New TV show "Bush Pilots" on TV tonight

[piperboy84]

Watched the new show filmed in Botswana ferrying tourists to upmarket digs in a wildlife reserve.

Not sure about calling themselves "Bush Pilots" the strips looked to be a pretty good standard and plenty length, the giraffe that needed chased off the strip was quite funny though.

[jxk]

In case anyone wants to watch this programme it's on the DAVE channel at 20:00hrs for the rest of the week here in the UK.

[this is my username]

It kind of lost me when one of the pilots was making a "desperate" bid to reach a strip before nightfall, landing with "moments to spare" - we then saw him being driven to the game lodge and settling in there whilst still in broad daylight .....

[Slopey]

It's edited in the same fashion as Ice Road Truckers/Ice Pilots - i.e. take a portion of the flight which is perfectly safe/uneventful, and continually repeat it with dramatic music until the incident passes off without "incident", then repeat it again at another point in the show for a recap.

Although it is nice to have another flying programme on TV. Not quite as good as Flying Wild Alaska though.

[biffo28]

Yes, some of these programmes like to introduce drama/danger where it doesn't really exist.

Although not related to flying, the best one for exaggeration is the one about Eddie Stobbarts lorry fleet - In this they try to make a delivery of food to a supermarket into a sensational event!

Its really worth watching for the unintentional comedic aspect!

[piperboy84]

the best one for exaggeration is the one about Eddie Stobbarts lorry fleet - In this they try to make a delivery of food to a supermarket into a sensational event!

I agree, in one episode they were delivering cakes from a bakery to a supermarket, the journey was accompanied with Mission Impossible type music with camera work similar to that used in the Dambusters movie, switching back and forth from the “skippers” steely facial expressions to other traffic on the motorway. The nervous excitement was almost too much to bear wondering whether he was going to manage backing into the loading dock, to my great relief the flashing red lights signalled he was “over target” and the warehouse door was thrown open. The temptation to jump up and do a lap of the coffee table high fiving the family was hard to resist.

My joy at realising the lemon meringue pie delivery mission was a complete success was however somewhat tempered, when contemplating during the closing credits whether a reheated plate of sausage, beans, egg and chips at the Charnock Warner services off the M6 really was a sufficient reward from a grateful nation, or at least sweet toothed Tesco shoppers, for this brave chaps actions.

Never in the field of human endeavour have so few, delivered so much cholesterol, to so many !!!

[stevef]

It's not too bad so far. Exaggeration in places of course; the voice-over suggested that it was suicide to try a landing at a camp in the darkness. When I was working there, a pilot flew a C206 into a bush strip at night time to medevac a boy who'd been burned in a hut fire. He put it down by vehicle lighting in pretty grim weather conditions too.
The boy survived, thanks to Mark.
It's true that nightfall comes quickly in Africa and the wildlife, both inside and outside, can be a problem. A female pilot got airborne in a Caravan out of Maun and then noticed a snake curled up by the rudder pedals!
An interesting place if you've got the right attitude.

[fattony]

Did anyone else notice a shot of one of the aircraft taxiing (can't remember what it was) with what looked like the pitot cover on?

[VMC-on-top]

It was interesting, from an entertainment point of view, others have said.

However, the guy flying between the two storm cells made my toes curl! I wouldn't fly between two cells like that - would anyone else? (maybe inexperience on my part) - I try to give them as wide a berth as possible.

[Sam Rutherford]

Anyone remember the producer posting here, looking for pilots headed out there?

Nice to see the project come to fruition!

Fly safe, Sam.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

He was simply flying between two areas of heavy rain coming out the bases. He had a clear passage through. As the commentary said "if you can see through, you can fly through". Done much the same many times, though not in Africa.

If he had really been that close to real storm cells, it would have been a much rougher ride than that!

[neilgeddes]

Did anyone else notice a shot of one of the aircraft taxiing (can't remember what it was) with what looked like the pitot cover on?

Maybe deliberate to keep the bugs out?

[Floppy Link]

Caught the tail end of the repeat of last night's episode this afternoon. Especially liked the quote

...the lodge is on an island completely surrounded by water...

Glad they cleared that up. It's also on the ground completely under the sky.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Maybe deliberate to keep the bugs out?

Or just moving it on the ground.

G

[DavidWoodward]

the best one for exaggeration is the one about Eddie Stobbarts lorry fleet - In this they try to make a delivery of food to a supermarket into a sensational event!

