Becoming a Cargo Pilot: The 2025 Update

[@trent_dyrsmid]

What are you struggling with most in your aviation career? Let me know as I'm currently drafting new video ideas.

[@benh2134]

Moving! It's been tough. We have been trying to wrap up life where we live and move for 2 years now. From rural northern BC Canada. Looks like we can move in June and start back into aviation after 14 years out. Your videos have been inspiring. Sure appreciate it. Ben

[@ryanav8R]

Fining a job as an FO anywhere. I have 1600 hours and a pretty good resume. I’ve applied to about 20 different jobs,121/135, and the most I’ve gotten is your a great candidate but were not hiring yet. The whole airbus P&W engine issues and Boeing being Boeing has slowed down so many of our hiring timelines. And now the pool of 1500 hr pilots is amassing to the point that when the hiring doors do open I fear it may take time for all of us to get a job. Good news is I have a good job as a cfi at the moment and I can afford to wait but I’m ready for the next step no doubt. Thanks for all you do. Your videos are awesome!!!

[@frequinnasty7303]

Financing...

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ Ben… I wish you all the very best on the journey ahead of you!

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ Ryan, I feel for you, man! Persevere. Never give up and you will get where you want to go. I wish you all the best on the journey ahead!

[@jimcaufman2328]

Retired airline pilot here. I flew 727s and DC-8s in Cargo for several years and Passengers to end out my career. In my day cargo planes were used worn-out airplanes and passengers (727, 757,767,777 and A300) were new equipment with much better pay. I preferred cargo over passengers for a whole lot of reasons. Generally, when you show up for a cargo flight the aircraft is already loaded and you set down and start the engines. Passenger flights are almost always involved the long process of loading passengers where you set in the seat with not much to do. Boxes don't bitch which means a little turbulence is okay. I have no idea how many hours I have set at the gate while a passenger is upset with the boarding process is either calmed down and taken their seat or removed from the flight. On lay overs pilots stay with ate airplane while passengers deplane then the whole crew moves through the terminal to the van for the ride to the hotel. Freight pilots are out of the airplane as soon as the checklist are complete then down the stairs and into the van eliminating the terminal delays.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@jimcaufman2328 Jim… Thanks for watching and then taking a moment to comment and share your experience. I’m sure many others will read your comment with great interest!

[@wwt17]

72s and DC-8s! Those were the first planes I traveled on as kid. DC-10s and L-1011s were a rare treat for me and Iwill never forget my first ride on the queen of the skies. I always dreamed of flying wide bodies internationally, unfortunately I didn’t pursue that. Not at 54 it’s the biggest regret of my life. If someone told me it was possible get started and be able to fly cargo at my age I would hop on it.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ it is possible. I started my training at 53, received a job offer from a regional airline 54. I will be actually flying the jet just after turning 55.

[@mac3kids]

@@wwt17 ya man this guy trent here can be a inspiration to you hes done it and put in the work and if you want it bad enough which it sounds like you do you can to

[@larryfranklin2280]

I’d like to reiterate that it’s entirely possible to get hired on as an FO on a 767 for Atlas Air after reaching 1500hrs. I was a mechanic in TPA releasing a quick turn AC for service when I spoke to a 23yr old FO and asked her what she did prior to working at Atlas Air. She was a CFI at a Mom & Pop flight school flying 172’s as was slated to begin 737 training when they randomly selected two pilots to their 67 program instead. She was one and another gentlemen was the other. Quite an impressive upgrade! I’m glad to hear contract negotiations are underway. An aged contract was one of the few complaints I ever heard from some of the more senior Atlas Air pilots.

[@mach533x]

key word here. "she" lol

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@larryfranklin2280 going for a 172 to a 767 is one heck of an upgrade! Thank you so much for watching and supporting my channel 🙌

[@larryfranklin2280]

@ you’re welcome & absolutely. Love the great content and seeing your progress in your journey

[@danielrich2338]

@@mach533xgoodness you’re dense - the *other* keyword was another *gentleman* - in other words: wasn’t just the girl

[@lawdpleasehelpmeno]

Of course they'd let a woman jump from a 172 to a 767. No such privilege for men.

