1000 hrs and I fancy a change

[mauntown08]

okay so first of all please play nice this is my first post

Right so I'm currently working in Botswana, flying around the delta. Recently reached 1000 hours TT and should be flying the caravan soon. So with a view to leaving here in around 6 months time I'm trying to get some idea of where to go next. I'm not overly keen to try airlines yet, I want to have a bit more fun.:E

I'm basically looking for ideas on which country I may find work. I'm from the UK with a JAA ATPL, and I'm willing to move anywhere. An IFR job would be preferential but haven't ruled out more VFR stuff if the place is right. If you have any ideas please let me know.

Cheers

[IrishJetdriver]

Stay put. Hold on to your job and every day go outside beating your chest and shouting "it's great to be alive and have a job, i'd be out of my mind to even think of giving it up given the economic conditions"

[Bealzebub]

Yes I agree with that answer. If you have a job that is paying you a wage and providing experience and flying time, hang on to it with both hands! There are thousands of others ready and willing to snatch it from you.

I'm not overly keen to try airlines yet, I want to have a bit more fun. I have news for you. Those airlines will not be weeping tears of disappointment! They are making redundancies, cutbacks and cancellations in a truly dismal marketplace, with some very bleak prospects in the near and medium term future. There are people with very many thousands of hours in heavy metal also trying to keep the wolves from the door. Have more fun by all means, because there isn't much to be found in the wider industry.

As the global travel industry shrinks, and the economic contraction reduces the flow of tourism and business traffic, you would also be wise to keep a look out for dark storm clouds gathering on your own horizon.

[Phantasm]

mauntown08,

Greetings! Was once in a similar position to you (very familiar with Maun and everything it has to offer), and please dismiss the pessimism of most, as most haven't experienced the area of flying you're involved in. It can look almost rosy from where you're sat (and in fact, forget talk of dark clouds on your horizon or whatever analogy was regurgitated up, because the industry you are in is stable, and there will always be demand for it.). Travel industry has very little to do with this piece of the pie.

But for god's sake hold on for longer than six months. Expect an economic upturn in around 12-18 months, and I mean exactly that. Recovery, look for 2 years and for the aviation industry to catch up, a further year.

Hey, nobody can tell you what to do, there are hundreds of cadets finding jobs in 737s right now despite the downturn. There are also thousands of very experienced chaps up **** creek without a paddle. It depends on your circumstances. And that's something you've not let us in on, so in essence, nobody here is really qualified to give you any meaningful advice.

Pinch of salt etc, but I've seen it all before, it always gets better, just give it a couple of years before looking to pastures new!

Thanks and good luck

[Bealzebub]

The advice I gave was based on experience of "that type of flying", and many years of this type of flying. What a lovely prospect that an area of tourism related aviation is immune from the global downturn in tourism. Lets hope you are right. Perhaps you could advise the poster where he might (if he gets bored) join the "hundreds of cadets getting jobs on (reluctant)737's right now despite the downturn." I am obviously looking out of a different window!

Anyway if this advice is "half baked" perhaps our 20 year old 744 skip' would further enlighten us on his observations and past experience? :rolleyes:

Does This post #97 (http://www.pprune.org/4779872-post97.html) help?

[Bla Bla Bla]

phantasm,

If places like Maun are not touched by the down turn then why are they almost 50% down from last year.

Very few sectors of aviation are not touched by the down turn but tourism is definitely not one of them. I would imagine some thing like fisheries patrol or aerial fire fighting would be ok ish but apart from that I doubt that there are many others not feeling it.

[Phantasm]

80% of flying in that part of the world don't be belonging in tourism my friend as you must well know having spent years around such a crowd!

Why doth the locals love the airyplane? Because it's damn well the only way you get out of the bush in any reasonable time. Dirt cheap out that way as well. Sorry, but I was out there in the early 90s and to me, things only got better out there during the recession... **** knows why, I aint an economyisty! This is why our friend the OP is on here guns blazing ready to throw in the towel on a job flying caravoons at 20S! Very easy to forget what's going on in the rest of the world because in essence you live a very separated existence and is easy to lose touch with reality.

But what the hell do I know, right? :}

edit - bla etc... my area was medical, similar analogy to your firefighting example. I assumed this was what the OP was on about.

[Bealzebub]

Sorry, but I was out there in the early 90s and to me, things only got better out there during the recession... **** knows why, I aint an economyisty!

That is good, but if you are a 744 skip' now and 20 years old, in the early nineties you would have been what, 2,3,4 years old? That is very young to have been flying or even an "economyisty."

Very easy to forget what's going on in the rest of the world because in essence you live a very separated existence and is easy to lose touch with reality.
But what the hell do I know, right?

No I think this is probably very much an area of strong expertise for you!

[Phantasm]

Wish I were!!!!!! :{

[Bla Bla Bla]

It is hard to stay in Maun I know, been there done that but if you can, stick at it. There is not much else outside the maun bubble at the moment.

[Flintstone]

Now, now my little multi-personaed friend. You know what happened last time you started dispensing your wisdom to those in need of advice. We had that unpleasantness of exposing your fibs about being a bush pilot in a 172 that in later versions became a Caravan that crashed yet no authorities had any record of. Behave yourself and leave mauntown08 alone or I'll dig out 'Ade's File' from my hard drive. The one with your photo labelled "Me and my girlfriend" that under properties is actually labelled "Me and my sis".

mauntown, you have mail. For the benefit of anyone in the same position as you though I'd repeat what others have said, stay put for a while. With your hours and experience you might just have enough to make the next step up but not enough to save you from being the first out the door at your next company with the merest hint of bad news.

