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A Day or Night as a Cargo Pilot
- Thread starter FL530
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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?
Last edited:
KeroseneSnorter
Robust Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2003
- Posts
- 1,530
From years back, doubt it has changed.
3:30 pm show, 4:00pm takeoff, 30 min, first stop, load, fly 1.0 stop unload, take 2 hour nap or watch movie, load, fly 1.5 stop unload and load in 20 min or so, another 1.0 then a quick turn , about 10 min on the ground, another 1.5 or so etc...etc... Get done at 4:00 AM. Normally 4 or five nights a week. 7.5 to 8.0 a night flight time.
Questionable equipment, get used to failures. I personally had 4 engines quit in my 1.5 years of freight. Mostly due to poor maint. The company I worked for has addressed that problem since then . Radar is something that that 737 you are following has, and an autopilot is the poor trainee that you have occasionally with you.
Good experience, you become a very good inst. pilot or you become dead. Knew two guys from a different company that bought it.
I never had to do freight in a single, was always in a Baron. Looking back, A single in all that would give me the heeby jeebies, but that is mostly due to our crappy maint. at the time.
It was great training for the regionals. When I got there most of the others had never had a problem at all so all that single engine time paid off. The emergencies in the sim were a cake walk compared to what I had been doing.
Although an engine fire in a Baron with no fire supression is something that I do not want to repeat. Needed a new pair o shorts after that one!!
3:30 pm show, 4:00pm takeoff, 30 min, first stop, load, fly 1.0 stop unload, take 2 hour nap or watch movie, load, fly 1.5 stop unload and load in 20 min or so, another 1.0 then a quick turn , about 10 min on the ground, another 1.5 or so etc...etc... Get done at 4:00 AM. Normally 4 or five nights a week. 7.5 to 8.0 a night flight time.
Questionable equipment, get used to failures. I personally had 4 engines quit in my 1.5 years of freight. Mostly due to poor maint. The company I worked for has addressed that problem since then . Radar is something that that 737 you are following has, and an autopilot is the poor trainee that you have occasionally with you.
Good experience, you become a very good inst. pilot or you become dead. Knew two guys from a different company that bought it.
I never had to do freight in a single, was always in a Baron. Looking back, A single in all that would give me the heeby jeebies, but that is mostly due to our crappy maint. at the time.
It was great training for the regionals. When I got there most of the others had never had a problem at all so all that single engine time paid off. The emergencies in the sim were a cake walk compared to what I had been doing.
Although an engine fire in a Baron with no fire supression is something that I do not want to repeat. Needed a new pair o shorts after that one!!
starchkr
New Bus driver
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 1,065
It sounds like i have it pretty good compared to some of you guys.
Show at 11:30pm (i don't care about zulu) depart at 12:30 for 0.8 to DAL. 20 mins to load and unload and then 2.0 to CMH. Usually less than 30 mins for unload and load then 2.2 back to DAL. Another 20 mins to unload and load and then 0.9 home. All said and done i am checking out by 7:30 in the morning, so 8 hrs duty with ~6 hrs of flying every night mon-thur.
Show at 11:30pm (i don't care about zulu) depart at 12:30 for 0.8 to DAL. 20 mins to load and unload and then 2.0 to CMH. Usually less than 30 mins for unload and load then 2.2 back to DAL. Another 20 mins to unload and load and then 0.9 home. All said and done i am checking out by 7:30 in the morning, so 8 hrs duty with ~6 hrs of flying every night mon-thur.
wingnutt
...recognize this?
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2002
- Posts
- 1,078
starchkr said:
ditto...my last freight job was a floater. get paid a decent salary only to wait for the phone to ring, zip to the airport, fly whatever charter that operations scammed in order to get their bonus, return to home after ~4 hours, sleep...rinse, lather, repeat the following day. i averaged 10 hours a week duty time (2-3 days a week) for almost exactly the same amount of flight time... *sigh*
P.S. Aerosurfer, you cracked me up...ah, the memories
pilotyip
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 13,629
What next?
