what are you doing hanging out on standby?

[aerobat77]

hey gents !

i,m working for a company doing business aviation , freight and ambulance (mostly human organs ) . in most cases i am several consecutive days on and away from home -living then in a private company room directly at the airport. ( my home is by car 3 hours by car away from my company)

when we do not fly we are at standby here, like currently. a good idea would be to open a nice bottle of scotch whiskey when away from home :-) , but of course this is not an option since an organic ambulance flight or cargo may happen at the most crazy hours middle in the night . ( its late evening now in germany)

on the other side it may happen that you hang out not only the night but also the entire next day...

so my question to all the fellows working a similar rooster, what are you prefer to do hanging out on standby far away from home ?

best regards !

[OutsideCAS]

Sounds like your doing 24hr Standby Duties ? AOC operation ?

[aerobat77]

yes, of course. we operate three piper cheyennes .

you can call it a 24 hour standby , but since we get private living rooms with a possibility to sleep its legal because not duty time.

i must say that are fair rooms, with TV , wlan and a separate bedroom. but nevertheless it may p...ss you off hanging around.

are you doing something similar ?

[md1011]

Try,

10 days and definately the next 2 Moscow no flights and temperatures below -20 at times so, allbeit 5*, hotel prison cell. It's the job I suppose.

[Klimax]

Schoen guten abend,

I could recommend a few things to consider doing:

Enroll in an online/distance learning education. RDI for example gives you many different online courses to choose from. I, for example, have just enrolled in the BCs on applied psychology. You get a good span of up to 9 years to finish, and you have will get a bachalors degree. All study materials available online and almost all exams etc is done online, no class room etc.

Get into some serious sports work out. Get in a f@cking good shape. Running, cross country, hiking etc.. Start a hobby you always dreamt of. Something that you can always look forward to, as you leave home to go away for work/standby.

Good
Best of luck and happy flying..
K.

[Denti]

Joe, have a good read of EU-OPS subpart Q. CAP371 only applies to AOC holders in the u.k. not elsewhere.

[CaptainProp]

Sounds like your doing 24hr Standby Duties ? AOC operation ?

If they expect you to go when you are called, then it most definitely IS duty time, asleep or not.

Yea yea.... So do all operators doing 20/10, 2 on/2 off, month on/month off and all other combinations of scheduling....

Nothing new here and it's not only seen with small prop operators... Without mentioning names of operators, I think its safe to say all the big bizjet operators do this.

[Kelly Hopper]

Except of course after the completion of a FDP when you are on min rest so no SBY then! :rolleyes:

[Welle]

what are you doing hanging out on standby?

answer: checkking pprune double daily

:rolleyes:

rgds
welle

[upwhereIbelong]

right now fighting with hotel internet and heating ...bloody UK

:*

[cldrvr]

Aerobat, if you work on the Cheyennes at Air Alliance, you better use your time finetuning your CV and making phone calls, they got all of them up for sale.

[Liftboy]

Sounds more like the Cheyenne operation in EDDV :}

[cldrvr]

Sounds more like the Cheyenne operation in EDDV http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/badteeth.gifThat's D-IHLA and IAWB, those are up for sale too.....

Looks like both operators are getting out of the Cheyenne business.

[Liftboy]

yepp, they're a up for sale since a few weeks, also the old Citation V (about 2 year now)

[aerobat77]

hey gents ! just right back from an ambulance mission, now 4am local in germany- thanks for your inputs so far , later more of it, i now enjoy a beer and then slam into bed.

no air alliance , no aerowest wit the D-IHLA or D-IAWB , but check the D-IABA ,D-IABE or D-ILCE , its not that secret where i work :ok:

when you talk about EDDV airport... LOL... i live but not work in hannover- and when i,m back from duty - who is in the vicinity ?, lets go for a beer and talk about girls and not flying ;-)

best to you all !

[Luke SkyToddler]

Standby used to kill me 'til I found this (http://www.voyageairguitar.com/component/virtuemart/browse/9-transaxe-series-starting-at-749?sef=hc) ... fits in my pilot case and everything

... plus 1/4"-to-USB cable and laptop amp sim program = fully portable Angus Young impersonation, in any crewroom on earth :}

[redsnail]

A few of us at NetJets Europe are doing degrees through the Open University in the UK. It helps to be a UK resident but it's open to all European citizens. Some of us are doing a BSc in Psychology, others are doing Astronomy & Physics degrees for a laugh. :ok:

[Klimax]

Luke,

Freakin' f@ckin' awesome sh@t :ok:

[aerobat77]

luke, this looks like a very good piece of equipment ! thanks also klimax for the inputs, doing sports or joining a hobby in the time outside the home zone seems to be a good idea !

any further inputs are very appreciated gents !

[upwhereIbelong]

working on the "In every Port a Darling ,Klischee"!!!:O

[aerobat77]

working on the "In every Port a Darling ,Klischee"!!!http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/embarass.gif

thats also a VERY good idea i quess. a better sport workout than running :ok:

That's D-IHLA and IAWB, those are up for sale too.....

just for interest, where do you have this information from ? never heard this. i thought aerowest had good work for the turboprops , especially in ambulance missions.

[ksjc]

My main objective is to stay clear of the hotel room during the day.