[@demotime7947]

I saw Atlas planes almost weekly while in the Middle East. All 747s. Thanks for delivering the beef jerky and Monster drinks :)

[@FlawlessEagle]

I just checked their website. They want you to have unrestricted ATP so 1500 hrs and the Cert. My pet peeve is watching videos that don't get the hours right. I do realize things change so always double check guys

[@jaeahn816]

This is the information I've been waiting for. Thanks you so much for sharing!

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@jaeahn816 you betcha… Thank you so much for watching and supporting my channel!

[@michaelzimmer8159]

Good choice Skywest, I flew there 18 years, look back and really enjoyed it

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@michaelzimmer8159 Good to hear! Where are you now?

[@paulcobb8765]

I started flying as a 135 Captain in the Beech 99 at Alpine Air Express at 1200hrs. It would be neat to see a video highlight all the 135 Cargo ops available to up and coming pilots Turbine PIC at 1200!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@VoluntaryPlanet]

Doesn’t Alpine hire at even less than that sometimes?

[@JoeSmith-p1o]

@@VoluntaryPlanet I had more than that and was told no. What you will find out it's mostly about timing in getting a job.

[@87nitos]

@paulcobb8765 when did you get on with Alpine? I’ve been looking at them in detail this week. I just hit Part 135 PIC mins. How your experience been? I’d love to connect more directly about it sometime.

[@thelastboomer9088]

Single pilot ops deal a lot with perception. In Part 135 aeromedical operations we fly singer pilot ops with the medcrew and patient onboard. The FAA considers our autopilot as a second pilot.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@thelastboomer9088 Good to know! Are there any other topics you’d like to see videos about?

[@kiaya20]

I flew cargo for 8 years before going to a major passenger airline. Cargo pay is shit compared to passenger (unfortunately). That 60 hour guarantee or maybe 65 and the fact that scheduling can pull trips off your line back down to 60 is horrendous. The life style is horrible and most of the companies are too, but I’m not talking about FedEx or UPS, I’m talking about Atlas, ATI, ABEX, Kaletta, Amerijet… get out while you can.

[@flynomo3148]

This shouldn’t be controversial, but it probably will be. There is more to being a pilot than just pushing buttons, reading checklists and flying the plane. It takes years to learn everything else that goes along with being a pilot. The scary part is that some of these people are handed the keys to one of these aircraft and told they are now captain after just a few more months…. And it’s happening at the majors. To most of us +20000 hour pilots, it literally scares us. Ok…let me have it …. But after 27000 hours of flying, I think I’m entitled to my professional opinion.

[@1dullgeek]

Seems like you're talking about flying cargo in jets. But I know that there's a lot of cargo flying around in Cessna Caravans and other small turboprops that don't require an ATP. Do you have any advice for that? Can starting out flying for a small cargo company flying a Caravan turn into flying for a big carrier like UPS?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@1dullgeek you make an excellent point. I was specifically referring to part 121 cargo operations. I will do a bit of research to see about low time Pilot cargo jobs and see if I can come up with enough. Good stuff to make a video about.

[@hauss5]

@@trent_dyrsmid Like @1dullgeek, I've seen those FedEx Caravans and wondered who gets to fly them. Would love to understand that part of the cargo industry.

[@lechstryzewski9350]

@@trent_dyrsmid I would definitely be interested in this as well Trent !! - Great video - Excellent information ... Thanks for sharing !!

[@benh2134]

Ditto. Would be great to hear. Perhaps even some low/lower time part 135 opportunities

[@michael6777]

That would be interesting.

[@zeke787]

Hello, I have thought about flying cargo a lot and in my opinion a disadvantage of flying cargo is that you will probably spend a lot of time in Anchorage Alaska which might be cool the first time but likely gets boring quick. Also if you are someone who likes seeing airports terminals you will have to miss out on that, but that could also be an advantage to some people.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@zeke787 I think your assumption might be incorrect. I’ve talked to a number of people who fly cargo and not one of them mentioned spending too much time in Alaska.

[@nolanrodin394]

My Target regional Airline is Skywest, and I plan to live in Boise since my family is there! I am finishing my commercial and have a check ride in about 2 weeks! Living in Fort Worth right now but plan on moving back. Who knows maybe ill be your FO someday

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@nolanrodin394 Nolan, that would be pretty cool!

