Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

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dreamin'
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Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by dreamin' »

Hello, I've been listening on Live ATC at night (Bit of a geek right?) and I hear a lot of night cargo guys coming in and out of Vancouver. Same flights over and over; Cargojet, Morningstar, Thunderbird and Flightcraft seem to be the regulars.

Just saying hello! Hope you guys aren't too shy to post up! I hear the same voices almost every night. Are you guys on monday-friday schedules? How does your body manage the nocturnal sched?


Good stuff! I send a lot of stuff, kinda neat knowing its on one of your guys' airplanes.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by Invertago »

Just as long as you don't stalk them after work its cool. lol
8) :mrgreen:
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by sky's the limit »

Night Freight has Groupies? Who knew? :smt102

stl
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by Captain CADORS »

You ever think about completing flight training and getting a flying job?
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by Rowdy »

Wheres the .. when ya need em. You can hear ol' quagmire for miles around :prayer: :wink:
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by ScudRunner »

It's 3AM!! High noon for the cargo jocks.

Just saying hello! Hope you guys aren't too shy to post up! I hear the same voices almost every night. Are you guys on monday-friday schedules? How does your body manage the nocturnal sched?
Vodka Helps
Have you ever watched "I Am Legend" Those creatures reaction to Sunlight thats pretty much us.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by dreamin' »

Captain CADORS wrote:You ever think about completing flight training and getting a flying job?

I'd need a medical to do all that. I will never get one due to a condition I have. Thanks.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by dreamin' »

. wrote:It's 3AM!! High noon for the cargo jocks.

Just saying hello! Hope you guys aren't too shy to post up! I hear the same voices almost every night. Are you guys on monday-friday schedules? How does your body manage the nocturnal sched?
Vodka Helps
Have you ever watched "I Am Legend" Those creatures reaction to Sunlight thats pretty much us.

Who do you fly for? Interesting how you all come at the same time. Is there a reason? Or just coincidence?

Thanks. I post and ask because I'm interested in the cargo ops as much as I am passengers.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by just curious »

They like to get in around four for the really fresh donuts at Timmies. They just hate stale ones.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by North Shore »

Interesting how you all come at the same time. Is there a reason? Or just coincidence?
I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I'll hazard a guess... there's two reasons, speed and deadlines. You, the customer, have an important widget to get from A to B. You box it up, and send it off. All of the various delivery/pickup drivers do their rounds and bring your parcel to the depot. However, because they've promised you to get it to East Podunk tomorrow, that means everything has to get to the depot by X Pm, in order for it to be sorted and loaded on time, in time for the aeroplanes to get it to the next depot in time for the process to continue... However, working things backwards from the promised delivery times, the company can figure out at what time planes have to be in one spot for the process to continue without a hitch, but at the same time give the maximum amount of time possible for the sorting and delivery. I'd suspect that those times are pretty standard across companies, and so therefore, all of the planes tend to arrive within the same time windows..

Simple, right.. :rolleyes:
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by square »

dreamin' wrote: Interesting how you all come at the same time. Is there a reason?
They have no one else to talk to :(
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by Invertago »

They arrive in groups like ducks, safety in numbers ;)
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by oldtimer »

They all go lost at different times but they all got unlost together.
Actually, what drives the arrival times is so complex that the average person would have a hard time comprehending but a big factor is the opening of the normal business day in the major cities.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by ScudRunner »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTwsdOQ8 ... re=related

The first few flights would be the connectors, then launching about the same time on either coast to meet the deadline for over night delivery to arrive at your business the next morning before 9am. West bound would leave later from Memphis than the closer East Coast city's.

If you where to ship something overnight from Vancouver to Seattle (240Km) that box would go all the way to Memphis then back to Seattle.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by 5400AirportRdSouth »

just curious wrote:

They like to get in around four for the really fresh donuts at Timmies. They just hate stale ones.

.
Not to say that a couple day-olds under an upturned milk crate in the parking lot of the Beav won't bag you the odd one or two on their way home....Happy Hunting!
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by Pugster »

The reason we all arrive at similar times is exactly what was stated before - it's so the freight can be ready to meet the AM deadlines for shipping. So it's pretty much tied to the time required to make it from the last destination and out of sort and onto the trucks. Cargojet originates from YWG, the KFC airplanes originate from YWG, and Morningstar from YWG and YEG I believe. We all meet around APLEX for a big party (or a race from 8000' to bedtime! :) ).

Cargo flying has it's benefits - such as a work schedule that doesn't typically include weekends or holidays (and the ones you get are typically spent on layover), and in the current economy a level of stability that is fairly recession-proof. Some people actually believe that in a downturn the frieght business actually picks up as business ships more and holds less inventory in stock. The main negative of the job is working nights - the average night in our system has you up from about 7:00 PM PST to about 4:00AM PST. There are worse runs as well as better - that example is just an average. The only other downside is also an upside depending on who you talk to...the equipment. We all (as you know, I'm sure) pretty much fly the B727-200. She's an old bird, not very advanced as far as avionics go, but IMHO a remarkable aircraft. CJ has added next generation aircraft with the B757 and B767, KFC has added two DC10-30Fs, but the vast majority of cargo is still moving across the country in an airplane powered by black smoke and noise :twisted: .


Nice to see someone interested in us people working the backside of the clock.


Cheers man!
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by flying4dollars »

When I first got on the night cargo sched, I wasn't too sure about what I was getting into. Gotta say, I can't complain with the schedule. 4 nights a week flying, with a fair duty day. Something that I never got in my previous job. Only took my body a week or 2 to adjust, since then, no complaints. Its quick, its quiet and its peaceful. No mid-afternoon rushes, no departure or clearance delays and no expediting on the departure/arrival needed (usually). Center usually clears us direct to the field or to a fix 4 miles back of the field (depending on weather), and we hardly ever have to fly the preferred routes we normally fly. Its easy, its predictable and its pleasant. Not too much radio chatter out there. It's a bit different at 4am when all the players are arriving at the same time and your TCAS wakes up from a deep slumber. Cargojet, Morningstar, Flightcraft and us all arriving within minutes of each other. Kinda neat when you think about it.

As for arrival times, as stated already, its to meet deadlines. When we bring cargo back from Alberta, we're bringing back loads that are YVR bound as well as YYJ or YLW etc. Those transfers have to be at Purolator by 530 to make it on the aircraft so that they can get those transfers to where they need to be. The rest is taken care of by our cargo customer.

So when you see the odd car heading in the opposite direction of rush hour early in the morn, it may very well be one of us.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by oldtimer »

You know you are an old freight dog;
When you see the morning rush hour traffic in the opposite lanes heading into town as you head out.
When you get parked in the darkest corner of the ramp near the equipment gate.
When the paint on your airplane was new, you were still in high school.
When your airplane is older than you are.
When the CSR in the FBO hides the popcorn machine because you are going to make a meal out of it.
When you can get a good night's sleep on an FBO's couch.
When you wear sunglasses on a cloudy day because it is so bright out.
When sunshine only appears on TV.
You know the names most of the bright stars in the constellations.
200 and 1/2 is almost VFR.
All the paint is worn off your flashlight.
The batteries in your flashlight are always fresh.
When you can hand bomb an ILS tighter than the autopilot can.
1 dot deflection of the ILS needle is real sloppy flying. Your needles never leave the meatball.
Your NDB approaches always split the runway centerline because it is old hat,
you do it all the time,
no sweat!!
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by taxiway_matthew »

Nothing beats falling asleep to those cargo freighters as they fly over the North Shore for the 08s.
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Re: Night Cargo Jockies - Westcoast

Post by flying4dollars »

taxiway_matthew wrote:Nothing beats falling asleep to those cargo freighters as they fly over the North Shore for the 08s.

Props full forward over point gray on the base leg turn for the 5am wakeup call :wink:
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