View Full Version : Jobs with a cargo airline
Hi,
I realise that this post might be better suited to the wannabies forum, but, is it any easier to get work with a cargo airline versus a PAX airline? I'm a wannabie pilot myself, and to be honest, right from day 1, i've much preferred the idea of working for a cargo line, mainly because you don't have to give the standard " Good morning, this is your captain speaking..." speech to drilling equipment or crates!
Also, is the recent events in the aviation industry likely to hit freight lines as hard as BA/Virgin etc?
WO
High Volt
26th Sep 2001, 01:56
You should always say goodnight to the parcels - it brings luck.
geronimo
26th Sep 2001, 16:19
I do not see why it should be any easier to get a job with a cargo operator. Whether its Pax or cargo the standards of flight crew recruitment should not differ.
For goodness sake let's not degrade the image of cargo pilots...
Maybe you're thinking about flying cargo in Africa...?
GEEEROOONIIIMOOO
LGL737
26th Sep 2001, 16:39
You want to fly cargo, because you dont want to talk to the passengers over the PA???
Rgds
LGL
"If you screw up just this much, youŽll be flying a cargoplane full of rubber dog**** out of Hong Kong"
Cardinal Puff
27th Sep 2001, 06:54
You'd be surprised at the number of airline crew trying to get into the better freight operators such as CLX. So far no luck....
Obviously I was joking about the PA bit, but on the whole, i'd much rather fly Cargo than Pax. At the end of the day, people will always need things send from a to b, but the pax carriers are subject to the slightest changes in public opinion. Also, you guys get to visit places that are off the beaten track, which seems a lot more appealing than flying 200 beered up Chelsea fans to Malaga!
One last question though, do you still need an ATPL to fly cargo? I was under the impression that you only need that to fly large numbers of PAX?
LGL737
27th Sep 2001, 18:46
As I wrote earlier this morning in another post Im 99.9999% sure No Im 100 that you need ATPL to get into the cargo airlines
Rgds
LGL
brokepilot
1st Oct 2001, 05:01
Cargo = crap!!
geronimo
1st Oct 2001, 12:00
brokepilot = idiot
Smudger
1st Oct 2001, 13:23
Brokepilot - are you actually a pilot? If so, God help us all.
blowawayjet
1st Oct 2001, 14:35
brokepilot= http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/tosser1.gif
Ok folks,
Think broke pilot got the message.
I can't for the life of me figure out whats better about a pax operation, but each to his/own etc.
freightdoggy dog
1st Oct 2001, 21:18
cargo=mortgage paid, wife and kids happy, + no sitting in traffic on the M25. :D
Cat-Club
2nd Oct 2001, 02:25
Cougar require B727 crews for pax and cargo operating out of STN, "Best of both worlds". ;)
Ai Start
4th Oct 2001, 18:41
Funny how you-all pilots get distracted from the main theme!! Didn't they teach you that when getting distracted flying yr aircraft should be your top priority????
B4 Sept 11th, we all went thru a very worrying period, no freight, no charters and much to worry. Atlas, Polar Air both parked the freighter babies in the sand dunes building sand castles. Then came Sept 11th, Massive backlog in cargo which is now fading away only to find ourselves in the post Christmas rush. Regretably, there isn't any christams rush and little in sight. Cargo is not as badly hit as pax, however if there is a reccession, likely that imports/exports will go down as well. Just wait and see what Jan/February will be like .... you'll be engraving your names on the rubber of your landing gears.
If I were you, I'd harass the low cost airlines who can only advantage from the circumstances and if making a PA scares you, suggest you join the Sabena striking pilots.
The higher you get-the higher you get
AI start: Very interesting, & I largely concur. However one thing is for sure: Its a fact of life that when these type of things happen (Gulf War for example), freight airlines do fairly well.
SR & SN are out of the market, freightwise. SR do not accept accept "new" cargo (unless something changed in the last few hours). So obviously less capacity around=higher rates. Rate hikes are coming, all the airlines have either already implemented them or are actively considering them. Apart from fuel prices (agreed, falling), extra security costs justify these rises.
Our global economy promotes the "just in time" concept: this concept cannot change overnight. It so stands to reason that since freight airlines are part of the supply chain, benefits (profits) are to be made.
Yes, of course some of the weaker airlines will go under. Some say that the likes of SN/SR deserved exactly what they got. There is a lot of truth in this though unfortunately it is the employees & tax payers who suffer.
I hear AZ shares were suspended this afternoon. Thats another carrier with dedicated -F equipment in trouble.
Do I hear that Atlas have unparked their excess capacity?
Back to AI's original point. The next low season ie between Christmas & Chinese New Year. We'll just have to wait and see who is still around; I'm pretty sure it'll be a few less than we have now. Something tells me the survivors will do ok.