good luck WP
 

happy to hear from you.
hope you get into something soon.
check your PM

Good for you Waiterpilot.
 

Some very informative postings on this thread thanks.

Just met a lad in Spain doing an IR who did some awesome flying in Maun over several seasons. The flying looks awesome. When I finish my JAA IR in a couple of weeks I have to decide where I want to go next.

Thoroughly enjoyed all the postings here and pics on Facebook, as well as an excellent video on Youtube. Looks like you guys out in Botswana get some seriously good flying,

Will be back to follow Waiterpilot's progress and find out whether others manage to find work. :D

Glider Pilot from U.K

nbv4, best way to get to maun is fly to JBurg, then air botswana into maun, simple and easy

cheers

Gavin

... and expensive.
I think I'll go by train or bus. :ok:

Fantastic thread folks, and I'm sold. I would like to be in Maun now only my JAA licence needs renewal in mid January. So I plan to head over after the paper work has been ironed out and dismissed then eventually accepted by the CAA.

So my question is do you think mid January is too late to go over to Maun?

Also I plan on flying in to Jo'burg but I would really really like to get some C206 time, let say 5 hrs. Does anybody know where I could get 5hrs C206 time in Europe or Jo'burg?

206 time near Jo'burg
 

hey sacrolicious. I've been looking for 206 time in SA as well, and have found that Lanseria Flight School near Johannesburg has a couple of 206 in their 'charter' fleet. Perhaps it would be worth giving them a call to enquire about whether it would be possible to rent one of their aircraft to build up some experience... I'm not sure what's needed to be able to fly in south africa. my guess would be a license validation, but i have no idea.

loungefart: read the post and you'll see that the answer is yes

Hi there :)

I have read all 9 pages of this thread. I am inspired. Waiterpilot and others: the fact that you just packed up and headed to Bots is crazy!...and exciting!

I am an airline pilot in the states. I am getting laid off in January. I am 30 years old, and feel like I have not lived life yet. I need a change, a rather dramatic one. Contemplating a move to Maun would involve selling and storing my possessions, uprooting a stable, yet somewhat boring life, and having an early midlife crisis :} As a pilot, it is easy to daydream about the big jets in the flight levels, however, I yearn for avgas and 500' agl.

I first learned of aviation in Maun firsthand, as a tourist. My family and I visited the delta, via a 206, in 1999. A fellow, close to my age at the time shuttled us off to our camp. Although it was a quick flight, I remember it fondly.

With that said, I seek more information about the operation down there from those whom have some time to sacrifice.

1. I need more information about what is required to convert my FAA certificate to the Bots eqivalent. Is the process the same for all foreign certificates? Are the written exams based Bots air law? Can someone point me out how to prepare for this? And the 206 time. Is this a company or govornment policy? Will the company that hires a pilot take care of this requirement?

2. It seems that all of the rest of the requirements are handled after you arrive, such as the Certificate of Clearance. Is this a correct assumption?

3. Living situation. This is still not quite clear to me. Do you all live in tents? If so, what can you comment about security (like leaving a laptop in the tent while working)? Showers? Is it at a camp? Water and electricity available? Cost? Options other than tents?

4. Silly question. Can you be overqualified?

5. A friend of mine is seeking a change in his life too, he might want to tag along. In the past, he was a highschool teacher, now is stuck in corporate America. He loved teaching. Would he be able to find employment...such as teaching English?

6. OK, this is a long shot, as I am sure none of you have information...but...do any of you know if it is possible to bring my dog?

Thanks for any and all help you can provide. I will check back often. Also feel free to PM me. I can also provide an email address. :ok:

ZP

Actually i would say no, since apparently 90% of the fleet are singles and anyway you are going into one of those at the beginning. I suppose a Commercial SE is necessary.

wow I can't get that straight... I'm stoopid, sorry :ugh:
you can have ME comm without having SE comm? how's that?

FAA class rating :}

gott im himmel, would have never belived it...
that is FAAbulous

All you'd want to know about initial ME Comm (and then some)
 

Csanad007 (and those who may be curious),

The ME Comm thing is one of those odd little glitches in the marvellous FAA system here in the US. It even has certain advantages over doing a Commercial the conventional way (i.e. SE Comm first, then ME).

