i'll try and fill in with as much info to help as possible.
depending on who you are and who you know will depend on where you will end up. if you know someone up in these regions to live with, obviously go there. because rent aint cheap and in some places, just accomodation is hard to come by!
as for me - broome was recommended to me. and thats it - i came here not knowing a single soul, got straight off the plane and into a backpackers. I got up in early december last year (as I heard pilot movement was high early on). it was upto me then to get road maps, find my way around, where and who all the operators are. found work in 2 different hospitality places and worked 2 and a half months, visiting the operators each week (bugging them etc..). it was also lucky that the head honcho's of the operation I'm flying for now came and bought there piss from the bottlo I worked in each week!
also recommended to me was getting time in C210. so before I left home i got about 20 hours in a C210. this also bumped my total time upto about 230hours. 20 hours in a C210, expensive yes. but at this stage 20hours in a C210 will do more good than 50hours in a partmafia!
Check flights etc.. It really depends on the operator. Mine consisted of just flying a single leg back from a community and doing one circuit. The interview was very informal, and some of the questions I was asked are as follows:
- you have an engine failure in the middle of the great sandy desert. assuming you land safely, how will you manage all five passengers once one the ground? would you move far away from the aircraft?
-answer the same question above but in this case assume you ditched in water. when do you instruct the passengers to inflate their lifejackets?
-take this life jacket and breif me completely on how to use it
-you see smoke in the cabin. what do you do? where is the fire extinguisher kept?
- a passenger in the front seat has a mental fit/seizure/go's wild/agro and is posing a real threat to the safety of the aircraft. What do you do? Would you get other passengers to assist you handle the situation?
after going thru with it I could just tell they don't wanna hire a complete idiot who doesn't think logically. every time you see them present yourself with enthusiasm and zest. really, you're not going to do well if your not prepared to work in other-than-aviation jobs and your not prepared to step into the unknown. after 2 weeks of living in town, you will know ALL the other pilots in town (employed and unemployed) and generally you will make friends with them all. they are all just like you and share the same dreams/thoughts/emotions.
lastly, enjoy it guys/girls! come up with a good couple grand in the bank as backup. Bring your good attitude and a willingness to have a few (too many) beers. on these threads you will find people saying how many bad experiences they've had and how much they hated it. ive had bad experiences since being here - and felt like backing my bags and going home. but the good times outweigh the bad - and its paid off now.
"Good things come to those who persevere when under trial"
