Maun 2008-2009 season
Join Date: Aug 2008
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That would be a good thing.
There should be something like 'Aviation Employment Agreement' between southern African states. An agreement of protection nature to keep jobs within local natioanlitys as much as possible.
So - Sefofane look for a Chief Pilot and Operations Manager - why no South Africans up there in those positions.? How has Maun changed in five years?
There should be something like 'Aviation Employment Agreement' between southern African states. An agreement of protection nature to keep jobs within local natioanlitys as much as possible.
So - Sefofane look for a Chief Pilot and Operations Manager - why no South Africans up there in those positions.? How has Maun changed in five years?
Join Date: Sep 2007
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What a pleasure to read this thread, brings back good memories....
I did in 1997 what everybody told me would be dum and stupid. I gave up a single engine job in europe( yeah single engine, but someone else paid me to fly an airplane and the hours were counting up), bought a one -way ticket to Maun, had about 100 usd in my pocket and came to Maun in the 'worst' period, high season, all jobs filled....
no where to sleep, met a nice kiwi who offered his caravan for a few weeks, met a half dutch/canadian chap who took me on a 'ride' over the okavango, met the wife of the chiefpilot of his company who invited me for dinner(fantastic hospitality of the afrikaners), got drunk at their party, the family of the chiefpilot told him I appeared to be a nice guy and he should give me a job. He answered he allready had a few guys in mind but decided to give me a chance for a test flight next morning 7 am sharp. I decided it was best to leave for a few hours of sleep, but was told it was an insult to leave while the bottle was still half empty.....got to bed around 4, woke up 2 hrs later rather groggy and thought what the heck I give it a try...met the chiefpilot who looked better than I felt, probably more used to tequila then me, flew a couple of circuits and , wonder why still, great landings and was told: hired, start tomorrow morning 7 for training.........
and what a great few years I have had, everyday safari(I stayed a lot in the camps)...it was still real bushflying allthough some strips were getting calcrete layers and being made longer. At the time I left, the real bushflying started to change..longer and longer strips, king air 's flying in etc...maun changed a lot as well in those two years, I am glad I saw some real bushflying and will recommend it to any one. Was I rich? no. Did I lose some valuable 'career' years? Oh yes, but I would not have done it otherwise today! Good luck for anybody trying, if you do not try you cannot fail..
I did in 1997 what everybody told me would be dum and stupid. I gave up a single engine job in europe( yeah single engine, but someone else paid me to fly an airplane and the hours were counting up), bought a one -way ticket to Maun, had about 100 usd in my pocket and came to Maun in the 'worst' period, high season, all jobs filled....
no where to sleep, met a nice kiwi who offered his caravan for a few weeks, met a half dutch/canadian chap who took me on a 'ride' over the okavango, met the wife of the chiefpilot of his company who invited me for dinner(fantastic hospitality of the afrikaners), got drunk at their party, the family of the chiefpilot told him I appeared to be a nice guy and he should give me a job. He answered he allready had a few guys in mind but decided to give me a chance for a test flight next morning 7 am sharp. I decided it was best to leave for a few hours of sleep, but was told it was an insult to leave while the bottle was still half empty.....got to bed around 4, woke up 2 hrs later rather groggy and thought what the heck I give it a try...met the chiefpilot who looked better than I felt, probably more used to tequila then me, flew a couple of circuits and , wonder why still, great landings and was told: hired, start tomorrow morning 7 for training.........
and what a great few years I have had, everyday safari(I stayed a lot in the camps)...it was still real bushflying allthough some strips were getting calcrete layers and being made longer. At the time I left, the real bushflying started to change..longer and longer strips, king air 's flying in etc...maun changed a lot as well in those two years, I am glad I saw some real bushflying and will recommend it to any one. Was I rich? no. Did I lose some valuable 'career' years? Oh yes, but I would not have done it otherwise today! Good luck for anybody trying, if you do not try you cannot fail..
Join Date: Jan 2001
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Jeez, you young guys....always in such a hurry to get onto the big jets. I remember when..... But seriously, what's a couple of years in the big scheme of things? As previously mentioned, if you don't do it when you're first starting out, you'll never get around to it and will then be envious when flying with the guys who did. In the present climate, there are only a few jobs out there and they come with the dreaded previous experience required. It's all cyclical so will come around again when you're in demand, so why not spend the time enjoying the sights and smells of Africa? The time goes so quickly that you'll have to literally drag yourself away - I know I did.
