Cargo pilot schedule reddit. That is way more common for cargo pilots though.

Cargo pilot schedule reddit It’s like he’s not a pilot but I prefer this way as we get much more family time. None of them are recession proof. Why stick around with a second job at that point. This community is for discussion among pilots, students, instructors and aviation professionals. 5%. Flying for Southwest is going to be different than flying for Delta. In 3 years of cargo my biggest EP was a burnt out landing gear light on final, my first flight with pax had a kid having seizures in the aisle. One of my best friends has a father who flew for Flying Tigers. You have years before you can even start worrying about a pilot slot I like to say that a pilot that fit his life into his job will be very happy. In my first 1000-2000 hours, what some different pilot jobs that actually have a “mission”. Additionally it’s extremely easy to stay to exclusively daylight flying by choice at pax carriers. You would be making 100k while getting that experience. Nov 30, 2023 · Typically, cargo pilots work irregular hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays. I can't speak for other cargo operators, but my quality of life has been really good since I joined here. 26 per day. But I also want to know where I can go to research the best career opportunities myself. After their break the second pilot will go back and then after a period of time the last pilot will take their last break. Flight instruction you’re home every night, some of the smaller commuter jobs you are home every night, smaller cargo same deal. At the entry level (which is still going to be after you pay for your own training and build some experience to the tune of $75,000 and 1 or 2 years minimum) you're going to be at the 50-70 end of the scale. The frequencies are all quiet in the middle of the night. The schedule just isn't normal. We call it CRT, which the actual name is failing to come to mind atm (something Rig Time). Here is a scene from the movie. Since moving to a charter he’s literally at home most of the time. 25 years in, and I still don't necessarily "like" my schedule. Often quite "good," but it always leaves something to be desired. I tend to have a couple months off with recurrent training in there during the March-May time period as we switch to summer ops. 135 cargo also sounds good! BTW have you heard about 91 cargo ops? In my previous post one guy said he works for 91 cargo but I thought most of the cargo is 135. We have wings and epaulets for the pilot shirts. Between 8-12 hours we usually have 3 pilots up front for the take off. Its just at a cargo carrier there is a proportionally far larger pilot group flying circadian disruptors vs at a pax carrier. FedEx 5 yr retirement percentage: 22. A typical pilot for us got to the cargo ramp about 5:30 AM, loaded out, and flew to the destination. Cargo is a hidden gem as long as you can function at night. Unlike Active Duty where you could be stuck flying anything. Then two weeks off. I know there are many types of pilots (wildland firefighter pilot, cropduster, tourism, etc. Not sure how feasible that is at a tier 1 cargo op like UPS or FedEx Step 3: Become an Airline Commuter Pilot or Instructor. Atlas has “split schedules” that are available where you work more like 10/10. Not to knock the ACMI peeps but the model is not that stable and consequently the pay is not that great. Cargo, we just show up, load planner handles cargo, we just wait for loading to be finished. Some cargo airlines have that schedule but you can't do that at the regionals without having some mandatory days off. UPS 10 yr retirement percentage: 53. ACMI cargo carriers may give you the schedule flexibility you’re looking for if you can handle the longer trips away from home. That wore on me with young kids but maybe not everyone. I’ve worked at both feeder cargo and ACMI cargo. CoPilot: Mind if I ask you a question? Pilot: Sure. They mostly do 16/14, 17/13 with paid commuting and paid for hotels. It’s tough to be a part-time military pilot and have a civilian job that doesn’t involve flying. That is way more common for cargo pilots though. ). I bid 60 day lines so my trips run anywhere from 7 to 11 days usually. They do post pilot positions on workday. He easily had the hours to get on with a major and did, but those 3 years were tough on him and his family, firstly because he had to spend quite a lot to get all his ratings, then was paid very little as a cargo pilot. CoPilot: Just a question. It’s payware but, A Pilot’s Life Chapter 2 gives you the opportunity to apply for real world cargo-airlines and fly for them with schedule/report system. He loved doing cargo as well. I can choose to bid for $$ or time off. I’ll be eligible for the ratp this summer and was wondering if they have a required commitment and what the schedule is like? Thanks! A fighter pilot and a cargo