Sahel Aviation in Mali
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Sahel Aviation in Mali
Does anyone have any infos on them ? ( hiring ?, pay, contract, what kind of flying, what kind of license required ?, etc... ).
Thank you, Skysign.
Thank you, Skysign.
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Thanks for the infos. But do you know what kind of flying they do ? ( I was told flying to Gold mine, and such ).
Do you need to have South African license to fly for them, is FAA good enough ?
If hiring, what kind of contract ( pay, lodging, etc...).
Future outlook ? getting more planes? or contract ?
Thanks, Skysign.
Do you need to have South African license to fly for them, is FAA good enough ?
If hiring, what kind of contract ( pay, lodging, etc...).
Future outlook ? getting more planes? or contract ?
Thanks, Skysign.
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Forgot something.
TX are you looking for position as a FO or a Captain ?
" As rumor go " I heard they might be looking for captain on the 1900 in the near future.
TX are you looking for position as a FO or a Captain ?
" As rumor go " I heard they might be looking for captain on the 1900 in the near future.
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i initially approached them for an FO position, now im knocking on the door of 135 minimums, no idea what theyre looking for in a captain, but i have no 1900 type...so i doubt i would be terribly attractive for them.
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Thanks for the reply TX.
I do not know more than you do, their website does not say much. But 500 / month is really low even if they furnish accomodation.
Good luck to you.
Skysign.
I do not know more than you do, their website does not say much. But 500 / month is really low even if they furnish accomodation.
Good luck to you.
Skysign.
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Keep Away
SAS/CTK really is very bad news indeed. There safety standards are poor even by west African standards, flying B190's into 900m strips and the like. The sad thing is they know so little about the rules they don't even know what they are doing wrong.
The maintenance is hopeless. They are so cash strapped that they can't do anything properly. Work that hasn't been done gets signed out, A/C have snags. Not good.
Many of the crew are very low time and they are probably the only operator that will take a co pilot with a fresh comm. They take guys that are desperate so they pay almost nothing and the guys are still willing to do about anything to rack up the hours and move on. Again, mostly the guys don't know the rules so they have no idea how completely illegal the operation is.
The irony is that they do whatever they want but have oh so much to say about anyone elses operation. They bad mouth people they have never met, and of course those they have. The management are filled with poison, not nice people to know.
Hopefully lady luck will continue to smile on them so nobody gets hurt. Certainly isn't enough skill to rely on.
The maintenance is hopeless. They are so cash strapped that they can't do anything properly. Work that hasn't been done gets signed out, A/C have snags. Not good.
Many of the crew are very low time and they are probably the only operator that will take a co pilot with a fresh comm. They take guys that are desperate so they pay almost nothing and the guys are still willing to do about anything to rack up the hours and move on. Again, mostly the guys don't know the rules so they have no idea how completely illegal the operation is.
The irony is that they do whatever they want but have oh so much to say about anyone elses operation. They bad mouth people they have never met, and of course those they have. The management are filled with poison, not nice people to know.
Hopefully lady luck will continue to smile on them so nobody gets hurt. Certainly isn't enough skill to rely on.
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With all due respect, you are sadly mistaken! A low time copilot does not equal an unsafe operation. I was one of the captains there for 15 months, and have significant Africa experience, as well as 1800+ hours of 1900 time, and another 1000 hours of King Air family time. Total 7600. I am very slightly higher in average time to the other captains. The first officer seat, in a single pilot capable aircraft, is a training seat, and all of the F/O's that I flew with, were sharp, skilled pilots.
I would never fly an aircraft that is unsafe. Your post intimates that we do that on a regular basis... not true!
Don't believe the scuttle butt that you hear from a few disgruntled people... while there have been rough patches, any perceived problems with the company stem from personality differences, NOT safety problems!
It's not the best company in the world, nor the worst! But it ranks among the safest in the region, much to the contrary to your impression! Why do you think that the mines keep contracting SAS?
By the way, we have NEVER flown into 900m strips. Our minimum strip length is 1300m.
I would never fly an aircraft that is unsafe. Your post intimates that we do that on a regular basis... not true!
Don't believe the scuttle butt that you hear from a few disgruntled people... while there have been rough patches, any perceived problems with the company stem from personality differences, NOT safety problems!
It's not the best company in the world, nor the worst! But it ranks among the safest in the region, much to the contrary to your impression! Why do you think that the mines keep contracting SAS?
By the way, we have NEVER flown into 900m strips. Our minimum strip length is 1300m.
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Skysign,
I worked for them from May 2008 to May 2009, then another 3 month contract from Dec 2009 to Feb 2010.
See my other post, essentially answering Fuzzy's rant, as far as if it's "that bad". I don't agree with his assessment, and wonder where he got his info.
Captain pay starts at $5000/month US. Housing and a vehicle are provided. Tickets to/from home at beginning and end of contract, and a vacation allowance (depending on length of contract). Vacation is 1 month for a 1 year (actually 13 month) contract, or correspondingly less for shorter. If you are not SA licensed, 1 year contract is minimum for getting the validation in Jo'burg. Type rating is preferred... but several guys have been sent to get it in Colorado. I had mine already, but needed the validation.
Not sure if they're hiring... there is turnover from time to time... most guys stay for a year or 18 months, then move on.
Hope that helps.
Bill
I worked for them from May 2008 to May 2009, then another 3 month contract from Dec 2009 to Feb 2010.
