I can assure everybody on here that 5+ (heck, 3+) days off at FD is NOT the norm. Unless you're using bits of your annual leave to bump up your days off I find it hard to believe. Yes, it is possible to swap your stuff with other people - true, but when most people have schedules that are so restrictive, it's really hard to change too much as everyone else is in the same position. But try using AIMS to do any type of swap/drop is an absolute nightmare. The parameters are just so restrictive that it doesn't just allow you to drop your trips and gain so many days off on the row.
I hope your buddies at FD aren't counting their Available days and Standby days as days off.
I guess I won't justify it too much - one post on here saying FD rosters are great doesn't change what most people on here are saying.