Can I trust Nigerian Corporate Jet flying Companies to Pay for Contract Pilots?
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You are too kind...
As I have said many times, I very much like the Nigerian people. The rest of it, well....
BTW: Mr Ninja, I know that Nigeria has lots of new states, but where is 'Bucks' on the map? I never heard of that one when I was there.
BTW: Mr Ninja, I know that Nigeria has lots of new states, but where is 'Bucks' on the map? I never heard of that one when I was there.
Last edited by chuks; 26th Jun 2012 at 19:25.
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Another stupid question for you, then...
So, if you love it so much, why aren't you back home with your brothers?
Some of the stuff you write, I have the idea you dislike we oyingbos, hence this stupid question. It reads as if I have about as much business commenting on Nigeria as you do, given that we both seem to be expats!
I used to find it amusing to talk to people who had spent less time in Nigeria than I had, despite their having been born there. Not to say that I knew much about the place compared to them, no! About as far as I got was definitely knowing how little I knew about it, which put me far ahead of most of my fellow expats, at least in my view.
Seriously, to the original poster, give Nigeria a try. Three months won't kill you. Probably.
Some of the stuff you write, I have the idea you dislike we oyingbos, hence this stupid question. It reads as if I have about as much business commenting on Nigeria as you do, given that we both seem to be expats!
I used to find it amusing to talk to people who had spent less time in Nigeria than I had, despite their having been born there. Not to say that I knew much about the place compared to them, no! About as far as I got was definitely knowing how little I knew about it, which put me far ahead of most of my fellow expats, at least in my view.
Seriously, to the original poster, give Nigeria a try. Three months won't kill you. Probably.
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@ Chuks: Check your PM but i will still answer your questions.
Maybe soon, i will start a thread on working with my brothers, so that you lot will get my first hand experience, nothing dressed up.
I don't dislike any race, as i have written in the past, i am married to an Asian woman.
Well, i am not an expat but if i was, i would be more objective and definitely not a sad pessimist like some, not you though!
@ Rockstar1966: This is one time i will agree with Chuks, GO FOR IT, it won't hurt you to try and find out, you have precautions you can use to safeguard your interests.
Happy Landings
Maybe soon, i will start a thread on working with my brothers, so that you lot will get my first hand experience, nothing dressed up.
I don't dislike any race, as i have written in the past, i am married to an Asian woman.
Well, i am not an expat but if i was, i would be more objective and definitely not a sad pessimist like some, not you though!
@ Rockstar1966: This is one time i will agree with Chuks, GO FOR IT, it won't hurt you to try and find out, you have precautions you can use to safeguard your interests.
Happy Landings
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Come on Over - You may Just enjoy it
Rockstar,
Despite the many bad stories people like to tell about Nigeria, there are many more good ones. You say you're unemployed, so why not come on over and give it a go - you may even find you like it
. It's like so many other things in life. Whether you like it or not will depend in part on who your employer is, what you're flying (is it well maintained), how well you get on with the people you'll be working with and (most important) your own attitude. Keep and open mind and maybe you'll end up like so many expats who find that once you have been bitten by the mosquito you will always have a little of Africa in your blood (and I mean that in a nice way ). It will do you well if you remember two things when you come over here:
Do not try to change Africa, rather see how it changes you
God gave the White man watches, and Africa…TIME.
Come on over .... and enjoy
Despite the many bad stories people like to tell about Nigeria, there are many more good ones. You say you're unemployed, so why not come on over and give it a go - you may even find you like it
. It's like so many other things in life. Whether you like it or not will depend in part on who your employer is, what you're flying (is it well maintained), how well you get on with the people you'll be working with and (most important) your own attitude. Keep and open mind and maybe you'll end up like so many expats who find that once you have been bitten by the mosquito you will always have a little of Africa in your blood (and I mean that in a nice way ). It will do you well if you remember two things when you come over here:Do not try to change Africa, rather see how it changes you
God gave the White man watches, and Africa…TIME.
Come on over .... and enjoy
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I'm with chuks and Mama Put, come on over and give it a shot.
Be warned though, if you come expecting misery, you won't be disappointed. Most of the "misery" folks experience starts in their heads.
Be warned though, if you come expecting misery, you won't be disappointed. Most of the "misery" folks experience starts in their heads.
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Google found this but no idea if out of date..
Tradecraft Air Status Inactive.