I agree, in one episode they were delivering cakes from a bakery to a supermarket, the journey was accompanied with Mission Impossible type music with camera work similar to that used in the Dambusters movie, switching back and forth from the “skippers” steely facial expressions to other traffic on the motorway. The nervous excitement was almost too much to bear wondering whether he was going to manage backing into the loading dock, to my great relief the flashing red lights signalled he was “over target” and the warehouse door was thrown open. The temptation to jump up and do a lap of the coffee table high fiving the family was hard to resist.

My joy at realising the lemon meringue pie delivery mission was a complete success was however somewhat tempered, when contemplating during the closing credits whether a reheated plate of sausage, beans, egg and chips at the Charnock Warner services off the M6 really was a sufficient reward from a grateful nation, or at least sweet toothed Tesco shoppers, for this brave chaps actions.

Never in the field of human endeavour have so few, delivered so much cholesterol, to so many !!!

Best post ever.

[pudoc]

I love how on these TV shows that make it sound super dangerous that the runway has some puddles and there's a high chance the pilot won't make take off speed and he will crash and burn into a giraffe.

If it was that dangerous he wouldn't go, end of. No gripping television really. If they just filmed him flying, off-loading and some comms I'd be happy.

[funfly]

Saw the program (a bit OTT) but didn't see the pitot tube cover.
However I seem to remember a pitot cover that stays on and the wind opens it up at taxi speed.

[FREDAcheck]

Not quite as good as Flying Wild Alaska though.
Quite. No Twetos.

Things is, all these programmes are a bit samey. I enjoyed Flying Wild Alaska, but after a few programmes of rather forced melodrama and lots of wannabes trying to get jobs, there's not a lot new except different climate and different wild animals on the runway. And no Twetos.

[RyanRs]

I saw the pitot cover on that taxing aircraft, i just assumed it was to keep the sand out, perhaps they remove it right at the last possible moment?

I am also a trucker, class 1 just the same as the stobarts, and i carry Fuel! Imagine how much more dangerous 40,000L of liquid propane is than a trailer load of supermarket cream cakes! Yet funny enough, i don't seem to experience ANY of the dramas that them stobart lot doo! loool

[Slopey]

And no Twetos.

Indeed - I wonder if Ariel can fly yet? (EDIT: According to wikipedia, she got it in April 2012).

It would appear that Flying Wild Alasaka is now up to Season 3! I've only seen S1 so far, so I'm off to find the others.

[Piltdown Man]

...the guy flying between the two storm cells made my toes curl!

That's probably where the GPS said fly. So he did!

But overall, I think the program is a bit lame. Bush flying is the aeronautical equivalent of white van driving, but just more regulated and slightly more expensive. It probably carries about the same degree of risk as well. If the flying is done properly, the program should be pretty boring - which it is.

PM

[aviate1138]

TV Reality Documentaries are getting worse.

One situation where all radio com with the local tower are lost and two light aircraft [in touch and communicating relative positions approaching the runway] are made to appear to be about to crash into each other [according to the hysterical voice over commentary] and the viewer is led to believe that only ATC can get the aircraft down safely! So how on earth do bush pilots land 'safely' on non radio strips????

Frankly it's worse than the Eddie Stobart truck series.

[piperboy84]

TV Reality Documentaries are getting worse

I was thinking the same thing, I wonder how the pilot would have managed flying into a non towered field back home in Canada never mind out in the bush, would he also have had a hissy fit if other traffic were nearby?

I bet the Stobart driver would have had less drama if he was flying in there !

[Slopey]

His comment (paraphrasing at the end - can't remember it exactly): "If this was 1st world it would have been a major incident!", did seem a bit silly. Considering all the other little strips he goes into day in, day out are un-controlled, what's the problem?? :confused:

What is quite surprising however is that there are dozens of pilots camped out in the bush for months chasing one or two positions. You see comments about going down to Africa in the Wannabe's forums - I never actually thought people would just yomp down and camp out on the door step - well, not in those numbers anyway. But I guess they need to start servicing that big loan!

[Lord Spandex Masher]

Was this the same bloke who said something along the lines of "flying in turbulence is dangerous because when you get a gust you double your lift and your wings will snap".

Erm!

[Evanelpus]

It kind of lost me when one of the pilots was making a "desperate" bid to reach a strip before nightfall, landing with "moments to spare" - we then saw him being driven to the game lodge and settling in there whilst still in broad daylight .....

It's the Twetos meeting Hugh Rowlands meeting Joe McBryan.

Take it for what it is, entertainment, you won't go far wrong!

[Slopey]

You know, Alaskan Ice Road Pilots Flying Wild NWT would be a great idea for a show! :O

[Crash one]

Just watched the re-run, ref the lack of RT (ATC) "The pilot instructed the other aircraft to land first,". I don't bloody think so!! A mid air collision was avoided? Really? 2 a/c in the one circuit at the same time, total gridlock.:mad::ugh:

[abgd]

It probably carries about the same degree of risk as well.