I am a runner and this is great way to: kill time, stay in shape, enjoy the outdoors, explore a new city or region, meet other runners, enter a race, and always to have fun. Been doing this for decades in many parts of the world...in +30c to -20c. Favorite type of run is to go in one direction for a couple of hours and take public transport back. Always a great adventure.

Also, in the GLEX there is pleanty of room for my bicycle so that goes with me if we are headed somewhere worthwhile. An all day long ride is even better than a long run.

Either way the cold beer at the end always tastes better.

[aerobat77]

Favorite type of run is to go in one direction for a couple of hours and take public transport back. Always a great adventure.

on standby ?

[ksjc]

Sure. My standby and your standby likely look very different.

I don't fly on-demand jet charter. One GLEX and one guy who determines the schedule....always. His habits are well established and standby for me is anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days or more in one place.

Besides, you do realize I am talking about running here? 2 hours of running will only get me about 20-25K from the hotel. I have my phone..and before the cell phone we had pagers. There are a number of ways to get back to base quickly. In 20+ years of this I have never had to hurry back.

Worse case? Have the other pilot or flight attendant come to fetch me in the rent car. Again, never happened.

Usually when I participate on this site there's a skeptic ready to bash whatever I share. Not sure why you guys feel the need to do this but...Standing by.

[CaptainProp]

I would have to agree with ksjc, worst case, and I mean WORST case, call your colleague and ask him to go to the airport and start getting aircraft ready while you get a cab to hotel and pick up your stuff....

What sort of stby are you guys doing? Sitting at airport kind of stby in case someone drops by to fly?

[lk978]

Porn......:ok:

[mutt]

GLEX there is pleanty of room for my bicycle so that goes with me Your passengers are not like ours :):):) We set records for the amount of luggage that fits in the back of the aircraft :)

Mutt

[aerobat77]

What sort of stby are you guys doing? Sitting at airport kind of stby in case someone drops by to fly?

hey captain :}, like mentioned we do a lot of ambulance missions so maybe no need to sit in uniform at the airport, but to depart within an hour.

those who actually are a flight deck crew beyond flight simulator know that you are busy in this hour for at least notams, weather and calling the tug for pulling the aircraft out the hangar . checking if refuelling might be also a good idea , you surely know that you do not just jump in the cockpit and depart .

so we can go out in the city, can do sports or porn :ok:, but should be available in a resonable time to be ready without a delay.

best regards !

[galaxy flyer]

Mutt

He must have the exclusive freighter interior! :E

I have same problem with most of our pax--barely can get crew bags stowed.

GF

[aerobat77]

I have same problem with most of our pax--barely can get crew bags stowed.

you work for a company where you instead of the flight crew by itself stows the crew baggage? where does your river flow? i want to work in such a luxury :ok::ok::ok:!

i also had to LOL hard about the captains bicycle in the global express -the vips paying xxxxx thousands have to leave the luggage because of the mighty pilot bicycle :O

please more ideas what to day on a real standby beyond the virtual flying ideas! the best hints were : running, new hobby, porn, in every port a new darling- in that sequence !

thanks to all for the inputs !

[ksjc]

Funny.

With the bike still plenty of room for lots of stuff in the Global baggage area...including the boss' luggage.

Also have carried skis, snowboards, fishing rods, R/C aircraft.... but the surfboard won't fit.

I guess the bike idea isn't for everyone but glad you liked a few of the others.

[galaxy flyer]

you work for a company where you instead of the flight crew by itself stows the crew baggage?

I am the pilot and do load the bags.

GF

[Mister Warning]

KSJC : I have an inflatable surf board that rolls up to the size of a back pack. Might suit you in the GLEX - it fits ok in my 340! :ok:

[BizJetJockey]

Standby for me can last from two weeks to a month!! But I do know pretty well in advance when the next trip is and I am based where the aircraft is so this does give me the opportunity and time to be able do the things that I enjoy such as cleaning the apartment, taking the cat to the vet...:} Joke!!

I am fortunate in the sense that I am pretty free to do what I want when I want and not worry that I may get a last minute call out, it hasn't happened yet!! But I do find that once I have done my morning ritual of going to the gym/playing squash/swimming and chilled out reading the paper, having a coffee etc. I get pretty bored and am at a loss about what to do with myself and I am not one who likes to sit around, I really want to do something productive with my time!! :bored:

What I yearn for is a business of my own and I basically have the opportunity to focus a lot of my time and energy on this but the issue is...I don't have a clue what kind of business that could be. I have spent many hours/days picking my own brain searching for a business idea that I could make a success out of but it just aint coming!!! :ugh:

So who out there is also in a similar position with a mountain of time that they could realistically focus on making a second income out of, what have you managed to achieve/make something of? :confused:

[CaptainProp]

My advice would be to start studying business courses, like for example The Open University in London, and many others, are offering. They have courses starting with some very basic introduction stuff all the way up to advanced courses and full degrees.

Once you start digging in to business cases, reading more business news etc you get in contact with a lot of different businesses and start-ups where you think - "Wow, that was a good idea!" From there you get your brain "tuned" in to thinking along the right lines and hopefully something will come up.

Remember two things: 1. You don't have to invent the wheel again, sometimes copying existing ideas and "just" doing it better than they do can be enough to make a buck or two. 2. Even if you never come up with a good idea for your own business you will soon find yourself with a certificate or a degree in whatever you have studied. Not a bad thing you know.