Part 135 Check Hauling

[blimpguy]

Ram Air Freight is hiring like crazy right now. We are way short on pilots and there has been a new-hire class every other week. After five weeks with the company and over 150 hours in the single-engine airplanes, I am moving into the twins. There are no surprises with this company.

The minimums are standard FAR Part 135.243:

• <LI class=bodyclass>1,200 Total Time <LI class=bodyclass>500 Cross Country (point to point, not necessarily over 50nm) <LI class=bodyclass>100 Night
• 75 IMC or simulated IMC, with 50 in actual flight (i.e., can only count 25 hours of simulator time)

There is NO minimum for multi time. You just need the commercial multi.

JetCareers has provided me with a lot of great info and I'm glad I have something to contribute.

Send me an IM if you have any questions. Include a resume and I will walk it in.

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by blimpguy

After five weeks with the company and over 150 hours in the single-engine airplanes

Yuck . . . that's too much work for me!

[aloft]

Bases? Pay?

[aloft]

Nevermind the bases/pay, here's the important part:

What is the schedule like?

Since 80% of RAF's business is flying bank checks, flights are only conducted M-F, excluding holidays. Also, the majority of flights (90%+) depart between 1300 and 1500 local, and return between 1900 and 2300 local. Very few flights involve late nights or early mornings. Imagine a flying job with weekends and holidays off, and afternoon show-times!

What is the corporate culture like?

RAF is a professional organization focusing on safety, customer relations and productivity. However, our dress code is purely casual; shorts, company issued polo shirts, sandals, etc. After-work get-togethers and barbeques are frequent events.

[blimpguy]

As was posted in your response, flying is Monday through Friday. That's big for me. Earlier this week I figured out that I haven't had a weekend off since 1997. Pay is a flat $85/day that you work for the first year. The runs involve anywhere from a 3- to 14-hour work day with between 2 and 7.5 hours of flight time scheduled. Figure out how many hours you need to log and you have an idea how long you will need to be in this job. Currently, there is NO training contract.

The bases are all over the southeast mainly, but the big ones are Raleigh Durham and Concord, NC. I've been in RDU so far, so haven't had much exposure to the rest of the system.

This is a great way to build time. You'll fly well-maintained, GPS-equipped aircraft (I believe only two airplanes in the fleet don't have GPS, but will be upgraded soon).

The training is fast and demanding, but high quality. Overall, this is a great opportunity to build some time.

[aloft]

This sort of begs the question, though: if you have Pt 135 IFR mins, with the possible exception of multi time, you already meet the hiring mins for pretty much every regional out there; so why would anyone with that kind of time need to build more?

[Chris_Ford]

Originally Posted by aloft

This sort of begs the question, though: if you have Pt 135 IFR mins, with the possible exception of multi time, you already meet the hiring mins for pretty much every regional out there; so why would anyone with that kind of time need to build more?

1) multi time
2) It's not all about the regionals necessarily.
3) You can be home every weekend
4) BARBEQUES?!!?!?!1111

[blimpguy]

What CF said.

The Part 135 experience is valuable to employers. The all-weather flying experience is also important. If you need multi time, it will come very quick here.

It's Saturday and I'm not at work.

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by aloft

This sort of begs the question, though: if you have Pt 135 IFR mins, with the possible exception of multi time, you already meet the hiring mins for pretty much every regional out there; so why would anyone with that kind of time need to build more?

Great question. The answer? There are several!!

1. One of the biggest reasons, well, multi time is hard to get. It's easy when somebody is paying you for it.

2. The people - man, there are some awesome people flying freight. With personalities.

3. Nobody else in the plane with you!! I decide if I want it hot, or cold, if I want to deviate left, or right . . . it's all up to me!

4. Better first year pay than a regional, and after that year, you'll have a bigger selection of regionals to choose from, instead of taking the first bidder.

5. It's kind of a stand that a few of us are taking, too! If airline management sees that not every qualified pilot takes the first regional with low mins (and crappy pay), maybe they'll change things. As people get more experience flying 135, they start to get more competitive to do other things. Then the regionals MAY need people more. It benefits everybody.

[slushie]

Wait...you can wear sandals while flying?????

[AP2B]

Originally Posted by aloft

This sort of begs the question, though: if you have Pt 135 IFR mins, with the possible exception of multi time, you already meet the hiring mins for pretty much every regional out there; so why would anyone with that kind of time need to build more?

For the flying man...Weekends off are purely golden, lots of flying, and obviously quick upgrades(more money). Checks aren't impossible to please... One COULD skip the regionals altogether or achieve a good flying QOL 135 stylee for life...

Wish I had the times. It's good to see "straight up" gigs out there with no or little multi time. Multi can come with hanging out at the airport though.

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by AP2B

Wish I had the times. It's good to see "straight up" gigs out there with no or little multi time. Multi can come with hanging out at the airport though.

Flight Express doesn't even require a multi rating, just a single. But like Ram Air, you start in a single engine a/c.

[S40_flyer]

So this is just like AirNet am I right?