See my other post, essentially answering Fuzzy's rant, as far as if it's "that bad". I don't agree with his assessment, and wonder where he got his info.
Captain pay starts at $5000/month US. Housing and a vehicle are provided. Tickets to/from home at beginning and end of contract, and a vacation allowance (depending on length of contract). Vacation is 1 month for a 1 year (actually 13 month) contract, or correspondingly less for shorter. If you are not SA licensed, 1 year contract is minimum for getting the validation in Jo'burg. Type rating is preferred... but several guys have been sent to get it in Colorado. I had mine already, but needed the validation.
Not sure if they're hiring... there is turnover from time to time... most guys stay for a year or 18 months, then move on.
Hope that helps.
Bill
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that is what i was told regarding the FO seat, at the time i inquired. they pay for your type, then you get 500usd a month.
things may have changed, and i dont have actual experience there, thats just what i was told.
dont shoot the messenger!
the point was moot anyway, since they werent hiring when i inquired...
things may have changed, and i dont have actual experience there, thats just what i was told.
dont shoot the messenger!
the point was moot anyway, since they werent hiring when i inquired...
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Bill,
Thank you for your reply.
If you have time I got few more questions.
How is the schedule like ? do you fly everyday ? do you have a hard day off during the week? etc...
You mentioned than most people stay 1 year or 18 months. Is the flying become to boring going to the same place, is the living condition and culture wear down people ( I lived in cameroun for 2 years, I know what to expect ). Or people are just living for bigger & better pay ?
Skysign.
Thank you for your reply.
If you have time I got few more questions.
How is the schedule like ? do you fly everyday ? do you have a hard day off during the week? etc...
You mentioned than most people stay 1 year or 18 months. Is the flying become to boring going to the same place, is the living condition and culture wear down people ( I lived in cameroun for 2 years, I know what to expect ). Or people are just living for bigger & better pay ?
Skysign.
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I can second BillTeasedales comments. I worked for them for several years, and multiple SA contractors before that. I've Been in Africa 10 years. They're good people at SAS and it's a safe operation all things considered. Of course the real litmus test is are they continuously improving and striving to do better, and the answer is yes.
As for the F/O pay, there aren't many options out there for a low-time and freshly-minted pilots, but SAS is one of the better ones. Yes, the pay is $500 a month, but they provide training, airfare in and out, and send the f/o to South Africa for a few weeks for license validation (if they're not from SA that is) They also provide housing and a car. One might say that some SA operators offer a better deal, IF you can get on with one and IF you end up on a contract where you actually get to fly more than 30 hours a month. When F/o's leave SAS they are generally a bit burned out (from the heat of Mali more than anything else) but they all leave with 500-1,000 hours more than when they got here (6 mos or 1 yr contract depending) and they all seem to immediately go on to bigger and better things. In other words, they experience they got here qualified them for something "better". It's a stepping stone, and a good one at that. Those who moved on generally all report that the experience they got at SAS was second to none. I'd have done anything for such an opportunity when I started in aviation twenty years ago.
Like anywhere else, SAS also makes the occasional hiring mistake and ends up with someone who thinks he's God's gift to aviation, is a drunk, a misfit, or just can't seem to get along with people. Maybe FuzzyLager was one of those, or maybe he's never even been to Mali and just got his information from someone who was disaffected or didn't know what he was taking about?
Either way, I can tell you that he's way off base on this one.
As for the F/O pay, there aren't many options out there for a low-time and freshly-minted pilots, but SAS is one of the better ones. Yes, the pay is $500 a month, but they provide training, airfare in and out, and send the f/o to South Africa for a few weeks for license validation (if they're not from SA that is) They also provide housing and a car. One might say that some SA operators offer a better deal, IF you can get on with one and IF you end up on a contract where you actually get to fly more than 30 hours a month. When F/o's leave SAS they are generally a bit burned out (from the heat of Mali more than anything else) but they all leave with 500-1,000 hours more than when they got here (6 mos or 1 yr contract depending) and they all seem to immediately go on to bigger and better things. In other words, they experience they got here qualified them for something "better". It's a stepping stone, and a good one at that. Those who moved on generally all report that the experience they got at SAS was second to none. I'd have done anything for such an opportunity when I started in aviation twenty years ago.
Like anywhere else, SAS also makes the occasional hiring mistake and ends up with someone who thinks he's God's gift to aviation, is a drunk, a misfit, or just can't seem to get along with people. Maybe FuzzyLager was one of those, or maybe he's never even been to Mali and just got his information from someone who was disaffected or didn't know what he was taking about?
Either way, I can tell you that he's way off base on this one.
Last edited by NG Driver; 17th May 2010 at 14:39.
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It's not the best company in the world, nor the worst!
CTK/SAS flies a lot for mining companies, government etc. Destinations range from gravel strips to international airport around West Africa.
I flew for them as an F/O and later as a CPT. F/O pay was indeed US$500 but I was happy (housing and transportation provided). CPT pay was decent. All F/O's and CPTs I knew about got good jobs after leaving. Most of the pilots had good safety standards and were a pleasure to fly with.
There might be some arguments here and there but I think it is not fair and appropriate to mention one's name (whether or not a nickname) as has happened in one of the previous posts.
cheers
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There might be some arguments here and there but I think it is not fair and appropriate to mention one's name (whether or not a nickname) as has happened in one of the previous posts.
That is correct. The use of real names that are not already in the wider public domain are not permitted. In this case the posts have been edited, but usually it will at least result in the removal of the offending post.