Typical trip, just take this turn around to SDF, you will be home tonight. Check in after dropping at SDF, find out you are not coming home, you are going go to STL, They say we have trip out of there tommrow, like any one books 12 hours in advance, Get there, go the hotel at STL get there at 1230 AM CDT 0530Z, sleep all night, guess what, no trip the next day, stay up all day, go to bed at 2200L CDT, 0300Z, paged at 2300L CDT, 0400Z, pick up in TYS, get the cab go to the FBO at STL, the one man on duty at the FBO is fueling FedEx, UPS etc and not in the FBO. Guard at the TransState gate will not let you on the ramp unescorted, it is raining, he will not let us wait in the guard shack. Its August so the rain is kinda warm, 30 wet minutes later, the lone FBO guy escorts us to the airplane, runs off to fuel another airplane. Our Falcon is deck locked, we try to push the DA-20 out of the pack, but it won't budge, so we push a C-421 about 10 feet fwd and taxi out, get to TYS at 0300 EDT, 0700Z. Pick up 5 skips of brake rotors 4200#'s in steel tubs, bitch to load, CG is out of fwd CG, so load more fuel to bring the CG back in limits. Get to YIP at 0800L EDT, 1200Z, ready to go to bed, ask to be released, Told can not release you, you have 6 hours of duty left on you. We have one more trip a real easy one, DET to GYY, you guys should be back in a couple hours. Blast off for the .2 hr flight to DET, well one bin of transmission gears, turns into they are going to send 2 bins. The truck will be leaving the plant any minute, at 1030L EDT the bins show up it is 4200#'s instead of 2100#'s, we are 1200#'s over weight for the takeoff at DET. So start the engines, spend 30 minutes on the off duty runway burning off 1400#'s. fly to GYY, off load and home by 1300L 1700Z, as you are released you hear "We are really short of crews, you can plan on being back in here at 2300 L EDT 0300Z". Such is the on-demand flying business.
Typical trip, just take this turn around to SDF, you will be home tonight. Check in after dropping at SDF, find out you are not coming home, you are going go to STL, They say we have trip out of there tommrow, like any one books 12 hours in advance, Get there, go the hotel at STL get there at 1230 AM CDT 0530Z, sleep all night, guess what, no trip the next day, stay up all day, go to bed at 2200L CDT, 0300Z, paged at 2300L CDT, 0400Z, pick up in TYS, get the cab go to the FBO at STL, the one man on duty at the FBO is fueling FedEx, UPS etc and not in the FBO. Guard at the TransState gate will not let you on the ramp unescorted, it is raining, he will not let us wait in the guard shack. Its August so the rain is kinda warm, 30 wet minutes later, the lone FBO guy escorts us to the airplane, runs off to fuel another airplane. Our Falcon is deck locked, we try to push the DA-20 out of the pack, but it won't budge, so we push a C-421 about 10 feet fwd and taxi out, get to TYS at 0300 EDT, 0700Z. Pick up 5 skips of brake rotors 4200#'s in steel tubs, bitch to load, CG is out of fwd CG, so load more fuel to bring the CG back in limits. Get to YIP at 0800L EDT, 1200Z, ready to go to bed, ask to be released, Told can not release you, you have 6 hours of duty left on you. We have one more trip a real easy one, DET to GYY, you guys should be back in a couple hours. Blast off for the .2 hr flight to DET, well one bin of transmission gears, turns into they are going to send 2 bins. The truck will be leaving the plant any minute, at 1030L EDT the bins show up it is 4200#'s instead of 2100#'s, we are 1200#'s over weight for the takeoff at DET. So start the engines, spend 30 minutes on the off duty runway burning off 1400#'s. fly to GYY, off load and home by 1300L 1700Z, as you are released you hear "We are really short of crews, you can plan on being back in here at 2300 L EDT 0300Z". Such is the on-demand flying business.
Last edited:
SenorSpielbergo
Hall of Famer
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2004
- Posts
- 153
Of course it is legal, you only get 14 hours of duty, but no one said they have to be consecutive. You can interupt duty with a 2 hour nap and then fly some more. Trust me, I've heard this logic play out many times.