In Alaska, about 1/8 bush pilots are killed over the course of their careers. In Africa I don't know, but I'd be willing to bet it's at least 2 orders of magnitude more dangerous than driving a white van.

[trident3A]

I think what makes Ice Pilots the pick of these shows is the vintage hardware

[mikehallam]

Well au contraire,

Saw Wednesday night's (TV S.England) prog which helped me today.
'Fly the Plane' they said, which I remembered well,& got on with on take-off today when I was suddenly distracted.

From our strictly 'superior' knowledge it may be a bit badly produced/collated etc. but the makers must end up with a commercially viable product, not a training film.

Shirley we can all see the good bits beyond its obvious flaws ?

mike hallam.

[Nibbler]

I recently read about complaints from airline captains about the lack of experience new FO's have these days. As nice as all those wannabe pilots probably are the program shines a bright light on this point very well. Looking at the alternatives for minted ATPL's to gain high quality flight experience I'd suggest commercial bush flying is probably up there with the very best.

Good luck to all of them, although the comment about Flying Wild Alaska not being as difficult was pretty dumb.

[Unusual Attitude]

I liked some of the sneaky tricks used by the Cheif Pilot such as dropping the flaps on the take-off run and opening the window as a distraction on take off, actually very valid training too.

Thanks for the ideas, some poor sod will be on the recieving end of those in the next few months....:}

[niceday2700classic]

The thing that gets me about these type of shows is how little actual content there is.

After every commercial break (or even after just a change in subject on the show) the viewer is given a lengthy re-cap of previous events, with the various scenarios re-explained and clips re-shown.

Combine this with the little interludes where they profile characters, hardware or locations, I would be surprised if there is any more than 5 or 10 minutes of actual content in a show.

[riverrock83]

I liked some of the sneaky tricks used by the Cheif Pilot such as dropping the flaps on the take-off run and opening the window as a distraction on take off, actually very valid training too.


Agreed although seemed a bit mean on his first flight after 4 months...
The door open during takeoff has been drilled home to me by my instructor as I believe it has happened many times on PA28s when the overhead lever is forgotten (or fails) and it is only being kept closed by the flimsy door handle.

Mind you - he still got the job...

[Evanelpus]

After every commercial break (or even after just a change in subject on the show) the viewer is given a lengthy re-cap of previous events

If memory serves me well this applies to Alaskan Bush Pilots, Ice Road Truckers, Ice Pilots et al. They are all the same!:ugh:

[500 above]

Why leave a well paid job with a decent working pattern where you can easily fly to South Africa several times a month to take on a low paid job whereby he will be working most likely six or seven days a week and then have to take a very expensive flight from Maun to South Africa?

Have you ever worked for RYR? :ugh:

Maybe he simply wanted to put some fun into his flying, having got over "shiny jet syndrome". I'll have to watch the series, one of my ex students is in it - hopefully not the one who left the pitot cover on!

[500 above]

Not everybody in Maun lives in a tent!

[Evanelpus]

Where did my last post go?

In a different post had I be bothered to look harder, derrrrrr!

[The500man]

Why leave a well paid job with a decent working pattern where you can easily fly to South Africa several times a month to take on a low paid job whereby he will be working most likely six or seven days a week and then have to take a very expensive flight from Maun to South Africa?

He said he saved up to go fly float planes in Canada so he could do something more interesting than jet flying, but he spent his money paying for his sisters cancer treatment. Africa is probably a cheaper place to get into bush flying for a European pilot considering air fares, license conversions, and visa's. Did you even watch it?

[maxdrypower]

And lets not forget the idiotic operations woman , " out of all the uk pilots scots are the only ones that pull their weight " ??? WTF ?

[riverrock83]

And lets not forget the idiotic operations woman , " out of all the uk pilots scots are the only ones that pull their weight " ??? WTF ?
Sounds fair to me. She gets bonus points for knowing that the UK consists of more than just England :ok:

[darkroomsource]

Quote:
Originally Posted by maxdrypower
And lets not forget the idiotic operations woman , " out of all the uk pilots scots are the only ones that pull their weight " ??? WTF ?
Sounds fair to me. She gets bonus points for knowing that the UK consists of more than just England
She is the one you have to impress to get hired there... so that's a HUGE tip for UK pilots who want to fly in Bots.

[fattony]

She gets bonus points for knowing that the UK consists of more than just England

If I recall correctly, she actually said something pretty stupid, like "out of everyone in England, only the Scots pull their weight". :ugh: It was something like that anyway.

