Originally Posted by
6ix9ineYearFlow
Asking for a friend.
If you're a senior FO at PSA, does it make sense to leave to fly cargo for Atlas Air or any other ACMI carrier? The original goal was to make captain at PSA to start banking PIC time, but lateraling elsewhere for a new type and international experience may be more appealing if the fallout from COVID-19 continues beyond the fall.
I guess it ultimately comes down to how soon one predicts things will recover and what the effects on PSA or AA are for that matter.
To quote Airplane!, it's a completely different kind of flying, altogether. You're used to 4 day trips flying people out of nice airports, nice terminals with a Starbucks, and heading to a short overnight in Akron at the Holiday Inn Express. The flights are easy, kind of short, but get boring. You get good sleep at night since you cross maybe 1-2 time zones max. You're senior, so you're likely getting 15+ days off a month, you get pass travel on your airline and ZEDs on others. You get vacation time. You have a great union (ok, good enough) but generally when the phone rings on a day off and it's scheduling, it goes to voicemail.
Most if not all of that does not exist at most ACMI carriers. You owe the company a certain number of days a month-everyone does-and even though they buy you a ticket, you're traveling on an off day. So maybe 11-2 days at home a month, max. You show up to the cargo ramp at 0300 for a 12 hour flight on a 747-400F, it's hot, muggy, and pouring rain. All outside, hope you at least brought an umbrella. You have an uneventful flight to HKG, you get to be cruise pilot meaning you dont land of take off, which sucks since you dequal for landings soon and will have to go back to the sim for currency. But the airplane is awesome, it truly is-if only you got to fly it once in a while. You land late-afternoon, get to the very nice hotel in Kowloon, and go out for a dinner alone. You are so tired you can barely see but you're hungry. You sleep, but since you only have 22 hours off it's not great sleep. You look forward to your day off (your "one in seven") and hope it's somewhere nice, last month it was in a place you'd rather not be with a nice hotel. The next day you wake up a bit jet lagged and get lunch, and get ready to go.
Rinse and repeat 14-15 more days. Then come home very tired, and have two days in a fog due to jet lag. No or few ZEDs.
Enjoy until retirement.