Maun, Botswana. The essential guide.
Registered User **
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Botswana & Greece
Age: 68
Posts: 940
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bush Pilot Documentary
Bush Pilots : Dave
There are two videos. The trailer on the main page and a clip from the first episode (Bush Pilots Ep 1 teaser : Dave - The Home of Witty Comedy Banter : Dave)
Interesting decision to fly right under the Cb. 'If you can see through it you can fly through it'. Says the commentator.
These clips can't officially be viewed outside the UK but I am sure that all you computer whizzes know how to get around this.
There are two videos. The trailer on the main page and a clip from the first episode (Bush Pilots Ep 1 teaser : Dave - The Home of Witty Comedy Banter : Dave)
Interesting decision to fly right under the Cb. 'If you can see through it you can fly through it'. Says the commentator.
These clips can't officially be viewed outside the UK but I am sure that all you computer whizzes know how to get around this.
Registered User **
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Botswana & Greece
Age: 68
Posts: 940
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Any advice on getting around the - you can't view this from your current location?
Use Google. There are a number of ways.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Somewhere in Indo...
Age: 48
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SA
Age: 40
Posts: 189
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Highway to the dangerzone boys... 
Tongue in cheek because I know that it's all journo speak here, but "docu on British aces"...
New documentary on British air aces Bush Pilots who have to deal with every eventuality in the wild | The Sun |Showbiz|TV
Tongue in cheek because I know that it's all journo speak here, but "docu on British aces"...
New documentary on British air aces Bush Pilots who have to deal with every eventuality in the wild | The Sun |Showbiz|TV
Está servira para distraerle.
When a South African goes up to Botswana to fly, he's just doing a job.
When a Brit goes down to Botswana to fly, he becomes an air ace?
I guess the entry levels in South Africa for ace dom are set a little higher than up north?
When a Brit goes down to Botswana to fly, he becomes an air ace?
I guess the entry levels in South Africa for ace dom are set a little higher than up north?
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: U.K.
Age: 75
Posts: 213
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Acedom
Rico 25 Quote :- "South African's and Acedom- that'll be the day!!
"
You didnt seem to mind them during 1939 - 1945.
Sailor Malan, "Pat" Prattle etc. ring any bells?
No, I didn't think so.
I suppose that the Americans did nothing for you during that time either - not to mention all the other Commonwealth countries.
Carry on in your magnificent ignorance.
"You didnt seem to mind them during 1939 - 1945.
Sailor Malan, "Pat" Prattle etc. ring any bells?
No, I didn't think so.
I suppose that the Americans did nothing for you during that time either - not to mention all the other Commonwealth countries.
Carry on in your magnificent ignorance.
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Canada
Age: 37
Posts: 630
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I guess that touched a sore point FERetd.
I think he wasn't really referring to the WW2 guys, but more towards the guys that he has worked with in this part of the world.
As for this tv show. I've only been able to watch the trailers. I really hope that it as bad as it seems. It can only be bad for the industry.
I think he wasn't really referring to the WW2 guys, but more towards the guys that he has worked with in this part of the world.
As for this tv show. I've only been able to watch the trailers. I really hope that it as bad as it seems. It can only be bad for the industry.
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Africa
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bush Pilot Documentary
I see that ‘Dave TV’ is; ‘The home of witty comedy banter’. To fly between the two cells of a cumulonimbus is not exactly hilarious. Apart from the extreme danger of downdrafts, as we all (sorry, most of us) know, this is a classic scenario for a lightning strike. They say that this was only a ‘taster’ and the clip stopped short of the actual intention; we do not yet know if he actually did it. However, I see that it was Moremi Air. Was our friend SS on board on a suicide mission?
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tamworth, UK / Nairobi, Kenya
Posts: 614
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm in the UK now. Been watching the series.
The story being told is, I believe, rather misleading. They are definitely sensationalizing things, and the pilots that are 'hamming' for the camera for their 15 minutes of fame are not doing the story any favours either.
"if you can see through it you can fly through, that's the rule here in Africa"
He does fly between two cells. However, they are benign cells, and they are very far apart. How do I know that? well, the plane doesn't bounce around at all. It's perfectly smooth air the whole route. So I would guess that the cells are 60 to a hundred miles apart. But, when you see the video, it looks like they're about 2 miles apart.
"there's so much water on the runway that he might not get the plane up to speed, and if he doesn't lift off before the end of the runway it could mean every one on the plane will die"
Apart from the obvious slur on a pilots ability to make a sensible decision to stop the plane if not up to speed by a certain point.... the plane lifted off at about the mid way point on the strip, and there was NOTHING at the end of the strip except flat sand/dirt (not even any shrubs).
I have yet to see any mention of the actual job of unloading and loading passengers and bags within 10 minutes in 45 degree heat. Every time there is a turn-around, we see the pilot taking at least a half hour to take a trip in a bakkie to see the lions in the grass a kilometer away, or talk with the passengers about this or that.
The 3rd episode was interesting, very interesting. For a lot of reasons. One of those was a pilot upgrading to the C210. And on the check ride with the chief pilot, there was the obligatory simulated engine failure and gear failure. The pilot was 'shocked and suprised' that the chief pilot would give him a gear failure to handle. The narrator went on and on about this checkout process as though this guy had to do something that most pilots don't ever see... I can't remember a single checkout in any plane in the past 22 years where the instructor didn't do a simulated engine failure and if the plane had retractable gear, the ONLY time I didn't have a 'failed gear' exercise was in a comanche (and if you manually extend a comanche gear you have to put the plane on blocks and have a mechanic re-connect it, so that's not normally done in a PA24).
