jetcareers - View Single Post - Steering myself in the direction of a cargo career...

DE727UPS · February 15th, 2003, 21:13

I almost don't feel qualified to talk about a typical freight pilots lifestyle because I have used my seniority to avoid the stereotype. But I'll give it my best shot...

First of all, UPS hires from all backgrounds. Anywhere from ex-military to other freight dawgs. Back when we were hiring, you needed at least a recommendation from a line pilot and 1000 PIC turbine. I had neither when I got hired in 1990, making me wonder if I'm qualified to work here after working here for 13 years...

A typical "night in the life" schedule would be going on duty at 9 pm, flying into a sort facility, and going off duty at 6am. We have sorts in Louisville, Philly, Dallas, Ontario, CA and a small one in Columbia, SC. You might fly from Seattle to Louisville, sit the sort for 4 hours, and fly to New Orleans. Or you might fly from Decatur, IL to Louisville, sit the sort for 6 hours, and fly back. Because of trip rigs, most schedules pay our minimum 75 hour a month guarantee no matter how many hours you fly. A few trips have block hours above 75 hours, so you get paid for actual flight time. We have a lot of six day on, eight day off trips, though a little bit of everything can be had. Sometimes I do a intra-Europe trip where I'm gone from home 10 days a month and off the rest. Being up all night is hard but I find it harder to readjust to being normal during my days off. All in all, I'm glad I fly freight because I get more time off, fly less, but still get paid about the same as a major pax airline 727 F/O. I never really thought about the job security issue but, as we can currently see, major freight is pretty secure, unless you are in the bottom 100 at UPS....and that's just a management tactic because we are in contract negotiations.

I never was shooting for a career at UPS....it just kinda worked out that way. I don't think it's wise to set your sights on a specific airline at the cost of ignoring others. Iain is right, any major airline job (in the past) would be considered a good job and you can't be too choosey. Let's all hope things someday get back to normal and we can all enjoy good careers.

February 15th, 2003, 21:13	#11
DE727UPS Old Skool Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 6,547	Well....geee....I\'ve never felt so wanted..... I almost don't feel qualified to talk about a typical freight pilots lifestyle because I have used my seniority to avoid the stereotype. But I'll give it my best shot... First of all, UPS hires from all backgrounds. Anywhere from ex-military to other freight dawgs. Back when we were hiring, you needed at least a recommendation from a line pilot and 1000 PIC turbine. I had neither when I got hired in 1990, making me wonder if I'm qualified to work here after working here for 13 years... A typical "night in the life" schedule would be going on duty at 9 pm, flying into a sort facility, and going off duty at 6am. We have sorts in Louisville, Philly, Dallas, Ontario, CA and a small one in Columbia, SC. You might fly from Seattle to Louisville, sit the sort for 4 hours, and fly to New Orleans. Or you might fly from Decatur, IL to Louisville, sit the sort for 6 hours, and fly back. Because of trip rigs, most schedules pay our minimum 75 hour a month guarantee no matter how many hours you fly. A few trips have block hours above 75 hours, so you get paid for actual flight time. We have a lot of six day on, eight day off trips, though a little bit of everything can be had. Sometimes I do a intra-Europe trip where I'm gone from home 10 days a month and off the rest. Being up all night is hard but I find it harder to readjust to being normal during my days off. All in all, I'm glad I fly freight because I get more time off, fly less, but still get paid about the same as a major pax airline 727 F/O. I never really thought about the job security issue but, as we can currently see, major freight is pretty secure, unless you are in the bottom 100 at UPS....and that's just a management tactic because we are in contract negotiations. I never was shooting for a career at UPS....it just kinda worked out that way. I don't think it's wise to set your sights on a specific airline at the cost of ignoring others. Iain is right, any major airline job (in the past) would be considered a good job and you can't be too choosey. Let's all hope things someday get back to normal and we can all enjoy good careers.