Are cargo pilots away from home a lot?

How long are cargo pilots gone? It's common for long-haul cargo schedulers to build trips that might last upwards of two weeks away from home. Cargo pilots sometimes even start their trips with long-haul deadheads to get into the proper position for their sequence and continue to operate long-haul sectors after that.



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The most labor-intensive schedule might place a pilot out of base for 12-15 nights in a month.

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Cargo pilots are often gone for longer stretches of time but also home for longer periods in between assignments.

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Schedules can vary depending on what route you have. Our work schedules are five days on and two days off, Monday-Friday or Tuesday-Saturday. Most pilots start out as “Floaters” and fill in as needed (similar to pilot reserve schedules at most airlines). This type of schedule has a lot of short days during the week.

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Pilots have variable work schedules that may include several days of work followed by some days off. Airline pilots may spend several nights a week away from home because flight assignments often involve overnight layovers.

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Being an airline pilot isn't an average 9–5 job. When you're an airline pilot, life is divided between the air and the ground: A typical airline pilot schedule involves 75 hours of flying per month. They spend another 150 hours performing other tasks such as planning flights and checking weather conditions.

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According to labor statistics, newer commercial pilots usually get at least 12 days off each month, while the average airline pilot gets around 15 days off. A more experienced pilot, an airline transport pilot (Captain), can have up to 20 days off, the maximum number.

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This applies to cargo airlines as well as passenger planes. FedEx Express pays a junior First Officer $84 per hour, and senior Captains earn $335. The range at UPS is even greater, with junior First Officers starting at $52 per hour and senior Captains earning $341.

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It might seem obvious, but many of you ask about this: yes, the pilots prepare their own coffee and meals. Just behind the flight deck, we have a galley, containing several catering boxes with plenty of food, drinks and snacks, an oven and a coffee maker.

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The biggest “con” of being a cargo pilot over a passenger pilot is you work a lot of very early mornings, as most cargo planes get loaded over night before the airport opens for regular traffic. Sometimes a cargo plane will takeoff well before it opens.

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A flight like any other The total crew of the cargo flights usually consists of two pilots: a Captain and a First Officer. On longer flights we are with three or four pilots: besides the standard crew also a Second Officer and/or sometimes another Captain or First Officer.

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The maximum age according to the ICAO A quick look at its website yields the following information: The Standard limits the privileges for pilots in single-pilot commercial air transport operations to 60 years of age, while extending that limit to 65 years of age for multi-pilot operations.

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Airline pilots can be home every night or could be away from their families for weeks at a time. It depends of the company they work for or the aircraft or routes they fly. Most quality of life issues that affect how much time a pilot can spent with his family is determined by a seniority based system.

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What if an airline does not have enough flying for a pilot? Fortunately, most pilot employment contracts and CBAs include a monthly hour minimum. This minimum requires the company to pay its pilots for a minimum number of flight hours, regardless of whether those hours are flown.

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However, airline pilots will work fewer days than a 'normal job', with most pilots having at least ten days off a month. This may be a slightly surprising amount of time off, especially as the job as a pilot is seen as many by well-paid.

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Also pilots don't stay in hotels at expensive rates to the airline. The five or four or three star hotel is chosen according to the one who gives the best deal for the stay. In fact mostly good business hotels are chosen. Also most hotels give a 50% rebate on their charges to airlines.

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