pilot are flying around, talking shit to each other on the radio. I know a guy who owns and operates a winery in Washington state while flying for the WANG. When the police got the head of dispatch on the phone, he said he was too busy to deal with it and would get back to them. 6%. I agree we have no FAs. Hi, what’s your typical work month like at SkyWest: as per work schedule? Would it be possible to work 6 days a week, to build up 4 day off in a row? Depending on the base and the type of available trips, you should be able to stack 4+2 or 3+3. I am a part 121 cargo pilot, flying 777s. A schedule with 3 work blocks - with that as your only limiting criteria - should be doable for a very junior lineholder. these days if I've heard right. At my office job, if I had a big event or trip or something I wanted off for, I would need to request it off WELL in advance. I love flying cargo durring the day with nice equipment, and an awesome schedulebut considering that doesn't really exist, I'll be moving on as soon as I can. Cargo is easier, but with that it’s a little more isolating. As a result it's easier to train someone to be a different jet pilot because the MIG-29 pipeline will still have basic aviation or air combat training that's still very applicable to F-16s, even if there will need to be type training. Cargo companies fly narrowbodies, too. This is deposited whether the pilot contributed to the 401(k) or not. After about 18k on climb out the first pilot will take their break for the flight. Ok, back from sleeping and working. ACMI pilot here (read kinda cargo kinda charter pilot) Pros: 13 days off is the worst schedule I can hold, 21 days off is the best schedule I can hold. CoPilot: Okay, it's morning, you're getting ready for work, you pull on your pants --do you fasten and zip, or zip and then fasten? Pilot: What kind of question is that? CoPilot: Well, look, we've got two hours to kill --Pilot: Forget it. The fighter pilot goes on about how much cooler he is than the cargo pilot and says, "Watch this, brah!" hits the afterburner, does a barrel roll and then a loop Currently at 820 total time and was considering applying to mountain air for their caravan sic program. Clarifying that these are percentages of the pilot group retiring I work for a ULCC where I’m home every night and QOL is great but the pay isn’t. Air EVAC is going to have you home most days as well I think but that schedule/job is definitely not for the faint of heart. Cargo Pilot Any FedEx/UPS pilots out there that want to share how they built hours/got their gig with their airline (total hours, multi, turbine, etc. Depending on the the training schedule, nights vs days, if you are in an upgrade, and current ops tempo. A cargo pilot has the most amount of paperwork to do, you document everything on your aircraft, you document the time you take off, land, duration of flight. I fly from Europe and try to bid for westerly flights. If it’s 16%, then the pilot gets $16k put into their 401(k) for every $100k of earnings. I'd love to discuss what you all think is best and why. Two flight hours tops. So Im noticing some of my stations are not restocking the cargo drones even though I have ticked to automatically restock and I have set it to maintain 3 cargo drones at all times. Most guys don't wear them. When you fly passengers you have a more unpredictable schedule, but it also depends on Context: I’m 34, married, work as a project manager near Tampa FL, and looking at becoming an airline pilot. Assuming you make it through pilot training and dont get stuck doing a non-flying job. For example, if I’m a 15 year captain and want to bid MEM-CHS, but a brand new MEM “based” street captain also bids that run. My background: Navy Helo Pilot, turned Navy Helo Instructor, turned pretty standard d Airline pilots - what is your sleep schedule like? Is it reasonable to expect to get 7+ hours of sleep a night on average? Has QOL improved since some of the mid-2000s horror stories (crash pads, fatigue, etc. Worry about that step first. A freighter load means not waiting for pax in the terminal, not waiting for pax to swaddle their babies in 50 layers of blankets, not waiting for pax to inch their way across an icy ramp, not waiting for pax to figure out how to put a seatbelt on, not worrying about pax comfort and flying through mod chop Another note to the schedule: you may be gone longer periods of time, but youre also home much longer. While cargo pilots fly more at night than their passenger-flying peers – the red-eye or transoceanic flight notwithstanding - various day or night flying is available in many cargo operations. Let me start of by apologizing for any typos - my laptop keyboard is sucking right now. Sep 6, 2008 · It can vary greatly depending on the company you work for and the type of schedule you want, your seniority, and the type of aircraft you fly. You literally have half the month