Do pilots fly cargo planes?

A Commercial aviation = cargo flights and passenger flights. With your pilot license, you will always be ok to fly both passengers and cargo. No choices to be made here. But if you mean to choose between flying passengers or cargo: well try to find some answers for yourself.



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A quick look shows the career path and working life is remarkably similar. Theoretically, all commercial pilots fly passengers and cargo.

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A cargo pilot is a professional aircraft operator who flies commercial planes from one location to another, carrying shipments containing such items as mail or packages from private courier services.

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Cargo pilots fly considerably fewer hours than passenger pilots. Cargo pilots average approximately 31 hours of “block time” per month compared with 57 hours for passenger pilots. MYTH: Cargo pilots get less rest than airline pilots.

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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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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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When we fly with only 2 pilots, we are allowed to take controlled rest if we really feel the need to. One pilot then sleeps for a short while in the pilot seat, while the other pilot takes control of the flight and communication. And if we fly with more than 2 pilots we have time to rest in the bunk.

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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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As a cargo pilot, any type of schedule you can imagine is available—domestic, international, 1-day trips, 14-day trips, all-daytime flying, all-nighttime flying, and every combination of these. It is a myth that we only fly in the middle of the night!

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Cargo and airline pilots both work in the commercial sector and have many similar duties, but several aspects of their jobs differ. Comparing the two positions can help you decide which career path best suits your interests and allows you to achieve your professional goals.

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There are no big differences between Cargo pilot and any passenger pilot's skill. The training remains same and so does the skills, Both pilot's either cargo or passengers have same goal and mission. It is always to take the aircraft with either passengers or cargo on board safely from one place to other.

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Both types of pilots may work long hours and spend extended periods away from home, but the FAA has restrictions on how many hours they can fly during set time periods. Both can fly up to 30 hours per week or 100 hours per month, and they also complete pre-flight planning and post-flight duties during working hours.

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That being said, most flight crew will have considerably higher tolerance for turbulence than most passengers, and crews flying freighters are considerably more likely to just ignore some light turbulence than crews flying passengers (the boxes* neither shriek, nor write nasty letters to the airline).

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A flight like any other At the start of our duty we meet at dispatch to discuss the flight and paperwork, we pass through crew security and when we arrive at the airplane, the loading process is usually well on its way.

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Cargo operators use passenger airports as well. Night flights for passengers aren't popular for a variety of reasons. Which means there are less flights for passengers landing and taking off during the night hours freeing up slots for cargo.

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“Safety considerations drove the establishment of the current international standard of age 65 mandatory retirement, and raising the pilot retirement age would introduce additional risk into commercial aviation,” said Capt. Ed Sicher, the Allied Pilots Association's president.

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What type of pilot you want to become will determine what age would be too old to change careers and start your flight training journey. If you're looking to fly larger jets for a major airline then I would suggest the cut-off date is around 35 years if you are only just starting your training.

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There's no specific age to become a pilot. It all depends on the type of license you want to get and the aircraft you want to fly. Surprisingly, you don't need a license to get flying lessons. But you do need a student pilot license in order to fly solo.

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For Cargo plane it's constant revenue +/- 1%-2%, without depend from destination. There is some destination with exception, but I think it's just small bug/mistake with income on such destinations. Cargo planes make the most money on shortest trips, passenger planes make the most money on longest trips.

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