I got my ME Comm first and then did the SE Comm as an add-on. Since your initial Comm rating is in a twin (and hence complex) airplane, when you go to do your SE Comm you don't even need to use a complex aircraft: you could take your checkride in a Cherokee or even a Cessna 152 if you wanted to. Plus, the oral and checkride are abbreviated because you've already done a commercial oral and demonstrated proficiency (hopefully) at complex systems (gear, flaps, prop). The SE ride itself is pretty simple--of course you still have to jump through the usual hoops: chandelles, etc. That's about it. (Well, you did ask.)

Question: I've decided to go try Namibia first but it sounds like kind of a royal pain to convert FAA licenses to Namibian. I'd really like to know how involved the conversion is in Botswana, 'cause I might pop over to Maun and stand in line behind the rest of you guys if it proves to be too hard/expensive to convert in Namibia.

Waiterpilot, where are you? Did you get a job--or just a girlfriend? We're all waiting to hear from you. Thanks!

Looking for C206 time
 

Thanks erik07 I sent a mail to Lanseria Flight School, they haven't got back to me yet but judging by their web site they don't rent the C206. Looks like they keep it for scenic flights, but when I know, you'll know.

Also I have read the whole thread, and I did read that open season for pilots is normally November - February, but this year isn't a normal year (Economic world slow down and such), I'm wondering if mid-January would be too late to start job hunting?

I know it's a difficult question to answer(How long is a piece of string?) but maybe some seasoned Maun or ex-Maun pilots have sensed how this season will fair out and have mentioned it to some ppruners, who might relay this info.

dogismycopilot:
interesting. but here (at least in Hungary, which is still an ICAO country) if you have SE comm it takes 10 hours flying in a ME A/C and you'll have both.

Waiterpilot: hope you already got that job and you're preparing for the botswana law exam and stuff and that's why we don't hear from you. :ok:

Lanseria Flight Centre 206 has been sold.

12,000 hits?!
 

My return to pprune is marked with an inbox saturated with PMs and a thread baying for a post. Nice to feel wanted.

I have good and bad news.

The bad news: due to a family emergency (which sounds awfully dramatic) I am back in the UK.

The good news: back on my own internet - so I can give you all an in depth report of my discoveries in Maun without having the internet cafe staff looking at their watches and sighing. I will be returning in January, so never fear - if you are headed that way you will see me in the flesh eventually (although my mummy always said not to meet strangers off the internet).

I hope this thorough debriefing makes up for my previous lack of postings - I am afraid my mind has very much been on other things as of late :(. Anyway, I will probably post this over several days as I think this might be a long one. I do have photo's - but not very many.


The Journey Out

Booked through Expedia - seems to be just about the only site that knows where Maun is, so you can book everything on the same e-ticket, and get a discount on the Air Botswana flight. Just type in Maun or MUB in the destination box. You can get a coach from Joburg to Gabs then another to Maun, but this will take over a day and will be boring (but cheap!). Since this was my first time in Africa I decided to go for the Air Botswana flight instead of bussing it and being a Marcus Brody type character in Indiana Jones bumbling his way through two countries. I was most impressed with the offering of a bran muffin on this flight which came in it's own shoe box, with knife, fork, spoon, salt and pepper. Very sophisticated.

You can't buy tents in Joburg airport although there is a adventure store there which sells pretty much everything else adventury like rucksacks, shoes, mosquito nets, lanterns etc. (I went in there especially to report back to the thread. Be grateful.) JNB is also the last stop to buy books really so stock up!


Arrival

Once you land, and leave the airport you will initially probably think something along the lines of "what the hell now?!". Across the road and through the gates there is like a row of new shops with a bureau de change so probably best to go there first, then I went for a drink in the bon arrive restaraunt after my muffin extravagence. Pilots are easy to spot as they are all in their company shirts, so said hi to a couple of them, then I decided to find my way to Audi camp. It may be Maun, but there are loads of taxi's and they adopt the New York approach where you dramatically shout 'taxi!' and get in. Should be about 20 - 30 pula for the ride to Audi.