off. when they were very junior seniority? A floater that has been at this company 15 years will always be out-bid by a brand new “based” Pilot when trying to bid runs out of said base. Otto Pilot was one of the characters in the movie. To become a Cargo Pilot, you typically need at least 3,000 hours of flight time. Instead of going back to your home that you would normally reside in and you instead stay at the city of your last flight’s destination and explore and “live” in it until your next flight. Our 2019 Pilot held the value so well that we basically drove it for 2. Almost always cold and dark, and when we land we supervise the unload and then shut her down. FAs, boarding agents, etc. Cargo trips can be as short as a few hours away from base. Constantly changing sleep schedule. On an average day, air traffic controllers handle 28,537 commercial flights (major and regional airlines), 27,178 general aviation flights (private planes), 24,548 air taxi flights (planes for hire), 5,260 military flights and 2,148 air cargo flights (Federal Express, UPS, etc. Cargo pilots can get standby tickets for personal stuff. May 1, 2019 · If you fly cargo (large or small aircraft) feel free to add your (family friendly) “You might be a cargo pilot” experiences in the comments. One perk is that you can travel all over the globe. Cargo (other than UPS or FedEx) : 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off or worse, circumnavigate the globe in a heavy every trip, usually less money than most airlines on a base schedule, with the opportunities to make a little extra money for a sacrifice in home life (my buddy with atlas will base himself outside of the US for months at a time for extra pay There’s all sorts of jobs out there for all sorts of pilots. Sometimes we leave early (stupid early, one time we were leaving ORD 45 minutes early every time). 3 days off, 2 days on, 3 days off run arpund at the passenger airlines, I can tell you I like my Atlas schedule much better, and so does my wife. There was a movie in the 1970s called Airplane. They are an ACMI & CMI company based in White Plains, NY under the umbrella of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. I’m guessing the guys and gals that move out to social places like Chicago and New York have plenty of pilot and non pilot friends that they could hit up at any given time. According to airline pilot central: UPS 5 yr retirement percentage: 23. ATP is an Airline Transport Pilot, a kind of pilot's rating that qualifies you to fly big planes for hire. 2%. Wondering if anyone has any advice on these. I've heard people recommend cargo, but airlines really need pilots right now. People fly when airlines say they have seats available. That is not the case for narrow body pilots in the airlines. 5 years for 3k. We’ve got the same rules and weather minimums as everyone else, including the almighty Delta. A fighter pilot and a cargo pilot are flying around, talking shit to each other on the radio. They spilt up when the youngest of us was 10 so they did this for about 7 years. This is because cargo flights often operate on a tight schedule, and cargo pilots may need to be ready to fly at any time of day or night to accommodate the demands of the cargo industry. Famous fighter pilot answer: it depends. Since were on the topic of Cargo planes, how do you handle the payload specs of the 747-8I when flying Cargo on Virtual Airlines(I use FSAirlines). I made a Simbrief profile of our 747-8F, but messes up when flying cargo since 747s have the 8I specs, not the 8F. I'll give you the basics and others can add on to what I say, like I said it varies. So things are definitely doable. The fastest way you can get to your dream schedule is speed running your CFI/CFII in 1 1/2 years, working as a CFI until 1150ish hours which is around 8-9 months, working at a 135 cargo gig for 1 year 3 months, going to a low end 121 cargo gig for 1-2 years (think 8/6 schedule or 16/12) then jumping to a good 121 cargo (UPS, FedEX, Atlas Welcome, current, former, and future airline pilots! This forum is dedicated to our profession, covering everything from red-eyes to reserve shifts, forced upgrades, and minimum call outs. Regional flying is different than mainline legacy flying. The money making difference is in the hours, the phenom flying slightly more legs will still net less hours per day at 3. How many breaks depends on the length of the flight. I'm a student pilot with about 20 hours, and I've been trying to do some research into how much pilots make in different industries, but I keep seeing wildly conflicting information. Some of them have good business models for riding out a recession, or they get lucky but that's not exclusive to cargo. Here are the qualifications you need to have to fly in large cargo operations: Pilot's license: a pilot must have an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). Then, depending on what company you fly for, when you get to the overnight all the crew disperse because the schedules don't align. Or carry on for the next sector obviously. Domestic, long haul, a bit of both, cargo, passenger, Atlas does a bit of everything. The job is everything I had always imagined growing up. Mar 20, 2023 · Many in or close to the aviation community assume that most cargo operations are conducted at night and that cargo pilots almost always fly at night. FedEx/UPS have a more similar schedule to PAX airlines than the other ACMI cargo ones (shorter trips and more predictable schedule). 