Originally Posted by
back2thehold
Former civilian loadmaster/on board ground handler for the airlines during the Iraq war. Spent a ton of time in the sand box, and days on the A/C.
Unfortunately I can’t renew my medical or I’d be flying.
How is life these days for on board loadies? I’ve been out of the game for 15 years, but I miss flying.
I know this is a brutal life, but I can’t get it out of my mind.
Do they see hotels more often now? I know the pay isn’t ideal, and there was no mandatory rest 15 yrs ago.
How many days do they spend on board? Any other info on cargo flights would be great. I my experience was wide body Pax flights.
Speaking from the 74 perspective and not an LM.The answer Locke gave you on the Kalitta side parallels our folks, although I keep running into LM’s staying out quite a bit longer. Tough stuff living on the aircraft for so many days. Granted they have company at times with the mechanic on board every so often. They really accelerate the work in China which helps out immensely with ground times when possible. Have had 5+hours on the ground, average 4-5 hrs or so. LM the other day brought us below 3.5 hrs at a known slow poke location which is greatly appreciated.
Provided by “Locke”:
“
disclaimer: I’m not a loadmaster)
The schedule from what I’ve heard is the same as the FMEs: 20 on 10 off
Right now the loadmasters are doing a lot of the China circle with a few doing something random like a military run.
Hotels are hit or miss depending on which run you get. The quality is top notch, but it can be a few days between hotel stops. They used to get a break in December for peak and become station guys in SDF, MEM, etc but I think China has taken that over. It’s a whole lot of Groundhog Day at Kalitta.”
*Always good to have an LM and Mech on board. Definitely can grease the wheels if you will.