Tradecraft Air - ch-aviation.ch
Aircraft and Fleet Lists - ch-aviation.ch
also a video of the aircraft before it left California..
New Nigerian Airline: Tradecraft Air « Aviation in Nigeria
Tradecraft Air Status Inactive.
Tradecraft Air - ch-aviation.ch
Aircraft and Fleet Lists - ch-aviation.ch
also a video of the aircraft before it left California..
New Nigerian Airline: Tradecraft Air « Aviation in Nigeria
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Previous tongue in cheek comments set aside (I can't resist the opportunity to be sarcastic), I couldn't agree more with the above posters. Like I said earlier, put on your big boy pants. Get a taste of West Africa. Everywhere has it's ups and downs. Your happiness and success will depend on which you see more clearly.
We all know that aviation is a disgusting business filled with low-life cretins who prey on the weak. Nigeria has the benefit of said cretins being more obvious and transparent than most other places. A little street smarts and common sense serves anyone well, not only in Nigeria.
You only live once. Are you going to stick your toe in the water or jump in? Have a sense of humour, enjoy the experience and embrace the genuine happiness of the Nigerian people.
We all know that aviation is a disgusting business filled with low-life cretins who prey on the weak. Nigeria has the benefit of said cretins being more obvious and transparent than most other places. A little street smarts and common sense serves anyone well, not only in Nigeria.
You only live once. Are you going to stick your toe in the water or jump in? Have a sense of humour, enjoy the experience and embrace the genuine happiness of the Nigerian people.
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Nigeria
C of E
Loved your earlier post on flying in Nigeria.
Slight thread drift here, I have 4 or 5 days coming up in Port Harcourt, any recomendations for a hotel chaps, I believe Novotel, Meridien are there but open to suggestion.
Thanks in advance
Loved your earlier post on flying in Nigeria.
Slight thread drift here, I have 4 or 5 days coming up in Port Harcourt, any recomendations for a hotel chaps, I believe Novotel, Meridien are there but open to suggestion.
Thanks in advance
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yam bat,
Probably Meridien, Novotel of the international hotels are good, but also consider the Presidential in that order. However, the Star King is also on the GRA and good value. If you want the best place for a social life (but rather noisy because of it at weekends) the Bougainvillea is cool. The large South African chain, Protea also has a good hotel on Evo Road, GRA 2. I'd be happy to stay in any of them for a few days
Forgot, the Rosie Hotel on GRA Phase 1, opposite the Polo Club, is also okay.
Probably Meridien, Novotel of the international hotels are good, but also consider the Presidential in that order. However, the Star King is also on the GRA and good value. If you want the best place for a social life (but rather noisy because of it at weekends) the Bougainvillea is cool. The large South African chain, Protea also has a good hotel on Evo Road, GRA 2. I'd be happy to stay in any of them for a few days
Forgot, the Rosie Hotel on GRA Phase 1, opposite the Polo Club, is also okay.
Last edited by MamaPut; 2nd Jul 2012 at 21:30.
GECAS has pulled the plug on leasing 737s to Air Nigeria who also have reportedly not been paying salaries since May...plus, plus, more, more...
http://www.pprune.org/african-aviati...possessed.html
Now, what was your question about the likelihood of being paid in Nigeria by a ..?
Pay in advance or you take a BIG chance...
http://www.pprune.org/african-aviati...possessed.html
Now, what was your question about the likelihood of being paid in Nigeria by a ..?
Pay in advance or you take a BIG chance...
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Mamaput
What you said here is great!-- "Keep and open mind and maybe you'll end up like so many expats who find that once you have been bitten by the mosquito you will always have a little of Africa in your blood (and I mean that in a nice way 
). It will do you well if you remember two things when you come over here:
Do not try to change Africa, rather see how it changes you
God gave the White man watches, and Africa…TIME."
I will always have a special place in my heart for Africa.
). It will do you well if you remember two things when you come over here:Do not try to change Africa, rather see how it changes you
God gave the White man watches, and Africa…TIME."
I will always have a special place in my heart for Africa.
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Everybody has a point
The bottom line is that most expat corporate pilots in Nigeria are getting a good deal, FULL STOP. There are two sides to a coin, you have to put the two together to get the full picture.