28 days on then 28 days off with travel to and from base on days off (depending where I am that might be one day travel or up to 3). Dealership wants $13000. Here's some advantage to flying people: Pilot: Hmm. We get paid the better of: credit (block, 50% deadhead pay), CRT, or minimum monthly guarantee. The fighter pilot goes on about how much cooler he is than the cargo pilot and says, "Watch this, brah!" hits the afterburner, does a barrel roll and then a loop. With the reserves you are hired to be a pilot and if you don't make it, your ties are cut and you don't have to get stuck doing a desk job. They also operate 737, 767, & 777. Wake up 0715. May 23, 2022 · A low time cargo pilot job is a job transporting goods or freight for pilots who have a low number of flight hours, usually not much more than 500, and wish to build their hours while earning an I am looking into being a pilot because I love flying and being in the air, but the work-life balance of a commercial pilot is a major con and could be the reason why I don't do it. I'd argue cargo has less job security in the longer term, people are going to be comfortable with single pilot/automated cargo flights long before they're comfortable with the same for passengers. Night Cargo for UPS/FedEx is different than long haul cargo for UPS/FedEx. I personally think instructing and 135 cargo are the way to go. So I and my sibling were changing houses every Wednesday and Sunday. Fairly sure there aren't many UPS pilots on Reddit, I know there's a FX pilot, and a few ACMI cargo pilots. The Phenom flies the most per day on average at 2. Set yourself up to have a competitive package for the Academy, apply for the AFROTC scholarship. In the US, this requires north of 1000 flight hours of experience. If you're a VIP pilot (taking ScoMo from state to state or country to country) then you do even more planning than the cargo pilots. Edit. No passengers, no flight attendants, no daily TSA/airport terminals, no drama. It changes wildly. I have been reading blogs on dating a pilot but would love some advice and tips about what it's like being in a relationship with someone who is a pilot. The Pilot handles it well. Its a joke on "autopilot" and many pilots intentionally misspell "autopilot" with "Ottopilot". Depends on what kind of pilot. Feb 28, 2024 · The training and legal requirements for cargo airlines and passenger airlines are identical, which means that the sector that a pilot chooses relies solely on them. It's a good way to build time, but now, with over 4000hrs in the saddle, I think it's time to hang up the spurs and find a job flying people. They fly for companies ranging from: Fed-Ex, UPS, DHL, Amazon, MSC, the NFL, the US Government and more. ACMI flying is different than all of the others. Best thing to do avoid commuting all together. It just meeting the qualifications to be eligible for hire while working at FedEx is not realistic. I get a company-paid airline ticket and hotel for commuting. On the other hand, obtaining a multi-engine commercial license and applying to cargo companies could potentially expedite your path to flying larger aircraft and increase your earning potential. 11s and combat boots. Cargo apron at Tokyo-Narita. Standard is take off time for 1015. You can do day lines, 2 day, 3 day, 4 day trips etc. What is the day to day life of being a pilot? What is the training pipeline and how long does it last? Especially for bomber and fighter tracks? How long are the work days? And from what i have found, the commitment is for 10 years, once you become a pilot; is that correct? Being an pilot looks cool and all, but what are the "non-sexy" part of Cargo pilot. I also have all the components needed for the station to build the drones. Step 4: Apply for a Cargo Pilot Position Southwest and FedEx didn't furlough a pilot in 2001 or 2008. Travel the world. And I only commute once a month. PS percent is determined by the company on an annual basis, based on profitability, and paid out 1 time each year. I do when I wear the pilot outfit but today with the rain I'll be in my 5. We travel with our son and dogs. You go through some weird cargo terminal where you may not talk to anyone other than the load master and the other pilot. You're thinking of Ameriflight. At the airlines, each month we request the next month’s schedule preferences. 