Audi and Camping

Camping in your own tent is 17pula per night (pilot price!) There is a bar and a restaurant, both of which are reasonable for prices. Breakfast is 55pula, dinner with drinks about 60pula, beer is 13pula. Staff are all very friendly, and at the moment it isn't too busy.

As I said before, camp site is sand (which I suppose I will allow, they do have the excuse that it is Africa). So that gets everywhere, and there isn't too much shade so your tent is pretty much always melty hot. The toilets/showers are clean, but one thing I didn't think about before was the number of bugs. Whatever you do, have a shower BEFORE it gets dark - otherwise you will have to do a bushtucker challenge later in the evening with beetles the size of a golf ball and moths the size of a small child divebombing your naked body. You will also need to get used to the fact that anytime you use running water you will be commiting beetle genocide. I would also advise you to steer clear of the toilets until they have cleaned them in the morning as they are a seething mass of drowning invertebrates.

Nothing much else on the wildlife front - there is a fence running all round the campsite with guards so you don't need to worry about lions or anything. There are a few scorpions and there was even a black mamba in the toilets on Wednesday, but this particular story was ended with the introduction of a machete to the plot. I don't think you really need to worry about these things getting in your tent TOO much - if you leave your tent open long enough for the 14ft black mamba to get in I would hesitantly suggest you are an idiot. I'll let you off with the scorpions - but nothing ever got in my tent. Not even a beetle or mosquito.

One thing I would suggest you do is bring ear plugs. I didn't as Virgin Atlantic used to just GIVE you some for free - alas the credit crunch really biting now. The dogs have barking competitions at night, which awakens the roosters who evidently don't want to be left out of this acoustical action, and their squawkings then enrage the donkeys who like to add to this menagerie of sound with their own displeasure. Yeah. So ear plugs. I also suggest to keep a bit of luggage space free by nicking the airline pillow you get (I was very proud of my resourcefulness here), and if you can manage it, bring a mat for sleeping on - I only had to camp for three nights but the hard ground was beginning to cause me quite some pain. Hopefully like me you will be able to housesit after a few days in town with the ensuing matress.

I have had enough now, my fingers are bleeding stumps - I will post on the other stuff later. Stay tuned for: the companies, housing, and 2009 season job prospects! Also I will answer some of Z_pilots enquiry (if others haven't done so by then).

By the way: I know one or two of the guys in Maun do check this thread - can I say thanks for the great time & sorry I didn't get round to all of you to say bye, it was quite unexpected and I had to rush off! See you all in Jan!

waiterpilot, good to hear you got back safe and well... i will let you know whats happening with sefo over the next month aye, keep in touch, oh and the other companies

cheers

Gavin

Sorry to hear!
 

Best of luck with your troubles in the UK. :uhoh:

Thanks for the informative post. :ok: Looking forward to part 2.

I hope you can make it there in Jan so we can meet up.

And to the guys over there, looking forward to meet you.

+EDIT+

For the guys over at Maun. Is anyone interested in an airline ticket back to Europe? Im coming 2nd of Jan, I think from Dusseldorf with Air Berlin. So I can book a ticket back and sell it to you on your desired return date. A name change will be enough.
PM me if interested.

good to finally hear from you again, hope everything works out fine for you at home!

i'll get the news on my visa in 2 weeks times, after that im off. kind of getting tired of writing thsi very same line again and again:\:\

oh and nice tips and will definately see you there :ok: (fingers crossed)!

Guys stop it, you're making me so jealous!
In fact, my wife would be quite irate at my constant rantings of wanting to head over on the next plane if she didn't want to go over there herself! I reckon give it another year (yeah, usual story, eh?) and we'll both be over - she is lacking in the commercial licence department at the moment, but well on the way...
Waiterpilot, I wish you the very best of luck, and I hope everything works out well for you (on both sides of the world). Your posts have been a great read, and with an attitude like yours I'm sure you'll have no probs getting on with everyone and landing that job. As long as you don't smell of trout :}

Much appreciated my friend!

