Humanitarian Relief Flying

[Deep Stall]

A little help please!!! At the moment I'm a current airline pilot working within europe.However times been what they are I'd like to try my hand for six months or a year doing some kind of relief flying in Loki, Sudan or somewhere similiar. Up till now I've been unable to find any info on these types of operations and would appreciate a steer in the right direction.. .Cheers in advance..... . . . <small>[ 16 March 2002, 16:42: Message edited by: Deep Stall ]</small>

[contraxdog]

Is that because you have been put out to pasture for 6months till they can lay you off, or do you feel this burning urge to fly in mosquito infested, AK47 toting, s__t holes for little to nothing

[polzin]

Dog ....... .. .Care to explain ?

[the wizard of auz]

I asked a few of the same questions just recently and got quite a bit of usefull info.. .try a search in the archives on loki ( I spelled it wrong but loki should get a result) it was only a few months ago. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[Tokoloshe]

Deep Stall. .. .If you are "looking for a steer in the right direction" stay in the Northern hemisphere. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> . .Been there and got a cupboard full of T-shirts. If you haven't done this kind of thing before I certainly would not recommend it; especially if you are coming from the airline environment <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> . .I'm not sure if circumstances are forcing you into this decision but if you are determined to find the blood, sweat and tequilas, go for it <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> . .You can try Rossair, Balmoral, Solenta if you are serious.. .Good luck. . . . <small>[ 17 March 2002, 13:18: Message edited by: Tokoloshe ]</small>

[skymonkee]

Most of the negative will come from south african euro wannabe pilots.. .there are alot of ex sudan/somalia/kenya drivers in uk since 1998, forexactly opposite reasons that make you want to go there.. .give it a go but expect to commit more than 6 months and possibly most of your life if it gets in your system.. .its the other end of the spectrum to the airlines and by coincidence i am looking at avenues to let me enjoy noth caareers in parallel.. .. .i'm out of date with the recent contacts but good look anyway. you'll either love it or hate it.. .. .sky

[hoodzy]

Deep Stall,. .to want to go to Loki (Lokichoggio) if you havn't done any bush flying is a big change from what you have been doing, but in many ways for the good. As mentioned i would honest say your only real chance it to get in with Ross Air to fly a DHC-6 or a Turbine DC-3, but again its not that easy due to the environment you fly in. I spent 10 months flying there and had a wonderful time, plenty of beer, and lots of great girls and guys from all over the world. I was on good money US$4,500. a month plus daily alowance. Not all get this!! As someone said you will have to comit for a while. Again RossAir and Aviation Sans Frontiers are looking for C206 and C208 drivers. Good luck and have fun.

[B2N2]

Greetings!. .. .Aviation sans Frontieres: don't they need french pilots only? Do they accept FAA licenses?. .A+++. .. .Red One

[Deep Stall]

Cheers for all the good gen, at the moment im exploring the options(if any!) but I do feel it would be a worthwhile experience no matter where my career does end up!!

[Cardinal Puff]

Howzit hoodzy. .. .sorry I missed ya last time in Oz. Bakkies now with TransAfrik and doing well I hear. . .. .As for flying in South Sudan, we both know the good times outweigh the bad but man, those bad times can get a bit much.. .. ....Later, boet....

[Chris2]

Hello Deep stall. .. .The UN and Red Cross flying is usually done by private companies and a lot of these are based in South Africa. You are employed by the private company and not by the aid organisations directly.. .. .Some of the companies you could try are Ross Air and King Air Services, at Lanseria airport Johannesburg, or Balmoral and Federal Air at Virginia airport in Durban. These companies operate Beechcraft (200/1900) all over Africa and also in Afghanistan, usually for passenger transport. Two other companies who fly mainly cargo are Safair, based at Johannesburg International, C130s, and Transafrik from Sao Tome (?) who operate C130s and 727s for the UN.. .. .You will need a SA license or at least validation to fly for most of these companies except Transafrik.. .. .Best regards and good luck!. .Cloggie. . . . <small>[ 23 March 2002, 18:49: Message edited by: Cloggie ]</small>

[Caribou 2]

If you are with the right outfit, the money can be good. Loki is a bit wild west, but a cell phone will still work there !. The experience is excellent and makes you really appreciate the far safer world of airline flying in Europe and the West. Last year a young Scandanavian pilot died when a stray round hit him at the controls of the "RED 911" King Air. When you consider every goat herd from Yirol to the Lower Nile is totting some sort of weapon or another low level work is very risky. Ground stops can present some interesting challenges. SKY RELIEF had a DHC5 hit on ground during a bombing raid and a drunken MPLA officer can be far more dangerous than the Government fighter attacks in rebel areas. Operation Lifeline Sudan has been the training ground of loads of guys who have gone on to great airline careers. There are also some old hands ut there who pass on really good experiance over cold beers at Trackmark.You have to weigh up the pros and cons yourself but I thoroughly recommend it..........

[Tokoloshe]

Hey Cardinal Puff. .. .Drop us an e-mail if you can..... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />