What's so great about flying freight?

Jeremy

New Member
I've heard alot of people say that it's more fun to fly freight than to fly airline. What's so great?
 
Boxes Don't Bitch!!:D It's a simple way to sum up freight. It's you and the elements. As long as you and the airplane can take the ride, then it's good to go. No worrying about anybody but you and the clock.
 
Not to sound cheesy but you really can't put it into words. There are ALOT of crappy things about flying freight but i believe it truly is the last segment of the industry that still represents what flying used to be.
 
So what is a more fun job, flying for an airline of flying for a freight company. I read that flying freight gets boring....is that true ?
 
Freight is sweet. It'll be your worst day at any job ever and it'll be your best day at any job ever. If you want a career in flying and can hack it, flying a piston twin through the elements by yourself with no gadgets or radar, skillwise you're set for life.
 
I'd compare this line of questioning to a virgin asking whats so great about the ole' in out, in out. You just have to experience it for yourself to understand the beauty of it all.
I'll fly freight for the rest of my career.
 
So if you guys don't mind me asking.....how is the pay? and how does it compare to the regional pay?
 
I don't know if this helps answer your question or not, but when I was at NJC '08, just about the only thing the freight guys talked about was flying. The airline guys talked about hiring, seniority, upgrades, unions, management etc.

If you wanted to know what it is like to fly the Lear- Mikecweb would tell you. KLB would talk about flying the Metro and all of its idiosyncrasies, and Polar would answer questions about "The Whale" all day long.

I still can't tell you what's so great about flying freight, but all the freight guys I met were pretty cool and seemed to really enjoy flying freight.
 
So if you guys don't mind me asking.....how is the pay? and how does it compare to the regional pay?
Initially ALOT better and then it gets even after a few years and then Regional captains make more.
Side bar you'll be logging PIC time most of the time you're in 135 freight. The entry requirements for 135 freight are regulated by the FARs while entry requirements at the regional are based on supply and demand and very from a pulse to 2500tt.
 
Personally, given the choice, I'd fly our freighter EVERY day. In fact, my biggest regret was I turned down a UPS interview in 1990 because I already had an Alaska class date. That and the fact that UPS paid Captains about $40 an hour less.

Of course, now they get about $90 an hour MORE.

But, hindsight is 20/20.
 
A couple perks about my freight job.

-No TSA or security checks
-I wear blue jeans and a company hoodie to work
-I get to make all the decisions about almost everything.
-I go to the same airports and same FBOs every night. I know all the linemen by name and they know me and my fuel order. Also, The controllers recognize your callsign and know what your tendencies are and what you are capable of doing.
-You can really make your aircraft perform when you aren't concerned with passenger comfort.

That's just a few. But there is a lot of satisfaction operating single pilot, and being in charge of just about everything that goes on regarding your route. It's one of those things you really have to experience to appreciate.
 
Initially ALOT better and then it gets even after a few years and then Regional captains make more.
Side bar you'll be logging PIC time most of the time you're in 135 freight. The entry requirements for 135 freight are regulated by the FARs while entry requirements at the regional are based on supply and demand and very from a pulse to 2500tt.

:yeahthat:

Pay is significantly better starting out in freight, but you could top out higher at a regional airline as a Captain.

I can't say one is really better than the other. It all depends on how the industry is doing. Both are means to get to the same destination if you really think about.

If the industry is good:

And you're a regional captain, you're spending 2-3 years as a FO and then you upgrade to captain. Spend a significant time there until you get the proverbial magic numbers and then you have an opportunity to get into a major airline, corporate company, or fractional company.

And you are a freigt pilot, you spend an extra amount of time instructing to meet 135 mins. You then move into a multi engine piston or single engine turbine for said freight company. You quickly upgrade to Captain on a multi turboprop or jet aircraft. You fly as a captain until you get the proverbial magic numbers and then you have an opportunity to get into a major airline, corporate company, or fractional company.

There have been arguements of which way is better and which way is faster. But when it comes to it, we all thrive together and we all suffer together.

I originally chose freight because I knew that if I didn't like it, I would have the times to go to a regional anyway. I ended up loving it for the most part. It seems the things I hate about freight flying is the same things the regional guys hate about their flying.;)
 
Thumbs up to all the posts, but especially mike's. It's a lot more Ernest Gann and a lot less Gordon Gecko. Half mile finals, bad paint, empty ramps in the middle of the night, no Raybans, seatbelts you actually need, management you actually know (and generally trust), dirty jokes, bad coffee, private airshows (or uh, so I've heard), a little more...primal? You get the idea.

Certainly not for everyone, but those it's for wouldn't do anything else. Unless the paycheck was big enough...
 
It's a lot more Ernest Gann and a lot less Gordon Gecko.

That's such a great way to describe it. Basically what I was thinking but could not put into words. Thanks Boris!

I'm still new to the freight thing (three months in and now I'm sidelined for the next six weeks due to a little deal with a ruptured achilles tendon) but I do love it and can't wait to get back.

I dig the challenge of flying a piston twin to little airports in the upper Midwest. On good weather days I'm low enough to look down and enjoy the view. On bad weather days it's incredibly satisfying to work out a plan, knock the ice off or work around a thunderstorm, hand-fly an approach on raw data, re-load and go do it all over again.

I'm a part-timer and I'll make more than a regional FO. Full-time, I'd be on par with new regional captains with much less hassle.

Yeah, there are days when I wish I was in a turbine with a second pilot, an autopilot, pressurization, full glass cockpit, flight director, radar, a galley with hot coffee and someplace in back to take a whiz.

But the experience you get flying single-pilot Part 135 IFR just can't be beat.

As our check airman says "You get on your game pretty darn quick in this job."

Another plus is the corporate guys you might be looking for a job from down the road respect and value it since they've almost all done the same at some point in their careers. And you actually get to make those contacts because you're in and out of the same FBOs over and over again.

It's a throwback, in a lot of ways, to old school flying which I dig. The only thing that would make it better would be if we flew NDB approaches in DC-3s to grass strips. :)
 
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