ZP

Round 2....
 

Right, where was I in this epic monologue?

Asking for jobs

Once you have chilled at Audi for the night, and negotiated the horrors of the beetle killing fields for your morning wash, you will probably want to go out and get yourself known to some of the companies.

So, get up early, throw your CV's, headset, licenses and logbooks in your bag and head off. Best way to get into town is by combi, these are small minivan things that patrol the main road just outside the camp. Stand outside, do the universal sign of the hitchiker and get ready for a sweaty excursion. It is 3 pula into town - and a good 15 minutes to get in. When you want to get off (near the petrol station) just shriek or something and they will let you out. One thing you will notice is how much more friendly everybody is - it's not like the UK where everyone sits ashen face reading the Metro, miserable and cold. Everyone is happy and talking to you trying to make you feel welcome. So that's nice.

The office's are pretty easy to spot, Moremi and Kavango are in the airport 'terminal' upstairs. Delta air is just across the road from the airport inside the gates (and cattle grid), Sefo is a bit further up this road too, Mack air is next to bon arrive, and Safari Air is up another road (so that narrows it down doesn't it?)

You will go in, say I'm new in town looking for a pilot job, and then hopefully someone will come out and speak to you. Once you have handed your CV's in, then you will be trying to find some empty seats on a flight to get some experience of flying in the Delta, which isn't a bad way to spend a day. At Sefo, you will have to sit a three hour exam and have a formal interview, which I have not yet experienced but it sounds joyous.

That is pretty much it. Basically keep going in at about 8am everyday, look keen and enthusiastic and try and get on some flights. That could last for days, weeks, even months.


The Companies

From what I see you have two different groups of companies on how they run things for hiring new pilots. 1) Sefo and then 2) Everyone else. Sefo is the largest company and so is obviously going to be more impersonal. The best way I can describe it is as an airline - you turn up for a written exam and then an interview and are hired on the basis of this. At the other companies, your interview room is the pub - buy some drinks and get on well with the other guys.

Safety seems okay - there are accidents (see other posts on here for the most recent), but they are quite rare considering how many movements there are. Aircraft are flying so often that most problems are picked up early at the 50/100 hour checks so there aren't too many problems (although Mr Storkey was telling me of a recent electrical fire he'd had. IMC is usually supposed to only exist OUTSIDE the cabin.) Maintenance from what I am told is very good.


Housing

Yes there is housing, rent is from as little to as much as you want. You could stay at Audi for your whole time at 17pula a night, but I would suggest this would not be pleasant. The housing is.... functional. The tap water is drinkable (well, I drank it and I am not dead), there is a sewerage system, hot and cold water. Then you have the luxuries if you pay for them like satellite TV with BBC (yey!) and the like. The interior design leaves much to be desired however. There are also little clusters of housing where the pilot's live (in a sort of aviators ghetto I suppose) - but I only saw inside the one house I stayed in to look after the dog and the cat. Expect about 750pula - 1250pula a month which isn't too bad really.


Job prospects

Had a good long chat to Stuart, the owner of Mack Air about this one. All the companies are seeing lower bookings and higher cancellations this year, and so none of them really know what they are going to do for next season yet with regard to hiring. Moremi not even sure if they are going to replace the aircraft they just lost. From the sounds of things there are a good few people leaving in January, so I guess that would be the time to go (earlier the better).

So there will be some jobs, but I am not sure how many. With the economy going the way it is, I can see more people headed to Maun than normal, but not to the levels that there were even just three years ago (apparently about 20 people!) If you are definately going and you haven't posted in here yet (an unsettlingly named 'Lurker' of the forum) please do! We won't bite. Well, I won't.


Mr/Ms Z_Pilot I apologise that this is a rather functional reply to your post rather than my usual (attempt at) friendly communication. I have completely lost the will to live with all this typing. Nothing Personal.