Also in the 3rd episode, 2 pilots were hired. I learned more about the hiring process in about 10 minutes than I did in 4 months on the ground there and 2 years of reading everything I could about it. Secrets revealed...
They also made the pilot that was hired look totally inept and incompetent. (window opened by 'check pilot' on take off, plane swerving down the runway, for example). But he was still hired. I doubt the flight was as bad as the narrator and camera work made it seem.
But I will tape and watch every episode, it's great to see the places and some faces again.
The story being told is, I believe, rather misleading. They are definitely sensationalizing things, and the pilots that are 'hamming' for the camera for their 15 minutes of fame are not doing the story any favours either.
"if you can see through it you can fly through, that's the rule here in Africa"
He does fly between two cells. However, they are benign cells, and they are very far apart. How do I know that? well, the plane doesn't bounce around at all. It's perfectly smooth air the whole route. So I would guess that the cells are 60 to a hundred miles apart. But, when you see the video, it looks like they're about 2 miles apart.
"there's so much water on the runway that he might not get the plane up to speed, and if he doesn't lift off before the end of the runway it could mean every one on the plane will die"
Apart from the obvious slur on a pilots ability to make a sensible decision to stop the plane if not up to speed by a certain point.... the plane lifted off at about the mid way point on the strip, and there was NOTHING at the end of the strip except flat sand/dirt (not even any shrubs).
I have yet to see any mention of the actual job of unloading and loading passengers and bags within 10 minutes in 45 degree heat. Every time there is a turn-around, we see the pilot taking at least a half hour to take a trip in a bakkie to see the lions in the grass a kilometer away, or talk with the passengers about this or that.
The 3rd episode was interesting, very interesting. For a lot of reasons. One of those was a pilot upgrading to the C210. And on the check ride with the chief pilot, there was the obligatory simulated engine failure and gear failure. The pilot was 'shocked and suprised' that the chief pilot would give him a gear failure to handle. The narrator went on and on about this checkout process as though this guy had to do something that most pilots don't ever see... I can't remember a single checkout in any plane in the past 22 years where the instructor didn't do a simulated engine failure and if the plane had retractable gear, the ONLY time I didn't have a 'failed gear' exercise was in a comanche (and if you manually extend a comanche gear you have to put the plane on blocks and have a mechanic re-connect it, so that's not normally done in a PA24).
Also in the 3rd episode, 2 pilots were hired. I learned more about the hiring process in about 10 minutes than I did in 4 months on the ground there and 2 years of reading everything I could about it. Secrets revealed...
They also made the pilot that was hired look totally inept and incompetent. (window opened by 'check pilot' on take off, plane swerving down the runway, for example). But he was still hired. I doubt the flight was as bad as the narrator and camera work made it seem.
But I will tape and watch every episode, it's great to see the places and some faces again.
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: England
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
FERetd- I think my comment may have obviously touched a nerve with you!
Thanks for the history lesson but like lilflyboy mentioned this is about Maun.
However, as an English 'oke' that came out to Botswana it was mentioned that:
(i) you will struggle with the scorching heat
(ii) you won't like the way that things work here in Africa
(ii) you won't fit in because of your age (36 at the time) and a few other factors.
Well, I stayed anyway and had a blast as well as making a few friends along the way. The job was definitely character building and will teach you the skills to learn captaincy.
With regards to Bush Pilots- yes it is a bit misleading sometimes. Problem is that these documentaries are obviously designed for viewing by non-flying knuckleheads and so the television company (based in Bristol, England) is going to 'sex it up' with a british theme to it. Ice Road Truckers was the same story with drivers going on about how dangerous it was and how brave and skilled they were and yet I still watched and enjoyed it.
If you want a totally accurate view of the flying scene in the Okovango then you may also want to decide if you should include the Maun Pilot Culture too- yes I did the Omelette as well and survived better than some others!
Anyway, we all enjoy a bit of banter sometimes so don't get too stressed dude!
Thanks for the history lesson but like lilflyboy mentioned this is about Maun.
However, as an English 'oke' that came out to Botswana it was mentioned that:
(i) you will struggle with the scorching heat
(ii) you won't like the way that things work here in Africa
(ii) you won't fit in because of your age (36 at the time) and a few other factors.
Well, I stayed anyway and had a blast as well as making a few friends along the way. The job was definitely character building and will teach you the skills to learn captaincy.
With regards to Bush Pilots- yes it is a bit misleading sometimes. Problem is that these documentaries are obviously designed for viewing by non-flying knuckleheads and so the television company (based in Bristol, England) is going to 'sex it up' with a british theme to it. Ice Road Truckers was the same story with drivers going on about how dangerous it was and how brave and skilled they were and yet I still watched and enjoyed it.
If you want a totally accurate view of the flying scene in the Okovango then you may also want to decide if you should include the Maun Pilot Culture too- yes I did the Omelette as well and survived better than some others!
Anyway, we all enjoy a bit of banter sometimes so don't get too stressed dude!