Any Info On Flight Express?

[Flt 525]

I have always been impressed with the service provided by the FE. I check the website very often but usually find the text and information hasn't been chaged in years. When I was first interested in the working for them the pay was 19,000 and now almost three years later it is still the same!! Any FE pilots have some info? What routes do you fly? How is the training? How is the pay? What shape is the equipment in? Still fly night IFR without radar or stormscope? Any recent accidents? I would like to hear some information. Thankx.

 

[whatwasthat?]

Livin' the good life.

I've been with them for 7 months now and everything's been just super. $31,000 a year, good benefits and a free place to live - hard to beat at this level. I love the flying, it's not for everyone but that's for you to decide. Of course I'll need bifocals and a cane by the time I upgrade to the Baron and I get to live in the "heartland" (yeah.)
Feel free to PM me if you want.

 

[Freightdog75]

You boys jumpseat at all?

FD75

 

[skyjocque]

Call them up and ask for Austin Collins. We all got phone messages a couple of weeks ago advising that turnover is now "brisk" and wanting us to point any qualified friends in their direction.
Pay is $10 per scheduled duty hour up to 14 hrs/day ($36.4K); $75/day min.
The Baron runs are by seniority and are VERY rare now, but should be picking up as the industry does.
In mid 2002, there was a Baron open about every two or three weeks. There's only been about 4 since then.

 

[atl01]

FE

What is the phone number over there and who is the chief pilot?
Do you think 1500 and 350ME would work....

 

[capt. crunch]

what are you flying before you are in the baron? just curious....
C.C

 

[skyjocque]

All they require is the ifr 135 mins. I think they go by the quality person beyond that.
We're flying C210s until the Baron.

 

[210FR8DOG]

Freightdog75-no jumpseat for us, I wish!!

Flt525- One reason the website hasn't changed is the recruiter we had doesn't even work there full time anymore. It's still the same pay. We basically fly all over the eastern half of the US. North to Cleveland, Ohio, south to Mobile, Alabama and everything in between.

Maintenance is good here. Understanding these are work horses. We don't dress these planes to impress. Only the basic items to get the cargo there. Some of the Barons have radar. The ones that do usually don't work that well and I end up turning them off. Autopilot? hahaha. Be ready for a quick roll and maybe have your finger on that red button as soon as you hit the auto pilot!! Really though, we have brand new engines sitting around in crates ready to go. If you squawk something, it gets fixed.

We did have a fatal crash last Dec. 4. A 210 came apart in flight. Nothing the pilot could do. He was very experienced too, over 3k hours. Great guy, good friend. I miss him. Considering around 18 years in business, 3 fatals total is not too bad. One was fuel exhaustion( pilot error) not sure about the other.

If you want to venture into the freight world, I would strongly suggest Airnet. Nothing against our company except the wait in the 210 is getting longer and longer. ( I must have missed that message about "brisk" turnover, don't know where that would come from anyway) The new runs we have been getting are all 210s, thats how we can underbid Airnet and others, so the percentage of Baron runs is less. Plus we lost a Baron run (converted to a 210 run) about 2 months ago. With Airnet you at least start out in multis or turbine(208s) and if you stay there long term you're flyin' the bada$$ Lear!! Sweeeet!!!

Wow, I rambled so long I forgot what your questions were. Hope this helps.

 

[aviatrix]

That's insane!!!!!

In mid 2002, there was a Baron open about every two or three weeks. There's only been about 4 since then.

Four Baron runs open since mid-2002?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?!?!?!!?!?!
That's crazy!!!!
It was a great place to work when I was there! The maintenance really was top-notch! (At least out of the St. Louis base!)
But waiting almost a year and a half for a run in the Baron to open is just ridiculous! The problem is, many of the pilots holding Baron runs do not intend to go anywhere else for a while and are just happy sitting in their twin making ~ $30,000! I really cant blame 'em. That's the down-side to paying the pilots a decent salary though.......they tend to get a little fat, dumb and happy where they are!
Best of luck to my friends at FE! (You know who you are!)