verlthepearl

Hello all,
I have some questions for any past or present Amflight pilots if you'd be so kind.
1- Are you a current or past employee?
2- On a scale of 1 thru 10, how do you like your job and company overall?
3- What do you like and dislike about the company and the flying you do?
4-What is a typical day/night at work for you? What is a normal showtime? How many legs on average do you fly? How long do you sit on the ground between the am and pm flights?
5- How is the mx on the a/c? Do you usually fly with many MELs or does the company/mx department fix the issues pretty quickly?
6- Do the planes have an autopilot? (I always thought that if you were part 135 and don't have a SIC/copilot, you need a 3 axis a/p).
7- Do the planes have any kind of GPS or is it VOR to VOR? If no, will the company allow you to have a personal GPS on board for situational awareness? If no, do pilots still use one?
8- Is this a place where someone could possibly make a career out of it or at least be able to stand the place for multiple years?
9- What happens after the video interview? Do they bring you in for a face to face or just give you a class date?
10- When hired, can you pick and choose your a/c and base or is it all seniority based and/or needs of the company? If it is seniority based, how long would it take to hold an a/c and base as you choose? (For example, SLC on the 1900?).
11- How would you rate the training, 1 thru 10? Is training done in the plane or in a sim? Do the instructors in general care about their jobs or are they just filling the seat so to speak? What can you expect through training? Any comments on the training and IOE overall?
12- Does one a/c or base seem to have a better QOL than the others? Better runs, bankers hours, etc?
13- How does management and your chief pilot treat you and the pilot group as a whole, 1 thru 10? Do you feel they have your back or do you feel like you have to fly on eggshells? If you aren't comfortable with something like wx or mx, do/did you feel pressured into doing the trip?
14- Do you feel like you get paid adequately for what you do? Do you feel you receive(d) a livable wage? How were the benefits, if any?
15- How long have/were you been at Amflight? What is/was your overall experience with the company, planes, overall flying, mx, pilot group and QOL in general? Are you glad you worked there?
16- Is there anything else you think a pilot who is looking at Ameriflight should know?

Thank you in advance to those who took the time to answer these questions. I've been doing loads of research and these are the questions that I've been wondering about.
I've been a professional pilot for many years with a clean record, lots of 135/121 flying and have held almost every job in this turbulent industry. I have my apps in with the Majors, just like everyone else, but I'm not holding my breath. What is important to me now that my kids are grown, is is it a job that I can stand to do day in and day out for years to come? I'm not that interested in wether its a turboprop or jet and I don't have lots of overhead so tons of money isn't really all that important but I don't work for free either. I'm looking for a job where I don't have to commute, I can and want to do everyday, be at home most nights and not have to cut coupons.
Thanks again for the help and info.

MadmanX2

Only on passenger carrying flights. Any other type flights and the owner was being nice.

Who cares about freight pilots....


Ever thought about air ambulance?

verlthepearl

Thanks Madman for the reply. Everyone should care about freight dogs. If it weren't for them no one would get their amazon packages and have to go to an actual store.
I have done air ambulance. It's was ok work. There are no opportunities around where I live for that kind of work. Didn't care for the randomness of the flying and the "nomex" flight suit they make you wear.

MadmanX2

Yeah, I have showed that the single layer "Nomex" flight onesies give less than 3 seconds protection in minor fires, but someone up high thinks they are really fire proof....

When I raced cars my fire suit was triple layer Kevlar/Nomex with the under layer that gave 30 seconds of protection in a fire. The cost back then was 900 bucks. And looked a heck of a lot better.

And my comment on freight pilots was more along the line that owners of freight businesses know that we pilots are our own worse enemies and will accept low salary and barely equipped airplanes.

Sorry I can't help much, I never flew for Ameriflight. I knew a few that did and they all had different opinions going from great to never again.

Good luck to ya, bud, I hope you find that perfect job for you.

verlthepearl

bump......

frmrbuffdrvr

Probably get more of a response if you post this on the primary Ameriflight thread.

I could personally answer most of your questions, as I have been with the company over 16 years. That wasn't my plan when I came here. It just worked out that way. Which answers question #1.

2) About a 9. There are always things that can be improved on. But overall Ameriflight has been very good to me.

3) I don't fly a set run, as I am now in management. But I will say some of the schedules are tough. That's the reality of small package freight. But we are working to make things better. Most of the time it is a matter of staffing.

4)Most runs are 1-2 legs in the morning and 1-2 legs in the evening. Most (but not all) runs you actually get your legal rest at a hotel away from the main base.

5) Mx is pretty good, IMHO. There have been times in the past when it was pretty bad, as are as extending MELs. But now there have to be extenuating circumstances for an MEL to be extended. So things get fixed pretty quickly.

6) Answered in previous post. AP is not required for cargo operations, which is all we do. That being said, almost all of our aircraft have autopilots. They might be deferred however.

7)Some do, some don't. We are in process to get GPS installed in all aircraft. A hand held is ok for situational awareness. But they are not approved for IFR navigation.

8) CAN someone make a career here? As I said, I've been here over 16 years. It would depend on your circumstances and career goals.

9)These days, class date.

10)Seniority and need. And what airplane you come in at which is based on your hours and experience. If you want to PM me, we can get more in depth on that part.

11)I personally think the training is top notch. But I'm probably a little biased in that regard since I am a training captain and check airman in the SA227. Training all starts in the sim. PA31 and BE99 all transition to the plane to finish. SA227 & BE1900 can either finish in the plane or the sim, depending on how well you progress. All of the training through check ride is in the sim for the E120. Then you go to OE in the aircraft.

12) QOL depends on what you want. If you have a particular base in mind (sounds like maybe you live near SLC?) I can answer better in a PM.

13)I don't think you need to be on eggshells about anything. I've actually known guys to treat things that way and have backed themselves into a corner by doing it. I've never known anyone to have an issue for refusing a flight for a valid mx or weather concern. I always tell guys, "In any situation, if you make a decision that results in the plane and crew getting back on the ground with not injuries (and even better, no damage to the plane) is a good decision. It may not be the BEST decision, and we can talk about it later. But if no one got hurt and there was no unnecessary damage to the plane, I will back you up all the way. And so will everyone up the chain from me, as far as I have ever experienced."

14)Yes to pay. And there have been several needed bumps over the past couple of years. Benefits are good. 401K has 50% match up to 3% (I believe) of gross.

15)Answered already.

16)I think that about covers it, but you can always ask me other questions.