Global Entry. Worth every penny. Also, switching to T-Moble is worth considering, if you're not a customer already. Pretty good international coverage at very reasonable rates. Not as good as AT$T, but you're not paying through the no$e either.

Beyond that, nothing that hasn't been already mentioned.

Good luck, have fun! Atlas is definitely a career destination, so if you never make t to the "majors" you should still have a grand time.

 

Leaving a regional for the ACMI stuff led me down a path that quickly got me into steady cargo job. Great experience from the ACMI stuff. Glad I don't do it any more but I wouldn't be where I am without it. ACMI was tough on the family, but for me it took effort to balance everything out and then life was decent. Good luck at Atlas and enjoy the new world. You will be surprised about how little you know about flying...and I say that with a smile because that was my personal experience.

 

You will really appreciate US ATC and radar coverage when you wind up in other distant parts of the world in the middle of the night with monsoon conditions!

 

Another bit of advice, fly the flight plan and don't try to go direct or get cute. Too many FIRS or other airspace boundaries not to mention terrain, restricted airspace or disputed areas. At my Company we had some over-eager types who asked for a shortcut and flew through an area that was prohibited. Just my two cents, good luck, the International/Heavy time will only add to your resume.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vito

Another bit of advice, fly the flight plan and don't try to go direct or get cute. Too many FIRS or other airspace boundaries not to mention terrain, restricted airspace or disputed areas.

There are plenty of places in the world where your advice is worth following (within reason). I don’t think I’d paint with quite as broad a brush as you are, however. Are you saying you won’t accept a direct clearance or just won’t ask for it? What about weather deviations?

 

Alder driver,
My advice was directed to a U.S. Regional pilot who never flew International. I saw a lot of issues when pilots that were unfamiliar with Int ops tried to fly overseas as they did in the U.S. We had a crew that flew into the AMU (near the pole) because they asked for direct to save some gas. Had many crews in my Air Force days ask for direct and fly through an FIR boundary that they didn't have dip clearances for. The list is long. Until a pilot gets familiar with the region, just stick to the flight plan. Of course deviate for weather, but that can also bite you in the ass if your not careful and knowledgable about the region. Back in 1988 on arrival to Panama we were confronted with a weather issue. The AC requested a turn away from the wax and ATC, not realizing we were Military attempted to vector us over Nicaragua , which was not a good idea back in 88. Other crew took a direct course from Cuban ATC from Gitmo to Miami and flew over the Cuban landmass back in the day. Better know your rules and procedures flying overseas. Like others have said, Prepare and plan

 

ACMI? Prepare and plan? Prepare to take it right in the...

 

We had a crew flying in Saudi Arabia. They were "cleared to XYZ".

They understood it to mean "cleared direct to XYZ", not "cleared FPR to XYZ".

So they turned direct to XYZ, in the process flew directly over Mecca.

Then, due to a technical glitch, they went NORDO for about 15 minutes.

On 9/11.

The Saudis were piiiiised.

 

I once had a stuck mic and didn't know it while going into ORD.

LOL.... Thanks for the advice, stories, and tribal knowledge fellas. I appreciate it. I flew 135 freight for more than 4 years prior to serving 12 years with good behavior in the regionals. I'm not looking forward to giving up so much control over my schedule, and I'm not sure how great I'll feel about the long trips/stretches away from home, but I certainly look forward to hauling non-human cargo around the globe. After yesterday (day 1 of 4), I'm so sick of people... If I had any hair left I'd pull it out. I do look forward to the large chunks of time off at once. That will be nice.

 

Good luck , BYOB !!!