Tottigol, we cover the base with 4 pilots. Everybody would have the 48-hour break twixt nights to days, and at end of schedule, 6 whole calendar days off- actually 168 hours. That's as much as we get on a nominal 7&7, except that a whole day is spent as a zombie from the night shift.
The 4 of us are working around individual issues:
One pilot can't work a long schgedule of nights;
One- soon to be two- commute;
One has itchy feet, so maximizing consecutive time off is a goal;
Finally me- I'm convinced that forcing the shift to nights over a minimal time compromises intellectual capacity, and THAT'S the issue being addressed-
Which is my issue with the 2-2-4 proposition, MightyGem.
The things that make me think that the proposal might work:
It's easy to slide an hour or two a day. We can't do that on schedule, doing it on the break might fit.
If so, then one shows up for nights rested and as close to circadian shifted as one can get.
Finally, the 48 hours in the middle might break a long hitch into two shorter ones, and the switch to days is an easier flip mid-schedule than to the night assignments- at least in my experience.
Thanks for the responses, friends. Wishing one and all a Merry Christmas.