were the best, when your young can still go out and party friday night and anything out in town you would do friday morning when it wasnt busy.

thu/fri is my favorite rdo’s. Thurs ot, off Friday, bang Saturday.

 

[BigEggplant]

thu/fri is my favorite rdo’s. Thurs ot, off Friday, bang Saturday.

Me too, even if you don’t bang Saturday, you never get scheduled the 1700-0100, coming in at 1600 on Saturday is basically a kick hour feet up and chill the whole shift because all the airline traffic ends at around 5pm. Where I work I think the 16 on Saturday is actually less busy than the mid.