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Well Bought My ticket, going to be in J-burg on january 3rd, then I suppose up to maun shortly after, it's nice having set dates now. Hopefully i'll find a job, and if not I'll consider it a much needed vacation.. albiet a rather long vacation. Thanks to everybody on this forum for the advice given, and hopefully i will be seeing some of you shortly down in Botswana. Oh a few quick questions for the vets, I noticed (the last time I checked), that air botswana does not yet offer online bookings, if I show up and want to fly out the same day, is it going to cost me an arm and a leg? Right now My logbook is completely Digital, will this be a problem? I can transfer it to a book, but i'd much prefer to print off a copy as I do in Canada when people need to see it. Finally, over the summer I was flying a 206 in the canadian arctic, but my contract ended in august and havnt flown much since (a couple hours), will this be a detrement to employment? (I've got just over 300 hours, 60 of which are on a 206) Cheers, Eli
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Sofofane Botswana
Hey guys
Sefofane's invited me down to Maun for an interview.I'd appreciate any help about what they ask and if anyone can give me any feedback about the company or the place,i'd be thankful!
thanks!
Sefofane's invited me down to Maun for an interview.I'd appreciate any help about what they ask and if anyone can give me any feedback about the company or the place,i'd be thankful!
thanks!
Join Date: Feb 2008
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elipasquali:
"air botswana does not yet offer online bookings, if I show up and want to fly out the same day, is it going to cost me an arm and a leg?"
The website hasn't worked for 3 years now... don't think it will work in the near future either. This is Botswana. It will cost a lot because km for km Air Bots is one of the worlds most expensive carriers. They have a monopoly on the route. Expect to pay. I don't know the exact price - sorry. approx $450 return.
"Right now My logbook is completely Digital, will this be a problem? I can transfer it to a book, but i'd much prefer to print off a copy as I do in Canada when people need to see it"
I stand to be corrected but it won't be a bad idea to put it your hours into a logbook. This is Africa and the Bots DCA may not accept a computerised printout. Its too advanced!!
If you do put hours into a logbook, it will be a good idea to get some photocopies of the last 3 pages of it and get them stamped by police to say they are true copies of the original. (or notorised as you may say in Canada). This may be a handy thing to do with all your docs - passport, licence etc
Dont worry about the currency on the 206 too much. You have the hours on type and thats what counts.
bharatraghuvanshi:
You say you have been invited to an interview. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but anyone that is interested in working in Maun will be told by the operators to come for an interview. They will not hire you unless you have been there face to face. The things they will ask you at Sefo are typical airline q's in terms of personal and they also give you a multiple choice tech exam to do. They will mark them and go through them with you in an interview, but by that stage they have a pretty good idea if they like you or not.
Pilots leaving Sefo (and other operators) are part of the mass exodus thats happens towards the end of every year. Its a natural movement.
"air botswana does not yet offer online bookings, if I show up and want to fly out the same day, is it going to cost me an arm and a leg?"
The website hasn't worked for 3 years now... don't think it will work in the near future either. This is Botswana. It will cost a lot because km for km Air Bots is one of the worlds most expensive carriers. They have a monopoly on the route. Expect to pay. I don't know the exact price - sorry. approx $450 return.
"Right now My logbook is completely Digital, will this be a problem? I can transfer it to a book, but i'd much prefer to print off a copy as I do in Canada when people need to see it"
I stand to be corrected but it won't be a bad idea to put it your hours into a logbook. This is Africa and the Bots DCA may not accept a computerised printout. Its too advanced!!
If you do put hours into a logbook, it will be a good idea to get some photocopies of the last 3 pages of it and get them stamped by police to say they are true copies of the original. (or notorised as you may say in Canada). This may be a handy thing to do with all your docs - passport, licence etc
Dont worry about the currency on the 206 too much. You have the hours on type and thats what counts.
bharatraghuvanshi:
You say you have been invited to an interview. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but anyone that is interested in working in Maun will be told by the operators to come for an interview. They will not hire you unless you have been there face to face. The things they will ask you at Sefo are typical airline q's in terms of personal and they also give you a multiple choice tech exam to do. They will mark them and go through them with you in an interview, but by that stage they have a pretty good idea if they like you or not.
Pilots leaving Sefo (and other operators) are part of the mass exodus thats happens towards the end of every year. Its a natural movement.
Join Date: Oct 2008
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wayback
i know the invitation for the interview is a formality and thats what a couple of other pilots said, that no one will offer you a job without you being present there.
as for the written, i think you just have to get down to the books for a while and brush up!
i know the invitation for the interview is a formality and thats what a couple of other pilots said, that no one will offer you a job without you being present there.
as for the written, i think you just have to get down to the books for a while and brush up!
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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I wanna go now!
Just stumbled upon this video about flying around Okavango that has just been uploaded to youtube - well put together: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=682bnpq75bM&fmt=18. (I warn you now that if you haven't made up your mind whether to go or not, this will sway you). Thankyou to Mr 206Blackbird for that vid.
Just had a busy day: served trout, then got my police clearance letter thingy (a whole 20 days early! My faith in bureaucracy is restored...) and finished off by making my arms ache with the freshly injected gift of hepititis, rabies, polio, and typhoid.
It's all coming together slowly!
Just had a busy day: served trout, then got my police clearance letter thingy (a whole 20 days early! My faith in bureaucracy is restored...) and finished off by making my arms ache with the freshly injected gift of hepititis, rabies, polio, and typhoid.
