Flight express newhire bases

[wingnutt]

There's no need to question my skills as a pilot because I don't want to wait a year or two of single engine frieght to get an opportunity to move up to a twin.

well, then the opposite should be true for you as well. theres no need to question his wanting to "wait a year or two of single engine frieght to get an opportunity to move up to a twin". you are after all, the one who questioned him first... "For that matter, who would bother flying a Lance for a year, all night, just to get a chance to fly a baron (all night)?"

I already know what I will and won't accept in my pilot career. I see no reason for anyone to dedicate 2-3 years of their life as a freight dog, when 1 is sufficient.

some of us would rather do exactly that than sit in the left side of a 172 for ~1,000 hours flying nice square patterns, fighting for position with 18 other student pilots, sweating your butt off because you are below 3,000 feet the entire time you are in the freaking plane...need i go on?

I won't PFT, and I'm paying my dues eating Ramen Noodles and crying over student loans. I'll continue to pay my dues, but not any more than I have to.

again...some of cant fathom why you would do anything else. sure, it may take a year or two, but with not much going on in the way of significant hiring right now, might as well enjoy the climb, eh?

 

[WrightAvia]

How do these threads turn into a plssing match. Nobody was picking on freight dogs that fly single engine planes for a living. I fly a single engine plane in freight and have no plans to move on. We get paid well and the planes are nice, they get good maintenance and the schedule I have is awsome.

I just suggested freight runners cause they have twins and turboprops. And small is sometimes better. The more domiciles you have...the more chance you have to move.

As far as the commment about mom and pop...We have less pilots and planes than Flight Express and we are not mom and pop. We are a holding company that is owned by a publicly traded company on the stock market. With share holders and the whole nine yards. Flight Express is owned by a private owner. Private ownership of a business is MOM and POP. So whatever. Colgan Airlines is a MOM and POP operation.

 

[labbats]

I started typing a big response, but after posting, just visualized someone using the quote feature to butcher my points.

We can go around and around. No one wins.

Best of luck on the job to the original poster, my first post was indeed questioning his choice, as I wouldn't make the same one. But without different pilots making different decisions, the aviation world would all be astronauts.

 

[JP13]

Interview is tuesday, if everything goes well ground school starts the same day. Thanks to 210FR8dog, Wingnutt, YODA, and FD75 for the positive feedback, wish me luck.

 

[Freightdog75]

Good luck brother!!

 

[wingnutt]

ok, so everyone is happy, but on my way out the door i couldnt help but notice...

How do these threads turn into a plssing match.

and...

Originally posted by labbats
I started typing a big response, but after posting, just visualized someone using the quote feature to butcher my points

...but you two are the ones who jumped on this poor guy, and started the whole thing in the first place. how you both can act like someone came in and rained on your parade is beyond me. this guy just wanted to know some basics about a company, and you both essentially told him to not waste his time. how do you know what his situation is? if he wants to go to FE, more power to him! sure, turbine PIC is where its at (i did my time in a Caravan too) and ill personally take a small company over a large one anyday. but if hes been applying all over the country, and FE is the only one to call him back thus far...go for it! FE has a really good reputation, and is not a bad place to be near as i can tell.

sorry to respond yet again, but i just had to clarify where i was coming from

PS, good luck on the interview JP13

 

[Freight Dog]

Labbats, don't knock freight flying... it's some of the funnest flying you'll ever do in your career. You'll learn way more than you think. 40-some hours of ride-along time doesn't even scratch the surface.

I'm at my dream job/airline, but if I were furloughed, I'd gladly take 2 steps back, fly checks and wait for my recall. Yes, I'd rather go fly checks than back to a regional. Maybe I'm a masochist, but I enjoyed flying by myself, battle and dodge the weather, shoot approaches. If it's a CAVU day... you tell me... you get paid to fly by yourself from point A to point B. Would you enjoy it? I loved it.

Now, I can understand not wanting to fly single engine 135 for 2-3 years as it doesn't do much for your career, but if you were in a place like say Ameriflight where your career progression can start in a single engine Lance and move you up the ladder to Chieftain and then Beech 99, B1900, Metro, Brasilia, Lear... there's nothing wrong with spending a few years there. When I was there in 2000, majority of attrition was to SWA, some went to Alaska, some to AWA, a few of us went to regionals.

