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A Day or Night as a Cargo Pilot
- Thread starter FL530
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- Watchers 10
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satpak77
Marriott Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2003
- Posts
- 3,015
Workweek begins at 8 PM Monday night
Fly HRL - SAT in Navajo, no autopilot, arrive 9:30 PM-ish
call your buddies on 122.75/.85/.775 ask them for the SAT ATIS
shoot the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** with buddies, "how is Dallas weather", etc
offload your checks, NAFTA-related auto freight, and medical lab work to "the van driver" who meets you at FBO
pickup more cargo from van driver, take your Navajo SAT-DFW, land and taxi to "west cargo" to hand off ABX freight and pick up ABX freight (this is 10 years ago), wait around awhile
call your buddies again on above freqs
it is now midnight-ish
depart DFW to SAT, meet Martinair Caravan at the "UPS ramp"
talk to buddies on above freqs
take 2 hour nap at FBO in meantime, ask FBO dudes if "Martinaire Caravan is in yet, I will be in TV room
when he arrives from IAH, hand off (yes you physically unload it) your freight to him, pick up UPS cargo from him
fly SAT - HRL with cargo, single pilot IFR, no autopilot, it is now 4 AM-ish
talk to buddies, someone tells you "Larry who flies for Exchange got an Eagle interview"
chit/chat, talk on freq (ATC is DEAD silent)
5:30 AM ish, arrive HRL, likely shooting ILS to mins due to typical gulf of mexico fog/crap
drive your freight dog car to freight dog apartment, drink some Tang, eat something, relax a little, call your GF (your local college GF is now going to class), go to sleep. Hope apartment lawn care people do not mow outside your window
maybe college GF can come over when she is done with classes at 2 PM for a visit, that is your wake up time anyway
8 PM, greet Navajo, preflight, call boss, tell him "that rain last night" took some paint off the nose cone, he sighs and tells you ok thanks
it helps if you are 22 years old at the time like I was
has it changed since?
DONE till 8 PM same day
Fly HRL - SAT in Navajo, no autopilot, arrive 9:30 PM-ish
call your buddies on 122.75/.85/.775 ask them for the SAT ATIS
shoot the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** with buddies, "how is Dallas weather", etc
offload your checks, NAFTA-related auto freight, and medical lab work to "the van driver" who meets you at FBO
pickup more cargo from van driver, take your Navajo SAT-DFW, land and taxi to "west cargo" to hand off ABX freight and pick up ABX freight (this is 10 years ago), wait around awhile
call your buddies again on above freqs
it is now midnight-ish
depart DFW to SAT, meet Martinair Caravan at the "UPS ramp"
talk to buddies on above freqs
take 2 hour nap at FBO in meantime, ask FBO dudes if "Martinaire Caravan is in yet, I will be in TV room
when he arrives from IAH, hand off (yes you physically unload it) your freight to him, pick up UPS cargo from him
fly SAT - HRL with cargo, single pilot IFR, no autopilot, it is now 4 AM-ish
talk to buddies, someone tells you "Larry who flies for Exchange got an Eagle interview"
chit/chat, talk on freq (ATC is DEAD silent)
5:30 AM ish, arrive HRL, likely shooting ILS to mins due to typical gulf of mexico fog/crap
drive your freight dog car to freight dog apartment, drink some Tang, eat something, relax a little, call your GF (your local college GF is now going to class), go to sleep. Hope apartment lawn care people do not mow outside your window
maybe college GF can come over when she is done with classes at 2 PM for a visit, that is your wake up time anyway
8 PM, greet Navajo, preflight, call boss, tell him "that rain last night" took some paint off the nose cone, he sighs and tells you ok thanks
it helps if you are 22 years old at the time like I was
has it changed since?
DONE till 8 PM same day
my day or night was very similar to satpak77. The diffrences being cities of course, DRT_SAT_LRD_DRT and i would overnight in a hotel. I racked up a ton of Frequent club points. During the day i would wake up mid afternoon go to the local gym, then swim for a bit. Eat dinner, then go and fly. On fridays i would always go across to mexico and eat at my fav little place. Friday night meet the rest of the guys and go to alamo cafe or some other local watering hole.
The lawn guys were the worst.
The lawn guys were the worst.
Future SNA
KILL
- Joined
- May 22, 2002
- Posts
- 244
I agree.....
Though I don't have to unload my own cargo now, I do agree this is how it is done. No fear though, there was a time when I was bent over breaking my back throwing stuff out.
The only thing I need to add is, that for the 1 or 2 hours you can find a good station with Coast 2 Coast AM on, believe 1100 outta Cincinnati, 1200 outta Houston, or vice versa, anyways, for that time, I listen to that, rather than chat.
Though I don't have to unload my own cargo now, I do agree this is how it is done. No fear though, there was a time when I was bent over breaking my back throwing stuff out.
The only thing I need to add is, that for the 1 or 2 hours you can find a good station with Coast 2 Coast AM on, believe 1100 outta Cincinnati, 1200 outta Houston, or vice versa, anyways, for that time, I listen to that, rather than chat.
