I won't say Wings Over Africa are the dogs in Namibia, I worked there as one of the first pilots when they started, actually the first with the owner who also flew. They had worked their way up to one of the bigger companies in Nam. I have never been aware that maintanance was a issue, maybe the maintenance is just not up to standard sometime or there is just too much work for the AMO. I know for fact that acft were sent for maintenance, came back and was still not fixed, yet the AMO gets paid or they will not work on the acft again. As for the person in charge, just because she a woman many guys think they can walk over her, well then you making a big mistake, if you do your work for the 2 years or whatever your contract is for you will be treated fair, if you don't do what is required you will know about it, just like anywhere else. Office politics and all that is forgotten the moment you get into the machine and fly away on your safari, when you fly low level down Sossus or along the coast, when you see sunset as you turn final onto some bushstrip at the end of the day!!! You go there asking for a job so if you get it be happy that you got your foot in the door and just go and enjoy your flying. It is a learning curve/experience, you get to fly single crew, learn to make your own decisions and use your own judgement, you not flying multi crew like in Europe where if you get a job you sit right seat and learn from an experienced Capt. With low time in a 210 which is a handfull of a machine etc it stands to reason that there will be accidents or incidents and WOA is not the only company there that has accidents. With all their acft compared to a smaller company taking the amount of hours flown per accident their statistics are below the avarage. I have enjoyed my time with WOA and would go back and work for them anytime if I could get the same salary as now. Unfortunately their end of the business is geared towards the low time pilots with low pay. That is basically the structure of most of the companies in Nam and Bots, so wherever you get that first job, go for it..see the bigger picture and remember that this is just a step in your career towards whatever your main aim is, be it airlines or corporate, so forget about good company/bad company, you will find it everywhere, in charter, corporate and in airlines, make the most of it, once you regularly sitting at FL360 getting your butt chewed by some 150 year old airline Capt you will wish you stayed with the lady with the chip on her shoulder!!! Good luc and like I said, enjoy it..!
