Freight Pilot Salary/Can you life?

[nocturnalaviator]

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.

Survey oh yeah, pretty decent money to be made to just fly "VFR" all day. Damn, so 3000 piston time Wont get us anywhere? I'm like 2500 with growing log of 60 multi turbine after a month an ATP and you're telling me ill lose out to a 500/50 frozen ATP seedling?! I think there's a tear in my beer...;(


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[Tommay85]

Survey oh yeah, pretty decent money to be made to just fly "VFR" all day. Damn, so 3000 piston time Wont get us anywhere? I'm like 2500 with growing log of 60 multi turbine after a month an ATP and you're telling me ill lose out to a 500/50 frozen ATP seedling?! I think there's a tear in my beer...;(


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Haha, and the the second you say "aerial survey" you get thrown underneath banner, glider towing and jumper flying. Doesn't matter that I flew 1000-3500 mile cross countries in a 172. Something most civilian pilots have never done and is harder than the 135 flying I'm doing now. Don't get me wrong 135 has it's nights, but from an ADM standpoint, slow going, long distance cross country flying is the hardest flying I've ever done.

 

[nocturnalaviator]

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[nocturnalaviator]

Haha, and the the second you say "aerial survey" you get thrown underneath banner, glider towing and jumper flying. Doesn't matter that I flew 1000-3500 mile cross countries in a 172. Something most civilian pilots have never done and is harder than the 135 flying I'm doing now. Don't get me wrong 135 has it's nights, but from an ADM standpoint, slow going, long distance cross country flying is the hardest flying I've ever done.

I bet your ils's are spot on with all the precision flight lines you were flying

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[Tommay85]

I bet your ils's are spot on with all the precision flight lines you were flying

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Haha, if it were displayed in a +/- distance off line format, I'd be able to hand fly an ils to touch down, keeping it within 10 feet!

 

[z987k]

Haha, and the the second you say "aerial survey" you get thrown underneath banner, glider towing and jumper flying. Doesn't matter that I flew 1000-3500 mile cross countries in a 172. Something most civilian pilots have never done and is harder than the 135 flying I'm doing now. Don't get me wrong 135 has it's nights, but from an ADM standpoint, slow going, long distance cross country flying is the hardest flying I've ever done.

Maybe, but at no point was there ever a case where it was like... you know if I F this up just a bit I'm going to smack one of those pointy rocks that are all around and above me.... while a bit tired. I flew multiple 10+ hour flight time days, but was never ever as tired as with this split shift schedule.

 

[Tommay85]

I agree with you there. What about that day when Angel almost crashed from a downdraft and then you took off in an even worse airplane behind him? LOLOLOL Just joshing ya.

I'm plenty rested if I get my beauty sleep in OMA. This week I'm doing the Wichita run again as well so I'm struggling on that leg back to STP. That's alright though, there's storms again in a couple days to keep it interesting. These VMC nights are BORING!

 

[z987k]

I agree with you there. What about that day when Angel almost crashed from a downdraft and then you took off in an even worse airplane behind him? LOLOLOL Just joshing ya.

I'm plenty rested if I get my beauty sleep in OMA. This week I'm doing the Wichita run again as well so I'm struggling on that leg back to STP. That's alright though, there's storms again in a couple days to keep it interesting. These VMC nights are BORING!

Nope.

 

[nocturnalaviator]

Maybe, but at no point was there ever a case where it was like... you know if I F this up just a bit I'm going to smack one of those pointy rocks that are all around and above me.... while a bit tired. I flew multiple 10+ hour flight time days, but was never ever as tired as with this split shift schedule.

Well I remember doing Lidar in AZ UT ID and WY all in the mountains draping every cliff to get tolerances right. 1000' off the deck in the turb mountain wave all that crap in a 310 10+ hr days. Some days the clouds rolled in lower than planned altitude so the laser can't go through moisture so we're sleeping in then at the bar Getting out of ID back to philly we took off in IMC and after that 2 week deal I had enough terrain knowledge engraved in my head to know why one must use strict adherence to departure procedures!