Start in a single or light multi and work your way up the food chain...

[Champcar]

Originally Posted by slushie

Wait...you can wear sandals while flying?????

I never understood how people could fly in sandals.

[wombat]

Originally Posted by S40_flyer

So this is just like AirNet am I right?

Start in a single or light multi and work your way up the food chain...

sort of, airnet has lears while ram air/flight express just have piston singles/twins. so most people move on pretty quickly.

[S40_flyer]

Originally Posted by Champcar

I never understood how people could fly in sandals.

I heard flying barefoot works good...

[wombat]

Originally Posted by Champcar

I never understood how people could fly in sandals.

you mean you wear shoes?? reefs are my uniform shoes, and they've got a built in bottle opener for the end of the day

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by S40_flyer

So this is just like AirNet am I right?

Start in a single or light multi and work your way up the food chain...

No, at Ram Air and Flight Express the biggest aircraft they have is a Baron. Airnet's single is turbine powered. Pretty much all the high time corporate jobs I post require turbine time to some extent.

You could probably find a corporate turbine job without turbine time, but it would require some looking.

Ram Air and Flight Express are simply stepping stones for the most part, I'd guess there are a good percentage of "lifers" at Airnet because the earnings potential is a lot higher, along with turbine equipment.

[S40_flyer]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

No, at Ram Air and Flight Express the biggest aircraft they have is a Baron. Airnet's single is turbine powered. Pretty much all the high time corporate jobs I post require turbine time to some extent.

You could probably find a corporate turbine job without turbine time, but it would require some looking.

Ram Air and Flight Express are simply stepping stones for the most part, I'd guess there are a good percentage of "lifers" at Airnet because the earnings potential is a lot higher, along with turbine equipment.

Ah cool, thanks for clearing it up!

[sargeanb]

Weekends off eh?? I'm used to CFI work 6 days/week, 10 hrs/day, an additional 12 hrs/week at the second job, and MBA classes....that sounds good to me RDU's not a bad place to be either. Someday I'd like to start a 135 op, so flying for one would definitely be a great experience. You might be hearing from me in 6 months...thanks for the post, and keep us updated!

-Brock Sargeant
MEII

[blimpguy]

Maybe I can clear up some of the questions above. I haven't been on this site for a while. Sorry for letting this post go.

Ram Air does require a Multi Engine rating because (particularly right now) you may be required to upgrade to one of the multis pretty quick. At least one of the new hires from last week's class trained for and passed his multi upgrade checkride the next week (yesterday). "Pretty quick" is the best I can say to describe that.

As a whole, the fleet consists of one Piper Arrow which is going away, I'm told, several Cherokee Sixes, a bunch of Lances, a bunch of Seneca IIs, a bunch of Barons and a bunch of Cessna 402s. Upgrades are based on company seniority and base seniority. That is to say, if a run is open at a domicile and your company seniority will hold the domicile, you will be awarded that domicile. The run to which you are assigned will be based on your seniority at that domicile. This is a very fair way of assiging bases/aircraft. The nice thing is that once assigned a domicile, no one can displace you from that base even if their company seniority is higher than yours.

Training is unpaid, but the company puts you up in an Extended Stay. Training is only one week. It is a tough week, but materials are sent to you several weeks ahead of time. GO THROUGH THESE MATERIALS. You will not have time during your training to catch up on anything you missed. All but three of our aircraft have GPS. You must be proficient on instruments and the use of the Garmin GNS430 and Apollo GX50 by the time you get here for training. Simulators and tutorials for each are included in the advance training packet. It is possible to learn everything you need to learn from these simulators and tutorials to get through the training if you haven't used these receivers before. They got me through.


Once again, my current schedule has me flying about 30 hours per week. If you would like to build some time and exercise some decision-making skills in some outstanding weather/schedule/regulatory scenarios, this is a great place to work. Granted it is a stepping stone position, but you will find that the pilots who work here are professional, easy to get along with and cooperative. That combination, in my jaded aviation history, is uncommon.

Working only on days that banks are open is a pretty darn good benefit, too.

So, I reiterate. We are hiring like crazy. We need pilots because pilots are moving on to bigger and better things as they are expected to do. If you have any questions, get them to me.

[jjm]

silly question, but do they pay for your Jepp plates and low en routes?

also are you guys using ramex as your callsign? I think I've heard you up off BAL.

[blimpguy]

Ram Air Freight (RAMEX, as you correctly guessed) provides NOS charts. What do they call those now? Anyway, Jeppesen pubs are allowed, but on your own cost.

I've been in and out of BWI a few times. Where are you flying?

[Van_Hoolio]

Hey I work at BWI, just a couple buildings up from $ignature. If you ever overnight here, there's the obligatory JC mini meet-and-greet-and-beers.

Mike

[NW004]

Sounds like a nice gig, I'm liking this freightdog style of flying, and living, and everything in between.

Pay is not the worst thats for sure.

Week= 425

Month= 1700

Year= 20400

Its actually better then some regionals!