Calling all long haul freight guys

[Brett Hull]

This one's mainly for the whale F/O's (atlas, polar, evergreen). Just wondering how much you guys actually fly per month. I'm not talking total time, but how many takeoffs and landings do you make? Is it a fun gig, or did you wish you took another route?

Let me add one more in there. How long are you paired with the same captain, typically?

 

[nosewheel]

I,m Not an FO but, as an PFE I can say in my experience in the past 18 years if an FO can fly the airplane he get every other leg.If he just keeps the seat warm and misses radio calls then...

 

[DC10]

I'm not flying the 747 but I fly an average of 50 hours a month on the DC10. This usually gives me 14-16 days off. This can be anywhere from 14 legs flying turns from MIA to northern South America, to 4 legs across the Pacific. As a FO I fly every other leg and love every second of the actual flying. It can get pretty tiring at times (try a 12 hour nonstop night flight across the Pacific when you've been up all day) as schedules can sometimes be brutal, but if you like to see the world, the layovers make it all worthwhile.

Just like most other airlines we are paired with the same crew (Capt, FO, FE) all month. We usually have a different loadmaster and mechanic for every flight.

 

[FreightPup]

DC10,
Do you fly the paraglider in the back on the empty legs?

 

[bigsky]

there is no doubt when you are doing long haul flying you dont get as many landings- I averaged mine once and came up with 1 landing for every 9 hours. Normally only get 2-8 landing per month. I definitely miss some of the up and down of the commuter flying, but then there are some experiences that you cant compare. Over all I wouldnt have changed a thing- It is great experiece flying international-especially all the wierd places a.c.m.i companies operate. A real eye opener!