lifestyle of a fedex pilot
 

FDX pilots can you give an idea of what life is like as a Fedex pilot that:

Commutes out of IAH, regards quality of life over pay, and would prefer as much (no brainer here) day flying as possible.

How is moral there? I read in a another post regarding
FDX is a great company but you are not working for nice people. (I'm assuming this is management) a referal was made about a good ole Bubba smiling at you then stabbing you in the ribs the first chance they get.

How many days off a month can one expect? Just how bad is reserve? Is it possible to commute while on reserve?


THANKS!

Good Money/Sleep Deprivation/Early Demise = FedEx
 

:eek: Bottom line to answer all your questions ------> seniority is everything. Jumpseats are plentiful and off-line jumpseats are readily available from IAH.

You won't be able to show up on day one and live the "easy life" for the rest of your career. Night flying will be extensive your first year, assuming you are a B-727 FE. Reserve pilot utilization in the 727 is very high. You will be working your arse off!

Morale is not good. Mainly due to extended negotiations while record profits and executive bonuses are abundant. This is THE BEST airline on the planet for current profitability, growth, and advancement. Our newest 727 Captain is under 4 years on the property. Widebody F/O within a year. 2nd year pay for widebody F/O is approx 120K. Not bad. Can be and should be better based on the contributions we make to record profitability and the schedules we endure.

However, just because you are the prettiest TURD in the punchbowl, still makes you a TURD. What I'm saying is this -- the airline pilot lifestyle and benefits of the past are dwindling all around you, so FedEx is still an airline job -- some just stink more than others. Capeche?.

Management at ANY airline will smile at you while plunging the dagger into your forehead. This will continue until the Apocalypse. Read "Flying the Line" Parts 1 and 2 as well as "Confessions of a Union Buster". Tremendous insight into the history of airlines and management goons who will never change.

Who knows what the future holds, but compared to the pax world, FredEx and UPS are pretty sweet options. First year pay at UPS is criminal and advancement is significantly slower. Smaller airline, fewer airplanes, fewer pilots, less growth. Not a slam on the Brown Boys, just facts.

FedEx: 80% of the time, it's a sweet job. 20% of the time you wished you sold insurance and worked 9 to 5.

You take the good with the bad like any job. You get hired here and you have hit the proverbial jackpot. Good Luck.

NKA

Plus the chicks dig our leather jackets:D :eek:

I'm 34, what do you guys think the average age for new hires is at Fedex.

I have no problem being the bottom turd and scheduling's biatch. I feel it is a rite of passage and life should be rough. I was just concerned if 3 years down the line if the schedules still are so bad that you can't tell what day of the week it is. I currently work at expressjet and very senior, life is good. All day trips, home every night while making 90 grand a year. I'm feeling the pinch to get to an airline though that I know I will be with for the rest of my career.

I know a few guys that went over to FDX and were quite a bit younger than me, thats my only worry. If FDX has a pattern of hiring very young guys I could get behind the curve.

thanks for all your suggestions and comments.

I think the average age of new hires is mid to upper 30's. There have been guys hired in their mid to upper 40's. So I don't think you'd be behind the power curve. There's a lot of hiring going on now so senoirty (especially in the back of the 72) is moving up pretty quick. I stayed on the panel for a couple years and the schedule was pretty good. After a few months you should be able to hold B reserve which I feel is pretty easy. Will you be home every night, possibly (there's quite a few out and back's). Will it be all day flying, no, but that's increasing. But life is still pretty good. The great thing is one man's trash is another man's treasure and there's almost something for everyone.

koz200,

thanks for this valuable info, is it possible in your opinion to commute on B reserve? I'm not sure what that means, I'm assuming it is something along the lines of long call reserve.

At age 34, you'd actually be ahead of the age curve. I'm 32 and was the second youngest guy in my class. We had one 30 yr old, three or four 32 year olds, the rest were mid to upper 30's, with a handful of guys in their early 40's. One guy was 48 and the oldest was 52. If you check out the retirement chart, there's only about 60 guys 32 and under right now. I've heard FDX is big on retired military guys and/or older guys due to the lower pension and lower ending salary by the time they turn 60. Of course, that could just be a cynical rumor as well. As for lifestyle, it depends on where you live. If you live in MEM, you could be home every night within the first 4 months or so. You'll sit reserve initially, then you could get the out and backs with a 4 off, 3 on schedule. If you're a commuter, it's much more difficult to be home every night. You'll have to be one of the most senior guys in your particular city in your particular seat in order to get the deadheads to your city every month.

B reserve window starts at 12 noon and goes until 12 midnight and the show times are 1330 to 0130 (1.30 to show at the least). For me ( and a lot of guys) it's easier to stay up late rather than get to bed really early and start flying early 0130+ in the morning until mid morning. Often on B reserve you'll launch in the afternoon. People can/do commute as new hires (there are tons of crash pads avaliable) but if you're wanting to deadhead only from a particular city, (as Deuce said),you'll have to be pretty senior. When I was hired only three people in class were local to Memphis. As far as the long call reserve, there is R-24 which allows 24 hrs to show time, but there's only a few lines like that. Best thing to do is to get a Secondary line (where you actually hold trips) and then trip-trade to make your schedule better. IMO, it's better to have a crappy line and be able to trade better than have reserve and not have the ability to trade.

Bottom line. IF you can get on at FedEx, make the jump. 60%+ of pilots commute and if you can suck it up for a bit, you can commute even being junior. It might not be the last job you'll ever have (I know people who said that getting hired at United in 1999-2000) but I think it (and UPS) is about as stable as you can get in the industry.

How many years will it take you to get into the MIA base? What percentage of trips start with a deadhead to an outstation?

-Sike

Sike,

I don't fly for FedEx but I do know they don't have a base at MIA.

http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/a...2005030132.htm

Maybe you are thinking of UPS.