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Life at Ram Air Freight ?

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yes they are hiring!

Ram is hiring! Class end of the july!

Good people, great maintenance, good runs(not throughout the night) , pay enough to pay rent and eat well in area where they operate!

Upgrade time from lance to seneca, baron or 402 around 2months!

You will be based more than likely richmond, or raleigh!

southwest jumpseat priviledges!

anything else!

ramairfreight.com
 
Will they hire you prior to reaching 1200TT? I'll have 1200 by early August, and am at 1110TT/105ME.
 
The 1200TT and Part 135 IFR mins are pretty much set in stone. Ram's hired some that were maybe 10 hours short because they'll get that in training. But once pilots hits the line, they have to have the mins.

I just left there last month and had a great time. With the current hiring trend at the regionals, upgrade to the twin should be quick, especially if you're flexible in where you want to live. Also most runs begin in the afternoon and are done by evening. Weekends and holidays off. I'm really going to miss the schedule. Regionals know Ram and love to hire our pilots.
 
Its been about 4 years since Ram. I would watch you ME time, back then they would look the other way with guys having too much twin time. Of course I don't know if this is still their hiring practice. Glad to hear Ram is still doing good.

Good Luck tathepilot
 
Flying Colors said:
Its been about 4 years since Ram. I would watch you ME time, back then they would look the other way with guys having too much twin time. Of course I don't know if this is still their hiring practice. Glad to hear Ram is still doing good.

Good Luck tathepilot

thanks. i have some friends down in NC and I'd love to do the freight thing.
 
tathepilot said:
thanks. i have some friends down in NC and I'd love to do the freight thing.

hahaha. no wx radar, level 5 T/S over JQF/RDU/CLT/CHS (take your pick) and the only people out are ramex and race city! true blue!

good luck, ram air has some good people. take a look at package express (JQF) also as they have a wonderful facility/people also.

anything to get out of instructing......
anything to get out of freight......
now its anything to get out of regionals.....

does it ever end? enjoy what you're doing now! freight will add tremendous value to your overall experience as a pilot. besides ram air will teach you to taxi at 60kts
 
CitationLover said:
anything to get out of instructing......
anything to get out of freight......
now its anything to get out of regionals.....

does it ever end?
So true. I remember looking up to my instructors just itching to be PAID to fly. Now I am on your first step.
 
Called...

CitationLover said:
anything to get out of instructing......
anything to get out of freight......
now its anything to get out of regionals.....

Grass is always greener on the other side! I just got a call from Ram Air for a phone interview. I missed the call, chief pilot left a message. Anyone got insight on what will be asked? Thanks!
 
Capt. JD said:
CitationLover said:
anything to get out of instructing......
anything to get out of freight......
now its anything to get out of regionals.....

Grass is always greener on the other side! I just got a call from Ram Air for a phone interview. I missed the call, chief pilot left a message. Anyone got insight on what will be asked? Thanks!
Do you do the phone interview?
How did it go? How much me time?
How did you apply?
 
Ram is to be enjoyed!

I worked at Ram Air in 1995 and 1996. It is without a doubt the best job I have ever had.



Before Ram was three years of instructing.

After Ram came:

1 year as a J32 F/O

2 years as a J32 CA

6 months as a CRJ F/O

2 years as a CRJ CA

6 months as a CE-750 SIC

2.5 years as a CE-750 PIC.



Ram is still the best. Why?



1. An honest, no-nonsense boss that does not B.S. and truly wants you to be happy (so the checks get there). He expects no-nonsense from you. Simple. Go on the road and never, ever, hear from HQ unless there is a major problem or time for recurrent. The closest thing to pure flying you will ever do.

2. Excellent maintenance. Considering the operating environment and mission, maintenance was excellent. The problems I had (blown heads, leaks) were due to the rough handling of one notorious substitute pilot, not maintenance.

3. The only criticism I ever had was the pay was criminal at the time. One run from RDU to Rocky Mount or some place paid $6. Yes, six bucks. I understand the pay is more civilized and even comes with an insurance and 401(k) plan. My old boss has made a career of managing RAF and he’s done a great job of it.

4. There was never any direct pressure to do flights you did not want to. It was explained to me that he’d rather I land and refuel and fly around the squall line than cancel the flight – all so he could at least tell the clients that “yes, the checks are late, but they’re in the air.”



RAF was and is never intended to be a long, term career, but it is a great place to work and hours plus proficiency will come fast. In the years after Ram you will laugh every time you fly a hand-flown single engine approach to minimums, followed by a missed approach. You will say to yourself, “Just like in the Lance (cheetah) at Ram!”



The only serious note of caution is something that we referred to as “Cheetah Madness.” Back when Ram flew the Grumman, pilots waited from six months to two years to upgrade. The airplane was so friendly and IFR proficiency came so fast that pilots quickly suffered from “Cheetah Madness.”



A condition in which a pilot becomes oblivious to hazardous conditions, leading to repeated instances of being the only aircraft flying in severe icing, RVR 600, and category 3 hurricane conditions.



Indeed, Ram pilots earned the reputation of being pathfinders for RDU approach in the 80s and 90s when it came to determining the suitability of rides for passenger aircraft. I think those days are pretty much over.



So…. avoid “Lance Madness” and “Baron Madness” and have a great time! I only wish that I could have afforded a camera!
 
Yep, Ram is a great place to be right now. Movement is ridiculously fast, a buddy of mine was holding a Baron run in RDU after 2 months this spring/summer. (Those of you who were there 2001-2003 know how insane that is!) I spent 8 months there 2002-2003, still miss the schedules and the people. You'll get great IFR skills, fly airplanes that all have GPS, and generally have a blast. (And, yeah, there will be the loading checks in the rain/sleet/snow, de-icing by hand, deviating a little too close to level 4 and 5s using your eyeballs.... but it's still more fun than instructing!)
 
Col Angus, if I knew what you know back then I would have traded my DC-3 job to fly at RAM. Plus there was this one chick that worked there........
 
I just had my phone interview with Ram last week, and I could have swore that I heard the lady say that pay starts at $60 a day. Does this sound right to anyone else, because that doesn't seem like enough to live on?

Thanks
 
what he said...

yeah, could one of you RAM guys pick up on the question about pay?

Is it comparable to Airnet? From what I've gathered talking to Star Checkers, those guys make low to mid 30s when all is said and done with over time.
 
If I had just one complaint about Ram during my time there, it would be the pay.

Runs pay between $60 to $90/day. If you're "out-based" -- that is, anywhere other than RDU -- you'll make $80-$90, plus you'll also be in a twin. So it's in your favor if you are flexible and willing to move to where the good runs are. If you are based in RDU, you'll start in the Lance at $60/day. Newhires are placed where they're needed, but usually start in RDU. Again, it all depends on timing. And just like the airlines, everything is based on seniority.

After six months, you get a 10% raise. At 1 year, you get another 10%. After 2 years, you get paid max pay ($90 + 20%) no matter what the run normally pays.

Airnet pays more, but they also work longer hours in general. Our runs start around 2 p.m. and get done by 7 or 8 p.m., so the hours are really good for a freight company. At Airnet, you'll probably be seeing the back side of the clock more often.

Yes, the pays sucks but look at it as a primer of what's to come. I was at Ram for nearly 2 years and took a pay cut to come to my present employer.
 
upndsky,

thanks for the great reply.

what are the odds of getting IAD or BWI as an out base? My wife would divorce/kill me for moving to RDU for $60 a day.
 

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