BEWARE - Freight Runners - BEWARE

[Chief Pilot]

I'll throw my $.02 in just because I've personally met Chip. I met him several times while working for a cargo outfit in Wisconsin. He is the most arrogant SOB I have ever met. I've seen him attempt to intimidate everyone from his own pilots to FBO employees. His aircraft look like $h!t. Granted looks don't necessarily mean unairworthy, but I would never trust my life to one of those poorly maintained buckets of tin. I've had a sincere dislike for this dirtball from the first time I met him and always wondered why anyone would work for him. This is an outsider's point of view, so maybe I missed the "softer" side of Chip, but I doubt it. Take it FWIW, exactly $.02.

 

[freighthumper]

I have to disagree. Message board "seniority" means nothing.....or little at best.

I dont think it is a matter of seniority, its a matter of being able to judge a post by the poster's previous attitude. A poster with 200 posts that say "Mesa sucks" has no credibility, while some posters have 3000 posts of worthwhile information. Someone that has only a few posts all bitching is questionable.

 

[Way2Broke]

It's not like Freight Runners is actually hiring right now anyways. But I agree with what thumper said.

If your interested in working somewhere, talk to people that work there now, go interview, look around, keep your head on a swivel, and if you have a little bit of experience you know what to look for.

You will know in short order if you made the right decision or not.

I will say right now though that I am not a big fan of training contracts. They are one sided to the point that I am not guaranteed employment for a period of time, yet I guarantee them my service.

With that said, Freight Runners in not laying off. Right now, that is pretty amazing. Although, just like other on-demands, business is slow. Thank god for the UPS runs.

Not many on-demand carriers are exactly career companies. They have their use, much like the check haulers. Get your experience, learn from it, and move on when the time is right.

Figured I would throw this out there too, I am not a employee of Freight Runners, nor have I ever been. I have seen the operation though, and afterward I had no inclination to say anything about them besides they look like a on-demand cargo company. They have all the good and bad that comes with that. Smoke and mirrors don't go very far with me. You have to know what your getting into. Every place is what YOU make it.

 

[TheBigMan]

MOTION 2nd.

I'll throw my $.02 in just because I've personally met Chip. I met him several times while working for a cargo outfit in Wisconsin. He is the most arrogant SOB I have ever met. I've seen him attempt to intimidate everyone from his own pilots to FBO employees. His aircraft look like $h!t. Granted looks don't necessarily mean unairworthy, but I would never trust my life to one of those poorly maintained buckets of tin. I've had a sincere dislike for this dirtball from the first time I met him and always wondered why anyone would work for him. This is an outsider's point of view, so maybe I missed the "softer" side of Chip, but I doubt it. Take it FWIW, exactly $.02.

Worked there for a year.

 

[hecbir]

is chip the chief pilot

 

[skier17]

I have a very good friend that has flown for
Frieght Runners for a few years now, and has enjoyed it. Maybe he has a good relationship with management, I don't know...

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

The problem with these 135 operations is money and people. Usually, the profit margins are so thin and people running the operations are weak managers and pathetic leaders.

They probably don't want you flying an airplane with a busted ADI or flaming engine either, but when pilots do a write up, all they can see is the cost to fix it... cost they really don't have... it overwhelms them. Chip getting angry is really Chip fearing he doesn't have the budget....

These outfits really shouldn't be operating...

If the pay is fair to weak and training contracts are needed to coerce pilots to stay then there is a serious business model flaw....

Finally, call the feds...

The feds are over worked and don't have time to harass a 135 outfit. So a call to the feds isn't going to put the 'KGB' on the case. In addition, if it is an above board operation, then Chip should be able to handle an inspection....

When I was building time, I flew for a couple of these operations. The lack of support, unprofessionalism, good ol' boy network, pay to play... it is all disappointing...

 

[jafo20]

This thread is old, but I just came across it as I'm sitting in my hotel tonight.

I flew for Chip. In fact, I made a lateral job move specifically to fly for Chip. Let me write a mini-novel for whoever might be thinking of coming to FRG.

At company A, I was flying Beech 99s on a UPS run. I pumped by gear down twenty-three times one month. I'd manage to get the freight to the destination. Mechanics would come out. Problems would be identified and one or two legs later my gear would be stuck again. I was on the right coast while my wife was finishing her master's in Wisconsin. One night, right after I hit the crew house pissed off from pumping my gear down again, I saw Chip advertising for Beech 99 pilots in my home town. I applied, got called and was hired over the phone. I stupidly left a company that was happy to have me to do the same job in the same plane for the same money in WI.

When I got to Freight Runners, I discovered Chip's outfit was no different than the one I left. The planes had a different door, and the paperwork was in a different format. That was about it.

Things would break. I'd write 'em up. People would grumble, but mx crews would work on the write-ups I made. Chip made a point of stocking spares for MX while my previous company forced the DM to get the CEO’s permission for any purchase in excess of twenty dollars.

So, even though the planes were ugly and ratted-out. I never had any mx issue that wasn't resolved. Sometimes people would b-tch, but the wrenches were still turned. I didn't care about any noises coming from one office or another.

Chip never missed payroll. He consistently lived up to his end of whatever contract he had. Insurance was decent. Compensation was adequate. You do know that you're going to get paid and that you're not going to be laid-off. That's worth something.

With regard to Chip's personality, he's very straightforward and blunt to the point of fault. I remember, after going to interview with my next employer, he called me up to insult and yell at me. "Where is your f###ing loyalty?" was how he started the phone call. Faced with an unusual professional situation, I made an unusual professional decision. I yelled and insulted back. After having a screaming match over the phone with the guy, we were cool. In fact, Chip was actually pretty nice after that. I never caught Chip playing any sort of backdoor political games with his crews.

In short, Chip might be abrasive, but he’s honest, transparent and predictable. I value honesty and transparency. I wouldn’t mind working with Chip again.

Freight Runners does go through a lot of airplanes. Three weeks after I left, they crashed 3 airplanes. Just recently, they lost another one. I don’t know what to say about these except that they were all weather related. I flew and fly in all weather, all the time with 100% dispatch reliability. That just means I’ve been lucky for five years, and I’ve probably pushed ahead when I should have turned back. The crews of those lost planes were as good or better than I am.

Chip’s outfit is a good one if you don’t let him or his guys get under your skin. If you do let them bug you, you’ll rapidly hate the place.

I thought Chip was okay. I’d drink beer and eat nachos with the guy.