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Comment by thedogeye | Hacker News Reader

Fun fact: The loadmaster and maintenance workers on Flexport's 747 freighter fly back and forth on the plane 20 days per year, sleeping in the old first class seats in the upper deck. That is real skin in the game.

The plane began service as a passenger plane for Japan Air in the 90s. I better its safer than most modern planes with those guys living up there taking care of her.

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Cargo planes are generally less safe than passenger planes, this is due to factors like the pilots (less money for cargo pilots) and the hardware they're flying (older disused passenger planes being flown cargo).

Fun fact: NCR flight 102 had the loadmaster on board, but is probably one of the most spectacular caught on camera crashes of a 747. (It's the one where it looks like it falls out of the sky on take-off) It was also most likely the loadmasters fault. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Airlines_Flight_102

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/14/birmin... >"have a somewhat higher accident rate than passenger aircraft,"

“If you screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.”

- CDR Tom "Stinger" Jardian, Top Gun

Re: cargo pilots earning less, is that true? I’m in Memphis, and all the Fedex pilots I know make a ton of money. Most are ex-military. Most of the planes are definitely older (DC-10/MD-11s trijets!) but they are being aggressively phased out for new 777s to save on fuel.

My understanding based on what I hear from friends in the industry is that this is definitely not true, especially earlier on in a pilot's career. If one plays their cards right, you can make a good deal more as a 'cargo dog' pilot when you're young, compared to working for a regional or non-major airline, which is where most younger passenger pilots begin their careers. However, the disparity in pay can be more pronounced later on, as senior pilots at the major airlines can in many cases make much more income, or have a much better work-life balance.

Did a little googling as I was curious, and sure enough, wow Fedex pilots are well paid. Also, I know that while Fedex pilots typically fly overnight, its only a few times a week and they have the ability to be around for daytime events. One of my lacrosse coaches in high school was a Fedex pilot, and he seems to do quite well while being available to arrange his schedule. All-caps emphasis mine below, Fedex is dramatically higher.

"According to Memphis newspaper The Commercial Appeal, pilots flying for FedEx earn closer to $234,000 a year ON AVERAGE -- 90% more, to carry boxes from Point A to Point B, than the folks flying actual human passengers make. https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/09/05/pilots-are...

"Salaries at Delta Air Lines Inc range from an average of $42,495 to $144,385 a year. Delta Air Lines Inc employees with the job title Airline Captain make the most with an average annual salary of $188,104

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Delta_Air_Line...

Ah - the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sUWC2jfjqI - looks unfortunate. Apparently "At least one armoured vehicle had come loose and rolled backwards".

> less money for cargo pilots

I believe this is wrong; cargo pilots typically have higher comp than passenger transport pilots, even within type.

Can you really call it a fun fact when 7 people died?

>I better its safer than most modern planes with those guys living up there taking care of her.

Not likely. Planes don't usually crash from maintenance neglect. We are at a point where it's multiple simultaneous failures caused by something unforseen, not lazy maintenance.

It's called the Swiss Cheese Model and doesn't only apply to aviation accidents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese_model

Doctors use this model for evaluating/trying to prevent medical errors as well

There's an excellent book, The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, that explains several transfers from aviation best practices to hospital best practices (primarily checklists and CRM, crew resource management). Captivating read if you're interested in aviation and not dying needlessly in hospital.

Possibly from the same source but one useful thing I learned was to do with check lists. Rather than ticking a box to say how many scalpels you used, is the tyre pressure OK etc etc you write down the number. The persons doesn't just say yes OK, they write down the pressure. That [generally] ensures they have actually measured it and got a real value.

We use this model in the manufacturing plant I work in.

You can cut a small corner every single day and it probably won't matter, until that one time when some other upset condition occurs and suddenly you're seriously injured. An implementation of this has made a huge difference in the overall safety record.

Flexport as in the YC startup? I had no idea they were operating their own planes. I thought they were pure software / logistics.

That is some audacious vertical integration!

Same here! Here is the article I came across with some further info for reference: https://theloadstar.co.uk/flexport-spreads-wings-deal-wga-ga...

some pics on their twitter eg https://twitter.com/typesfast/status/974037384508588032

> Flexport's 747 freighter

The article literally has nothing to do with Flexport... I wonder why YC companies constantly shilled around here?

I don't care very much about YC companies, but I do see how YC companies could see disproportionate attention on a YC-operated forum.

That comment was posted by Flexport's CEO!

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