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Getting on with FDX/UPS

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Getting on with FDX/UPS

Old 02-20-2009, 10:22 AM
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Default Getting on with FDX/UPS

Hey all I was just curious about getting on with FDX/UPS (In a "normal" economic climate). If one had all their turbine PIC in a King Air, Cheyenne, or a Piaggio in a 135 enviornment would they be at less of an advantage because they had no 121 or jet time??? Is it abnormal for 135 Turboprop drivers to get on with FDX/UPS??? Thanks all.
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Old 02-20-2009, 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by CaptainTeezy View Post
Hey all I was just curious about getting on with FDX/UPS (In a "normal" economic climate). If one had all their turbine PIC in a King Air, Cheyenne, or a Piaggio in a 135 enviornment would they be at less of an advantage because they had no 121 or jet time??? Is it abnormal for 135 Turboprop drivers to get on with FDX/UPS??? Thanks all.
It's not abnormal for 135 guys to get on and i personally know a couple here at brown but you will defenetly have a upper hand coming from a 121 with jet pic. If they had a choice between a rj driver with 1000 pic and a kingair guy with the same pic time they will go with choice A, Wouldn't you? I hope it helps and good luck.
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Old 02-20-2009, 11:40 AM
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We've had corporate turboprop guys as well as turboprop regional gals get hired. The first group have had to know someone in the company to get hired. Some of the latter have been hired without any problem at all.
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Old 02-20-2009, 11:52 AM
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There’ve been numerous threads on that subject here in the past. Try the search function and you’ll find some good info there.

I’m sure you’re aware that it’ll bee several years before either of the two will be hiring. When they do start hiring however it’ll be all about the supply and demand… Since there will be lots of supply and little demand it’ll be very competitive to get hired.

In the past it was not “abnormal” to see a 135 turboprop driver here at Big Brown but it was definitely unusual. My class had one pilot with all part 135 experience but he had some turboprop and also turbojet time (Beechjet). A few months later yet another 135 driver was hired; mainly KingAir and Beechjet flight time. About a year and a half prior another friend of mine was hired with all part 91 time but he flew state-of-the-art Gulfstreams all over the world for a Fortune 500 company.

Before I was hired I’d heard UPS really liked to hire people form different aviation backgrounds and from what I’ve seen that seems to be very accurate. Someone told me once that the ratio seems to be something like 1/3 military pilots, 1/3 -121 commuter or other airline background, and 1/3 “everything else” (mixed mil/civ, part 135, part 91, etc.)

I think that’s pretty accurate and personally I really like it because every time you fly with someone here you always learn something interesting about the aviation field. Not too long ago I flew with a former NASA test pilot and a few weeks prior with a guy who started his flying career spraying the farm fields with pesticide in an Ag-Cat.

From what I hear from my purple buds, they seem to focus a little more on ex-mil pilots (Fred Smith was a Marine pilot himself so a slight bias is very understandable). However, they too have lots of ex-civilian pilots (which I believe applies to you?)

I’d say focus on any job that’ll make you happy, that’s number one prerogative. If you’re happy doing what you’re doing now, stay there! IF however you think FDX or UPS are the places to be once we start hiring again, personally I’d look for other jobs that could greatly improve your chances.

Basically any job where you’ll fly heavy iron all over the world will increase your chances because you’ll be doing “our” type of flying. (Note! if you take such a job, you must be based in the US to get an interview with FDX due to their postal contract).
Also, remember, I said it’ll increase your chances of getting hired but it will NOT guarantee you a job!

When I interviewed a few years back I felt like a Beech Duchess pilot here because the biggest airplanes I’d flown were B717s and B737s while everyone else interviewing with me flew heavy equipment all over the world. I guess you could say I was the “Boeing RJ” pilot.

Both FDX and UPS like experience and in the past when we were hiring you could always count on seeing a World, Omni, Polar, etc. driver in the lobby waiting for an interview. Of course there were also numerous military tanker pilots, etc. there with them. Every now and then you’d see a few commuter pilots and then some of those “unusual” part 135/91 aviators.

