and chance of getting work in Cape Town?

Guys,

this forum should have been made to help each other, and not to make fun of it.

South coast, if you have some useful info and you would like to share with us, please do so; but don't say something that you don't know, or you just heard from someone.

Load is right, nobody give you a job only becouse you're coming from europe or anywhere else.

I heard that in Sudan are looking for pilots (see my add of about one month ago), but I was not able to get anymore news, and it seems that nobody wants to share some info.

So, please, we are all in the same situation, looking for a pilot position, give an hands to each other is what this forum is made for.

Thanks

tony

South Coast:

That high altitude and UV exposure finally taking its toll?? Or maybe one too many Algerian Ramadan to blame.

That said, have to agree on your perceptive assessment of the incredible opportunities out here at present. Even the flying schools are predicting a pilot shortage soon.

Pinhead: Plenty of work in Cape Town, although you might have to settle for a business or regional jet position in the beginning until you have built a couple of hours.

Sorry...couldn't help myself.

thanks wheels up for agreeing with me...i am just trying to tell these people how i see it...

i mean, the african adventure should be shared.....

Absolutely. It wouldn't be fair if we kept all the fun to ourselves..


he, he

Guys we are all flyers in the end of the day lets help the guy ... Lusthansa .... You will have a tough but not impossible time .... Have return ticket in your pocket though to get back to Germany ....

Many years ago I went to the USA and battled like a mad man to get a job ... an elderly guy helped me and I flew a PA28 as an instructor for 6 months ..... before I flew a freight dog ... was tough but an adventure nevertheless.

Jobs are not full and plentiful here ... Its not a place for sissies its about luck ie right time right place

Good luck and enjoy Africa, Boerewors and Castle.

well sat boss...if you are going to give advice, at least give good advice...steer well clear of castle...filthy, chemical beer...at least drink something decent like a windhoek!

Ahhh you have a good point .... Hey don't laugh I mis a good old Lion!!!

Lusthanza check your PM:ok:

Well, you know what they say "Never trust a man who drinks castle" :p :p
Sorry, Hat Coat Door

Lusthansa if u dont want to waste ur time in Africa listen to my advice.If you are not S.African,Australian ,N. Zealander avoid Botswana or Namibia,these places are ghetos,if u r not one of them you are not going to get a job,or maybe u have a very slim chance of getting it but u will be flying the 206 for thousand of hours before touching anything bigger(apart from flying there is not much life,especially if u end up in a small town like Maun,u will just be spending ur time in one or two bars listening to the stories of the older pilots who some of them act like they are the veteran bush pilots and you are so privileged to be sitting with them and learn from their stories!)
Anyway my advice is go to East Africa or West Africa,u might have a bit of problem with license conversion and might have to bribe the right people like in Kenya for example but u will definetely get a better job,progression will be faster and lifestyle much better.You have to watch out though,esp.in West Africa,people dont always keep their promises.

The voice of experience....:hmm:

Drinks of the South
 

Birdlady...I think what they also say is never trust a guy that has been drinking? No?

Castle is not too bad incomparison the the Klippies that is ever so popular in Southern Africa. It has the ability to even turn Bambi into a Warewolf in a matter of a couple drinks.

African beer has yet to make it in the real world. The Germans and Belgians are the real fundis!

SAB-Miller is the second or third largest brewing conglomerate worldwide and is SA owned. As for the Klippies I think I know three folks who drink it. The rest are whisky and beer men.

Not sure what you mean by turning folks into werewolves. There are far worse concoctions out there than spook and diesel.:ooh:

Lusthanza...
I flew for many years in Namibia and i'm sure i have a little more authority on the subject than our friend 'Euro champ'. Yes, you will fly a single for a while but there are twins there in the form of the C310, 402, BE58's and not to mention the turboprops. Like in most companies you have to start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder, as you gain experience you'll be rated on the larger aircraft. I flew a single for no more than a year before i was flying most of the twins that there were on offer.
Lifestyle is pretty good, Windhoek is a small city but it's by no way a dump and most of the people are friendly and you'll have an absolute blast over there. Btw, i flew with a host of different nationalities there ranging from and a lot were European!
A lot of the guys i flew with there are now in Europe flying airlines, so obviously it can't be that bad!?
I still miss those days over in Nam. they were good times and i never once regretted going over to learn my craft. Give it a try, you won't be sorry i can promise you that my friend.
Safe flying
BD:ok:

"African beer has yet to make it in the real world. The Germans and Belgians are the real fundis!"

