Driving to FLying
 

Hi everybody. I currently work at UPS, don't have near the time I need to try and become a pilot for them, but I was wondering if any of you have become a pilot while working at UPS. And if you have, would you mind sharing some of your story.

UPS has an internship program that might be a fit for you.

https://w3.ameriflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/UPS-Ameriflight-Pilot-Intern-Gateway-Program-Agreement-Press-Release.pdf

Thank you. Sadly I'm a very low time pilot, but this may come in handy next year...

Driving I average 50-55 hours a week, add family and I don't get a lot of flying in.

Sadly, if you want to fly you're going to have to make a big sacrifice and leave, hoping to come back. No guarantee of getting back and you may happily end up somewhere else. If it's in your blood you'll do it. If you don't you are going to look at those planes for a long time thinking "that could have been me". It's the same sacrifice all of us have made in one form or another.

Yes. I've been afraid of that for awhile. When I originally got hired, and I think now still, they have a poster in the HR office saying they like to promote and hire from within. It lists like 7 things one of which is pilot. One of the reason I took and kept the job through college while I got my degree. I guess now I have to figure out how to give up my current income, for maybe a third for several years. And my vacation. I was hoping to get a sabbatical or something for a year, year and a half come back with the time for an ATP....

There were 2 or 3 guys in my class that had been previous UPSers. All of them said it helped them in the process.

We rode on the package cars our second week of indoc, and it was excellent exposure to the company in my opinion. That being said, I don't see how in the world a driver could find the time to balance that job with a flying gig building time. There is just no way I see it happening. At some point you have to sleep and eat.

There is a lot of good information here to help you succeed. The one thing that all pilots that work in the scheduled and non-scheduled aviation industry have is perseverance. Anyone over the age of 30 in this industry has had to make sacrifices and persevere during the course of their career. Of my graduation class from flight school, I'm the only one that is still flying 20 years later. I think you'll find that is the common theme with anyone at this level of flying.

My suggestion to you would be to reach out to the airline side of UPS and talk to the HR, management pilots, and recruiters and ask for their input as well. While I agree that being a driver (I did it seasonally for two years) and trying to work a flying gig would be almost impossible (you do need to sleep and eat at some point), the fine people in SDF on the airline side of the house may have ideas or suggestions that we just aren't seeing as they can look at you a little differently being an internal employee with a goal to move to the airline side.

Nobody ever lost out in this industry by reaching out to all available resources for guidance or assistance. Pilots do this every day no matter the level of experience in the cockpit. They rely on all available sources to help them complete the mission successfully.

It may behoove you to reach out to the airline side and get some other perspectives.

I wish you all the best in your endevours!

All things being equal they love to promote from within. The cath 22 is that for the most part, you have to be qualified for the job and in our side of things it comes down to hours. Even if they were to look the other way on their preffered numbers and say that the FAA minimums are good enough, you'll find that's probably quite a hurdle for a full time driver. Good luck with your decision. Bank some coin now and go for it if you can. You'll have an easier road than the outsiders but they'll still expect a lot from you in terms of qualifications.

Yes I have reached out before, and the reply is well these are our qualifications ..... no suggestions on how to get them and still work at UPS. I've tried to talk my HR team into letting me go part time again, they say ya quit and then reapply. No chance for any serious time off like a sabbatical. I will have to just leave on good terms and come back.

I have also wondered how much it would help being a UPSer, my guess is not much. And no one has been able to say "ya you being a UPSer could realistically apply with x, y, and Z times and be competitive".

And thank you guys for replying I do appreciate the input.

The agreement with Ameriflight is for recent college grads that have gone through an internship with UPS. I'm not recent, and I didn't have an internship.

Au Contraire, I think at the right time in the process being an ex upser with a good reference frrom your last supervisor will help out immensely. As for them not being helpful, we have a funny saying when someone acts surprised at some of the stuff UPS says so I'll say it to you but you'll have to add the sarcadstic intonation yourself. "They aren't helpful? Are you new here?"

That internship doesn't seem that great. 2 years at UPS and then I think 3 at ameriflight beofre MAYBE getting on here. I think with the right choices someone could be prepared to get here or someplace else in less than 5 years.