It seems it might take both the CHC and Bristow companies much more than just the average payrise and equal time to keep the guys (pilots and engineers) in Nigeria, not to mention their inability to recruiting new staff.
Apparently the shortages of pilots have helicopters grounded in Nigeria, with oil companies grumbling.
Oil prices are up due to this instability and if Nigeria goes the same way as Iraq, with car bombs starting to go off all over the place, it will take a whole lot more effort, at a much faster rate to keep the current helicopter crews and to bring the new guys into the war zone.
Apparently life in Iraq is hell and extremely dangerous and I understand the pilots in Iraq are paid exceptionally well. They are prepared to risk it, facing IED's and small arms fire on a daily basis.
But life is worth much more than dying for oil and ideologies and both the helicopter and oil companies will have to realise, hopefully sooner than later, that for the pilots and engineers to go out there to Nigeria and risk their lives they will have to come to the party and make it worthwhile to operate in the danger zone.
Do I want to fly in such an high risk environment? I think I will be doing some serious mulling myself!
