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Old 23rd Aug 2006, 07:56
  #79 (permalink)  
poorwanderingwun
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Amazed that you can't find anything in the search for Airserv... There's been so much written... sensible stuff all the way through to ludicrous..that it would almost constitute a novel.
ASI 'Airserv International' an American NGO was set up initially over 20 yrs ago by a group formally associated with MAF but who wanted to widen the range of aid flying from MAFs religious centred operation with its limiting policies regarding the type of aid flown. Since that time it has flourished and then to some extent abated largely in response to policies implemented by the CEO and other primary executives. In order to survive as a non profit organisation it has in fact become dependant on contracts that are also being serviced by regular contract flying companies. The erstwhile CEO who only recently stood down from that position formed a strong association to Naturelink, an SA company, in order to achieve flexibility of aircraft and crew without major capital investment... this has led to Naturelink profiting immeasuably at the expense of Airserv... as yet it's not clear what direction the new CEO will take.
Flying for Airserv can be both rewarding and frustrating... much as it is with many other companies flying in developing countries. Mostly you will get enough interesting flying to find it rewarding... there will also be the mundane stuff alongside it. Unfortunately you will be flying for about half the salary you would be getting from a regular contract flying company such as NAC/Qwiller/Exec Turbine, etc... You will suffer the added discomfort of possibly having a 'Naturelink' FO sitting next to you with a few hundred hours in his pocket and earning more than you...and he will be working only 6 weeks on before getting one month off. Airserv's attitude to this dillema has always been that they are a non-propfit NGO serving the developing worlds community and a certain voluntary work attitude has to be adopted. While this was no doubt the case in the early days the fact is that the contracts being bid for by ASI are exactly the same contracts being bid for by the regular companies who pay much larger salaries and offer better T&C's.
You may get some postings following this insinuating that ASI is a CIA/NSA?FBI/ Klingon... ad nauseum cover. It isn't... and it certainly isn't a re-born Air America. Like all companies it has employees with a wide range of personalities and abilities and those of us who work there do so because it suits our style. HQ can be very frustrating to deal with when in the field as can HQ's at many other operations. As a twotter pilot you could expect to work out of either Abeche in Chad ( remote and dusty... with good accomodation) or Goma... (dirty, black from the volcanic erruption in '02) very demanding flying in the rainy season due to the high MSA's. Or , knowing HQ... if you're highly experienced on the twotter you coud be offered a job flying the Caravan !
It's a poorly paid job with reasonably interesting flying... you might want to check out some of the SA based companies before commiting yourself... or if you have any chance of obtaining a JAR or Swiss ATPL... apply to Zimex... about the most 'on the ball' company out there operating this sort of work...Good luck.
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