A candid view of some of the practicalities and less glamourous side of life flying a 747F freighter around Asia. The pilot highlights the early starts, and how the idea of the 747F’s cockpit printer would have seemed so cool as a student pilot, but he cannot recall why?! Other aspects of the video illustrate some of the standard operating procedures (SOP) as a freighter crew member, plus the quality of the food!
To take advantage of lower navigational fees and airport charges, cargo operations typically take place at night with freighter pilots beginning their shifts at even less sociable times compared to many passenger pilots. Fundamentally air cargo does not really care about the very early ‘out-of-hours’ departures in contrast to many holiday makers.
In 2023 the 747-400F and the 747-8F are the most active in-service 747 types after most passenger operators retired the popular four engine aircraft during COVID. The 747-400F is available as a factory build freighter and as a passenger to freighter (P-to-F) conversion. The cargo converted freighters do not have the 747Fs signature ‘nose loading’ capability with the ex-passenger aircraft relying on a large aft cargo door to to load and offload their cargo.