Wake up at 11am, call begging for a trip. 1pm call back, no trips. 3pm call again. They have a customer on the line. A definite maybe. Drive to the airport because you can feel the trip comming and you want to be way ahead of schedule to impress the customer so your company can get more trips. 3:30 pm trip is booked: 2500lbs of screws from GYY to MQY. You have the plane fueled and ready to go at 3:45. Durring before start check cell phone rings you like a Dumb A$$ answer it and dispatch tells you the trip is cancled because the customer needs "jet speed" to get the stuff there faster. 3:47 get out of the plane. The customer calls their jet opperator who takes another 30 minutes to get the crew to the plane. The Jet is in the air at 4:30 from YIP to GYY arives at 5:15. The cargo is there for them and they are back in the air @ 6pm arive MQY @ 7pm. You watch this play out on Flight Explorer and do some basic math, in the air at 3:50 pm, GYY at 4:30 in the air at 5pm. MQY @ 6:45. You could have beat the Jet... Then you go home disgusted. No trips the rest of the day 7pm you fire up the grill and get ready for dinner.... phone rings go! go! go! the new trip is a 9 pm pick up in PDK going to EWR. Put the steak back in the fridge and run to the airport. Arive PDK at 8:50 and get told the cargo is running late. Sit there till 3am (Duty started at 7:15pm right, wink wink, nudge nudge). Cargo shows up and is 1000lbs more than expected. Do magic math then get to EWR at 6:50am. Wait 2 hours for Ogden to come over and fuel you even though you could have been fueled by Signature right away but were afraid to explain the bill. 9:15 am depart "Part 91" for home 1pm get back to base go to the bar and drink for an hour then in bed by 2:30pm. Back on duty at 12:30 am.
I do not miss the on demand world. But I do hold the highest regard for those who can live the life and keep it safe at 4am. The most dedicated and selfless pilots I have met were on demand drivers.
Wake up at 11am, call begging for a trip. 1pm call back, no trips. 3pm call again. They have a customer on the line. A definite maybe. Drive to the airport because you can feel the trip comming and you want to be way ahead of schedule to impress the customer so your company can get more trips. 3:30 pm trip is booked: 2500lbs of screws from GYY to MQY. You have the plane fueled and ready to go at 3:45. Durring before start check cell phone rings you like a Dumb A$$ answer it and dispatch tells you the trip is cancled because the customer needs "jet speed" to get the stuff there faster. 3:47 get out of the plane. The customer calls their jet opperator who takes another 30 minutes to get the crew to the plane. The Jet is in the air at 4:30 from YIP to GYY arives at 5:15. The cargo is there for them and they are back in the air @ 6pm arive MQY @ 7pm. You watch this play out on Flight Explorer and do some basic math, in the air at 3:50 pm, GYY at 4:30 in the air at 5pm. MQY @ 6:45. You could have beat the Jet... Then you go home disgusted. No trips the rest of the day 7pm you fire up the grill and get ready for dinner.... phone rings go! go! go! the new trip is a 9 pm pick up in PDK going to EWR. Put the steak back in the fridge and run to the airport. Arive PDK at 8:50 and get told the cargo is running late. Sit there till 3am (Duty started at 7:15pm right, wink wink, nudge nudge). Cargo shows up and is 1000lbs more than expected. Do magic math then get to EWR at 6:50am. Wait 2 hours for Ogden to come over and fuel you even though you could have been fueled by Signature right away but were afraid to explain the bill. 9:15 am depart "Part 91" for home 1pm get back to base go to the bar and drink for an hour then in bed by 2:30pm. Back on duty at 12:30 am.
I do not miss the on demand world. But I do hold the highest regard for those who can live the life and keep it safe at 4am. The most dedicated and selfless pilots I have met were on demand drivers.
speedbird1974
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2004
- Posts
- 135
falcondriver
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2001
- Posts
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speedbird1974
Well-known member
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- Posts
- 135
SquirrelDog
ADF User
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2002
- Posts
- 161
Pilot Yips Duty day was only a 13 hour day. What is everyone crying over spillied milk for, it was legal and typical anyway you put it.
The fun is when you go over 20 and hadn't slept for 30 hours.
I contest to the studies over sleep deprivation, it is euphoric, you both start laughing at each other on the way to hotel. Oh yea, cargo delay its ALL LEGAL. Blah blah blah!
If I had a dollar for everytime they tell me the frieght is going to be there in 30 min (especially in Mexico) I would have mucho dinero.
fly safe,
SD
The fun is when you go over 20 and hadn't slept for 30 hours.
I contest to the studies over sleep deprivation, it is euphoric, you both start laughing at each other on the way to hotel. Oh yea, cargo delay its ALL LEGAL. Blah blah blah!
If I had a dollar for everytime they tell me the frieght is going to be there in 30 min (especially in Mexico) I would have mucho dinero.
fly safe,
SD
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