You obviously never tried Czech beer. oh yeah, and Pilsner Urquell owned by SAB-Miller. By most accounts being the second largest brewing group in the world counts as having made it.

the original czech budvar(spelling) is a good beer.

just by aquiring and merging breweries doesnt make you the best, the largest perhaps, but not the best.re sab

African Beers
 

Wheels up- I do not doubt SAB having made it. They are one of the largest breweries in the world and have obviously made it in the market. They might be the owners of Pislner Urquell and various other European brands, but this does not make the content African. Pilsner Urquell has been around longer then SAB itself.
What I am saying is that you cannot compare African beer culture with European beer culture. The two are worlds apart and will still be for a long time. Culture comes with time, European beers have been around for quite a few years longer then the African equivalents. Take for example Belgium, a country that is a fraction of the size of South Africa and has a culture that allows for over 100 different types of beer. The local pub down the road in Africa will on a good day be stocked with maybe 10 to choose from.Yes the SAB owned African brewed beer is okay, some even pretty good, but it does not quite cater for what the belgian beer does.

It is a matter of taste to a degree, but lets face it, you cannot really even have a debate about the issue.

Cheers!

KESHO

KESHO, spot on, mate...

There is no real beer culture as such. Most will just settle for the dreck that SAB churns out. They are one of the largest brewers around but they operate beer factories and not real breweries, hence no real beer. I believe they could have a good product if they bothered spending some of their vast advertising budget on actually making good beer.:hmm:

KESHO

I would also rather drink a beer brewed in a a German, Belgian or Czech micro brewery. There are some pretty good micro-breweries in SA as well. You gotta compare apples with apples.

Then again bear in mind that SAB's Black Label won the best bottled lager in the world. Twice. Competing against the Germans, Belgians and the rest of the beer producing countries. Can't stand the stuff personally.

Considering that the first brewers were the Egyptians, I don't think I agree with your statement that African Beer has yet to make it in the real world.

SRT - hope you don't think your favourite brew is lovingly hand produced by a master brewer in a centuries old copper. If it's any one of the major consumer brands it is produced on an industrial scale in a scrupulously clean, all stainless steel, extremely complicated brewery. The nature of the process lends itself to a high degree of automation.

What was the topic again?

Somebody comes in here asking for advice on jobs and we end up talking about beer. :ok: :ok:

If I have to drink beer Im an amstel girl otherwise its hard liquor for me :ok: :ok:

Beer
 

Birdlady, gotta agree with you, and how flying advise turned into a beer conversation, God only knows.................pilot types I guess:)

Having jusht had the oppotshunity to sample acwouple of pshints of Wells Bombardier best Bedford Bitter, I shay bwugger it, the English win.

hic.

wash the tsopic again?

INCHAHOL...food of pilots
 

Birdlady-Amstel is good! What hard stuff do you like then?

Alcohol is part of most pilots and we all take it varying quantities. Gives as a chance to chill and forget the stresses of being bored pilots.

Here is a question for fellow contract dogs: On this dark continent, where is the best/worst (more interested in the worst) beer or other you have tried or had to get to like?

I think Asmara Gin allows for rather colourful and vivid dreams at only a couple dollars for 750ml. Other then that also the good old DRC brewed Congolese piss that sometimes provides kinder suprises like a free toothbrush or cockroach in the sealed bottle are also a character building experience. Also nothing beats good old tooth brushing liquid J&B or Famous Grouse. As for the worst/best beers I am still refreshing the taste buds and the morning after ambiance...

What it would be without the liquid stuff...


KESHO

Found a couple of nasty surprises in Mosi and Skol is just formaldehyde with a bit of food colouring to suck in the unwary. Waragi can follow you around if you're not careful and the local unlicenced brew has been known to kill as has skokiaan in SA. Stories abound of Kenyans taking it between the eyes in the Nairobi slums drinking some pretty scary homebrew.

Ngok...:ooh: :eek: :yuk:

The Amstel and Amstel Bock in Burundi is pretty good and if you have a contact at the brewery they turn out a couple of really nice special beers for staff only over the Christmas period. Always enjoyed Tembo in Lubumbashi and the Simba wasn't bad either.

If you're ever down South, the Birkenhead, Coelacanth and Gilroy's breweries are making some good stuff. Nottingham Road and Mitchell's aren't doing badly either but try to get the Knysna brewed Mitchell's as the bloke in Cape Town hasn't a clue. Andy Mitchell is now running Birkenhead and he's a good bloke to corner for a chat over a few pints as is Steve Gilroy. Mauritz at the Drayman's in Pretoria turns out a passable weissbier which is great in the summer but his rauchbier needs work.

