Breaking into African bush flying

[californiaO]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice about how to go about becoming a bush pilot in Africa. I would assume that finishing off my commercial license at one of the bush speciality schools in South Africa would be a good start. Are any of those schools better than others? Any schools outside of South Africa? Also, does anyone know about flight training in Egypt? I haven't been able to find anything on the internet, but am planning on being in Cairo Jan next year. I was thinking Egypt would be a good place to build hours because of the gas prices. Anyone have experience with rental/purchase of trainer aircraft in this area? Also, what types of issues with work visas can I expect (obviously depends on country). Yes, I am aware of what is involved in bush flying in Africa so please don't waste your breath trying to dissaude me.

Thanks,

the O

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

Well, we can only try to accomodate such an entertaining inquiry really.

Bush flying in South Africa is extraordinarily difficult these days to enter into involuntarily.
Most airfields that have training schools situated on the facility have long and wide tarmac runways, precisely to discourage that sort of frowned upon exercise.
Finishing off a US Commercial Licence in SA is quite possible, depending on the school one chooses. It should be noted however that this can be a logistically tedious process, in keeping with the original information request.
FAA regulations do not sit too well with the SA CAA which tends to think it is more JAR orientated. It might be better to terminate the flight training process in some North American state such as North Dakota or Wyoming. Surprisingly enough, there is more open space there. The South African bush is becoming very cluttered up with squatter camps and shows every sign of becoming even more congested with detritus from north of the Limpopo.
Flight training for the civilian in Egypt is next to impossible. The entire structure of aviation there is geared toward the Egyptian Air Force. Fuel prices are not particularly cheaper in Egypt than anywhere else but most certainly are so in both Saudi Arabia and Libya. The latter country in particular apparently welcomes foreign students and provides a wealth of archaeological sites and places of interest to occupy one's leisure time.
As to work permits, there will always be a problem because the African continent as a whole tends to be somewhat protectionist and does not much like depriving the locals, of whatever colour or religious persuasion, of jobs to the advantage of foreigners.
Since you are completely familiar with the complexities of African bush flying we will ignore bilharzia and any advice relating to type ratings and turbine experience. One will further not touch upon the rumoured requirement for an international diploma in diplomacy and manners as a pre-requisite for ferrying extremely rich American toourists around the skies of one's beloved continent.
One does so much hope that this has not been a total waste of breath and that the enjoyment in the digesting of it all will prove to be as sardonically amusing as has been the pleasure of drafting it.
Toodle Pip.:)

[NG Driver]

cavortingcheetah, you were a bit rough with the poor guy don't you think?

CaliforniaO... Send me a Private Message and I'll fill you in as best I can.

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:
Magnanimity shall be the watchword of tonight, which is more than was shown to a lot of poor baby Egyptian first borns this night some years ago.
If one is to believe Cecil B DeMille, they were all wiped out by a slimy green cloud while Charlton Heston, only somewhere around his mid thirties (RIP) although he looked as old as Moses, waited on the sidelines as poor old Yul Brynner mourned the loss of his eldest son.
Therefore and in keeping with the above spirit and to demonstrate hugeness of heart, the stuck out tongue thingy has been removed and replaced with a smiley little face.:{

[californiaO]

Yeah, I expected my obvious inexperience would produce at least a couple smart assed responses. Thanks for your gentleness.

I'm not especially interested in working in South Africa necessarily, I was just asking about the flight schools there because that was all I found. I guess Egypt fuel prices aren't as low as I thought. I knew Libya had some of the lowest, but as far as I knew Egyptian unleaded was pretty comparable so I assumed other fuels would follow suit. Any flight schools in Libya you know of? Ever rented aircraft there?

As far as the licensing goes, I thought there was some sort of reciprocal agreement between the contracting states to the convention on international civil aviation. Maybe what cheetah was saying was that a partially completed license would be more difficult to transfer than an existing commercial license.

Something I forgot to mention is that I am also a UK citizen. Would this be helpful in obtaining work visas in commonwealth countries?

Cheetah: What were those type ratings suggestions you were hinting about? Do you know of any flight schools or rental operations in Libya? I don't really see Saudi Arabia being any cheaper than the US other than fuel costs. The reason I said not to waste your breath was because I've seen similar posts, and the responses are all just people claiming its too dangerous, you'll never be a real bush pilot if you have to ask, I've spilled more booze than you've drunk, etc.

Thanks,

Owen

[Africrash]

Hi

First up the UK passport will not help you in Africa, though some commonwealth passports will.

I dont think there are any schools specialising in real bush skills, every area has it's own set of challenges, what is easy in one nation is a problem else where.

If you want to get in to flying in Africa, get out to Botswana, Tanzania or wherever and contact the flight companies, be humble, work hard, get the local license as fast as possible, learn the local rules. much better than a course which is probably no help outside the country where you do it.

Best of luck

Crash

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

A handsome response to a previous and very slightly flippant post.
In general terms it would pehaps be the better course of action to complete the US ticket and to arrive in Africa, Australia or wherever with a full fledged FAA licence.
It is obvious that different operators use a variety of aircraft for their bush flying operations. The reference to type ratings was more along the suggestive lines of obtaining experience in the USA on one or more of the most popular machines, such as the Cessna 206 or 208 or indeed, whatever you find to be the flavour of the skies.
The UK passport would probably be no particular help in obtaining a work permit but it might well allow one a greater latitude in entry visa time in a Commonwealth country.

