RAT 5. I must congratulate you on your posts, they are truly inspiring and very much to the point of what it's all about that the flying public doesn't know and the airline management doesn't either care or want to know. It is truly a RAT's 5 race and it seems nobody gives a RAT's 5 'bottom'. In my company (M.E.) they now want to do fatique research, for what I wonder. To prove humans are made to sleep at night or. . . .how to convert pilots into autopilots and problem solved instantly. Still even outside the fact the EU FTL gives to many options, it still is far better then most FTL's are now and another thing, rostering and crew planning also play a huge roll in this. They can roster you to dead meat within limits (including all pax of course) just by giving multiple nightflights with some day trips in between, just lovely!
Or if given the chance they can give you sort of a 'life' (before early death). And then the constant & continuing wining of "we are very short of crew" really get's to me by now. (Was just now called out on stby for 2 night flights, I was probably challenging the gods too much on this topic) Anyway I've flown for over 20 years now and am trying to get out, starting a business and with succes I may say. I will probably have less income but I will have a LIFE, and see my daughter become a mom. Flying airplanes is great but the airlines now a days have squeezed all the fun out of it, because fun is not profitable and so doesn't please the share holders. Share holders, by the way, are now a days a company's most important asset, maybe most employees didn't know this yet.
Anyway, better go to bed now before my night fight or should I wait a bit and then. . . . . Recognize this dilemma?
Keep writing the good stuff RAT 5!