Aerosurfer
I envy the Gaut
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2003
- Posts
- 233
Aerosurfer
I envy the Gaut
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2003
- Posts
- 233
i check in for duty at 1425. depart TPA at 1525 arrive in ORL at 1600ish. hang out for several hours get lunch (dinner depending on who you ask) then depart back to TPA at 1900. then head back to ORL, load up and fly to FXE arriving around 2200. quick deadhead to OPF after a half hour break shooting the breeze. depart OPF by 2330 and arrive back home in TPA around 0045. off duty at 0100. total duty day 10.5 total BTB aorund 5.0.
Here it is in short-hand TPA-ORL-TPA-ORL-FXE-OPF-TPA
Here it is in short-hand TPA-ORL-TPA-ORL-FXE-OPF-TPA
Aerosurfer
I envy the Gaut
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2003
- Posts
- 233
AHhh My day......
Well I sleep in nice and late, if Im up by 10 I catch the morning Daily Show, then i come and check flightinfo.com and collegehumor.com for a few hours. By then its lunch time, I'll usually read or go work part time construction, then go to the gym for a few hours so I can get all Buff and look like the Governator of Kah-Lee-Fornia. But mostly so I can watch the chick in the blue spandex on the stairmaster. Hit up subway, say hi to the pony tail Kid, then its off to the airport.
By now it is 715 or 0015 for all you Zulu fans, Duty-in and find out which plane will attempt to alter my life that night. then the ground guys and I will joke around for sometime or talk about the canadian Chickas that are always flying in on the Cheyennes. Then its off to the Weather Room!!! not really to check the weather, we're cargo pilots, we have to go anyways!! Rather I look at it as a Fun-O-Meter. The more colors I have between myself in Cincy and Indianapolis (destination) The more Fun Im going to Have on the flight.
Out to my Airplane I preflight, write down a bunch of numbers check the Gas and my Ice Juice (TKS) start-up and GOOOOOO. 45min to an hour later Im busting out in Indy, taxi for about 2-3 miles over to Raytheon, knock the rest of the ice off my Airplane, say hi to the Counter girls. By now it is about 9 Pm (0200 Zuluriffic). Upstairs in the Most pimp daddy Pilot lounge I have have seen in the Midwest, Im either watching Comedy Central on the Uber-Widescreen Tv, Playing X-Box, or back surfing the Net, most likely looking For more Posts about everyones Favorite WMU pilot (if you dont frequent the Regionals board you probably wont get this). about an hour later Santa Claus comes with a bell cart of cancelled checks. I load up the airplane, check my Fun-O-Meter and hizzle it back to Lunken (Cincy). Pass the Love of other peoples money onto my Courier, Tie down and boogie back into the FBO, Call in My numbers, and I'm outtie. Usually its about 11-1130 by the time I'm back on the street and gettin' my pimp on.
The Following Day Insert another Quarter and repeat
Howz that for a tough life?
Well I sleep in nice and late, if Im up by 10 I catch the morning Daily Show, then i come and check flightinfo.com and collegehumor.com for a few hours. By then its lunch time, I'll usually read or go work part time construction, then go to the gym for a few hours so I can get all Buff and look like the Governator of Kah-Lee-Fornia. But mostly so I can watch the chick in the blue spandex on the stairmaster. Hit up subway, say hi to the pony tail Kid, then its off to the airport.
By now it is 715 or 0015 for all you Zulu fans, Duty-in and find out which plane will attempt to alter my life that night. then the ground guys and I will joke around for sometime or talk about the canadian Chickas that are always flying in on the Cheyennes. Then its off to the Weather Room!!! not really to check the weather, we're cargo pilots, we have to go anyways!! Rather I look at it as a Fun-O-Meter. The more colors I have between myself in Cincy and Indianapolis (destination) The more Fun Im going to Have on the flight.
Out to my Airplane I preflight, write down a bunch of numbers check the Gas and my Ice Juice (TKS) start-up and GOOOOOO. 45min to an hour later Im busting out in Indy, taxi for about 2-3 miles over to Raytheon, knock the rest of the ice off my Airplane, say hi to the Counter girls. By now it is about 9 Pm (0200 Zuluriffic). Upstairs in the Most pimp daddy Pilot lounge I have have seen in the Midwest, Im either watching Comedy Central on the Uber-Widescreen Tv, Playing X-Box, or back surfing the Net, most likely looking For more Posts about everyones Favorite WMU pilot (if you dont frequent the Regionals board you probably wont get this). about an hour later Santa Claus comes with a bell cart of cancelled checks. I load up the airplane, check my Fun-O-Meter and hizzle it back to Lunken (Cincy). Pass the Love of other peoples money onto my Courier, Tie down and boogie back into the FBO, Call in My numbers, and I'm outtie. Usually its about 11-1130 by the time I'm back on the street and gettin' my pimp on.
The Following Day Insert another Quarter and repeat
Howz that for a tough life?
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