Reserve Line Simulator

Test different patterns of X days (reserve off days) to see whether the pattern is legal. Parameters turn red when out of bounds.

Caution: This is mostly "vibe coded" based on my Excel version which has stood the test of time. I am impressed by Claude's abilities, but I don't completely trust it. Let me know if you find issues. thejohnbell@gmail.com. I do not know if I can fix it, but I will try. Worst case, I will take this down if I can't fix it and it is putting out bad information.

Updated: 10/24/2026

Parameters

Instructions

Set your tap by picking the type of day and then tap in the grid to make the day that type.

Legend

X
X-day (reserve day off)
A
Absence (non-working)
W
Work (not available for reserve)
CQ
Does not count against X days
CI
Carry-in trip (work, no proration; works like an R day)
R
Reserve on call day
C
Coverage date (behaves like R; don't change while analyzing)
ALP
Pre-posted ALPA days (ALPP in PBS); like absences for placement, no proration
X
Clears entries in look back area only

Pick a day type, then tap days

Line grid

Summary

Notes on the line construction rules

  1. Pre-awarded W / CI days can be orphaned unless PBS puts a reserve day on either side of them; then the work-block rule applies.
  2. Previous-month reserve or work days at the end of the lookback may be orphaned unless PBS puts a reserve day next to them in the current month.
  3. The minimum work-block rule does not apply to work blocks (including reserve) that touch the end of the current month.

Notes on the bidding

If you find a way to use this when bidding -- I am thrilled. However, I designed this as a tool to explain awards and provide a better understanding of the reserve line construction rules.

PBS will attempt to honor any Prefer Off day over all of the Prefer Off days that are to the right or are in subsequent bid lines within the constraints of honoring the coverage days and reserve line construction rules. It does not matter if you put days left to right or list them in subsequent Prefer Off lines.

Discussion about this page and AI

This was "vibe coded" using Claude with some manual cleanup and is based on the Excel version of the available at www.johnfbell.com. As expressed at the top of the page, use caution.

While the Excel version is time tested, it can be difficult to use on the iPad. I had thought about developing an html version, but never got around to it. This is much easier to use on an iPad and it appears to work.

I have been an intrigued skeptic about "vibe" coding. A fellow pilot, Ramon Ballester, demonstrated Claude AE by taking the Excel version of this and converting it into the html version using Claude Code. I went back and made some formatting changes, but overall the interface was created by Claude and is better than what I could have written and the functionality seems to work correctly. However, please let me know if you find any issues at thejohnbell@gmail.com.

Claude was much better than I expected and was truly impressive. There is a lot of both hype and doom. I still have trouble sorting through it. Creating this required the Excel file as a starting point and some iterations. I have not committed to either the exessive hype or doom, but I am becomming convinced that AI may be a useful tool.

Copyright: Feel free to use whatever you like from this page.