Worst trips at UPS or FedEx?
 

If one were a new hire at each, what would be considered the crappiest line?

I'm trying to gauge how hard life would be before getting those sweet lines where you hardly work. Like my neighbors who are always home while I'm flying my tail off.

Thanks a lot fella's.

Future Freight Dog, a.k.a. "Flea"

Depends on what you consider good. Next month, my neighbors probably won't think I worked at all. FDX uses 4 week months, and I will work 12 out of 28 days. All are morning out-n-backs, starting at 02-0300 and returning by 10-1100. Some are 2 and some are 3 legs. The last couple months, I have worked B (afternoon/evening) reserve, and hardly got called the first 2 months. This month, with everyone turning down extra flying, I have been working a lot more, everyday for the last week and a half.

To answer your question, it depends on a lot of things. Stay in your newhire seat, most likely 727 SO, for a while, and you could be getting decent lines in a couple months. But, if we start filling widebody FO slots in SPS and ANC after you're hired, as we recently did, it could be 6 mos to a year. Upgrade at the earliest opportunity to an FO seat, Widebody FO, and then to CAP, and you might never get a decent schedule. Also, are you going to commute? Figure on adding 2 to 3 days a month to your schedule, until you get senior enough to bid double DHs or fly out of your home city. We have people who are still in SO seats at 7-9 years, because they fly out of their home city and are home everyday.

I've been a new hire for a little more than a year and a half now and have never held a line. :)

I'll let you know how crappy the lines are once I get one ;)

Tipsy

line
 

Tipsy..

What is your fleet and seat?

Pilot7576

Wow... what seat are you in? I'm guessing 10 SO. I've been here for 14 months and have been holding a line for a while (727 SO). Actually had Thanksgiving and Christmas off last year (on a reserve line).

UPS 757 SDFZ FO

727 SO for the 1st year

Tipsy

Appreciate the replies everyone.

When I was on the 8, I once had to fly 3 legs in one night. Can you believe that?;)

I think I flew 3 legs in one quarter on the 72 ;)

Tipsy

A horrible trip I remember years ago was a 5am departure going Louisville > Newark > Anchorage on the 767.

I hate doing the EWR-ANC leg. Living in ANC it really messes with my internal clock. Trip leaves ANC around 2pm gets in to EWR about 1 am, easy leg. But then a 24 hour clock flip for the return, leaves EWR around 1am (9pm body clock), about 7:45 block.

We have the same flight and most hate it just as much. Just short enough to not need an IRO legally, but it certainly does need one.

I remember in the "old" days when international was new to brown, we used to fly SDF-ANC-NRT-ANC-SDF over 6-9 days and we thought that was as bad as a trip could get. I can only imagine how much we'll be bending over in years to come <G>

How long before an FO can hold MIA and what are the trips like out of there? Thanks for any info.

new hires in our July 31 class will be holding MIA. They fly throughout the "Americas" and also do their share of domestic night freight scedules. Their schedules are not conducive to commuting due to the patterns of off and on days, but people do seem to like flying out of there

767pilot,

Thanks for the info.

What is the longest MD-11 trip you FedEx guys operate? Nonstop leg, specifically. Thanks.

TM

What is the longest MD-11 trip you FedEx guys operate? Nonstop leg, specifically. Thanks.

TM


MEM-NRT 13:25 block

JC Dude

That's a nice leg if you ask me! Get some sleep prior to show time, work the first half, sleep the second half, arrive in NRT for a 30-36hr layover fully rested at 8am. At least that works for me!:cool:

I do not have the mileage, but Paris to Subic Bay is generally the longest flight time. The route varies but it is about 13:30-14:00. We also operate MEM-Narita and that is about 13:30 generally. Osaka-MEM is proably 3rd about 11-13 depending on time of year. These 3 routes are our only double crewed flights at this time.

I love long trips. Great to play Rummy and get rested for the layover.

I watched 3 movies between Almaty, KZ and Paris, FR once.

It is great that everyone is different.

I loved those 50+ block minutes between SAN and OAK . . .not enough time to think or dwell on anything else but the short segment of flight you were in.

But that return leg was a buggar, unless we got to log 2+ hours of refresher rack time in the sleep room . . even then. . we usually got to shoot an approach, due to the 'Marine Layer' .

Glad there were people who liked those longer legs. . . you can only get so much nap time.

thank you
 

Thanks a bunch, JC Dude. That's enough time for DVDs, bill paying, magazines, books, and anything else you'd care to bring along!

What's the longest trip in terms of days on?

For FDX, we have 4 and 5 week schedules. In a 4 week month the long trips pay about 72-76 hours which is about 12-14 days. In a 5 week month they have had up to 16 day trips recently (about 95 hours pay). Not all international flying is this long we have some 2-10 day trips as well.

