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If you think that having a career as an air freight pilot (or commonly referred to as a “Freight Dog“) agrees with you or you are thinking of using it as a stepping stone to get into a regional airline or charter airline then here’s what you should know about making your dream come true.

First, A (Very) Brief History of Air Freight

The air freight business really began around the 1920′s but it wasn’t until the 1940’s, that the air freight industry really a ot some traction. Companies were discovering that you could move equipment and parcels quickly and efficiently using an air service but at the time there were only two companies that managed to survive the beginning years.

During this time, only one company – the Flying Tiger Line – survived, and eventually newer and tougher competition forced it to rival with the very company it was competing against, Federal Express.

Nowadays, while FedEx continues to dominate the air freight industry, it usually goes head-to-head against UPS. Both companies serve niche markets and provide a valuable service to personal and business industries. You practically can’t go anywhere with out seeing either a FedEx truck or a UPS truck. But just like United, Delta (Northwest), and American, FedEX and UPS utilize smaller operators to move packages from the smaller areas to their hubs for transportation.

What You Need To Know about Having a Career as an Air Freight Pilot

 
Like most aviation oriented jobs, the earliest age you’ll probably get your license to fly commercially is 18, but if you are serious you can get your private pilot certificate both single- and multi-engine with instrument privileges before that and then work into your commercial rating.

However, in order to be competitive you will have to have the following certificates and ratings on the back of you pilot certificate:

Commercial Single- and Multi-Engine Airplane with Instrument Privileges

Note: These ratings and certificates will make you competitive but whether you get a commercial single- or commercial multi- rating is up to you; however you will most likely need them in the future anyway for your charter job or airline job.

So here are several tips to help you get a job at a freight company:

Tip #1 – Education

Get as much educational experience and learn as many skills as you can because this will increase your chances of getting hired. Join as many workshops or training seminars as your time and money can afford, but chose carefully and don’t waste your money. You have to be competitive even when applying for a freight job. When I say “educational experience,” I mean get your Bachelor’s Degree, not an Associates Degree, and learn about “business.” The more “real world” experience you have, the more competitive and well rounded you will be when you go to the interview.

And although the air freight business is doing fairly well, it’s not as big of a the air transport industry and you will need all the help you can get to get hired.

Tip #2 – Fly Different Airplanes

Be familiar with as many aircraft as possible because air freight businesses use a variety of airplanes. One night you could be flying a Cessna 206 and the next day a Piper Seminole, and the next day a Lear. It depends on the company you hire on with.

You will have a better chance of getting hired if you have experience in several different aircraft, both single-engine and multi-engine. The more aircraft you know, the better your chances are of getting hired and flying more because they know they won’t have to box you in with a specific aircraft. It also looks good on the resume when it’s time to move on to something bigger and better.

Tip #3 – Send Applications

Depending on how flexible you are as far as whether you can move or not, send your applications to as many air freight companies as possible. Me, for instance, I would most likely only accept a position very close to where I live. I don’t have the ability or desire to move. When I was way younger, that was a different story. But hey, we are talking about you! Anyway, attend the interviews promptly and with your best smile then if any offers come your way, choose the one that offers the best rates for the type of job you want.

Go back and read my entries on Airline Pilot Interview Tips - Part 1 and Airline Pilot Interview Tips - Part 2. The information in these articles apply to Air Freight companies as well.

Also, pick up Cheryl Cage’s 10-day, step-by-step opportunity producing job search guide called “Your Job Search Partner” to get a head-start on everyone else to find that job you want!

Tip #4 – Be a Good Pilot

Once you get hired, show your company that they didn’t make a mistake. Even though your main job as an air freight pilot is to fly an aircraft from point A to point B to point C safely and on time, it won’t hurt if you don’t rely mainly on your crew to see if your plane’s in good working condition. Do a thorough walk around and review the maintenance log. Use your best crew resource management (CRM) skills and fly safe. There are a lot of pilots who don’t believe that the FAR’s apply to them and then develop bad habits that could either get you killed or worse, get your certficate revoke. Don’t let that happen to you! Finally, be sure to have someone check the inventory of packages before leaving. Flying with HAZMAT that isn’t properly sealed…well, it could make for a bad day!

Tip #5 – Be Prepared

And lastly, always review the weather and your flight plan. More freight dogs crash because they threw caution to the wind and took off into weather that was beyond their personal limits and their airplanes capabilities and then became a statistic. Don’t let that happen to you! Take the initiative to be familiar with your route and destination and so that you’ll have an idea of what kind of terrain you’ll meet if you’re forced to make an emergency landing. An if you ever feel that either your airplane or the conditions are unsafe, and you have that gut feeling that you shouldn’t go, then don’t. Let your boss yell at you and rant and rave, but in the end the goal is to live and fly another day.

In Conclusion

Being a freight dog is not for everyone! You will be expected to fly in really bad weather, at night, single-pilot IFR in sometimes questionable airplanes. Only you know if you are cut out for it. For some, it is a way of life and for some, well, it’s not, but if you chose to fly freight, you will develop your IFR skills to the cutting edge and you will get your hours fast.

To Your Flying Success…

Jeffrey

P.S. Here are a few more HIGHLY recommended books to help you with your job search. If you are serious about flying, you need to pick up these books:

• Checklist for Success-Successful Airline Interview – A pilot’s guide to the successful airline interview, improve your competitiveness and chances of being hired!
• Airline Pilot Technical Interviews- Ron McElroy’s study guide for the pilot’s technical interview.
• Checklist for Success CD – Virtual Interview Preparation – A pilot’s guide to the successful airline or air freight interview; see and hear examples of both good and bad interview scenarios.
• Reporting Clear? – A pilot’s interview guide to background checks and presentation of personal history.

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