PiperPower

I remember talk a while back about Air Cargo Carriers having an operation in Iraq. I heard it was pretty good pay just due to the nature of the flying. Did this ever start? Is it still in operation? Anyone on here do it, or know of anyone who does it? Just curious about options as pilot jobs are becoming even more few and far between now.

cac737

Unless you are previous military and have been there, or have a gun to your head at this moment and being forced to go there, take someone's word for it......you don't want to go there.

I don't care how crappy the industry here is,......Flying in Iraq, YGTBSM!

PiperPower

I hear ya. I'm just really intrigued by unique flying such as flying in the Caribbean, flying in Alaska, and I guess flying cargo around Iraq in a Shorts... It may be extremely dangerous, it just interests me. In reality I think I would flight instruct until the day I die before I would go fly cargo around a warzone. But I would definitely like to hear about what it's like over there

SD3FR8DOG

Come work at the company and get in line grasshopper.

MiserDD

Which Company???

PiperPower

If you're referring to ACC which I'm sure you are, are you saying the Iraq thing is a tough gig to get?

SPDBOILER

They don't fly cargo in Iraq. Depends on who you know, I was in class with a new hire capt bound for Iraq that was not former military and didn't have any Shorts time. He might(or might not) have busted on his oral. Weird thing that Iraq gig.

Jetcap37

First of all, going to Iraq does not mean you work for ACC. You are working for someone else and are contracted out. After Iraq you don't have a job working for ACC, actually most that got hired on for Iraq never worked for ACC afterwards.

Also you don't get paid for the months you are not in Iraq, so 3 months on and 3 off looks nice but it will cut your salary in half.

Tax free sounds nice, but you have to be out of the USA for for extended period of time (330 days maybe) and it is only good for part of your salary.

The shots you get have certain things in them that are not very "healhty"

If that is all ok with you, then go for it. It is an adventure and if I would have been younger and no family I might have considered it more.

Remember, money isn't everything and listen very carefully on what they offer and ask many questions.

fallujahff

Alas I must answer to quell bad rumors--I've been contracting awhile

Half of a boat load of cash is half a boatload--which is still 10 times more than you'll make in the US-

and it's as nice as it sounds---stay out of the US 330 days and you are good to go--during the year they take out any income taxes in excess of 87,000 bucks--then you file the expat deduction through your income taxes and you get the rest back--think of it as Uncle Sam's savings account--I got back $10,000 in taxes this year-

Huh? I go to my own doctor to get my immunizations--they Army doesn't touch contractors (unless they are severly injured).

I am 42 with 3 kids and a fourth just born the other day--and I have been contracting for over 4 years now--it is not an adventure--it is a job, just in an interesting place. You learn to live life around the job (I get about 100 paid days off a year) so it's not like being in the military and sitting there for 18 months getting shot at and worrying about home (which I went through).

The more money you make in Iraq, the more dangerous the thing they are asking you to do--remember that rule. The thing about Iraq is that it is not what your preconcieved notions are--everyone goes there expecting one thing and getting quite the other.

Jetcap37

I am talking about the one time shot you get before you go over there while you do your "militaire"training. I know you got it, maybe the antrax kicking in and you forgetting already