Anyone here work at Package Express in Concord, NC?

[BrianNC]

Just wondering if anyone worked at Package Express in Concord, NC?

Just would like some details, what are the hours like, how much flying do you do; how are the planes equipped; auto-pilots? weather avoidance (stormscope, radar, etc) etc, etc, etc.

I thought I saw somewhere on here that they only fly Monday thru Friday and mostly days, not much night.

Thanks!

[mtsu_av8er]

Brian, you might like Ram Air Freight, in RDU!!

[CFIse]

Yeh - check out out Ram Freight.

Ram is buying Package - don't believe any bull you may read about a merger of equals. You want to be employed by the winner - because Ram and Package overlap a lot and if I was a bettng man (and I am, I have the rehab receipts to prove it) a lot of Package flights are going to go away and the pilots with them.

Many Ram runs are day or evening - it's not like flying UPS/Fedex freight where you fly 30 minutes - sit all night in some hole like Cleveland and then fly 30 minutes in the early morning.

Good luck!

[BrianNC]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeh - check out out Ram Freight.

Ram is buying Package - don't believe any bull you may read about a merger of equals. You want to be employed by the winner - because Ram and Package overlap a lot and if I was a bettng man (and I am, I have the rehab receipts to prove it) a lot of Package flights are going to go away and the pilots with them.

Many Ram runs are day or evening - it's not like flying UPS/Fedex freight where you fly 30 minutes - sit all night in some hole like Cleveland and then fly 30 minutes in the early morning.

Good luck!

[/ QUOTE ]
I actually emailed Package Express and asked about a few things.

He said the duty day was 14 hours at $80 a day. If you were on the 0430 to 1830 shift you get about 6 hours of flying in a day. Then there is the 1230 to 2330 shift and that is about 4 hours flying time.

$80 a day doesn't sound like very much.

[CFIse]

[ QUOTE ]
He said the duty day was 14 hours at $80 a day. If you were on the 0430 to 1830 shift you get about 6 hours of flying in a day. Then there is the 1230 to 2330 shift and that is about 4 hours flying time.

$80 a day doesn't sound like very much.

[/ QUOTE ]

it doesn't sound like much - but it sounds about right

[mtsu_av8er]

Well, how much were you guys expecting?

[BrianNC]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, how much were you guys expecting?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not sure. But when you divide 14 into $80 you come out to $5.71 an hour.

So I guess I was expecting more than that.

So another way to put it is that the guy at McDonald's would be making more than me flying an airplane.

[wheelsup]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Well, how much were you guys expecting?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not sure. But when you divide 14 into $80 you come out to $5.71 an hour.

So I guess I was expecting more than that.


[/ QUOTE ]

Just an FYI, Flight Express pays pilots per DUTY hour, so you'd get paid $10/hr for every hour you are 'working' - either waiting around, sleeping (at an outstation) etc. etc.

If you do the same run at Flight Express, you'd make $140, or about $2800/month.

People look at their pay ($10/hr) and shake their heads, but don't really understand what a deal it is. I personally would like to be paid less "per hour" but be paid for all the time I'm on duty, than make more "per hour" but nothing while I'm sitting around (a la airlines).

~wheelsup

[CFIse]

[ QUOTE ]

Not sure. But when you divide 14 into $80 you come out to $5.71 an hour.

So I guess I was expecting more than that.

So another way to put it is that the guy at McDonald's would be making more than me flying an airplane.

[/ QUOTE ]

Congratulations - welcome to aviation. I had a boss once who was worried if we paid the CFI's for doing something non-flight related they might end up wanting to do that more and not fly with students. I had to patiently explain to him that if they wanted money they could go to McDonalds and make more - they weren't in the CFI business because it was so well paid. People aren't in the freight dog business for the money - but where else will somebody PAY somebody with little multi time to fly a multi - it's a deal.

No I don't know what to do about pilot pay either!

[mtsu_av8er]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Well, how much were you guys expecting?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not sure. But when you divide 14 into $80 you come out to $5.71 an hour.

So I guess I was expecting more than that.


[/ QUOTE ]

You're not gonna be rich flying planes!!

[ QUOTE ]

So another way to put it is that the guy at McDonald's would be making more than me flying an airplane.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo!

Still wanna fly for a living?

[Windchill]

[ QUOTE ]
I had a boss once who was worried if we paid the CFI's for doing something non-flight related they might end up wanting to do that more and not fly with students. I had to patiently explain to him that if they wanted money they could go to McDonalds and make more - they weren't in the CFI business because it was so well paid.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you supported/encouraged your boss not to pay CFIs for non-flight related chores?

[ QUOTE ]
People aren't in the freight dog business for the money - but where else will somebody PAY somebody with little multi time to fly a multi - it's a deal.


[/ QUOTE ]

I understand where you're coming from, but it's certainly not the popular opinion around here to accept below-poverty wages because you get the experience.

[CFIse]

[ QUOTE ]

So you supported/encouraged your boss not to pay CFIs for non-flight related chores?

[/ QUOTE ]

How did you read that? I wanted them paid, he wanted them paid, he was worried that if we paid them too much for non-flight duties they'd choose non-flight duties over flying. I don't know why I'm explaining this to you. You understand that many CFI's are in the business to build flight time, not to make money, right? If they wanted to make money they could work at McDonalds - do you see the point I'm making?

[ QUOTE ]

I understand where you're coming from, but it's certainly not the popular opinion around here to accept below-poverty wages because you get the experience.

[/ QUOTE ]

And you have another option to offer? I'm not saying I like it, but reality is what it is, and neither you or I are going to change it. By all means stand on your pinciples and don't fly for poverty wages - good luck in your non-aviation career.

[mtsu_av8er]

[ QUOTE ]
By all means stand on your pinciples and don't fly for poverty wages - good luck in your non-aviation career.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very well said!