[riverrock83]

If I recall correctly, she actually said something pretty stupid, like "out of everyone in England, only the Scots pull their weight". :ugh: It was something like that anyway.

Just watching the episode now. You're right. :ugh::ugh::ugh:

[Evanelpus]

Good to see the ex RYR guy getting a break. I never noticed before last nights episode but he does mumble a little and speaks very short and quick, I suppose it's a by product of trying to get a word in with European ATC:D

[aerofoil1]

Ryan
It's true tv companies love to jazz things up a bit I work for stobarts and it's nowhere near how they portray.
I watched the 1st episode of bush pilots the one where there was no communication from the control tower, ok no big deal but common sense tells you to keep a very good look out and land communicate with the other inbound aircraft and jobs a good one no?
Tv about stobarts was funny in places but that's not the real world !!

[pax britanica]

I should nto complain since i like flying documentaries a lot more than Uzbekstans Teen Mums have Talent. But a few things made me smile in tuesdyas hsow-anyone catch the 'only these planes (Cessnas) can fly here with their special big lo pressure wheels and a small wheel at the front for steering'

Also is Botswana really 'bush' ? Maun seems a organised neat airfield = orderly parked planes-huge modern hanger , clean , neat and tidy inside with all kinds of documentation and process evident -not evident rotting hulks of DC3s , Smoky old Antonovs and inumerable feral dogs and semi naked children which seem to characterise a lot of African strips elsewhere.

Its an interesting program though when looking at peoples motivation for the job- is two eyars there a good basis for the right hand seat of a Qaatr airways airbus-perhaps yes from what we have read about AF 447 (?) but itseems avery hit and miss proces for developing the airline captains of tomorow

[liam548]

There must be a lot of bush pilots in Africa, it sounds like all airline pilots start there if you believe the program.

Still it is nice to see something flying related on tv so don't moan too much:ok:

[The500man]

In that first interview when they asked for a joke, I was thinking **** I can't think of anything! Best I could come up with was some crap joke from the back of a Penguin wrapper!

[sapperkenno]

All these potential bush pilots do come across as a load of priviledged rich kids. I say that as these lot seem to just be there for a good time, sitting in the cafe all day and going on camping trips, one guy having his own 4x4 etc... Just spoiled British kids with lots of money enjoying themselves.

What's stopping them working while they are there? Is it a visa issue, a genuine lack of other work, or are they just on a bit of a "gap yah" type doss until they get a flying number?

If it was me, I'd be trying to earn a wage there to support myself, and try to be a bit more industrious than this lot seem.

Do any of the companies offer a sort of apprenticeship type deal, where if you're not well off, you can get an allowance for travelling to Africa, work for them in a ground role for a probationary period, and if they like you and you're a grafter, they'll let you fly for them? It just seems like these rich kids are going on a bit of a jolly, and making out being stuck in a tent for a month or 3 is hard work. The flying doesn't seem all that demanding either in all honesty, but that's another story!

[Checkboard]

What's stopping them working while they are there? Is it a visa issue
Yes, it's a visa issue. Botswana (as most countries) doesn't allow itinerant workers into the country, if there is a position available it should go to a Botswanan citizen. In order to be granted a work visa (http://www.gov.bw/Ministries--Authorities/Ministries/Ministry-of-Labour--Home-Affairs-MLHA/Tools--Services/Services--Forms/Application-for-work-permit/) prior to entering the country, you have to prove that the position was advertised in Botswana for two weeks without it being filled by a local first. For pilots, you also need clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB).

The charter companies in Maun don't advertise positions, as experience has shown that hiring from first world countries is fraught with the risk that the new employee quits shortly after arrival (and the expense of training) as they can't handle the heat & bush living conditions. Given the nature of the low-hour pilot hiring market, they know they can get enough applicants by only offering positions to those on the scene personally - this also means that the applicants have proven they can live under the local conditions for a couple of months.

All of the pilots shown have entered Botswana on a 90 day tourist visa, and are effectively on holiday. As "aviation enthusiasts", they have chosen to have that holiday at Maun, where they can watch Bush pilots in action.

Actively looking for work is actually against the terms of the visa, and they can be deported by immigration if immigration suspects they are in country to look for work. Given the nature of pilot hiring, however, a bit of a blind eye is turned towards pilot hiring provided they aren't actually working without a valid work visa.

If a company decides "out of the blue" to offer one of these aviation enthusiast tourists a job while they are on holiday, then the company applies for a transfer of their tourist visa to a correct work visa on their behalf (after proving that they can't find a qualified Botswanan citizen for the job, and after getting the required CAAB approval & licence validation).

So - no. They can't get a casual job while they are there. :hmm: