RJ fO to Key lime capt.

[jws717]

So i am a regional F/O on second year pay (one of the better regionals) However it will still take me 2 years to upgrade. I have in interview with Key Lime air, flying a Metro III single pilot cargo, same pay. Good choice? any Key Limers have input?

 

[belchfire]

So i am a regional F/O on second year pay (one of the better regionals) However it will still take me 2 years to upgrade. I have in interview with Key Lime air, flying a Metro III single pilot cargo, same pay. Good choice? any Key Limers have input?

The same money as you make as an FO to fly single pilot freight?

Frack that! Unless you are worried about age, your contract getting rewritten or something, stay put...just my two cents.

 

[FmrFreightDog]

I flew single pilot freight in a metro a long while ago, before I ever got into the airline world. What it will do is make you one of two things... either a very good pilot or a very dead pilot. What is will most likely not do is land you the job at the major you are most likely looking for. You'll probably end up right back at a regional sooner or later to get that 121 PIC time. I flew 135 freight, single pilot and crew stuff, for the better part of three years. I loved every minute of it and found it to be extremely gratifying work. However, I am currently a Captain at ASA and not an F/O at FedEx or UPS (although I am working on it....). 135 freight is rarely the stepping stone to a major that it seems like it should be.


So if you're looking for career advancement, I would say 135 freight is probably not a great move. If you're looking for a pretty difficult job that will, most likely, be rewarding in an "I got the job done" and an "I get to dress like a bum, smell like a hobo, and take pride in how many days I can go without shaving" sort of way, then the freight dog thing might be for you after all. It all depends on what you're looking for. I wouldn't trade my freight time for anything. I had a great time, developed some very useful skills, made some very good friends, and got a first hand demonstration of what a cherry bomb can do to a urinal in a seedy motel lobby. I don't think a guy in his mid-20s could have a better time while actually earning a paycheck. However, it wasn't much of a career booster in my case. I would probably be better off now in the "career" sense if I hadn't hung out hauling freight for as long as I did.

That's my experience anyway. All depends on where you are in your life. Married? Kids? Single and young? Looking for stability and career earning potential? Looking for a different kind of job than what you're doing now? It all depends on what you're looking for, and only you can answer than one. Hopefully that's somewhat helpful.

 

[BcPilot99]

The same money as you make as an FO to fly single pilot freight?

Frack that! Unless you are worried about age, your contract getting rewritten or something, stay put...just my two cents.

What he said, do a search about the company on here and you will see that there is not much good said about them....

 

[landlover]

I flew single pilot freight in a metro a long while ago, before I ever got into the airline world. What it will do is make you one of two things... either a very good pilot or a very dead pilot. What is will most likely not do is land you the job at the major you are most likely looking for. You'll probably end up right back at a regional sooner or later to get that 121 PIC time. I flew 135 freight, single pilot and crew stuff, for the better part of three years. I loved every minute of it and found it to be extremely gratifying work. However, I am currently a Captain at ASA and not an F/O at FedEx or UPS (although I am working on it....). 135 freight is rarely the stepping stone to a major that it seems like it should be.


So if you're looking for career advancement, I would say 135 freight is probably not a great move. If you're looking for a pretty difficult job that will, most likely, be rewarding in an "I got the job done" and an "I get to dress like a bum, smell like a hobo, and take pride in how many days I can go without shaving" sort of way, then the freight dog thing might be for you after all. It all depends on what you're looking for. I wouldn't trade my freight time for anything. I had a great time, developed some very useful skills, made some very good friends, and got a first hand demonstration of what a cherry bomb can do to a urinal in a seedy motel lobby. I don't think a guy in his mid-20s could have a better time while actually earning a paycheck. However, it wasn't much of a career booster in my case. I would probably be better off now in the "career" sense if I hadn't hung out hauling freight for as long as I did.

That's my experience anyway. All depends on where you are in your life. Married? Kids? Single and young? Looking for stability and career earning potential? Looking for a different kind of job than what you're doing now? It all depends on what you're looking for, and only you can answer than one. Hopefully that's somewhat helpful.

i know people that went 135 freight directly(they passed "go" and collected $200) to swa, continental, gemini, allegiant, ups, polar, atlas, cathay, jetblue. i'm sure there is more. however they were all pic in a jet, not a turbo-prop. could have made the difference

 

[be-400xpdriver]

Bad Idea!!! Bad Company That Does Not Give A Rats Ass About Thier Pilots!!!

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=75475&highlight=Keylime

 

[Thedude]

i know people that went 135 freight directly(they passed "go" and collected $200) to swa, continental, gemini, allegiant, ups, polar, atlas, cathay, jetblue. i'm sure there is more. however they were all pic in a jet, not a turbo-prop. could have made the difference

I guess most of us don't consider most of the compaines you listed as a major to pass go and collect $200

 

[DrewBlows]

Yikes! I know two guys who left the Regionals for single pilot freight, both were dead within a year. No thank you.

 

[hoover]

So i am a regional F/O on second year pay (one of the better regionals) However it will still take me 2 years to upgrade. I have in interview with Key Lime air, flying a Metro III single pilot cargo, same pay. Good choice? any Key Limers have input?

Which company would you rather spend your career at if you never get another job?

I know a man who spent 18, count 'em, 18 years in the engineer and co-pilot seats of a Viscount, Caravelle, and DC8 before he could upgrade to a captain seat on a 737, and then spent another 10 years there. In that respect, 3 years doesn't seem that long to me.

 

[tathepilot]

Yikes! I know two guys who left the Regionals for single pilot freight, both were dead within a year. No thank you.

maybe they were bad pilots?

 

[The Drizzle]

nothing like flightinfo to sh!t on the memories of dead men

 

[Carl_Spackler]

If your goal is to eventually go to a major or national, remember there are no guarantees. Would you rather be at a regional for the rest of your career, or flying single pilot freight for the next 30-40 years. I'd stay if I were you.

 

[On Your Six]

Why go from glass back to the dark ages on the Metro? I would stay put.

 

[Rip Vanwinkle]

nothing like flightinfo to sh!t on the memories of dead men

In response to being called suicidal, dangerous, and unprofessional? What would be your response if someone were to ask a question on the cargo board about going to a regional and someone responded that they knew two guys who went to Pinnacle and wound up in a coffin and thus regionals are way too dangerous and ought to be avoided?

Now, on the subject at hand, I would strongly recommend thinking about a different 135 operator if your heart is set on the change of scenery. Ameriflight and Freight Runners both hire directly in to turbine equipment. Even AirNow seems to have a better general reputation than Key Lime.

 

[Clyde]

135 freight is rarely the stepping stone to a major that it seems like it should be.

3 people in my newhire class, including myself, went from 135 freight directly to Big Brown. One person had no college, one person had <500 PIC, and one had flown the B-1900 as the biggest airplane prior.

 

[jws717]

I kinda feel like i missed out on the fun part of flying, i did the CFI thing and then to the RJ. I should have made a pit stop at Cape Air or some sea plane operator in the northwest for a year or so. Note to all pilots who have not flown a jet yet. Its fast sure, but it goes to LGA and that place sux. Enjoy the CFI and prop time. Like everyone else here i think i am the best pilot in the world. But i know some of the best who have been bested by an engine failure in the hills. I don't think 1000 pic is worth it.

 

[rickair7777]

3 people in my newhire class, including myself, went from 135 freight directly to Big Brown. One person had no college, one person had <500 PIC, and one had flown the B-1900 as the biggest airplane prior.

Post 9/11? It's a whole new world out there now...

 

[John Pennekamp]

I kinda feel like i missed out on the fun part of flying, i did the CFI thing and then to the RJ. I should have made a pit stop at Cape Air or some sea plane operator in the northwest for a year or so. Note to all pilots who have not flown a jet yet. Its fast sure, but it goes to LGA and that place sux. Enjoy the CFI and prop time. Like everyone else here i think i am the best pilot in the world. But i know some of the best who have been bested by an engine failure in the hills. I don't think 1000 pic is worth it.

Why don't you bid a turboprop if your airline still has some? That's much more interesting and adventuresome than an RJ, but still "safe". Turboprops tend to be "pilot's planes" where you actually fly, not manage systems like an RJ. Do you work for Eagle? If so, go bid "The Rock" for a year and get it out of your system.

I will tell you that if you've never flown single pilot in a large airplane, you're in for a surprise. The learning curve is huge, and even if you live through it, you will scare the hell out of yourself many times. And the reward is very small. I would not recommend that avenue for someone just looking for a little adventure.

 

[Clyde]

Post 9/11? It's a whole new world out there now...

It is, but here is the premise of my post. It has more to do with who you know instead of strictly what you have been flying. That part has not changed.

 

[dojetdriver]

It is, but here is the premise of my post. It has more to do with who you know instead of strictly what you have been flying. That part has not changed.

True, who you know is important. But click here to get a rough idea;

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/showthread.php?t=9841
http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthr...FedEx+Newhires
http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthr...t=CAL+Newhires
http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=94341
http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=95645

Now I'm not getting into a pi$$ing contest of who the better pilots are. FOR THOSE THAT HAVE A READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEM, I'M NOT GETTING INTO A PI$$ING CONTEST OF WHO THE BETTER PILOTS ARE!

The job market is tough, supply is high and demand is low. Post 9/11 it seems to be about WHO you know AS WELL AS WHAT you have been flying. When everybody knows somebody, you have to look for something else to seperate the pack.

Maybe you work in the hiring department, I don't know. But do you think you would be able to get somebody in at UPS with less than 1000 PIC and no "preferred bachlor's degree"?