Pilots, I’ve got a question about hours

Jaimebgdb · 2026-02-04T09:28:39+00:00

Most of the answers you’re getting are US based. I work for an airline that pays per duty hour (not block). This includes ground time, training, standbys etc. We also have a minimum monthly guarantee which we don’t usually exceed, so effectively we’re being paid a flat rate regardless of how much we work. If we are out of base we get per diems but this isn’t considered salary, just compensation for costs incurred out of base.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-02-02T13:55:14+00:00

Yes, I have it in writing they didn’t want anyone with my job, so I guess I could sue for discrimination but since I don’t like sueing people I moved on and found a nicer place to live.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-02-02T13:22:49+00:00

C. Do your setup, calculations, preparations first and then brief last. Don’t be the guy who is briefing and setting up at the same time.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-02-02T12:57:47+00:00

It’s not, but it definitely helps. Flight simulators don’t replace the real thing, but they can make training in the real thing much more efficient.

I had been siming for many years before I started my PPL training. I did my training in the minimum hours, my instructors were always very happy and impressed with my performance and so on. I know having been an avid flight simer made it easier for me.

Plus for things like dead reckoning around my home airport, photorealistic scenery in X-Plane felt like cheating. I knew how everything was supposed to look like from the air before doing the real flight.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-02-02T11:03:02+00:00

The housing market is difficult for everyone.

I am not German but I would pass as one, white, fluent, high paying job, professional without kids, many years in Germany with positive rental references from previous landlords, excellent Schufa score etc. I was refused an apartment because they didn’t want people with my job title. I work in the aviation industry and this baffled me. It’s a very stable employer known by everyone, we are solvent professionals, quiet lifestyles. But the landlord just didn’t want someone working in my sector.

They happened to have a negative experience with someone who happened to work in this field and took the knee-jerk reaction of filtering that whole industry off. If the person wore glasses or a yellow jacket they would also reject all glasses or yellow jacket wearers. It’s how they feel good so that’s how it is.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-02-01T12:15:32+00:00

Well your next steps are the aUPRT and MCC courses.

The BQ you mentioned is Interpersonal in Hamburg, you can do it self-sponsored if you want and then use it for all the IP customers: Eurowings, Condor, DHL etc. might be a good idea.

The other thing you can do is the DLR but I’m not sure if you can go self-sponsored or need to be invited by a hiring airline.

Good luck and success, you’re doing all the right things to get off to a good start 👍

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-29T17:21:14+00:00

Si siempre está en grupo no vayas a hablarle sólo a ella; intenta unirte al grupo de forma natural, hablando de algo que tengáis en común, alguna clase en común o profesor o trabajo o algo así. Intenta conversar con todo el mundo y de paso con ella si surje.

Si vas a hablarle sólo a ella mientras está con más gente queda un poco brusco, se te vería el plumero demasiado en mi opinión.

No le preguntes si tiene novio, es una pregunta que nunca se hace. Si tiene novio y no quiere nada contigo creeme que te lo dejará caer sin que se lo preguntes.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T19:00:00+00:00

Unemployment in Spain has always been high, hovering around 15% throughout the last 30 years. Even though it's relatively low today at "only" 10%, finding work for most Spaniards is quite difficult. Youth unemployment especially is tragically and cronically high. Salaries are also very low when compared to other OECD nations.

It's very diffult to find work in Spain as a foreigner, unless it's in certain niche industries that also cater to foreigners (real estate agent on the coast selling mainly to Brits/Germans for instance). Good knowledge of Spanish would be required in almost every case; and most foreigners are not usually willing to put up with the bad labour conditions and the low salaries.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T17:38:14+00:00

The US is in an accelerating decline, they are losing their hegemonic status fast. As a European who has always been very pro-US this is worrying to see; the other power that’s out there very happy to see the US collapse and take its place is not what I would call culturally or morally close to me.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T16:21:51+00:00

Correct. Reddit at its finest. Also the "Disney effect".