It's all coming together slowly!
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Can anyone tell me what the companies require in order to fly the caravans??? The flying looks great out there, cheers for the video link, but I've had enough of flying SEP and want to get my teeth into something with a little more bite!! Cheers :-)
Join Date: Jul 2000
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omarsheriff: The normal requirement to fly the van is 1000hrs TT - though you can often do your training a little earlier, but you won't go on-line on it until you have the grand. Keep in mind that any van driver in bots will also fly pistons - so don't expect to escape SEPs completely!
waiterpilot: his video is pretty good - there are many more maun vids that will never be on youtube
I was very proud that he used one or two of my pics/clips in it When are you heading over?
Chunks: you sound like you've finally lost that passion LOL. see you soon boet.
waiterpilot: his video is pretty good - there are many more maun vids that will never be on youtube
I was very proud that he used one or two of my pics/clips in it When are you heading over?Chunks: you sound like you've finally lost that passion LOL. see you soon boet.
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It's got nothing to do with Sefos regards to movements, just that a lot of pilots are coming to the end of their contracts and are looking for greener pastures. If you keen apply for Sefos I think they are about 7 -10 pilots short.
Join Date: Apr 2003
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Folks, for the record training bonds are not the norm in Botswana and I would think long and hard about what I was signing when you get here.
Just my opinion thats all.
Good luck
Just my opinion thats all.
Good luck
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African Economic Crisis
Hello everyone..
I was just wondering if anyone in Namibia/Botswana at the moment or just recently returned can tell me if the economic crisis is affecting employment there? I am keen to arrive end of January and look for employment but am worried that with all the tourists being cash-strapped from other countries it will be harder to find a job..
by the way, I'm posting on a friends name... me, I'm South African woman- 24... only have 240 hours (will be about 270 by the time I go) but do have an IR. What would be the possibility of landing a job at what is probably nearing the end of hiring season? Any help much appreciated!!
Thanks...
anyone heading down same time maybe pm me on this account, would be great to chat and maybe arrange some cost share options!
I was just wondering if anyone in Namibia/Botswana at the moment or just recently returned can tell me if the economic crisis is affecting employment there? I am keen to arrive end of January and look for employment but am worried that with all the tourists being cash-strapped from other countries it will be harder to find a job..
by the way, I'm posting on a friends name... me, I'm South African woman- 24... only have 240 hours (will be about 270 by the time I go) but do have an IR. What would be the possibility of landing a job at what is probably nearing the end of hiring season? Any help much appreciated!!
Thanks...
anyone heading down same time maybe pm me on this account, would be great to chat and maybe arrange some cost share options!
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Hi I'm willing to do so as japanese...but
Hi, Dear all
very attractive way of linving , Is there any sort of racism around botswana and southafrica?
If able , I would like to persue aviation carreir as Foreign pilot at Moun, but I had never met someone who originally born at asia , and could get decent pilot job or work permit at african continent . so I have to have some concern about after graduateing flight trainig at africa.
And previously Japanese was designated as neally PDP
( previously disadvantaged persons )was't they?
my primary concern is whether I will be able to get employment as
foreign pilot at african continent or not
please let me clarify my self,
I belongs military sector as technical sergeant expetizing air traffic
controll skill. certification I have which deemed as aviation related is,
aviation English proficiency certification as ATC, Domestic aviation
radio telefony licence,Aerodrome ATC certification,(score895)TOEIC designated as way to evaluate one,s English level at Asia and
Euro that,s all. I am 28 old alsol.
Considering current Economic circumustance,I guess that it is nearly
impossible for me to get work permit at SA after graduate flight training,
But I heard here about Botswana,Tanzania,Namibia,at Those country,
foreigner is able to gain work visa not getting many dificulity
So please introduce certain path way If you, guys regard it as
achivebal for me
sincerely
Dai
very attractive way of linving , Is there any sort of racism around botswana and southafrica?
If able , I would like to persue aviation carreir as Foreign pilot at Moun, but I had never met someone who originally born at asia , and could get decent pilot job or work permit at african continent . so I have to have some concern about after graduateing flight trainig at africa.
And previously Japanese was designated as neally PDP
( previously disadvantaged persons )was't they?
my primary concern is whether I will be able to get employment as
foreign pilot at african continent or not
please let me clarify my self,
I belongs military sector as technical sergeant expetizing air traffic
controll skill. certification I have which deemed as aviation related is,
aviation English proficiency certification as ATC, Domestic aviation
radio telefony licence,Aerodrome ATC certification,(score895)TOEIC designated as way to evaluate one,s English level at Asia and
Euro that,s all. I am 28 old alsol.
Considering current Economic circumustance,I guess that it is nearly
impossible for me to get work permit at SA after graduate flight training,
But I heard here about Botswana,Tanzania,Namibia,at Those country,
foreigner is able to gain work visa not getting many dificulity
So please introduce certain path way If you, guys regard it as
achivebal for me
sincerely
Dai