how is life as a freighter dog?
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: below sea level
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Hi,
If you want shiny new airplanes, stay out of freight!
If you want status, or parade around a terminal in a nice uniform, forget about freight, nothing glorious about a freight ramp @0400AM!
If you want to wake up early, against your body clock, fly freight!
If you want to fly at night, fly freight!
If you always want a drinking budy in the crew, fly a 3 crew freighter!
If you like steady rosters, do not fly freight!
In my opinion, flying cargo is great!!
If you want shiny new airplanes, stay out of freight!
If you want status, or parade around a terminal in a nice uniform, forget about freight, nothing glorious about a freight ramp @0400AM!
If you want to wake up early, against your body clock, fly freight!
If you want to fly at night, fly freight!
If you always want a drinking budy in the crew, fly a 3 crew freighter!
If you like steady rosters, do not fly freight!
In my opinion, flying cargo is great!!
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Leeds
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If you want to wake up early, against your body clock, fly freight!
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: A Gaelic Country
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Guys n Gals
I am having trouble deciding whether to stay in the military - as rear crew - earning a final salary pension and circa £48000pa - lotsa time in sandy areas - getting rocketed - secondary duty crap - but good drinking buddies OR...
...flying freight as a newbie! I know where my heart is - but that bl00dy pension is a very effective anchor to a family man - as is the wage.
Why freight? I prefer stout to GnT; Vindaloo to hor 'douvres (sp?) [No offence, FDs!]
Don't mind night flying - and at least time away from home is not months away wearing in desert camouflage!
Advice anyone?
Fly safe.
I am having trouble deciding whether to stay in the military - as rear crew - earning a final salary pension and circa £48000pa - lotsa time in sandy areas - getting rocketed - secondary duty crap - but good drinking buddies OR...
...flying freight as a newbie! I know where my heart is - but that bl00dy pension is a very effective anchor to a family man - as is the wage.
Why freight? I prefer stout to GnT; Vindaloo to hor 'douvres (sp?) [No offence, FDs!]
Don't mind night flying - and at least time away from home is not months away wearing in desert camouflage!
Advice anyone?
Fly safe.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Southern Turkey
Age: 82
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Have flown pax with UK shorthaul - hard work and pax a pain in the butt.
Have flown shiny exotic exec jets - 365/24/7 standby and pax a pain in the butt.
Joined cargo airline in 1987 with JW411 - everything he says is true. They gave me great oportunities, rapid promotion and advancement to management - the hardest work I ever had to do was write training manuals. I found night-flying far more relaxed and stress-free than the daytime rat-race.
Find a good freight operation and you'll never look back - good luck.
rts
Have flown shiny exotic exec jets - 365/24/7 standby and pax a pain in the butt.
Joined cargo airline in 1987 with JW411 - everything he says is true. They gave me great oportunities, rapid promotion and advancement to management - the hardest work I ever had to do was write training manuals. I found night-flying far more relaxed and stress-free than the daytime rat-race.
Find a good freight operation and you'll never look back - good luck.
rts
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: denver
Age: 56
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Freight Dog
I have been working in 121 ACMI work for some time now. I flew turboprops for Feeder Services at Empire, now on an MD-11 operation flying long-haul contracts across the globe (Africa, Europe, India, China, Saudi Arabia, South America). The bad? Commercialing 16 hours to Mumbai, or Shanghai into position, being married and seeing the wife 12 days out of the month (I actually love my wife unlike most, so seeing her more is a good thing), not being able to plan anything more than a few days prior except hard days off. Banking, Bill Pay, Important dates either for business, or personal reasons. Jet-Lag, sleeping habits... I'm a church go'er so, becoming actively involved in that requires more time spent at home, which is not possible now. The Good? Long Periods OFF...I mean, OFF!!! No one bugging you, or pissing down your throat about nagging work scedules and scheduling problems. Solid Pay Check, Always On-Time, Always in my bank account, like clock work. Traveling, Traveling....Always seeing new destinations, or repeated old ones with new culture, new way of thinking, differents perspectives. My current position allows me to be home based(BIG PLUS on this one), so I can basically live where I want to in the states, No jump seating to work. I am a pilot who actually enjoys working/bidding reserve lines and so, I get to be constantly flying with people I have not seen for long periods, or with entirely new folks too. I tried to fly corporate for one year in New York, HATED IT!! Nagging, Childs Play, back stabbing, people whining and turning others in for small chicken-crap no-brainer issues. Most corporate is hard to stick with, due to the schedules, the game-playing and the Non-Union environment, plus the pay is no longer what it was in the eighties/nineties, everything is turning Fractional these days, hope all of this is useful. 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: UK
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Love it!
If you wanna go direct from A to Z
If you wanna listen to nobody else whining on freq
If you wanna know what you're doing 2-3 months in advance (and that's if you're not on a fixed roster)
If you wanna stay in 4/5 star hotels on day-stops
If you wanna have a chilled-out life
Fly night freight
If you wanna have fun with hosties - don't!
Cave xx
If you wanna go direct from A to Z
If you wanna listen to nobody else whining on freq
If you wanna know what you're doing 2-3 months in advance (and that's if you're not on a fixed roster)
If you wanna stay in 4/5 star hotels on day-stops
If you wanna have a chilled-out life
Fly night freight
If you wanna have fun with hosties - don't!
Cave xx
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: dublin
Posts: 77
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Nowadays probably the best kept secret in aviation,as long as the company believe in doing it properly.Gave up night freight in 96 to go and fly my shiney new jet with pax as a young man(thought it was a good idea)but came back in 99 as a 2 year solution to a problem,but funny old thing I'm still here.Don't see myself going anywhere else unless they drive me out.I'm a full time family man,part time tourist on company time.Could probably be better but heh not much.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: west sumatra
Age: 72
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Hi JIC,
I work in the far east, the company is operating both pax and freight, lately I prefer the freight better because I don't have to deal with all the complaints from pax and all the delays caused by security. We usually go to the airplane through the back door of the airport, no taking off shoes etc
, schedule wise not too bad, I can't complaint about hotels, working condition is 22 on - 8 off. By the way their airplanes are brand new 747, what can I ask more? More money.......
I work in the far east, the company is operating both pax and freight, lately I prefer the freight better because I don't have to deal with all the complaints from pax and all the delays caused by security. We usually go to the airplane through the back door of the airport, no taking off shoes etc
, schedule wise not too bad, I can't complaint about hotels, working condition is 22 on - 8 off. By the way their airplanes are brand new 747, what can I ask more? More money.......