Nigeria has it challenges,but i'm sure most were aware before they signed the dotted line. A lot of pilots coming to Nigeria were either on food stamps or came from jobs were they were paid far far less than what they are getting now. There are other perks,e.g. rotation. A lot of guys get more days home than they would get if they were working at home. And then there's "dash" money, the dash money a lot of corporate pilots is in excess of their salaries. Most pilots ahve good accomodation, transport arrangements and per diems. Many will be quick to complain about he security situation so I find it hard to reconcile the fact the same individuals dont have any qualms hanging out in the dodgiest hangouts until the wee hours of the morning.
Nigeria (and not necessarily Nigerians) is a corrupt place. Every single corrupt transaction of a significant value in Nigerian must have an oyinbo involved. There is an unwritten rule that when you are going bidding for a govt contract (99% of which involve massive corruption) you must have an "öyinbo" on your team to be taken seriously.
At the moment, most owners prefer expat pilots over Nigerians because they want to keep their secrets away from Nigerians (I have this on authority from a/c owners with total aviation assets in excess of $200m). There's a lot of illegality in the nigerian corporate sector e.g. illegal charters, money laundering, immigration violations, smuggling, etc.
An interesting fact to note: most (+75%) of the pilots that left the airline which is the biggest employer of expat pilots in Nigeria have applied to come back. The airline went through a bad financial spell and salaries were late. Most left for the "first world" and yet they have still applied to come back to malaria-infested Nigeria, including some of the posters who were very vocal on the pprune thread.
Anywhere you go in the world there will be dodgy operators. some guys get the wrong end of the stick. i dont know much about tradecraft so i cant vouch for them.
Another word of advice if you decide to come is to note that justice is one sided. If you get into a dispute with your employer, you are probably gonna lose out. So suck it in, relax until you get your salry and f$%k off without saying goodbye. If possible get in with a foreign agency so you have some sort of security if it goes belly up (I believe there are quite a number of ACAS guys in Nigeria).
With regards to the operating environment, Nigeria is challenging but not that challenging. There have been a few improvements but a lot remains to be done. A lot of expat pilots have difficulty operating in a procedural environment (i've flown with LOADS of expats), they expect a babysitting. If you are not above average you will find it challenging, and probably terrifying, flying in Nigeria.
Good luck.
Nigeria has it challenges,but i'm sure most were aware before they signed the dotted line. A lot of pilots coming to Nigeria were either on food stamps or came from jobs were they were paid far far less than what they are getting now. There are other perks,e.g. rotation. A lot of guys get more days home than they would get if they were working at home. And then there's "dash" money, the dash money a lot of corporate pilots is in excess of their salaries. Most pilots ahve good accomodation, transport arrangements and per diems. Many will be quick to complain about he security situation so I find it hard to reconcile the fact the same individuals dont have any qualms hanging out in the dodgiest hangouts until the wee hours of the morning.
Nigeria (and not necessarily Nigerians) is a corrupt place. Every single corrupt transaction of a significant value in Nigerian must have an oyinbo involved. There is an unwritten rule that when you are going bidding for a govt contract (99% of which involve massive corruption) you must have an "öyinbo" on your team to be taken seriously.
At the moment, most owners prefer expat pilots over Nigerians because they want to keep their secrets away from Nigerians (I have this on authority from a/c owners with total aviation assets in excess of $200m). There's a lot of illegality in the nigerian corporate sector e.g. illegal charters, money laundering, immigration violations, smuggling, etc.
An interesting fact to note: most (+75%) of the pilots that left the airline which is the biggest employer of expat pilots in Nigeria have applied to come back. The airline went through a bad financial spell and salaries were late. Most left for the "first world" and yet they have still applied to come back to malaria-infested Nigeria, including some of the posters who were very vocal on the pprune thread.
Anywhere you go in the world there will be dodgy operators. some guys get the wrong end of the stick. i dont know much about tradecraft so i cant vouch for them.
Another word of advice if you decide to come is to note that justice is one sided. If you get into a dispute with your employer, you are probably gonna lose out. So suck it in, relax until you get your salry and f$%k off without saying goodbye. If possible get in with a foreign agency so you have some sort of security if it goes belly up (I believe there are quite a number of ACAS guys in Nigeria).
With regards to the operating environment, Nigeria is challenging but not that challenging. There have been a few improvements but a lot remains to be done. A lot of expat pilots have difficulty operating in a procedural environment (i've flown with LOADS of expats), they expect a babysitting. If you are not above average you will find it challenging, and probably terrifying, flying in Nigeria.
Good luck.
