Stay Away From Saudi Aramco!!!!!!!!!!
For those of you that may be concidering Aramco / Saudi Aramco Aviation as an alternative to recover your retirement or maybe as "NEW OPPORTUNITY" BE VERY CAREFUL!!!!!!!!!
1..Contrary to popular belief or rumor Saudi Aramco is not a career move at any level, it is pure and simple just another contract, but with a Multi Billion Dollar Oil Company........IT IS NOT AN AIRLINE!!!!
2..You will probably be recruited by someone from Aramco Aviation Services in Houston TX, they do all the selection, evaluation,and pay for the recurrent/ Initial B737NG or Dash8 Training as needed. THEY ARE A FIRST CLASS ORGANIZATION!!!!!!. They really treat you as a company such as ARAMCO should. They really take care of any problem you have almost as though you are a perminent Pilot with the company everything is first class!!!!, ( even though at this time you are just a potential Contractor/ Consultant nothing has been signed!!) from the moment you are contacted by them to the day you arrive in Bahrain on your way to SAUDI, everything is First Class!!!, no problem is too big or too small for them.
3..The problem comes when its time to fill out the NUMERIOUS forms (actually its the same form) but as there is no one to show you the correct way to fill them out so you now engage in a sort of back and forth game with the Chief Pilot's secretary untill someone out of compassion shows you the correct way( because the same thing happened to him when he was new) or they get tired of you. Remember this is all your expense money you have from your training in the USA and the hotel cost's you encur during your travel from the USA to SAUDI.
4.. Both The Chief Pilot and The Fleet Manager of the Type aircraft you will be flying know the date and time of you departure and arrivial into the Kingdom of Saidi Arabia, but the do not even have ANY CONCERN about your well being other than the fact they have to send some one to have you picked up at the hotel in Bahrain. There is NO PHONE CALL OR ANYONE THERE TO MEET YOU ON YOUR ARRIVAL!! in Bahrain!!! Just a hope that everthing has gone as it should so far.
5..The Accomodation is basic, they provide no transport except to and from work. There is no internet supplied, no TV, However their is internet available but it requires coersion and underhanded ways to have it installed.There is phone service in the apartment BUT SAUDI ARAMCO SECURITY OFFICIALS LISTEN IN ON ALL CALLS!!! The distance form the housing area to the grocery or the resturant is approximately 5Km. and there is no way there but to walk or find the bus schedules and take the bus,and it is a little too far to walk in the average 43 degree C./
122 Degree F. average daily temperature you will face. So in addition to your jet lag and disorientation you now have to find a way to get to the resturant to eat.There are alot of good guys there who will help you out, but untill you find them and make friends with them, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.
6..As time goes by and you get into your routine,some things become Quite apparrent....All the proceedures that you have learn't or were taught in the sim training while in the USA are TOTALY USELESS!!!
Your are part of the Saudi Aramco Aviation Department which DOES NOT HAVE AN OPPERATING CERTIFICATE!!! and is operating under the provisions of FAR Part 61!!!!! Imagine that Operating a B737 or a Dash8 on a scheduled passenger Operations and not have so much as an Operating Certificate!! They use a mix of SOME FAR's SAUDI Proceedure's and local In "House Desert"proceedure's as their day to day operating proceedures.
7..Their "Training Department" comprises of very experienced Pilots from various parts of the world, !!!BUT NONE OF THEM HAVE EVER HAD ANY FORMAL TRAINING OR INSTRUCTIOR's or IN BEEN A TRAINING CAPTAIN!!! and NEITHER HAVE THEY BEEN APPROVED BY THE FAA.
8..They were appointed Instructors BY MEMO FROM THE CHIEFPILOT!!!NOT buy the FAA AS IT SHOULD!
So now you show up for your first day to go fly with someone who does not even know the FUNDERMENTALS OF INSTRUCTING,and WORSE.... Neither DO they HOLD AN FAA FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS RATING or do they HOLD ANY KIND OF AUTHORITY BY THE FAA TO CONDUCT ANY TRAINING!!! ground or Flight, which means that you the Pilot are putting your Ticket out the for the FAA to revoke IMMEDIATELY!!! Becausethis is an illegal opperation!! THERE IS NO FAA OVERSIGHT!! The Chiefpilot claims that the company has a FAA POI in DUBAI. But his is prohibited from traveling to SAUDI ARABIA because of the Present Government Ban on all travel to SAUDI ARABIA, so the are "SELF POLICEING" Honestly in SAUDI ARABIA is as fleeting as the Rains in Jubail!
9.. After the first month has passed you expect to be paid....ALL the perminent pilots have been paid, BUT YOU HAVE NOT RECIEVED YOUR CHECK!! You ask about and they say they'll look into it, but nothing, you check with your bank in the country you live but there is nothing!!!! FINALLY half way thru the next month your money "may show up" or they cut you a check. But by then you have exhausted nearly all your funds.
Numerious complaints to the chief pilots office or his secretary(who is very powerful) yelds little concern!
10.. As a "Consultant" you are a 2nd class person in Saudi ARAMCO!! you do not exist there!! outside of the Aviation Department, you do not have an residence papers(AGAMA) you were issued a non employment visa.that clearly states "NOT PERMITTED TO WORK" also you were issued the Camp ID and the Plant ID,
11..If you are unfortuneate enough to get sick, and try to go to the ARAMCO Hospital to get first aid or Medical attention for a serious illness,YOU DON'T EXIST IN ANY COMPUTER SYSTEM except for the Aviation Department, and if you dont exist in computer system then you Cannot get any medical attention in the SAUDI ARAMCO Hospital. So what do you do? You go to the other hospital there in Dhaharan...SAAD but you will pay!!! almost twice as much as you would for comparable treatment in the US,but your Medical insurance will not cover you,even though its the EXACT same insurance as you have in the USA.
12.. SO working for SAUDI ARAMCO is not for every one and any rational to going there is pure speculation untill you are are offered a perminent position. There is no garantee of that ever happening to you and there is not seniority or requirements to fill or lenght of time served,it total dumb luck,and whether they like you, and how hard you try to Wank them off!!!
Some Guy's try to convert to Islam in hopes it will help them, but it didn't.
But once you Become perminent all of a sudden you exist and you are treated with respect,and The SAUDI PILOTS begin to open up you a bit.
13.. Depending on the fleet you are goning to be on The quality of pilot you fly with is questionable, On the Dash8 even though you are the Pilot In Command, and "ICAO Law say you are the Final Authority"if you are a "Consultant" you have no Athority The Local SAUDI First Officers are the ones that run the show, AND EVEN REPORT ON CAPTAINS PERFORMANCE, On the Boeing with FEW exceptions The SAUDI PILOTS flighing skills are at best poor, they CANNOT EVEN FLY A SIMPLE VISUAL VFR Traffic Pattern with out the help of the VNAV/ LNAV Function of the FMC, and though most of the flying is in VMC conditions they would be lost with out the RNAV approaches that they fly at various airports they fly to. They do not respect the 250kts below 10000 feet that everyone does and are always trying to find away or short cut dispite the companies mandate about safety. Not too long ago the had a SAUDI CAPTAIN Take the B737 to an altitude above its OPTIMUM ALTITUDE, needless to say he is still employed because HE IS SAUDI, while "CONSULTANT PILOTS" have been sent home for much much less.
So Though they throw alot of money at you,and though The Folks at ARAMCO AVIATION SERVICES treat you with PROFFESSIONAL Courtesy.
DON'T BE FOOLED STAY AWAY FROM SAUDI ARAMCO!!!!