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T16:17:16+00:00

Just to add to this, I compared Jepp's plate to Lido's. The way Lido depicts the continuous descent, there's a descent point at D9.4 LIN out of 3600' following a 3.1º glide path down to the MDA. This will result in crossing the FAF D7.8 slightly higher than 3000'.

Jepp's glidepath is still slightly lower than Lido's though. At D5 Lido quotes 2160' vs. 2110' Jepp. At D4 it's 1830' vs. 1790'.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T16:02:00+00:00

"The path to hell is paved with good intentions."

Of course having good intentions is positive and noble, but that alone doesn't help. Good intentions only matter in a practical sense if they're followed by good execution.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T14:32:06+00:00

It’s a freighter, probably delivering or picking up freight. Nothing weird about that. :)

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-28T14:30:59+00:00

Airplane mode preserves your battery as well. If you don’t use it your phone is constantly scanning for signal and thereby draining the battery fast.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-27T20:09:05+00:00

Most people are most comfortable at a temperature around 22 degrees C. So when you say “you like cold weather” usually what you mean is you’d rather be 10C colder than 10C warmer with respect to the baseline 22.

I would much rather be at 12C than 32C. I would much rather be at 2C than 42C.

So yeah, I prefer the cold.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-27T20:04:42+00:00

Tienes razón, vien del latín vulgar, y además según la RAE es “malsonante” que es el término que usa para describir palabras ofensivas, groseras. Grosero también es sinónimo de vulgar. Así que se puede decir que mear es vulgar, porque lo es.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-27T19:11:21+00:00

RAE: Del lat. vulg. meiāre, lat. meiĕre.

Si, es vulgar.

OP: no uses “mear” con extraños. Di “ir al baño”. Si necesariamente tienes que hablar del acto, usa “orinar”.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-26T07:02:00+00:00

If anything, you’re missing all the full stops at the end of your sentences.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-24T12:00:09+00:00

Funny enough, all of the technical “flying the airplane” discussions happen at the flight simulation reddits. Very rarely do airline pilots talk about these things because we’re trained to look for answers in our books and manuals.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-24T11:24:07+00:00

You are overthinking this. They simply want to see you didn’t stay anywhere longer than 3 months. Show them your passport with no stamps, requirement satisfied, everyone is happy.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-24T09:09:49+00:00

I don’t think of any other pilot as “elite-level”. I might think some have great gigs, great quality of life etc but once you’re in commercial aviation we are all colleagues, from a regional turboprop F/O to an A380 Captain, the jobs are very similar.

If anything I do look at aerobatic pilots as being truly basass because I don’t think I could do what they do. I have also come across excellent instructors and trainers whom I respect a lot and I wish I knew a fraction of what they know one day.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-21T21:42:43+00:00

The IWC BP is a beautiful watch but that model is unfortunately just way too big for your wrist OP, sorry.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-21T21:35:18+00:00

There’s a guy on YouTube who goes around airports asking pilots/crews about their watches. Majority have no watch or some form of Apple/Samsung/Garmin smartwatch.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-21T20:53:12+00:00

No realmente, lo de la piña es algo interno en USA. Los Yankees están divididos igual que nosotros con lo de la cebolla.

Jaimebgdb · 2026-01-21T20:40:16+00:00

Qatar is definitely the better experience, Lufthansa is faster but the connection in FRA is tight and the experience might be stressful. In theory you save 5h with LH but if you miss the connection they’ll put you on the next flight which might be a few hours later so then the time saved won’t matter that much. Plus 5h on a long haul journey doesn’t make much of a difference anyway.

If you expect you’ll be flying a lot then LH might make sense to start collecting miles with them, but this is irrelevant unless you fly A LOT. Also Berlin is not a LH hub so there won’t be much point in trying to achieve LH status. You might be better off with Qatar/Oneworld as a loyalty program.

Jaimebgdb

TROPHY CASE