Originally Posted by
AIMINGHIGH123
At present winter time. It’s a bit quieter at RYR. Last summer was diabolical at RYR. Earlies we’re starting 5-6am. Landing after 4 sectors at 16.00 was normal. Earlier than that you had an easy day or were hitting 99hrs for 28 days. Once a week landing at 18.00. 12 hrs rest and back in again. 5 days on and pretty much didn’t see the other half apart from dinner together. Lates starting anytime from 12.00 and landing sometime 11-12 hrs later. Twice in a 5 day block I went into discretion, pushing 14hrs.
So yes while RYR you will be sleeping in your own bed days on you might not see the family. Speak with anyone with a family and the conversation usually goes like this. “What day you on? Day 5. Oh so off tomorrow. Yeah sleep first day. 2 days with family. Last day get up early/late to adjust body clock”
This coupled with pay etc is why many are leaving RYR.
Personal opinion on this post taken from another thread, better answered in this thread:
In summer expect frequently commuting in on lates day 1, during early, yes early rush hour for late duty (9-10am report) 4 sector days, repeated delays, frequent disruption and discretion. Those early 'late' duties ensured you still worked all your duties that week as gradually your start times are later avoiding you going out of hours. That kind of roster manipulation doing often 18-20 flights at times over 5 days is like a pressure cooker. 5/4 is most certainly not attractive done like this, it's the biggest con ever. Expect that 5/4 to feel like 6/3 or worse for summer months. Fine in winter but hell on earth at times in summer. You report at the aircraft, so all those security queues and distant car parking and bus journeys are taken away from your minimum rest time.
There are no defined early/late report times so disruption to sleep/rest is common in summer, with unstable roster and working away from base commonplace. Expect in summer to at times work into day 6 (day 1 off) on lates landing 1-3am with delays, arriving home at times after 3-4am, totally destroying day 1 off.
This will be totally unpaid and forced upon you to complete regardless of day off plans. Then plan to be awake just after 3am for day 1 early (repeatedly over 5 or 6 days), then you start to see the reality. The truth is that this 5/4 roster as attractive as it sounds, is actually very fatiguing at times, and this is why crew are leaving in droves. Let's not go there with other issues of management and Covid support enjoyed by crew over the years.
For summer, plan on having little to no life at all apart from commuting and work, then you see the reality of 5/4. Then plan on day 1 off and late on day 4 off being a total wash out, hence 5/4 being in reality more like 6/3 in disguise in summer.