5 days a week and I would probably say about 3 days a week the other months (November less than 2 days a week). FedEx 10 yr retirement percentage: 40. There are downsides, and you can read up on all of them on APC, which also has good info too (if you skip the guys arguing about single pilot cargo airliners and shit lol). Thanks. Sorry. I will stick to your first 10 years (~ your initial commitment and try to keep my comments reflective of which part of those 10 years you will face). One pilot ended up in handcuffs on the side of the road taken out of a rental car at gun point because dispatch couldn't take the time to renew the rental car and it got reported as stolen. A lot of the low time cargo jobs will not have you flying for 2 weeks at a time. 85 hours per 24 hours of time away from base. Western Global 747-400F and Nippon Cargo 747-8F Looking at a 2011 pilot with 153k miles on it. If you don't care when you work, PBS could build you a schedule with two work blocks with much less seniority than that. Cons: When bidding for $$ I might have to work a 17 day trip. Work 15-17 days a month. Though, with all the movement in the industry my idea of low time jobs may have changed. I have some background flying planes (never enough to get license, but some hours) and have read up on the process of becoming an airline pilot. With your current single-engine hours, transitioning to multi-engine flying might open doors in the cargo sector more quickly. The pilot shortage is very real for 135 freight operators right now. Normally we meet up in the hotel, jump on a shuttle, get through security and the agent drives us to the ramp. We can also wear blue pants with a company polo. If you’re flying for a feeder cargo company you’re more likely to be home every night or day than have overnights in hotels. I had so much equity in it that my new car payment was about 150 less than what I was paying for the 2019. 3 segments per day followed closely by the Latitude at 2. Not scheduled cargo like UPs or Fedex Pros: don’t have to deal with rude passengers Good money for the work I do. You just have to manage it. UPS, Kalitta, Polar and Atlas all furloughed pilots. Cargo Pilots often earn the required flight time by working as Airline Commuter Pilots or Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs). Once a month we are on rest one week together. Even if you think you can handle the back side of the clock well, you will hit a wall at some point because your body just isn't designed for it. I have been loving this job quite a lot. Another note to the schedule: you may be gone longer periods of time, but youre also home much longer. Not the same 3 legs every few days. )? What there schedule looks like now vs. Be a (recreational) bush pilot first, fly around in those circles, and go from there Do the standard part 141 thing, find cargo work, and then find bush-y cargo work Buy a remote lodge in Alaska and then illegally fly people to it until you decide to go legit and get your CPL and operating certificate (kidding) Once we have ai pilots all of the human pilot jobs will be in danger, cargo will be the test run because of it messes up the only thing lost is packages the plane and some robots, the hardest part for passenger airlines to use ai pilots will be getting people to trust it but people can easily be manipulated. Puts you 1st in line ahead of the 10-15k resumes they have on file for pilot positions. My pilot parent was pretty selfless and moved to a place only a few miles from my other parent to make all of this easier. Depending on your operator you may remain after the flights to clean / restock etc. Pax you deal with a few more things than cargo. Didn’t do college, yet, and the military pilot route is off the table. Its the ultimate source for pilot jokes. I do it pretty much every time I write up the autopilot. Cargo vs pax is something I can answer, I've done both. Atlas has The "required" uniform is the standard airline pilot uniform but no ties, coats or hats. It is not a match. I have time for hobbies or a second job. Once a month she comes on a layover with me. You don’t need to fly a minimum every month afaik As a pax pilot there is no benefit to PAX over FedEx or UPS other than maybe more daytime flying. My schedule is typically tolerable. They may also have longer flight hours and shorter layovers. I fly on demand cargo. Apr 19, 2019 · Atlas/Polar - Typical schedule-Atlas Air - Without this turning into a bashing contest about Atlas, would someone, preferably newer, be so kind to post their typical schedule for the month on the 767? I hear they're based out of Ontario Ca. DC is a contractually set rate. And a pilot who tries to fit his job in his life will be sad. Come on in and ask questions or make comments regarding Atlas Air. But that’s cause it’s the stuff that I know. He preferred cargo flights because they were more low