General question to all frieght pilots

M

mshunter

Well-Known Member
I am interested in a 135 freight career. I am coming up on the mins for a 135 op. I like to fly, not watch the airplane fly itself (i.e. no auto pilot). I am not interested in the newest/nicest equipment. I just want to have safe equipment. I know the current job market is down, so please save the "not in this job market comments" if you can. My question is this:

What is a competitive number to get hired at the various freight companies?

I would rather fly boxes, because boxes don't bitch. Turbulence doesn't bother me, neither do long hours, hard work or bad weather. I spent 9 years as an auto wrench. Working in the heat/humidity of FL for 9-12 hours a day. If this is anything like freight, I should be a good fit.

Thanks for the responses in advance.:)
 
For many freight companies if you have 135 mins and commercial/multi/instrument you meet the competitive numbers. Flight Express and Ameriflight were still hiring last I heard.
 
I admire your enthusiasm and hopefully you'll get on someplace. But after flying night freight for the past three years, if you "don't mind bad weather" you really haven't ever been in "bad" weather.
 
I second the comments on autopilots. I flew for a long time without one and thought it was fine, but it's much better on the weak side of the sauce. Also, agree with mike re: weather. An approach, a little ice, a couple of level 3s in your path...those are not scary, but those are not "bad", either.

competitive mins are, as baj points out, extremely reliant on how urgent the need is, but I've heard 2500TT bandied about for Air 1st. Airnet, FLX, Ameriflight are at least nominally 135 mins, The Fedex feeders apparently require 2000TT for the Caravan, or at least did. A guy I know at freight runners said they'll hire around 1800...basically they're all over the place, and that's just what they CLAIM the mins are. Your best bet is to call...all they can say is no.

I should append, as an example of the "based on need" phenomenon, that while I've heard 2500 for my company, the guy I was in training with had more like 2200. He was hired, I imagine, because he had 135 freight experience, was available, could fog a mirror, and for some reason thought it was a good idea to be from Des Moines. (Not that he's in any way a bad pilot, but skill, I surmise, had little to do with it). Right place right time, etc etc.
 
Boris Badenov said:
I second the comments on autopilots. I flew for a long time without one and thought it was fine, but it's much better on the weak side of the sauce. Also, agree with mike re: weather. An approach, a little ice, a couple of level 3s in your path...those are not scary, but those are not "bad", either.

competitive mins are, as baj points out, extremely reliant on how urgent the need is, but I've heard 2500TT bandied about for Air 1st. Airnet, FLX, Ameriflight are at least nominally 135 mins, The Fedex feeders apparently require 2000TT for the Caravan, or at least did. A guy I know at freight runners said they'll hire around 1800...basically they're all over the place, and that's just what they CLAIM the mins are. Your best bet is to call...all they can say is no.
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its 2000TT, i called
 
Yeah...by the 3rd hr in cruise, you're on your 11th hr in your duty day, and there is still 2.5 hrs of flying to go, you'd want that autopilot for sure! Plus it's always good to save a little energy for that approach you're about the to shoot to mins. I don't mind flying in weather that isn't the most "prestine" but flying through bad weather just sucks!

But hey, every freight pilot that I know thought the very same thing that you are thinking now. It what makes us freight pilots. I'd be telling you to find another way if you were saying that you don't like to hand fly and that you really are uncomfortable flying in "bad" weather.:)

Good luck to you!
 
mikecweb said:
I admire your enthusiasm and hopefully you'll get on someplace. But after flying night freight for the past three years, if you "don't mind bad weather" you really haven't ever been in "bad" weather.
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Would you consider heavy enough rain to make the engine unable to produce power enough continue a climb from 8500 to 9000, moderate turblience and splitting two cells bad weather. Be honest too. Rate it on a 1-10 scale for my brain is small. I don't want to say this at the risk of sounding "dangerous," but when I see the weather is looking kinda crummy, I head to the airport and find something to fly. I am always up for the challenge that flying gives me, so when the weather get snotty, I go and fly. I have had ice in a Seminole, ice in a 172, ice in a 182, and dodged T-storms to and from Vegas on many ocasions. I know I'm not a "seasoned pilot," but I do think I have seen more than my fair share for pilots with the same hours that I have. I currently instruct at a school that teaches upset recovery training, better know as aerobatics. And It's going to be hard to leave. But, 135 frieght seems like the next best thing.
 
mshunter said:
Would you consider heavy enough rain to make the engine unable to produce power enough continue a climb from 8500 to 9000, moderate turblience and splitting two cells bad weather. Be honest too. Rate it on a 1-10 scale for my brain is small. I don't want to say this at the risk of sounding "dangerous," but when I see the weather is looking kinda crummy, I head to the airport and find something to fly. I am always up for the challenge that flying gives me, so when the weather get snotty, I go and fly. I have had ice in a Seminole (semen-hole), ice in a 172, ice in a 182, and dodged T-storms to and from Vegas on many ocasions. I know I'm not a "seasoned pilot," but I do think I have seen more than my fair share for pilots with the same hours that I have. I currently instruct at a school that teaches upset recovery training, better know as aerobatics. And It's going to be hard to leave. But, 135 frieght seems like the next best thing.
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First things first, you have to learn to spell FREIGHT!!!:panic::D;):bandit:
 
Please don't take this the wrong way, because I'm really not trying to be an ass here, but...

mshunter said:
I have had ice in a Seminole (semen-hole), ice in a 172, ice in a 182, and dodged T-storms to and from Vegas on many ocasions.
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...that's just plain stupid.

-mini
 
minitour said:
Please don't take this the wrong way, because I'm really not trying to be an ass here, but...



...that's just plain stupid.

-mini
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??? None of it was on purpose. When the weather turns and it wasn't forcast, what are you supposed to do about it? And trust me, I didn't continue. Especially when I got the ice. It was an immediate descent out of the clouds. As for the T-Storms, you can never predict them in the Mojave. Some nights, they just pop up out of no where. Mabey my post sounded unclear. When the weather is bad, I'll still go and fly. But when I know I can't do it, I still know when to tuck tail and run.
 
It was the "on many occasions" that stood out. How many times do you need to pick up ice in a 172 to never even chance doing it again?

-mini
 
Im not a freight pilot but I like to read about these guys. Lot's of real world stuff in this forum. They are the real deal. They just go relatively quietly about their business. You can learn a lot just reading their post's. My nuts don't hang low enough to do what they do on a regular basis.:)

Good luck with your career.
 
I've taken some hard knocks, but I think it's unanimous - If I can avoid ice, t-storms or whatever other crap stands in the way I will. Actively seeking bad conditions is just plain stupid. Just because I fly freight doesn't make me a suicidal manic, and I think anybody who actually looks to get in the 135 world just to try to cheat death has no business flying important packages.

A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid using his superior skill.
 
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