[flybyshark]

I have friends still in mauntown and a bunch that have recently left for other parts of africa to gain further experience, some focusing on getting twin time, others utilising their Van ratings and getting decent paid contract work.

follow in their footsteps, use your connections to move on.

Before this credit crunch happened there was 2 'fun' routes to pursue that didnt include pursuing the airline gig just yet.

1) If you were on the islander (when I was there only 4 outfits still used them) then you could go to Caribbean and enjoy the beach life.

2) Go to Indo on the Van.

Main way to go though was to head north and put your Van rating to use doing contract flying. Hard work but paid well (especially considering how the terms are deteriorating in current climate)

OR

as others have said, stay where you are and save some coin. Buy Tassies instead of Pinot and try not to visit a different bar each night :hmm:yeah right!

I left just over 2 years ago and there are still about a dozen pilots I trained/worked with still there when the norm is to leave after 2 years. So you are not alone in hanging in there for better times to come.

[superdash]

Wow a thread that might actually be of interest and all the usual crowd can do is pick a fight..........:mad:

[Luke SkyToddler]

No actually I'm much more interested in seeing pics of the girlfriend / sister!! :D

[hollingworthp]

No actually I'm much more interested in seeing pics of the girlfriend / sister!!

Me too! :ok:

[The Beer Hunter]

Incestuous sis pics always appreciated but I do enjoy seeing a good Walt-outing. So many pretenders and liars in this game, amuses me when they are exposed.

"Rocks! Gravel! Get 'em while they're sharp!"



mauntown. Stay in the job.

[trex450]

stay put, you have a hands on job in a great area and the hours are gaining nicely. Unless money/location are a big motivation do you really want to be looking for work with EasyJet or the like out of somewhere wet and miserable like Luton? The fun is looking out of the window, not at a set of instruments.

[mauntown08]

For those who have actually tried to help thanks very much guys.

I'm not intending to leave here straight away with no job to go to. I'm aware the market is horrendous at the moment but I'm looking at ideas of places to go when the time comes that I decide to move onwards. Had thought of moving north and contract flying but not sure. Papua New Guinea is also an option I'm considering. SO if anyone else has any ideas either form personal experience or from what they have heard please feel free to share.

Cheers

[Luke SkyToddler]

1000 hours VFR in singles = not particularly impressive even as total time, once you have 3000 and nowhere to go then it's time to move on sure but, if you really plan to stay in GA then your next step is probably a multi piston job in a chieftain or something like that and a lot of people won't even let you near one of those without 1500 or 2000 total. I got my first paid Seneca job with a bit over 2000 TT in singles and only got the big upgrade to the chieftain after a year in the seneca ;(

If your long term goal is airline work, even in 5 or 10 years down the track, your only ambition should be first and foremost multi engine and / or IFR work of any kind. King Airs / B1900s or something like that would be your ideal target market if you can find them, although I'd even take a hammered old Aztec in preference to the C208 if I had the choice personally and my long term goal was returning to Europe. The caravan, although it looks pretty cool if you're still driving the C206, does not actually cut any more mustard if it's still operated as VFR bush bashing. I know that Maun is 90% piston singles but if you can even get a tiny sniff of some multi or some IFR while you're there, then pursue it relentlessly, even 100 or 200 hours of that will open a few bigger doors.

I wouldn't really view a trek to PNG as a progressive step in your career, certainly not if you're getting paid to fly in Maun.

[Finals19]

Mauntown -

To back up what Luke is saying, best stay put and get some ME time if you can. Not to denigrate turbine time at all, but if you can get some more experience (IFR/ME) before heading back to Europe, it will stand you in good stead.

I'm around 1200hrs TT, have about 850 multi piston in Air Taxi (Chieftains) and can't get even a sniff of a job in the UK right now. I para-drop to keep current but thats it. Its a dry baron waste land out there at the moment - even the smaller operators (possibly not surprisingly) are battening down the hatches.

Keep on building, concentrate on IFR stuff if you can and sit tight keeping current until this mess in Europe sorts itself out.

[Avturbound]

Hey mate,

As others have said before me, stick with the job you have if you can get on caravans turbine your laughing stay settled get some more time under your belt. i myself have about 1200 and currently flight instructing i enjoy it but need a change from australia wat are the conditions like in botswana, wat company you at was there 3 years ago travelling beautiful country.!

cheers CP

[Luke SkyToddler]

Furthermore - and I forgot to say this before but its important - do NOT under any circumstances quit your current job unless you have a rock solid, signed sealed and delivered better job to go to. Your worst fear in the current situation should not be total time or multi time or whatever but rather CURRENCY. A 1000 hour TT guy who's current, will get the job over a 3000 hour guy who is 6 months uncurrent.

If you quit your job for some half assed promise of a job in some other country and it turns out to be not happening, then you will be completely and utterly royally screwed in the job market we have at present - because you can be sure that if you go and ask for your old job back they will have already given it to one of the other several hundred desperate unemployed pilots they have on file.

Stay current on something - anything - and the hours will keep ticking over and good times will eventually roll around again, trust me :ok: