how strict is freight flying?

falconvalley said:
Airnet has a different type of system. Their bread and butter is "when do you need this...ok, done." UPS and Fedex get it there on their schedule.
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Right, I understand they are "on demand" but they do run most flights on a schedule, correct? It's just set by the banks, which happens to be why you run at night mostly.

A quote from your annual 10-K:

For those customers requiring time-critical delivery options not available on AirNet’s regularly scheduled routes, cargo charter services are available.
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Also from it the company reduced it's weekday flights by 10% so far due to the reduced demand of check hauling.

I'm curious because I've been thinking about buying some Airnet stock, but I was wanting a positive indication that they were, in fact, expanding their express services department.
 
butt said:
I'm trying to get a feel for how 135 cargo flying is like. Do you get to pick the route? If the weather is nice, can you opt to go the flight VFR? Lets say your route takes you over the town where you grew up in. If you were to decide to do a few 360's over the town to try to spot your house, will something like this get you fired? At a regional, this would get you fired in an instant. Are you given more freedom as a 135 cargo pilot? Obviously, assume that doing something like this causes no adverse safety violations. Do they just give you the plane loaded up, tell you the destination, then it's up to you to do the rest? Or is it just as strict as the airlines? Right now as a CFI, I can pretty much do whatever I want. If me and my student want to circle around a cow patch and watch the cows, we sure as hell can. There is no one to stop us. I have a cross country tomorrow, which we planned specifically so we can fly over and see this certain lake, which is supposed to have good water skiing (we are both interested in waterskiing). I KNOW this kind of freedom doesn't exist at an airline (which is partly why I'm not interested in working at an airline), but what about places like Airnet and AMF?
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butt said:
OK i get the point, but I'm not talking about going 100 miles out of your way or anything like that. Maybe "doing a few 360's" would be a little excess... The reason I asked, is because I know an Airnet guy who told us that at night you can get away with more. He went on to explain how he would practice emergency descents by descending from 30,000ft in the Lear, down to 3,000 in like 120 seconds. He seemed to characterize cargo flying as more "free". Is this correct?
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I would say it depends on where you work. You will find in aviation that different companies, and different pilot groups, will have different opinions on what liberties you should take for your own pleasure. Whatever you do, at work try to appear to be the most conservative guy in the room. Obviously you have to remember that you can't get violated, you can't break the plane, and you need to be on time. Getting the job done is always going to be #1. If you want to peg out the VSI on descent, cool (keeping it in the envelope of course). If you are on a VFR leg and happen to track a few miles off course over your home town... no one is going to be the wiser. Yes, these are some of the freedoms of flying freight. When you get there you will know what is appropriate.

If 15k ft/min descents sound like fun to you then you will love being a freight dog. There are even more exciting things then that and they are all just part of the job.
 
Sounds to me like you'd be most suited in a Part 91 corporate gig. However, I don't know if I fully support Part 91 corporate stuff. Highly unstructured compared to 135 or 121. There are no checkrides, very few limitations on block times, and you could take off from an airport without even being able to see your wingtips in fog. It's a little to loose if you ask me. Heck, if someone really wanted to let you, they could throw you in the left seat of a King Air 200 after two or three flights so long as you're CMEL with the proper endorsements.
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Panjet,

The stuff you mentioned about 91 corp flying has happend, but to say that 91 guys are out there doing it day in and day out, is a HUGE assumption. I fly a 91 Lear 45 part time, about 300 hours in the last 18 months. We have NEVER even considered doing ANY of the things you describe above. Yes we do get to make our own decisions. We are a small flight department, so we do not have a dispatch, pre-printed weather briefs, or flight plans filled for us (not that there is any thing wrong with that). Yes we do get to make more decisions, but they are always based from a safety point of view, and never a mission completion point of view. Our owners will back us up all day if we tell them we have to go later or maybe not at all.

Bottom line if your an idoit in 91, your going to be an idiot in 135 (Re: Airnet Lear roll), or in 121 (Re: PCL Repo flt). At the end of the day you are still going to have to explain to a Boss of some kind, why you bent his airplane or wasted his money.
 
wheelsup said:
Right, I understand they are "on demand" but they do run most flights on a schedule, correct? It's just set by the banks, which happens to be why you run at night mostly.

A quote from your annual 10-K:

Also from it the company reduced it's weekday flights by 10% so far due to the reduced demand of check hauling.