If you pick the right operation with advancement opportunities, there's nothing wrong with spending a few years there flying freight.

Good luck to you.

 

[210FR8DOG]

Tuesday interview

JP,

Best of luck on Tuesday. I just did my 6 month recurrent with Austin Collins today. You'll meet him Tuesday probably for the sim ride. He's uhhh.....interesting. You'll see what I mean.

If you know anything about them, strike up a conversation about motorcycles. That will get Austin going. Also, if you talk to Gary Hillyer, just relax and joke around with him, he's very cool.

Be sure to let us know how it goes. You will definitely like it more than instructing. Like YODA posted, in ground school do the best you can because your final test score will determine seniority in class and there should be 3 or 4 in class. If St. Louis is available, take it. Free hangar apartment(nothing glamorous) and good paying runs. Last I knew all the runs there were paying at least $110 a day.

Labbats- I agree, one year is sufficient. But unless I really missed something, WE don't determine what is sufficient, the hiring panel where you are trying to end up is who determines what is sufficient. I don't think I can just call up ASA and say, "OK, I've paid my dues flying Barons all night, I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks to start my training!!" If you are so insistent about starting in a twin (and thats fine), you should start sending your stuff to Airnet now and constantly update until you have the 1200 hours. I was yanking your chain with the Tostidos comment. Loosen up, dude! Good luck.

Jeff

 

[WrightAvia]

...but you two are the ones who jumped on this poor guy, and started the whole thing in the first place. how you both can act like someone came in and rained on your parade is beyond me. this guy just wanted to know some basics about a company, and you both essentially told him to not waste his time.

I never told him to not to "waste his time". Nor did I rain on his "parade". It's just for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why a guy listing lots of multi planes in his background, would be applying at a place that is single piston heavy and not known for good pay. That's all.


Good luck over there at Flight Express JP.

 

[210FR8DOG]

pay?

Sorry, I'm getting tired of this thread but...known for low pay?

I'll say it again. $10 an hour per DUTY hour. Most of our runs are in the 12 hour duty range. $120 a day. That's $30k a year. There's plenty that pay the full $140 a day also. Who else is making $30-35k a year flying singles? Definitely not RAM air, or Texstar, or Telesis, or etc. Airnet is the only one I know of that pays as well or better than us. We just had a run up for bid that paid $110 a day and one of our lowest seniority guys got it. That tells me everyone is pretty happy with their single engine run.

I'm done, Jeff

 

[WrightAvia]

Who else is making $30-35k a year flying singles?

FedEx feeders start you out at 32,750.00 a year. In your third year you are up to 38,100.00. They max at 55,000.00 a year...in singles.

 

[210FR8DOG]

OK

OK, which ones are hiring? Mountain Air Cargo is the only one I know of for sure. who are you flying for, Wrightavia?

 

[WrightAvia]

We just hired three. I don't know if they advertised it or not and they sure didn't let me know they were hiring for the positions or I would have found a way to post it here.

Yea, mountain air advertised a beckley wv. position.

I'd go over to caravanpilots.com and keep an eye on the message board to find out if any of the others are hiring. Or post a request for information.

Rumor has it, that we got 600 resumes the day they turned the fax on for applying. Lots of under and overqualifed resumes. One of the three hired, was a guy that quit us to go to spirit of st louis to fly for jetcorp a few years ago. He even lucked out and got his old run back. Evidently flying non scheduled in a Lear jet got old fast.

 

[wingnutt]

FedEx feeders start you out at 32,750.00 a year. In your third year you are up to 38,100.00. They max at 55,000.00 a year...in singles.

alright silly goose...you know the core of the discussion was piston singles (as evidenced by his example companies...except airnet, dunno how they fell in there) and no one i know pays anywhere near what FE pays to fly them 210's around.

 

[JP13]

Well I got the job. I just passed my 135 ride and I start monday, the training was tough but fair and I feel more confident as a result. I don't regret my decision at all, this is a great company to work for, and the 210 is a fun plane to fly.

c-ya