[@trinidadtazi]

GOOD LUCK! On your check ride 🙏🏽

[@gmayers]

The 401k direct contributions at the Big 3 PAX companies are currently 17% and will be 18% next year. The majority of the flying at UPS and FedEx is domestic. The majority of their flying is backside of the clock. FedEx has a substantial amount of backside of the clock flying due to losing the postal contract to UPS. At the big 3, pilots don’t really get involved with PAX issues directly. It’s mostly the FAs or airport staff. PAX issues also don’t happen as frequently as the media might have you believe, simply because there are reports of high profile incidents that make the news, but uneventful flights don’t make the news.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@gmayers thank you so much for posting this comment for the community to read!

[@FHFOFJHE]

Hello, as a FedEx feeder pilot I went from flying day trips 2 or 3 days a week working a 2 on / 2 off rotation; we lost the contract for the USPS and now since this past summer I’m working exclusively nights now. I’m still loving being a freight dog but not crazy about flying on the back side of the clock all the time as an F.O.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ yikes… That does not sound fun. Hopefully things will improve for you soon. 🤞

[@tylerostrander1068]

Thanks for the video! Im actually about to apply to Atlas after reaching my 1500. Wish me luck!

[@hollymerchant9550]

I'll be praying for you 🙏.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@tylerostrander1068 come back and let me know how it turns out!

[@melissaaustin8877]

Good luck!🙌🏻

[@ahmadsamadzai8255]

Don't you also need 500 hrs from 121 or 135 to meet the atlas requirements?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ careers.atlasairworldwide.com/fo/

[@LionRoars918]

You skipped the elephant in the room. FedEx has been bleeping their pilots with no contract renewal for a long time.

[@BassAssassin123]

One radio call that’s stumped me a couple times during my instrument training was ATC asking “how will this approach terminate?” Seems like every time they ask it doesn’t come out very clear and all I hear is “terminate” and my tail number

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@BassAssassin123 they are asking if you want to do a full stop, a touch and go, a low approach, or a missed approach.

[@Evangelium]

Thank you!!! This is EXACTLY what im looking for! I prefer cargo above anything else.

[@meggabrielle684]

I’ve always contemplated cargo. I fly crazy hours now so it wouldn’t bug me much love ur videos

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@meggabrielle684 I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying my videos. What type of flying are you doing now?

[@ludichko]

Is there a program or can one do atp flight school and qualify?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@ludichko it does not matter what Flight School you go to. What matters is having an ATP and that requires you to fly 1500 hours, in addition to having an instrument rating, a multi engine rating, and a commercial pilots license.

[@jeromes5141]

Hi, So I'm currently stuck at 450 tt. I cut back on flying to save up some funds for the multi rating. I traveled out west and did the groundwork, but the plane was dwn and was not going to be ready for the checkride. Should I just dump that fund to build up flight hrs, or go back for the multi. The longer the stays in my account, the more powerful the wings will get for it to fly away.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@jeromes5141 giving financial advice is something that I really don’t do here on the channel. Sorry!

[@mattadams7078]

i wish you would have talked about fedex's purple runway program and feeder lines. ive flown atlas air a lot in the Navy, their competitor is OMNI

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@mattadams7078 Matt, I am planning to do another video about cargo opportunities for lower time pilots. It’s not something that I am an expert in so if you wouldn’t mind sending me an email with any details or links to websites or whatever to help me with my research, that would really be helpful! [e-mail]

[@benhurabraham6566]

Thanks for the update!!

[@steveconaway774]

How many multi engine hours do you need to get hired with Atlas? I have over 8,000 hours but only 21 ME hours.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@steveconaway774 I don’t know, and if you can’t find it on their website, then I suspect there is not a minimum.

[@mac3kids]

8000 hours jeez dude 😆

[@mreed777]

Just for clarification, Atlas bought itself out of the Amazon contract because of how small the margins were and how inefficient and resource intensive the operation was.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@mreed777 I didn’t know that. Thank you so much for sharing your comment with the community.

[@mreed777]

​@@trent_dyrsmid No problem. Speaking as a 737 pilot who's having to retrain to the 777 because of it.

