Freight Pilot Salary/Can you life?

[cmill]

I cleared a little over 50k last year, but a lot of that was over-time. (Our pay is based on an 8 hour duty day and extra for weekends.)

That sounds great until you factor in that I'll prolly never do much better than that, and 3000 hours of piston time doesn't really get you far in this career. That being said since our check run pilot left I'm only working 4 hours a day, which is pretty nice.

Everywhere has its good and bad, you just have to take a look at what you really wanna get out of life.

 

[Cal Goat]

What's "overtime"?

 

[z987k]

What's "overtime"?

Something employees get as to not have their actual wage below that of the state mandated minimum.

 

[Blip16]

No seems to mention Fedex Feeders, but the pay where i work is definitely livable, although it is usually a retirement job as we have many lifers with over 20yrs with the company.

I worked for the same company as jhuggies in the past and their pay is pretty good, better where i am now, but theirs is very respectable

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[dbrault17]

Something employees get as to not have their actual wage below that of the state mandated minimum.

Hahaha. Youre dreamin.

 

[cmill]

What's "overtime"?

Nothing nefarious, its just my salary is based on an 8 hour duty day, if i get called in for a trip outside my normal 8 hours, then i get a second daily rate. Weekend flights get a weekend daily rate up to 8 hours, then an hourly rate on top of that after the eight hours.

We try and do as little work as possible, but if god forbid we do have to work, we're going to get paid.

 

[KLB]

What's "overtime"?

Something employees get as to not have their actual wage below that of the state mandated minimum.

Get upgraded and move to cvg. Heck even when based out west, I never made below 35 grand. I've made over 50 since 2008. I doubt I get there this year with the base move though.

 

[z987k]

Hahaha. Youre dreamin.

I know.

 

[Blip16]

Nothing nefarious, its just my salary is based on an 8 hour duty day, if i get called in for a trip outside my normal 8 hours, then i get a second daily rate. Weekend flights get a weekend daily rate up to 8 hours, then an hourly rate on top of that after the eight hours.

We try and do as little work as possible, but if god forbid we do have to work, we're going to get paid.

Exactly, every scheduled day off we work is triple time + per diem

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[Cal Goat]

Me no overtime. I can life.

 

[FlyingScot]

What is the starting salary for a new pilot flying freight? And does that salary increase over the years, or majority pilots leave to fly else where?

I know a lot of people to leave freight to go the regionals or just do freight to get competitive mins for good regionals. The pay may start out better in freight but most of the companies flying freight have a rock bottom QOL. No amount of money is worth working 5- 14 or 12 hour days in a row, 50 weeks a year. I did not become a pilot to work 5 days a week.

 

[scooter2525]

Get upgraded and move to cvg. Heck even when based out west, I never made below 35 grand. I've made over 50 since 2008. I doubt I get there this year with the base move though.

Don't blame the base move. It's the life change... congrats!

 

[robs01]

If I didn't have the help of my other half I wouldn't make it on freight salary. Gone 70 plus hours a week. Pay comes to something like 6.09/ hr right now. Gotta love being salaried.

 

[Maurus]

Get upgraded and move to cvg. Heck even when based out west, I never made below 35 grand.

I don't think you lived in Cali though. 35 grand is chump change in Cali. The worst parts of Oakland still cost $850 for a studio apartment. The monthly car break-ins are at no extra cost. Even Martinaire has a cost of living increase

Outside of Cali will be much easier.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

By the way, the title to this thread is very Zen.

If a tree falls in the forest, can you life?

 

[Boris Badenov]

I lifed ok on what I made at all my freight jobs. The projected length of that life varied a bit, though.

 

[Blip16]

If I didn't have the help of my other half I wouldn't make it on freight salary. Gone 70 plus hours a week. Pay comes to something like 6.09/ hr right now. Gotta love being salaried.

I am gone 70 hours a week a well, but i get home every night. My friend just left for a 4 day airline trip, at something like 80 hours.

I will take mine
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[JustinA]

So jhugz, what company do you work for?

 

[z987k]

Ah, I do just a little bit better at 7.7/hr for my time.

If I didn't have the help of my other half I wouldn't make it on freight salary. Gone 70 plus hours a week. Pay comes to something like 6.09/ hr right now. Gotta love being salaried.

 

[Tommay85]

Aviation is so odd. It's like the less you're responsible for, the better the pay depending on how you work the numbers. If an airline pilot were compensated purely on what they're responsible for(cost of the plane and number of passengers), great lakes actually pays the best!

Amflighters starting pay, as z987k pointed out comes to 7.7 flying a chieften. Where as I get 12-15/hour flying a friggen 210/Baron. Yep, pretty dumb.

Both z987k and I worked for a survey company flying cessna 172s that paid 50-100k for 7-12months of work respectively.

You can work those numbers anyway you want to make a point though, just as I did.