However, although many of the heavy drivers were hired, some were not - which is why I am repeating that flying heavies might increase your chances of getting an interview but it’s not a guarantee of getting a job.

Good luck to you and I for one, like the fact we’re talking about hiring as opposed to furloughing pilots here again…

Last edited by ⌐ AV8OR WANNABE; 02-20-2009 at 01:03 PM.
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:40 PM
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Pasted from the website: Check out the section for PIC turbine.... pistons don't count.

Typical qualifications for consideration as a FedEx pilot.


Commercial Pilot Certificate with Multi-engine and Instrument rating (without limitations)

Current ATP Certificate or written

Current FE Turbojet Rating or written (FEX or Basic/turbojet)

Must pass FAA mandated drug screen

Recency and type of experience is considered

Meet requirements for and currently hold First Class Medical certification

20/20 correctable vision

College Degree from an accredited college or university

Eligibility for rapid visa issuance, issued by offices in the United States to fly to any FedEx destination.

Ability to obtain clearance from United States Postal Service for handling or access to U.S. mail, which includes FBI fingerprint check, and candidate must have resided in the United States for the last five consecutive years (except for U.S. military assignments)

Eligibility for issuance of US Security Clearance

1500 hours total fixed-wing time as pilot-in-command (PIC) or second-in-command in multi-engine turbo-prop A/C or jet A/C or combination thereof, including a minimum of 1000 hours total fixed-wing pilot-in-command in multi-engine turbo prop A/C or jet A/C or combination thereof.
Note: PIC for this purpose is defined as Captain/Aircraft Commander of record, not simply the sole manipulator of the controls.
Note: FedEx considers only pilot time in fixed wing aircraft toward minimum qualifications. This does not include simulator, helicopter, flight engineer, bombardier, navigator, RIO, EWO, WSO, NFO, or Special Crew.

All certificates and ratings required to be U.S.A. FAA issued
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by FedEx1 View Post
Pasted from the website: Check out the section for PIC turbine.... pistons don't count...
Not sure why you bring that up?

All three aircraft types he/she mentioned (King Air, Cheyenne, or a Piaggio) are turbine and not piston (or recip.) powered aircraft.
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Old 02-20-2009, 01:25 PM
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Guess cause I don't know civilian aircraft! Thought a cheyenne was a piston, sorry. Hope the other info helps.
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Old 02-20-2009, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by FedEx1 View Post
Guess cause I don't know civilian aircraft! Thought a cheyenne was a piston, sorry. Hope the other info helps.
Hey, don't sweat it. It goes both ways; a few years ago I read about a military aircraft with the military designation of "VC-6A." The code name sounded very mystical to me as supposedly it had been used as an Air Force One aircraft; I figured it must have been a B707, B747 or something similar.

Well, come to find out it was a plain 'ole King Air 90!

Air Force One
"During the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, the United States Air Force acquired a Model B90 King Air "off-the-shelf". With the military designation VC-6A, the aircraft, serialled 66-7943,[15] was used to transport President Johnson between Bergstrom Air Force Base (near Austin, Texas) and the Johnson family ranch near Johnson City, Texas. When Johnson was aboard, the aircraft used the callsign Air Force One. This aircraft is now on display, with other presidential aircraft, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio."


Here's some Cheyenne info:

"The Piper Cheyenne family of turboprop corporate aircraft is based on the popular Navajo and Chieftain piston twins."

Piper PA-31T Cheyenne | Airliners.net
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Old 02-20-2009, 06:20 PM
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Originally Posted by brownie View Post
If they had a choice between a rj driver with 1000 pic and a kingair guy with the same pic time they will go with choice A, Wouldn't you?
Hell no. But I'm biased.
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by TimoC View Post
Hey if your DAD works here you go to the top of the stack, no questions asked, regardless your lack of qualifications...need to change that hiring system though...dunno how much its gonna cost to get rid of WD's though...
Not at ups. If your dad worked here you will be SOL
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