[@naughtygorilla154]

Great video, really helped! My wife and I are truck drivers and love working together, so we’re seriously thinking about becoming pilots. I’m planning to get my PPL to see if I like it, then start an accelerated program around Miami. From what I’ve researched, after completing training and getting 1,500 flight hours, cargo carriers (like the ones you mentioned) might consider us. I’m wondering if it’s realistic for husband-and-wife teams to consistently fly together as captain and first officer. I’ve found a few stories about couples flying together, but it seems pretty rare. Have you heard of this working long-term? We’re really interested in this career, but only if we can work as a team. Would love to hear your thoughts or advice!

[@naughtygorilla154]

Scratch accelerated school we will be following your approach.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@naughtygorilla154 have not heard of this, and I think it would be highly unusual to get paired on flights together. I wish you all the best on the journey ahead of you!

[@JetwithJoe]

I was a truck driver until I decided to park my truck and get all my flight training done in 118 days!

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ Good work! How many hours did you have when you started? What ratings did you earn? How many hours did you have when you finished?

[@MapleJokerRofl]

Just buy a plane and start your own cargo service.

[@scottdobson9201]

I am a little confused, they require unrestricted ATP but their requirement for flight time allows for 750 TT mil pilots? Wouldn't that be a R-ATP? (Guard UH-60 pilot/CMEL looking to get my R-ATP as soon as I can).

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@scottdobson9201 agree. It is a little bit confusing. I would suggest you reach out to them.

[@CGRahz]

The restricted ATPs were only for the 737. The other airframes all fly international and require a PIC type rating so you can’t have R- There’s still some 73 pilots with restricted ATPs that have to get their hours up before they can get a 74 or 777 rating. The company is giving them an excessive amount of time to do so with no restrictions, can go fly for anyone else and once they submit an unrestricted cert they’ll get a class date.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@ good share. Thank you very much for posting the comment!

[@kapdolkim1914]

My buddy did Cargo out of Hong Kong. Back in 2017 he was at $180K as a captain. He is not American so he didn't have to pay income tax as he did not live in Hong Kong. Not sure about other benefits. He moved to a 747 from Airbus.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@kapdolkim1914 Sweet gig.

[@JoeSmith-p1o]

Air Hong Kong?

[@ACK88]

Maybe not a disadvantage but more of just an advantage you don't receive is that your family doesn't get to fly for free. Maybe I'm wrong though and there are flight agreements I'm unaware of.

[@freelanxe]

If you fly cargo, do you get the same flight benefits as a airline passenger pilot?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@freelanxe in the case of UPS, Google says yes.

[@sizzlnm3]

Yes, we have jumpseat privileges with all US carriers. We can fly for free on any US carrier, including many foreign carriers. Our families (dependents, parents, and spouses) get ID90/ZED fare pass privileges with all domestic and nearly all worldwide airlines. Same as when I was flying as a pilot for a passenger airline.

[@Franz704]

The good thing about flying cargo is that it doesn’t talk back to you.

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@Franz704 true.

[@izakf5301]

Hi! Do you know if there is a big difference between FAA and EASA? For example if someone from Europe buys your study guide would that be beneficial or it's more focused towards FAA? Thanks!

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@izakf5301 sorry, I do not. Thank you so much for watching!

[@Hlc123]

Spirit isn't actually a regional airline, its an ultra low cost carrier

[@ericwoodard8332]

Married with kids makes it nice when I'm not home for a long period of time😁😁😁

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@ericwoodard8332 🤣

[@robertthomas2032]

😆

[@BabyBlue.23]

Hey, Trent. I’m a fan of your content and wanted to add some information for your viewers. It’s important to have a proper understanding of Atlas pay scales. The Y1 metric from APC is not good data for anyone planning to stay. For anyone looking to work for Atlas, make sure that you reference their most recent pilot contract (CBA) to find their current work rules. As an example, let’s use the 747 FO position: YOS 1: $117/hr YOS 2: $129 YOS 3: 160/hr etc… As you can see, there is a significant difference as compared to the information presented in the video. Hope this helps somebody.

[@nathanielrecchia8294]

is the schedule at Atlas pretty much exclusively 17 on/13 off? Can you have a "normal" airline schedule with 2-5 day trips?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@nathanielrecchia8294 i’m not sure off the top of my head. Have you tried looking in a Reddit sub forum to see if there is one for working at Atlas Air?