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[z987k]

Well I remember doing Lidar in AZ UT ID and WY all in the mountains draping every cliff to get tolerances right. 1000' off the deck in the turb mountain wave all that crap in a 310 10+ hr days. Some days the clouds rolled in lower than planned altitude so the laser can't go through moisture so we're sleeping in then at the bar Getting out of ID back to philly we took off in IMC and after that 2 week deal I had enough terrain knowledge engraved in my head to know why one must use strict adherence to departure procedures!

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I'd rather be 100agl in the mountains(because it's downright fun) with wave etc then really rusty on instruments in the mountains imc at night with controllers than can't give a vector to save their life. The former is fun, the later work.

 

[nocturnalaviator]

I'd rather be 100agl in the mountains(because it's downright fun) with wave etc then really rusty on instruments in the mountains imc at night with controllers than can't give a vector to save their life. The former is fun, the later work.

True story

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[Tommay85]

I'd rather be 100agl in the mountains(because it's downright fun) with wave etc then really rusty on instruments in the mountains imc at night with controllers than can't give a vector to save their life. The former is fun, the later work.

YOUR DAINJERUS!

 

[fr8dogpilot]

So jhugz, what company do you work for?

I would swear he works for Ameriflight .. If it is who I think it is just by reading the thread ....

 

[fr8dogpilot]

Oh and BTW if you really want to worry about your life style and what you make and not what you fly then stick with freight ... I pulled 60k last year and slept in my own bed every night, off on the weekends.

 

[nocturnalaviator]

Oh and BTW if you really want to worry about your life style and what you make and not what you fly then stick with freight ... I pulled 60k last year and slept in my own bed every night, off on the weekends.

Fr8 who you haulin for?

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[Tommay85]

Oh and BTW if you really want to worry about your life style and what you make and not what you fly then stick with freight ... I pulled 60k last year and slept in my own bed every night, off on the weekends.

I really do have a very hard time not acting smug among my part 121 friends. They're 17 million times more smug because they fly a CRJ/ERJ however.

 

[elmetal]

Haha, and the the second you say "aerial survey" you get thrown underneath banner, glider towing and jumper flying. Doesn't matter that I flew 1000-3500 mile cross countries in a 172. Something most civilian pilots have never done and is harder than the 135 flying I'm doing now. Don't get me wrong 135 has it's nights, but from an ADM standpoint, slow going, long distance cross country flying is the hardest flying I've ever done.

Question about the surveying:

If you were on the road basically 24/7, I assume company paid your hotel yes? What about food?

What made you or z987k decide to leave survey?

 

[z987k]

I would swear he works for Ameriflight .. If it is who I think it is just by reading the thread ....

Don't insult him.

 

[z987k]

Question about the surveying:

If you were on the road basically 24/7, I assume company paid your hotel yes? What about food?

What made you or z987k decide to leave survey?

Not sure. Even though it was 24/7, I had more of a life than I do now, and a hell of a lot more fun all around. The pay was dramatically better as well. The flying was more fun. I think it's romanticizing the past to some extent. I guess the allure of bigger faster airplanes. Thing is, there's not a lot of a career for someone with 6000 piston single time. Eventually I want to have an even better job, so here I am for the time being. There are a lot of days I ask myself the same question though.

 

[Tommay85]

Question about the surveying:

If you were on the road basically 24/7, I assume company paid your hotel yes? What about food?

What made you or z987k decide to leave survey?

We were given 120/day per diem to spend how we chose. Do 4 to a room in a RIDICULOUS resort hotel or double up in a holiday in and save most of this money. Or somewhere in between. I was saving 4000 a month minimum per month, usually more like 6-7k. This can erase ALOT of debt or get you miles ahead of your peers financially. We both quit because 7 months or more on the road can be fun for one season, more than that can wear in you. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything and it's the sole reason I'm so out spoken about CFIs not being qualified to go into 121.