Freight Pilot Salary/Can you life?
- Thread starter JMA22
- Start date
z987k
Well-Known Member
Anywhere from 20k through about 50 depending on location, equipment and company. Some stick around at some of the better companies, some stick around and the not so good ones simply because they get tied down(or have just given up, idk), but I would say most move on. Most 135 freight is the like regionals of the 135 side. You move on if you can.
z987k
Well-Known Member
My current job pays about 30k and I have a 14 hour duty day with about 4.5 of flight... so I don't think the duty day or flight time matters, rather location and company, equipment actually seems to not matter near as much as the former two either. In fact the highest paying entry level freight jobs I know of are all in piston singles. Not twins, and certainly not turbine.
Johnny150
The Warden
Where do you work? If you don't mind me asking...
Tommay85
Well-Known Member
I'll get about 45k net pay at Flight Express flying a measly 210 and Baron if I stay for the year. You won't get that as a regional FO unless you can acquire a metric crap ton of over-time pay. I've heard of FOs at Air Whisky clearing 60k, but that life has to just be awful to do that. The general rule I was told is over 10 years old, but when looking at 121 pay rates, take the hourly rate and multiply it by 1000 and that's about what you should net. So getting above 40k shouldn't be an expectation.
Jhugz works at just about the only good paying freight airline left. I'll leave it up to him to divulge those numbers if he likes. They're higher than just about anyone else, put it that way. Like he said, they're very very sneaky about ANY information. haha Airnet and Flight Express are the only other two I can think of off the top of my head that actually pay what I would call a damn decent wage.
The thing with freight is that you are stuck living where ever you're based. No freedom to commute and live where you want like with the airlines. No big stretches of time off. Two of the HUGE plusses I see with 135 vs. 121. Now if you get a good paying job living where you want with your close circle of friends and family in that same city, I can think of nothing better than being a freight pilot. I'm only a 4 hour drive in any direction from most of my close friends and family and a weekend just isn't enough time. For me at least...
Jhugz works at just about the only good paying freight airline left. I'll leave it up to him to divulge those numbers if he likes. They're higher than just about anyone else, put it that way. Like he said, they're very very sneaky about ANY information. haha Airnet and Flight Express are the only other two I can think of off the top of my head that actually pay what I would call a damn decent wage.
The thing with freight is that you are stuck living where ever you're based. No freedom to commute and live where you want like with the airlines. No big stretches of time off. Two of the HUGE plusses I see with 135 vs. 121. Now if you get a good paying job living where you want with your close circle of friends and family in that same city, I can think of nothing better than being a freight pilot. I'm only a 4 hour drive in any direction from most of my close friends and family and a weekend just isn't enough time. For me at least...
z987k
Well-Known Member
Stone Cold
Well-Known Member
Granted, it was in Airnet's better days, but when I flew freight, I was on a 8 on/6 off schedule as a floater (reserve pilot essentially), and then also when I was based in STP it was the same schedule. I lived in FL and commuted in and out on our airplanes mostly. Nothing like going from +30C to -25C in a matter of a few hours via Learjets.
jhugz
Well-Known Member
Not really.
Tommay85
Well-Known Member
HEY!
z987k
Well-Known Member
Just zebra cakes!
Tommay85
Well-Known Member
Slim jims and Mountain Dew too!
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