NewCareer

Thanks for the tip. Won’t get burned again. :-) interesting that it’s a waste of money. Not that I am all about wasting money, but seems like that could take a lot longer than if I go to a 141 and knock it out. Especially if I had folks that were willing to plunk down, say 30k, to make it happen? Especially since, looking at the retiremtbs etc, getting in ASAP is critical. Time now is literally money on the back end (IF that ever comes). Also, does the 1500 hours needed to apply for a regional have to be multi time?

PT6 Flyer

NewCareer,

Be aware that if you take a job as a freight dog, there is a good chance that, yes, you will be home everyday, but you may have to sleep in a hotel five nights a week, in a different city. Sleeping in your own bed only two nights a week can definitely cause trouble in a marriage. If your wife works a day job, you could conceivably not see her at all during the week. Talk it over with the wife.

Are there any local skydive operations that hire low-time pilots?

kevbo

That's great as long as you can sustain that passion. You will be left with nothing when it burns out.

NewCareer

Got it. That makes sense. And I can see how that can be annoying / frustrating and really wear you down. But, I guess I now have the luxury of know the bs that you have to deal with corporate world. Won’t take ever forget that. And if that DOES get bad, I guess I can find another flying gig.

Question: do you always have to stay in crew hotels, even if I can get a cheaper rate elsewhere?

tomgoodman

No, then you will have memories. That’s better than a lifetime of kicking yourself for not trying.

PT6 Flyer

NewCareer,

I would like to add that, for me, in the cargo feeder world today, the hardest part of the job is putting up with obnoxious people: obnoxious supervisors, obnoxious loaders, etc. Whether this kind of bad will be offset with the fun of flying for you, only time will tell.

By the way, for me, the best part of the job is not the flying, it is the schedule. I fly one run in the morning, have the entire afternoon off, fly one run in the late afternoon, and I am home every night. (I live at the hub, not the out-station.) I was talking to a Southwest Airlines pilot, and there is no way his schedule would work for me.

NewCareer

tomgoodman FOR THE WIN. Exactly. And I can live with that. What I can’t live with us not having tried.

Sleeping in my own bed only twice a week though. That definitely ain’t happening. Lol.

NewCareer

One thing I have learned in my current industry is how to deal with annoying people, or at least tolerate them. That’s life, isn’t it? But are you saying they exist more so in cargo, than anywhere else? And why is that?

What kind of equipment do you fly? And being home every night sounds awesome. Why the hell haven’t the airlines figured out how to make that happen?

I have been watching this guy on YouTube called MenTour pilot and sounds like some European airlines do that for QOL for their pilots.

NewCareer

Lol. If you’re actually being sincere, then thanks!

PT6 Flyer

Yes, it is. I’m not saying it is an overwhelming thing, but it does come up often (in my opinion).

It’s hard to say. Maybe because of the lack of contact with customers? A person who works mainly as a laborer, lifting heavy boxes, will not necessarily have the people skills that a customer service rep has. And the "longshoreman" atmosphere of such a job certainly contributes to all of this. Perhaps someone who has worked as a freight dog as well as corporate or airline pilot will have better insight. If you work as a freight dog, you will see the same loaders every...single...day, month after month. If they have personality "quirks", if they like the inherent "macho" nature of the job, you will learn all about these things.

The question you really need to focus on is whether you want to pursue twin-engine time or not. There is a real danger of getting a single-engine job, not building twin-engine time, and then getting “stuck” in a single-engine job for the rest of your career. Many freight dog pilots have fallen into this. You really need to look at this closely.

You may not be aware of it, but many airline pilots fly late into the night, overnight for “a few hours” at a hotel, then have to fly a very early flight the next morning. A pilot may work three on, two off, or whatever, with each final leg in a different city, whichever city they end up in that night. No way this can be set up to always end up in your domicile. No way this will ever change.

If you live at the feeder hub, this will not be a problem.