Botswana has always been a good place to gain bush experience. There is an operator based in Gaberone, Kalahari Air Services (KASAC) .

http://www.kalahariair.co.bw/

It specialises in aircraft maintaince but the owner could probably give you some decent 'heads up' information of bush flying there.

South Africa is full of young and relatively inexperienced pilots who all want to get in to airline flying and who compete vigourously for any aviation jobs which become available while they await their turn in the selection interview process.

In East Africa, you might pick up a contact for an enquiry from this link

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/nbo-wilson05.htm

No experience of Australia to pass on although the last time I looked
here.

http://www.flyingdoctor.net/

They wanted some para medical type of experience and the competition from the locals was intense.

That's about all the input available at the moment but will keep the ears open for any information from south of the green and greasy and will relay it if anything more useful than the above materialises.
Hope that helps a little in a constructive vein and allow one to wish you the best of luck. There aren't too many real bush pilots left nowadays I suppose.
The ability to inhale vile cigars, drink neat brandy and cavort with local women would possibly be of an advantage. Unfortunatly, most countries do not allow one to pack a handgun these days, used to be useful for shooting pythons as they crawled up the wing struts of the 207:)

[NG Driver]

cavortingcheetah, I was wrong about you, you're a gentleman after all!

[Lynessa]

dude , why bother becoming a bush pilot when the whole of the African Aviation Industry is looking for pilots.
You can do allot better than sitting in some S:mad: hole.

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:

These days both Boeing and Airbus are increasingly developing aircraft for those who cannot actually fly but are just about capable of tackling a simple, joystick operated computer system.
By contrast, bush flying is in fact just about the most fun aviation that remains to us today. The only qualification one might like to add to that it that bush flying is even more fun when undertaken in in a properly sophisticated and air conditioned aeroplane such as a Beech 200.
(Also the B200 has a suction pee tube, even if not necessarily lavatorially equipped, which can be handy).
Obviously enough, one is not of a charitable bent and has no desire whatsoever to fly blue socked liberal know nothings around the filthy and dusty squatter camps of Ethiopia or Somaliland or even German West Africa. However, the rewards to be gained from flying the tourists around the bush far exceed the occasional massive pour boire and the more usual assignation; under the gibbous moon, waxing or waning, depending on its plane of rising or falling,
with the wife or daughter or sometimes conjunctively, of he who charters the aeroplane.
As for the salubriousness of the places one may sit or not, never has one heard Mala Mala, Pemba, Kilimanjaro, Malindi, or even Victoria Falls, all places frequented by bush pilots, referred to as long drops.
Just an idle thought really on an equally idle afternoon.:uhoh:

[OLVpilot]

California UK man,

Just go to Maun. I quite literally walked off the plane and got employment. Albeit I just as quickly walked away from it due to not having enough money to last me the few months for processing! Therefore, go to Maun (with a nice amount of cash) and you'll be fine.

[Jay Bo]

OLVpilot how much money are we talking about here to sustain oneself and for how long

cheers

[ByAirMail]

The only qualification one might like to add to that it that bush flying is even more fun when undertaken in in a properly sophisticated and air conditioned aeroplane such as a Beech 200.

Or a L382 ?

[EX-FED]

These days both Boeing and Airbus are increasingly developing aircraft for those who cannot actually fly but are just about capable of tackling a simple, joystick operated computer system.
By contrast, bush flying is in fact just about the most fun aviation that remains to us today.


Well put, Cheetah; well put, indeed. I don't even want to say anything else to take away from your statement!

Happy Flying:D

[OLVpilot]

Jay bo,

I'd say a 1000USD would be the lowest to bring-and even at that you'd want to cook at home-be careful with buying too much beer and try and secure a place to live as soon as you can.

Maun is very expensive, a rude awaking in fact. Going on a naive assumption that average income of the population was lower than Latin America, I believed that Botswana would be much less. Wrong.......

Bring as much cash as you can, if not, you could perhaps ask one of the backpacker lodge owners if you could stay at a discounted rate or tidy up in exchange for rent.

Of course, if you get on with Sefofane in Maun, they'll pay for your accomodation while waiting for the permit processing. In which case, you wouldn't have to bring a grand with you.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

I agree with cavortingcheetah there is a slight difference between flying an Airbus or a Boeing here is a picture of a bush plane I flew all over Africa.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e353/ChuckEllsworth/Africanriver.jpg

That was in Senegal a few years ago, they burn more fuel than a Cessna 206 but they also carry more payload.

Anyhow no doubt about it , cavortingcheetah is bang on bush flying is real flying. :E

[kingpost]

Try Sefofane. Good luck

[JTrain]

You might check out the ramp at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, the Caravan operators are always looking for people.

[sslut]

Often wondered why the saying goes - big cock, little brain - but i think I'm beginning to understand now.

[bdhaywood]

If you really want experience all round you could join us in zim we have a fair number of jobs going at the mo and with air zim about to recruit again there may be a few more, although working in zim is not for the faint hearted