[@enistgo]

I was looking exactly for this video coincidentally 2 days ago !

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@enistgo Glad you found it :)

[@mahesha320]

Hi could you please share which self type rating best 737 or Airbus 320 or ATR after getting cpl ir multi engine 200 hrs

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@mahesha320 sorry but I don’t have a good answer to your question. I don’t have the experience to be able to give you the correct answer.

[@kmfa3842]

Is there any opportunity for rotary wing pilots transitioning to airlines?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@kmfa3842 absolutely

[@skywarp8611]

Trent, flying is flying for me 😂 I can operate when broke

[@Ryan_WM]

Would love to be a pilot and fly cargo. Sounds like the path to go down. Unfortunately I have a mild speech impediment that I feel would hinder me trying to become a pilot 😔 Guess I will live vicariously through this channel and Capt. Paul on My Layover Life. Keep up the great work! 👍🏼

[@gizmo3379]

It won’t hold you back. At all. Go for it!

[@Ryan_WM]

@ appreciate the reply and confidence. You really think it wouldn’t hold me back? Watching videos of pilots making radio calls and stuff low key terrifies me 🥴

[@gizmo3379]

It low key terrifies everyone when they start out. To my knowledge there is no prohibition of one who has an impediment or stutters. In fact- I think it would be great more people with such disabilities would come forward and try. Be an ambassador for your peeps and represent.

[@gizmo3379]

And some unsolicited advice for life in general……Never assume. Take what is yours. That is your dream. Take it and own it. Once you are a professional you sit with another person anyway. Let them do the radio.

[@Ryan_WM]

@@gizmo3379 defintely appreciate your advice! Will take it to heart for sure! Be blessed!

[@kasm10]

Awesome content

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@kasm10 Thx so much. Glad you enjoyed it! Which part was most helpful?

[@soyanarchisto4443]

Captain upgrade times at atlas?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@soyanarchisto4443 not sure. I assume there are a whole bunch of factors that influenced that over and above the flight hours.

[@soyanarchisto4443]

@@trent_dyrsmid it’s very safe to say that it will be nowhere near the captain upgrade time at SkyWest or any other regional. You’re looking at 1-3 at SkyWest versus 5-7 at atlas or any legacy. Pretty important consideration for us career 2.0 guys and gals. Atlas would be a fantastic gig!

[@dewholdingsllc1050]

Downside to cargo. Airline employees (any) have flight benefits for themselves and immediate family (including mom and dad) members correct? Cargo wont.

[@3-5-9]

Spirit is not a regional…

[@joshshepard0583]

my son just started at ATP anyone here a pilot from ATP?

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@joshshepard0583 just a quick heads up… Other people that have commented on this video will not receive a notification for your comment. They will only see it if they read it. Thanks very much for watching my video!

[@quazarthemad]

Atlas stopping their R-ATP jobs really threw a wrench into my plans

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@quazarthemad So whats the new plan?

[@quazarthemad]

@trent_dyrsmid haha I'm a mil pilot just over res mins, I've just been applying everywhere I can find, no luck yet. It seems the automated app checkers don't know about mil ratp mins I get a lot of automatic tbnt emails or confused HR people telling me I don't have enough hours to apply 😂

[@excellenceinanimation960]

I always thought pilots made like 100 k. I think I may rethink my career

[@trent_dyrsmid]

@@excellenceinanimation960 senior captains these days are rolling phat stacks, to say the least!

[@chipilot]

If you fly for the money you will be miserable.

[@FlexSZN23]

@@chipilot😢💰 > 😄🪙

[@batkhulegjargalsaikhan8497]

True aviators are made not because of paycheck. Of course you can get paid well and be an awesome pilot but we make all necessary money from other sources as well 😉.

[@excellenceinanimation960]

@batkhulegjargalsaikhan8497 I am kind of obsessed with airplanes but I never pressured it because I knew the difficulties. I didn't realize they actually can make a lot of money in the right situation.

[@evanhansen121]

Evan and Colleen in Wisconsin 7 for 7.

[@MapleJokerRofl]

Terrible advice, Wouldn't follow it unless all you care about is money.