I had a 17 day interantional Airbus trip several years ago.

We have lots of 12 day trips on 4 weeks months. I personally love these trips as its a tough commute (9 hrs from NW CO to get to MEM) and I only need to do it once. We sometimes have 13 to 15 day trips on 5 week months, but unless they have deadheads on the fron, back or both, I've learned to avoid them as they get a little too long for me! I don't imagine I'll see too many of those trips soon as a junior Capt., unless I get lucky with a secondary line!

You commute out of Rangley, GJ, or Steamboat?

Live in Steamboat, usually drive to DEN, but occasionally will commute out of HDN if the stars are aligned - enough deviation bank, plentiful flights out of HDN (usually mid-december to late March, when I take most of those months off - easier to get my 70 days of skiing in! :) ). Two of the others in town do SIBA and have no trouble commuting to Europe from HDN/DEN.

Worst Trip-UPS
 

There are just too many variables to answer this one....

International vs. domestic night ops
Long vs. short
What, I've gotta work on Wednesday....?
How many legs, some like several short ones, I like one long one.
Who am I flying with?
Whens the last time I flew?

In general, the worst trips we fly are the very early morning long international flights just under 8 hours, so no IRO. The typical SDF-ANC is tough, since its a 2am report for a 3:30am depatrure on a slightly less than 7 hour flight :eek: This can be really brutal if your on reserve and you get the call at midnight...:(

FDX long Flights
 

Guys:

On those long 13 to 14 HR trips, do you guys have double crews? I mean 2 captains and 2 FO's? They want us to fly 2 legs at UPS one of them has to be over 11 HRS and they want us to do it with 1 Captain and 3 Fo's. Do you guys so that at FDX?

Thanks for the responses.
Zoro

Rest facilities?
 

For the FDX guys, on those double crew flights, what rest facilities available to you? Bunks or just first class seats?

Zoro

One Captain, two or three F/Os

FAA Approved Crew Rest Area for over 12 hours. Less than 12 can be just seats.

When I was at Gemini we once did a midnight departure in Harare that left 3 hours late, fuel stopped in Lagos, offloaded at Amsterdam then flew empty to Brussels.

24 hours in a DC-10 with no augmentation, STARTING at midnight. (It was "optimistically" scheduled for 16 hours duty).

In the MD11 we used to do Miami - Manaus - Varicopas - Bogota - Miami with a double crew. You only worked two legs, but the rest legs were really too short to get more than a nap. Saw that one go to 30 hours of duty once. Again, starting about midnight.

Yeah, FAA approved crew rest area..... it is pretty shabby. But better than the futon/seat cushions/stuffed blankets-into-air-holes-on-the-floor we got going on the other planes. I even heard the good ole BC wanted the same facility on the A-380's- not the nice one that Airbus had for it. Airbus said no way.

I kinda like the long double crewed flight. You get a chunk of sleep.

I DO like the single longer leg for the rest enroute. Our bunks are luv-em or leave-em. I love them; quiet dark, but I don't really like the bunk idea, would rather have a separate sleeping area. Some of the women might not appreciate my farting and snoring, I know the guys don't!:o

All of our MD11s have the extending bunk area, covering up door L1 inflight. Our configuration is OK, but if there's anyone in the first class seats, it's a squeeze to get to the galley area.

The best part is we actually have a nice sized refridge onboard!

Our TA (if it passes) will allow double crewing with either 2 Captains and 2 FOs, or 1 Captain and 3 FOs. Lemme guess which combo the company will choose!?! The one thing that concerns me is a double crew can do two legs, as long as one of them is scheduled for at least 11 hours of block.

:confused: I though we had to have two crews on anything over 12???? I'm not sure, though, being a lowley Boeing type.

over 12 is 1 captain and 3 FO's. Under 12 is usually 1 CA/2FO. They are using CA's as RFO's again on the schedule due to shortage of FO's.

WE do........FAA mandated on legs over 12:00 block

FedEx mans it with 1 CAP and 3 FO's..........(usually)
All MD-11 FO's are typed rated.......so in the eyes of the FAA all are Capt qualified.......(For cruise CAPT duties)

They are short FO's again.........and the FO's seem to be enjoying their days off much more than the Training guys.....who are mostly Capts but dual qualified to occupy each seat.

Apparently this month the CAPT as RFO is back. Apparently It is cheaper to pay a CAPT $206/hr to heat the meals and make the coffee than to DRAFT a Training guy on his off day. Wouldn't surprise me to see some of the training guys flying as RFO since they are drafting them as FO stand ins