Originally Posted by cstyle09

I worked there several years ago so you may find fresher info but I seriously doubt what I'm going to tell you has changed much:

QOL and morale are low, turnover is high. You will fly stinky, old, worn out freight planes full of god knows what to some of the more backwater destinations you could ever think of. Planes will break frequently; they will be fixed less frequently. You will fly in weather that you never thought possible. Arriving late is completely unacceptable. You will grow to dislike the sight of the sun and daytime flying. All of this BTW, is SOP in the 135 cargo would.

At ACC, the good news is: The checks always clear and they don’t have a history of laying people off. You cant say that about many 135 cargo outfits. And you get to fly the SD3, the Irish Concorde. Anybody can fly a round plane; it takes a real pilot to fly a square. Seriously, the Shorts is a great first multi turbine. Easy systems, slow ref speeds. Pretty tough to get into too much trouble, with that thing.

The bad is: ACC used to be the "Best of the worst", from what I hear; it has now slipped back toward the middle of the pack. I hear the company is struggling financially. (Which one’s aren't) I also hear that the airline side of the business has been in bad shape for some time and the end of the Iraq contract has really hurt the company overall. (That is at least "third-hand" info, so take it for what it's worth.)

It's true, you wont know where you will be based until ground school is over or almost over. This is due to their route structure and will likely never change. The big difference between this situation and the regionals is, you can’t commute. You work Mon night thru Sat morning (most routes). Good luck jump seating home and back in 48 hours. BTW, if you don’t get back in time for work Monday night, you'll be fired. If you go there be willing to move to any of the bases. (Don’t know what they are now but rest assured, you won’t find too many "garden spots") Beckley, WV comes to mind.

If you get on one of the higher flight time routes, you can build time quickly and upgrade or move on. Also, be ready to sign a non-prorated training contract. They take this very seriously and have gone after pilots who didn’t pay.

Typical 135 cargo stuff, there is a reason very few people stay with this kind of flying for more than a year or two. My time there was very valuable. I'm happy I did it, but even happier I got out.

Good luck to you

BTW, In my opinion, Chewing tobacco during an interview is incredibly unprofessional, and the fact that the CP and/or HR person didn’t stop it tells you something. 135 Cargo or not, If I'm expected to be in a suit, you shouldn't have a dip in. Have some respect for the other people in the room. Not to mention what a disgusting habit that is in general. Just my opinion.