Mack Air no longer uses helicopters unfortunately but Heli horizons is still around. Bad news for the job hunters is it seems that even 300hrs is not enough it looks like 500 is the new minimum.
I have a friend with around 700tt looking for work and im thinking of sending him to Maun as my Guinea Pig to see how he gets on... hes a good guy and very likeable so I could see him doing well if opportunities were available so what is the consensus right now?
Im currently flying in Ireland with around the same hours but i will have over 1000 tt by the end of summer 2013 and im just wondering what are the chances of getting on a Caravan with those kind of hours? 600 to 700 PIC on the Airvan and around 200 as an FO on a Caravan... Basically I wouldnt want to go there unless i could get a LHS on a Caravan pretty quickly, or even a RHS on a twin if it was going... i know almost a year from now is a long time but have guys with 1000tt done well in Maun?
Michael - Its becoming a government minimum to get your work and resident permit, 300 is currently the official min but is being moved up to 500, but these things change up and down around here. The problem is that the government has paid for many locals to get their CPL and now even instructors rating but the locals also expect to be given the jobs so dont put in the effort to deserve them. All the government sees is a list of unemployed local pilots that have been paid for by the government, thus make it harder for the expatriats to get jobs.
Monk - You cannot get onto a caravan straight away here regardless of hours, you would be started on the 206 and maybe fast tracked onto the caravan but keep in mind the only company around here that would fast track that is Wilderness, and they recently hired lots of 1000+ hr instructor rated pilots that will be ahead of you. You tend to look at around a year before you sit LH in a Caravan, RH is not logable as you are on it to get to know the area and be the AC loadmaster whilst you have just been hired. Also, there are no more twin operations outside of Flying Missions King Airs used for mercy flights.
Cheers for the reply Redsteel, yeah I kinda expected that... I would rather get on a 206 than RHS in a Caravan for too long anyway. Which brings me to my next question, is Maun only for single guys? I ask because I would go there independently initially (maybe with a pilot buddy) but if I was to stay for a few years I would want my partner to come and we are expecting a kid soon!
Its amazing how complicated things get all of a sudden!!
Just out of interest sake, what do guys earn there in Maun on average when flying a 206 for example? Not sure how it works, but if they get basic + hourly then what are the average amount of hours flown per month?
wwwhoooa guys, careful... we've got a bad-ass here... make sure you read every sentence of this keyboard warrior's thread before you ask any questions!!
And after aquick skim no i cant find a detailed answer to my question as it is a 25 page thread spanning multiple years and like all things in aviation I would imagine info older than a few months is useless...
Anyway from what I gather there are no real possibilities of moving onto a twin, which makes it unattractive to me, but It is great to know that there is a place that offers guys the first step.
Flyingtool, well instead of being.....well a tool....how about holding fire for a bit and realise that darkroomsource is speaking the truth.
If the person took the time to read the very first thread in this post. You know, the one I spent 3 hours writing one night to help my fellow pilots, they would see that I have answered how much the pay is, how many hours you would fly, and how long you usually spend in a C206 before moving on to the van. The topic of bringing ones partner was also discussed in depth a little bit later in the thread.
cgwhitemonk11, the info is still valid. A little may have changed, but for the most part it is up to date. But by the sounds of it, you are too good for the job since its not multi. Just stay in Europe chasing the dream of the big steel and not living a great lifestyle. Something that you will need with a kid on the way.
That excellent post was entered in November 2010. You don't need much mental agility to surmise that salaries might, worst case, have stayed the same while the cost of living has gone up 15%. Something similar, even if incorrect, would reflect at least an educated estimation. The finishing school that Maun became was not designed for pilots to make money. It's been a sort of production line, hasn't it. Put a wurzel on the conveyor belt and out pops a pilot? There've been one or two exceptions to that rule of course and Post #1 is an excellent example which doesn't merit asinine comments from those who will not research their endeavours sufficiently to merit consideration as anything other than the starting commodity on the aforementioned circular beltway.
Thanks... This is a life-changing experience, to go to Botswana (or Namibia) in search of a flying job. Whether you land that first job or not, it will change the way you view the world and yourself. Any kind of commitment like this requires significant research (for most of us), so to take hours, days, weeks, even months to read everything available is a reasonable expectation. Not only did I read through everything available in places like this thread, but I started regularly reading the online and printed newspapers from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, etc. Africa is a different place than most of us know, the people are different, the life is different. If you're serious, you'll take the time to read and familiarize yourself with the information available. Then, questions like "what is the pay?", "what is it like to live there?", "what do I need to bring?", will all be answered, as will questions like "what are my chances if I have X and Y?" Although recently there have been some changes in visa requirements, the basics have not changed, and almost any question you can think of has already been answered, repeatedly. Start at the beginning, read the whole thing, it might take a few weeks, but when you're done you'll know whether or not you're coming.
I have actually followed this thread since its early days, but getting annoyed at people for popping in now and then to ask a question is a bit silly as most people don't follow every single post. i do appreciate that people need to do the proper research and obviously fully reading all threads should be done prior to anyone going, but for something thats at least a year away I'm not quite at that point yet!
And for the record I would not be disrespectful enough to consider myself too good for the job, but personally I am fortunate enough to have access to those kind of aircraft in my own country at the moment. If I was to stay here more than likely I would be on a Caravan in a year or so, similar to Africa as it seems... Everybody's circumstances are different and I would love to go to Africa, or Asia for that matter, but I would like to see a potential progression path (as you quite rightly pointed out I have a kid on the way!)...
But then again you may very well see me on here next year getting ready to go!
Chasing heavy tin where you are away from home a lot. Working long hours. On a very average salary.
Flying planes, in a nice town, on an african salary where you and your family can live comfortably, where you are home most nights working daylight hours.
Progression is not as important as lifestyle. A lot of us only realise that once we have progressed as far as we can go.
Like I said, I wouldn't be shocked at all if it ends up being the place for me, just not quite yet... Unless they don't mind me sitting in the RHS with a BabyBjorn on?!
Chasing heavy tin where you are away from home a lot. Working long hours. On a very average salary.
Been there seen it done it. Disagree with the salary though, not in my case anyway. However totally agree with the rest of the post. That is why I changed my lifestyle and will hopefully live a longer albeit poorer life. Too old and bold to start bush flying but thank you guys for letting me fly right hand seat occasionally - terrific stuff. Only half a day though please, kindly do not exhaust a pensioner
Currently on the C208 but will fly anything. Wife and I (and baby) are both wanting to take a sabatical from our "day jobs for say 12-18 months. I have lived in Africa but never flown there.
Thanks Redsteel