As an ex zim lass and half irish one's liver is not what it used to be.......... :\ :\ Hence I usually stick to vodka (feel slightly rough in the morning but really nice on the rocks with a dash of lime) or malibu (revolting sometimes but mixed with right beverage always good and no hangover). :ok:

Most disgusting stuff I've ever tried would definately have to be chubuku, the locally brewed zimbabwean beer. Definately not for the faint hearted especially mixed with tequilla. :yuk: Don juan sherry only 12 dollars (zim) a bottle and your guaranteed to have a good evening. Next morning is a differant story. :O :O

Have to agree with Birdlady – Chibuku definitely was something one had to acquire a taste for and even at school when not much else was available an occasional foray into Lonrho’s finest was required. However, there was no mistaking the smell on one’s persona afterwards was a dead giveaway if the ‘screws’ caught a whiff!
However, fond memories of Zim Castle Pilsner, a couple of crates in the nose of the BE58 sorted out the forward C of G nicely if one was a bit overloaded in the rear! Same went for some excellent brew from Lubumbashi in the 80’s too, both the blonde and the bruin were equally worthy of a long haul back to FALA for personal consumption at the braai on Saturday night!

Nothing like a Konyagi (34%) or Konyagi gold (76%) to make the beetle fall off his cork for a long time.:ooh: Hamna shida

Konyagi = Tanzanian cognac and brain cell destroyer.

Also does a pretty good job of stripping paint...:ok: :E

Porridge...

Please dont tell me you were an ex St Georges or Peter House boy. :uhoh: :uhoh: :suspect:

I myself was a chisi girl untill the nuns got to me....................:ok: :ok:

Well south coast we have had many windhoeks,remember the series II landrover trip.
Guys relax ,south coast is right about the work situation in Namibia.
Desert air are looking for a german speaking pilot for their bush operation.one of their prospective candidates stayed at my guesthouse last Friday www.kleinwindhoekguesthouse.com .He has 250 hours and said he was thinking about it.
remember no one is going to give you a flying job over the phone.
Ask me nice and you could even use my 1969 230 Merc while job hunting seeing that I am never at home any more anyway.
greetins
vaninnam

Tips on starting an aviation career?
 

Hi to all

If anyone has a few useful tips on how to make a career of flying,
please let me know.

I'm currently still busy with matric.

Thanks:)

Suggest you contact and visit/evaluate some of the local Flying Schools in your area.

It is a tough career to get into, but that's also why we all love it so much.

The Best Job in the World, IF you can Get It..

:ok:

Get into mining, medcine or engeneering......make heaps of money.....by a Bonnie .........fly for fun:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

Mate - helicopters the way to go - a little more costly but well worth it in the end - Try Helibib - dave mouton flies outta pretoria - great instructor - number 012 5433696.

Do it, Do it

First go for an intro flight at a school you like the look of- remember if you want to fly, your first job (thats if you can find one!) once you have your com, are going to be on pistons so you had better decide if you are comfortable in that environment. Jets are faaaaaaaaaar down the road so forget they even exist for now.

Then if the bug bites find out how you are going to pay for this dream, no sense in starting and running out of cash half way- everyone will tell you a different amount but bank on between 150 000 and 200 000 ZAR to go from zero to a multi IF com. It also would not be a bad idea if you also go for a medical before you start- agian no sense in blowing cash if you wont get the medical certificate.

Good luck!

thanks
 

Thanks to those who have replied so far.

Where there's a will, there's a way (sounds better in afrikaans).

cheers:)

Mixed postings above, but yes where there is a will there is a way. Personally with things the way they are today, I would agree with wannabe. Get a good education, make a ton of money, buy a jet and let someone else fly you wherever, whenever. You can have a good life, they can carry a pager.
If you still want to fly, make a ton of money anyway to pay for the training and the many times you will get clipped by schools, instructors etc......
Also consider once you have the licenses necessary, make another ton of money so you can survive while finding that job.......Times have changed, notice some here who are posting and extremely well qualified yet looking for work. Its an eye opener......
Good Luck, whatever you choose.

:ok: Get a qualification before embarking on an aviation career in case this backfires when you between your 30 and 40 and stuck flying.

It helps to start with a huge amount of passion and money alike. Either one of those two is likely to be exhausted after a few years.

Keep on reading PPRUNE as well as AVCOM and you will read about newly qualified CLP desperate to fly even for free.

Unfortunately once bitten by the flying-bug there is no turning back but it is not an easy road.

Good luck

In addition to a "will and a way" you also need a friendly bank manager... its not cheap.... but worth it in the end!

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