I'm curious because I've been thinking about buying some Airnet stock, but I was wanting a positive indication that they were, in fact, expanding their express services department.
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Yes and no. Of course Airnet is "non-scheduled" and like you guys, they have a schedule of sorts. I wouldn't think Airnet would make a run at the biguns because of the disparity between their style of service. At least I don't think it's possible because to keep the prices down and make everybody happy, they'd have to set a schedule. They'd turn out to be exactly the same in the end. The best they can do is get the "we need to ship this now!!" customers. What I read out of the new CEOs statement was exactly what I told newbies during their interview tour, that Airnet is wading out of the check business and developing their express model. They've been doing that for a while, well express meaning customers willing to pay some extra cash for priority. I don't mean "overnight", I mean NY to LA in a few hours. So, yes they should still be expanding their express as he said, but it won't be anything UPS or FedEx would have to worry about. If we're talking actual customer service and not the service itself that could be a different story. You wanna buy stock?? Ahhh, well...that'd be a great question for those that see LCK alot more than I do these days.
 
How often do AirNet pilots fly single-pilot? I would assume that the "SIC time-building program" involves flying with a more experienced pilot in the piston twins (or caravan?). Do the Lear jets fly with two on board?

The reason I ask is that I would want to make sure I was very confident in my abilities before I took an expensive airplane up solo.

My next question may sound dumb but are there any physiological risks to carrying radioactive material? I would assume there are strict regulations for that but just to make sure you guys aren't growing extra toes or anything :)
 
RyosukeFC said:
How often do AirNet pilots fly single-pilot? I would assume that the "SIC time-building program" involves flying with a more experienced pilot in the piston twins (or caravan?). Do the Lear jets fly with two on board?
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Almost all of Airnet's runs are single pilot. There are a few Baron runs they have that they use for the SIC stuff. How's the SIC doing Mike???:D His run almost always has an "autopilot". No Navajo or Van runs have SIC's, since Airnet would have to train them for 135 SIC (read: $$$). Yes, the Lear is a 2 pilot crew, and you'll have at least 1 year before you see that.

The reason I ask is that I would want to make sure I was very confident in my abilities before I took an expensive airplane up solo.

My next question may sound dumb but are there any physiological risks to carrying radioactive material? I would assume there are strict regulations for that but just to make sure you guys aren't growing extra toes or anything :)
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What's wrong with extra toes???:hiya: I think they kinda look better than the normal 6 toes. Yes, it is strictly regulated and you have dosimeter badges for checking radiation per month, quarter and year per DOT and OSHA requirements. So, I don't think I'm any different now than I was before Airnet. Now, Mike on the other hand, that guy was weird before he started, or so rumot has...:D

You will be very confident in your abilities before they turn you loose. If you're not feeling very confident now, maybe you should get some IMC time, if possible. You know how to fly, right??? Well, it's just an airplane. Occasionally we (they) do approaches, which are just headings and altitudes. You can do that, right?!?!
 
butt said:
I'm trying to get a feel for how 135 cargo flying is like. Lets say your route takes you over the town where you grew up in. If you were to decide to do a few 360's over the town to try to spot your house, will something like this get you fired? At a regional, this would get you fired in an instant.
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Really not a good idea at AMF!
 
So far my SICs have been awesome. They have all been really cool guys but I honestly rather fly by myself. Being a passenger in a baron for half the night sucks.
 
How has MDW been treating you??? Tell James, Andy, Ramon, and all the other guys I said hi. One of these days I'll have an overnight there and stop by.

And, yeah, that would suck being with another person every night in a Baron. Glad to hear they are all decent guys.
 
mikecweb said:
So far my SICs have been awesome. They have all been really cool guys but I honestly rather fly by myself. Being a passenger in a baron for half the night sucks.
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It's amazing that these SICs blossom into incredible PICs. I'm gonna have to admit that flying with you Mike was great but I'm with you, I like being by myself. Hahaha, oh the good ole days.
I can't imagine being in a pax Baron for half the night with some stuck up prick that tells you when to put the gear down!
 
Stone Cold said:
How has MDW been treating you??? Tell James, Andy, Ramon, and all the other guys I said hi. One of these days I'll have an overnight there and stop by.

And, yeah, that would suck being with another person every night in a Baron. Glad to hear they are all decent guys.
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Midway is midway. I love the smack talk that goes on amongst the guys. I got so many 1 liner comebacks to use for a later date.
607 changed a bunch right after you left. They sit in midway now forever. They leave when I do at 2:30.
 
mikecweb said:
Midway is midway. I love the smack talk that goes on amongst the guys. I got so many 1 liner comebacks to use for a later date.
607 changed a bunch right after you left. They sit in midway now forever. They leave when I do at 2:30.
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You checkin in!!!
 
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