Here's my 25 cents worth
The decision is ultimately yours, but I can recommend Flight Express. I've been there since July, and I'm generally very impressed.
The aircraft are minimally equipped, but well maintained. They tend to look a bit shabby, but hey, they're freight dogs. I'm starting to look pretty shabby too. Management worked hard to get me the base I wanted as soon as possible, and I know they've done the same for others.
The company puts a lot of responsibility on their pilots (we're all single-pilot PIC's), but they also give you full command authority. I've never been criticized or second-guessed for a command decision, even when it cost the company time or money.
The company realizes that this is a stepping-stone job, and they don't expect anyone to hang around after they build up some time. But having said that, we have a number of pilots who've been here 5 years or more. Flying single pilot PIC is very rewarding mentally, and some people really get hooked on it.
Now to the subject of pay. Don't get your expectations too high. Many of the runs are minimum pay runs. That's $75 per work day. Work it out yourself on a monthly basis, and ask yourself if you can live on that. Some of the runs have pretty short duty days, so there's time to get a second job and supplement your income. That's what I'm doing. The maximum pay runs (which are relatively few) can have you in the air as much as 6 or 7 hours a day. Every day. Five days a week. That's a lot of time in an airplane seat by yourself. Some people seem to thrive on it, but I don't think I could do it.
And then there's the experience. It's true what everyone says. Single pilot freight flying is great experience. I flew 8 ILS's in 3 days last week. By hand. Some of them close to minimums. I interpret the weather myself, choose my own strategy, and fly my own plan. I'm getting better fast. Flight Express isn't the only place to get this kind of experience, but it's a good place.
Finally, there's the issue of upgrade time. You'll start in a 210 at Flight Express, and then you'll move up to a Baron (unless you get another job first). Upgrade time is running about 6 to 8 months right now. I'm happy to be in the 210. It's a great airplane: a good solid stable reliable instrument platform, and it's easy to fly. It's also competitive in speed with most light twins. There's so much to learn in the instrument environment that it's a real plus to only have one engine to worry about. By the time I'm eligible for a Baron run, I'll be ready for the additional complexity, but until then, I'm plenty busy flying the 210.
So there's my 25 cents worth. Good luck wherever you go. Hope to see you on the line .
-- Beech_nut
