info on the "small plane" freight companies

[butt]

Right now I'm instructing at a flight school here I'm flying like 5 to 6 hours a day. At this rate I'll be at 135 minimums within a few months, so I need to start thinking about my next "move".

Heres the thing, I have absolutely no desire to fly a huge jet. I love GA planes. I'll take a Baron, a Lance, a Caravan, or a Stationair over a CRJ any day. I'm not sure I'll feel this way forever, but as of right now, I want my next move to be in smaller planes.

Since none of the regionals fly small planes (that I know of), freight is my only option. For the longest time I've always just assumed Airnet, since I know a bit about them, and they fly the type of planes I want to fly. Recently I found out about a few other companies that do the same sort of thing Airnet does. I think one of them was called RamAir, and the other was Ameriflight. Are there any others?

What I'd like to know, is how do these companies compare to each other? Can someone point me to a webpage that sort of compares and contrasts the different companies? I know Airnet is all night (or at least 90% night), are the other two mostly day? Is the pay roughly the same among the three?

Also, bases. I kind of want to settle down somewhere, like in a big city (San Fran, LA, Miami, Phily, etc) and stay there for a few years. I want my social life back. I moved far away from where I grew up to do my instructing, and I have absolutely no social life. Is the life of a freight pilot similar to a flight instructor? Will I be forced to work long hours, and be shuffled from base to base as I move up in seniority? I want to be able to get into other hobbies, such as playing in a band, white water rafting, cycling, etc. Will working for a company like these make doing these things impossible?

Also, kind of related: When building for 135 mins, was the 500 hours of XC time hard to achieve? Generally speaking, is the normal amount of XC you do in flight training enough to gather 500 by the time you get 1200, or should I plan on making my students do the odd touch'n'go at another airport while doing local?

[mikecweb]

Also checkout Flight Express.
As far as airnet goes. Home every morning and weekends off. So if you can adjust to daytime you can have your weekends.
There are day runs here and if your deadset on a day run you can probably get it with senority after about 3 months. Once you get your base you can stay there as long as you want. Upgrading to the jet may cause you to move but you never have to upgrade if you don't want to.
Amerflight is mostly out west, Airnet is Midwest, East, and some in the Southeast. Flight Express is midwest and south. Not sure bout RAM but I think they are mostly midatlantic to south.
500xc is relatively easy. Remember its point to point so any flight with a landing at a different airport is point to point cross country.

[butt]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

Also checkout Flight Express.
As far as airnet goes. Home every morning and weekends off. So if you can adjust to daytime you can have your weekends.
There are day runs here and if your deadset on a day run you can probably get it with senority after about 3 months. Once you get your base you can stay there as long as you want. Upgrading to the jet may cause you to move but you never have to upgrade if you don't want to.
Amerflight is mostly out west, Airnet is Midwest, East, and some in the Southeast. Flight Express is midwest and south. Not sure bout RAM but I think they are mostly midatlantic to south.
500xc is relatively easy. Remember its point to point so any flight with a landing at a different airport is point to point cross country.

whats the upgrade path at Airnet like? Is it Baron -> Navajo -> Caravan -> Lear? Or will I start with either the baron, caravan, or navajo, then upgrade to the Lear?

Honestly, this may sound stupid, but I like Airnet the most because it seems I get a chance to fly the most types than any other company. Flight Express, AFAIK only has barons and 210s. Ameriflight and RamAir only have like 3 types apiece too.

Also I forgot to mention, is Airnet the only one that has no uniform? I have to wear a uniform as an instructor, and it otally sucks. I'd LOVE to not have to wear one anymore.

[averyrm]

Upgrades are Props -> SIC Jet -> PIC Jet

You can be current in all three props at the same time, or just one or two depending on your run.

We have a uniform of sorts, polo shirt or sweatshirt with the airnet logo.

[mikecweb]

Originally Posted by averyrm

We have a uniform of sorts, polo shirt or sweatshirt with the airnet logo.

Unless your outbased

[mnixon]

yea you've been using that to your advantage a bit much lately, but at least your not wearing flip flops. wink wink

[dbrault17]

Flight Express doesnt have uniforms, just anything that is not offensive. They are pretty relaxed about most things from what Ive seen. They are also hiring VFR line pilots-500tt but I think they want a little bit more than that. My class had six of us, four were VFR including me ranging from 800tt to 1300tt. Pay isnt too bad either-I guess if you pick a run with 14 hours on duty, it comes out to 43k a year.

Check out their website Flightexpress.com. If you do decide to try it out, call them (I think it says somewhere to not call them but I ignored that and now todays my first run ). The class that started this week had three VFR pilots but two of them were sent home because of the instrument test. Just search the site for the training gouge or PM me.

500 point to point wasnt bad for me because I had to take every student to another airport for touch and gos.

[jtrain609]

Three types at Amflight/ Aroo?

-Chieftain
-Beech 99
-Metroliner
-Beech 1900
-EMB-120
-Lear

Out of my base (Burbank) we fly all day runs in the Chieftain (which is what you'd start in, and you can stay in as long as you'd like). We don't fly as much at Airnet, but if you don't have a burning desire to fly 6 hours a night, this is where you want to be. You'll fly anywhere from 2-4 hours a day, with a varying length of sit in the middle of the day either at a hotel or a crew apartment. You'll get a car at the layover, blah blah blah.