key and he could let his co-pilot learn more. Then in the evening, the flew the reverse route, getting back between 7:00-8:30pm. Would you guys recommend one… Feb 18, 2019 · And two hotel nights in EWR. The days off will be in base and since you're commuting you'd need a place to stay and would have to pay for it out of pocket. Before you start worrying about how to become a cargo pilot, you need to figure out how you’re going to earn a commission. My airline does both passenger and freight/mail/cargo, but usually a mix of the two. I'm in the left seat of a legacy narrowbody in a west coast base, about 50% seniority in category with 8 years with the company, and my schedule looks fairly different from the junior captains (4 yrs Military cargo- deployed for 90 days, fly 16 hr duty day about every other day to every 3 days, when at home work 40 hr work week with training flights sprinkled in every month or so, also doing worldwide missions from home that last about a week with several 12-24 hour duty days in that period with usually a 16 hr crew rest period before Utility/bush helicopter pilot. A lot of pilots aren’t willing to move away from their lame ass hometown and never see their old friends because of the differences in schedules. Cargo is/can be fragile. You need to be good no matter what. Cargo flies less but it’s on the backside of the clock. Seems like every time I get the point where I have decent schedule control, it's time to switch airlines/airplanes/upgrade, so often back to the bottom. What you're likely seeing are the different steps in the career of a pilot (cargo or passenger in this case is largely academic). Thanks a lot! Do you know any other pilot jobs with tolerable schedule? I know EMS has pretty nice schedule, CFI of course (but money is bad). FAQs Apr 28, 2023 · What you're likely seeing are the different steps in the career of a pilot (cargo or passenger in this case is largely academic). )? You join a specific unit to fly a specific plane. For example, one website says that senior Delta captains make between $250-350k per year, but another site says that they make upwards of $650k. 1 when the Latty is pulling in 3. Schedule flexibility month to month. Cargo pilot here on the 747, so flying longhaul, a bit different then some of the other answers i read here, but ill tell you how it is on this side. Interesting flying, nice equipment (most times), corporate card, rental cars, nice hotels, lots of hands on stuff with the passenger experience / planning the flights etc. I’m curious if I can still have a “family life” as an airline/ cargo pilot. I'm 3 years in, and about 50% seniority on the EWR737. The relationship is fairly new, so I don't know much about his job and the responsibilities it asks of him. He missed the birth of my sister. Flexible schedule - company is very good at scheduling days I need off . Most did eventually transition to the airlines/cargo because the two are very symbiotic. This varies so much by type of airline (regional, LCC, legacy, cargo), specific airline, fleet, base, and especially one's seniority in category. I feel like the company is quite strong economically. That schedule is not solid either. Doesn’t mean you can’t be involved in aviation. As an actual Atlas pilot, it's 4. Now the pilot is in a different state living life to the fullest. Knee issues from the Marines are good enough for the faa for a first class, but not good enough for the military. That said, cargo is more consistent as far as demand (9/11, recession, COVID - boxes still fly) Not a UPS pilot, but a cargo pilot. When my dad was an airline pilot he would miss my parent meeting conference at school when I was a kid. This can mean flying for a passenger airliner like United or Delta, or it can mean flying cargo for Fedex or UPS. Long haul flying for Delta will be different than short haul flying for Delta. At my AE company everything was a 401k MATCH. Not having to commute Quick upgrades. As someone who did the whole 4 days on. 55. Good points. The only rub is that when you work, you’re gone for several days at a time. If anything there are a lot of pilots in the US that have experience getting hired at many different airlines. Due to the amount of money we would save, we traded it in for a 2022 Pilot Elite AWD. In the summer months I average 3. Who is Atlas Air? They're the world's largest operator of Boeing 747s. Rarely at home. Also I’m a check airman and instructor now and I’ve never ever had a problem training someone that came from the single pilot cargo world. Actually flying, and going all over North America . My wife is a nurse, working night shifts. Then got a job doing air cargo in a 1900, flying his maximum every month, for a pittance of pay. I’ve done both, current airline/cargo Corporate is a fun way to climb the ladder. Source: was passenger pilot now cargo pilot. wgjnf vaqsty sxq cbv aghdf iluzzf ixiautu bwkpfn xrw mwp