PM me if you want details or an interview, we'll take care of it. What are your times? We've got a class starting in about a month I believe. We've got bases in Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Burbank/Ontartio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Billings, Dallas, Cincy and San Juan.

Ameriflight is also the largest part 135 company in the world with over 200 aircraft, so we've got lots of options for you from big equipment to small equipment and bases in big cities or out station bases in small towns.

[mikecweb]

Originally Posted by mnixon

yea you've been using that to your advantage a bit much lately, but at least your not wearing flip flops. wink wink

I try to disguise myself so Paul doesn't think I work for Airnet that way I don't get yelled at. I'm going to start wearing a Signiture uniform.

[butt]

Originally Posted by jtrain609

Three types at Amflight/ Aroo?

-Chieftain
-Beech 99
-Metroliner
-Beech 1900
-EMB-120
-Lear

Out of my base (Burbank) we fly all day runs in the Chieftain (which is what you'd start in, and you can stay in as long as you'd like). We don't fly as much at Airnet, but if you don't have a burning desire to fly 6 hours a night, this is where you want to be. You'll fly anywhere from 2-4 hours a day, with a varying length of sit in the middle of the day either at a hotel or a crew apartment. You'll get a car at the layover, blah blah blah.

PM me if you want details or an interview, we'll take care of it. What are your times? We've got a class starting in about a month I believe. We've got bases in Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Burbank/Ontartio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Billings, Dallas, Cincy and San Juan.

Ameriflight is also the largest part 135 company in the world with over 200 aircraft, so we've got lots of options for you from big equipment to small equipment and bases in big cities or out station bases in small towns.

Wow, Ameriflight is looking better and better. I see they have a route that goes from Burbank to Columbus Ohio. I grew up just outside of Columbus, so getting to fly into and out of that airport would be awesome. What airplane do they do that one in? How long would it take to get to that point?

Right now I have abou 360 hours, and I'm contractually bound here until early 2008, or maybe earlier, so I'm kind of stuck here for now. The onlt problem I see is that it seems that Ameriflight wants you to have a bunch of multi-time before they'll hire you. Right now I have about 20 hours multi, only like 1.2 hours of that PIC (which was the checkride). I'd rather not get my MEI, as I don't really have the money to get it. I know Airnet will hire you with no more than a commercial multi...

Also, could someone explain to me what outbased means?

[mikecweb]

Outbased means you ain't in Columbus. So you kinda just goto the airport and hop in your plane. Don't really see other Airnet People.
If you like flying out of Columbus why wouldn't you want to goto Airnet???? Just wondering.

[EatSleepFly]

Originally Posted by butt

Wow, Ameriflight is looking better and better. I see they have a route that goes from Burbank to Columbus Ohio.

Don't come here based on that run, I don't think it exists anymore. That route map never gets updated.

[Propilot]

We get crew cars? News to me...man why have I been taking the shuttle and walking everywhere for the past 2 months?

;]

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by butt

Wow, Ameriflight is looking better and better.

Have you looked at the pay at Flight Express?

[mikecweb]

Originally Posted by mtsu_av8er

Have you looked at the pay at Flight Express?

I did. And then I got depressed. So I don't

[butt]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

Outbased means you ain't in Columbus. So you kinda just goto the airport and hop in your plane. Don't really see other Airnet People.
If you like flying out of Columbus why wouldn't you want to goto Airnet???? Just wondering.

So outbased means you are based anywhere other than columbus? And I do want to work for Airnet, in fact I'm probably going to end up there anyways. I just want to make sure I think it through throughly.

Have you looked at the pay at Flight Express?

why? is it a lot?

[butt]

Originally Posted by dbrault17

500 point to point wasnt bad for me because I had to take every student to another airport for touch and gos.

Yeah, thats what I'm doing now. There is a smaller airport just a few miles from my homebase that I go to a lot.
hmm, what about the 100 night? Right now I have 16 hours, and thats all that I've logged from my training. That means I'll have to be there for every single night flight 7 students do. That seems kind of difficult...

[jtrain609]

Marshall's right, that run is gone and it was in a Lear.

We've hired guys with 20 multi. And in 2008? We might be paying for all your ratings by that point...

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

I did. And then I got depressed. So I don't

LOL

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by butt

why? is it a lot?

Not too shabby!

[SIUav8er]

Originally Posted by jtrain609

Marshall's right, that run is gone and it was in a Lear.

We've hired guys with 20 multi. And in 2008? We might be paying for all your ratings by that point...

how bout start hiring with 135 VFR mins? lol, Amflight is who i would really love to work for....I just hope i can survive instructing for another 600 hours. haha

[SIUav8er]

kind of unrelated to the thread topic, but has Ameriflight ever furloughed pilots? I know they are very succesfull right now, but have they ever had tough years?

[jtrain609]

We furloughed for about a month after 9/11, but everybody was back real soon. That's the only time we've furloughed.

Are you under contract SIU? How many hours you got? You interested in something new?

[mnixon]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

I try to disguise myself so Paul doesn't think I work for Airnet that way I don't get yelled at. I'm going to start wearing a Signiture uniform.

I'm gonna come as a courier on monday! How about a Blue plate special with that bank work!

[mikecweb]

Originally Posted by mnixon

I'm gonna come as a courier on monday! How about a Blue plate special with that bank work!

I know you wish he'd cook you up something, caboose boy...always bringing up the rear.