1. Company sorts this out for you when you are hired.
2. You need a police clearance certificate thing to say what (if anything) you have on your record. This will need to be done before you head to Maun. If you are refering to work permit, visa, bots license then yes that is handled by the company after you are hired.
3. See above. Don't worry - it's not Lawrence of Arabia!
4. No.
5. I am afraid that despite my vast experience of one week in Maun I don't know on that one.
6. If you bring your dog he will only add to the animal symphony of the night. I guess best place to ask that would be Botswana customs or something. I can assure you there will definately be paperwork though.


...... And I'm spent.

I think I have armed you all well for the great unknown (henceforth the very well known) that is Maun, but if there is anything else you want to ask, feel free - I'll keep checking back.

Remember, if you are a lurker - post!

Cheers Guys - see (some of) you in a month!

PS. Csanad007: Liking the site! There's a load more for you to add :)

This is my first post in this thread so first thing to say is GREAT. Really an interesting reading, keep it going.

I'm a fresh PPL guy so I've still a long way to go before I can consider to bush flying but that's probably the way I want to start in the future.

I've a very simple question, how many pilots are working in Maun during the peak season? Are they all seasonal or some do stay all year long?
How many hours do they fly on average per week?
I should have read all posts but didn't find it or maybe I missed it.

Maun bound
 

Hello all,
Ive been lurking for a while and finally decided to post. I have decided to try my luck in Maun this season and have booked a flight to Johannesburg on Jan 7 as well as the Air Botswana flight onward to Maun.

From what Ive read Im a bit older than the average Botswana job seeker at 36 and maybe more experienced with 1800 hrs, 60 hrs TU206 time and an MEI, but I suspect with the hiring situation as bleak as it is in the States that there will be a few more high time pilots heading to Maun this year than seasons past. Id love to think my hours would give me a better shot at stepping into a Caravan position more quickly, but Im not too optimistic.

I think most of my questions have been answered already by previous posts, but I would love to hear more about the Sefofane interview if anyone has been through it already. Im surprised no one seems to have posted a gouge anywhere online yet. My instrument knowledge is a bit rusty but Im guessing they they dont focus so much on IFR stuff.

Cant wait to get there! Looking forward to running into some of you at Audi Camp and the local Pubs. Anyone else from the San Francisco Bay area going to be around?
-adam

certificate of clearance?
 

Ive read on this thread about needing a certificate of clearance from the police, but I havent heard of this requirement anywhere else including the Botswana consulate site. Is this a requirement for the tourist visa? Or just when applying for a residency permit? If it involves fingerprinting then most likely I wont have time to complete the process before leaving so I am a little worried about it.

I think Americans are exempt from the police certificate thing. At least thats my impression...

Also, I don't live there anymore, but I used to live in central California. I'll be in Maun by the 10th of January. I'm also in the same boat as you, with 1400 hours. All though from what I read, having a lot of time really doesn't get you any further, as they don't really seem to care about how many hours you have.

ragdragger: Sefofane
 

Try reaching Gavin Storkey, he posted here a few times, and is flying for sefo as I know

Further detailage
 

Meant to say actually: the only thing stopping people from going onto the Caravan is a 1000 hour rule for insurance. You will still have to start on the 206 but I would imagine that if there is space on the Caravan you could be fast tracked through. Don't quote me on this though!

Usual way of doing it for a 250hr guy is start on the 206 for a year, then fly both the 206 and the Caravan the next. Then you also have a sprinkling of Airvans and Islanders into the mix to keep it interesting.

RMarvin86: Most stay all year long. You get 4 weeks leave but I heard of a couple that took a couple extra weeks unpaid. I don't know exactly how many pilots there are but the number 60 was floated around. You fly 5 to 6 hours a day in the high season, six days a week (and I should imagine beer has never tasted so good afterwards).

ragdragger: Good to see you emerge from the shadows! I can't help with the police certificate thing (I guess you'll find out in the not too distant future), but I can say enjoy your succulent muffin on Air Botswana!

Just to let you all know; I am not sure if there will be jobs for everyone in Maun. Sorry to slip into the usual pprune mood of sombreness and pessimism from my usual cheerful self, but it's a fact. If you hang around long enough then you will most likely get a job (four months for one of the guys out there) - but there will be some going in January.

If you are willing to broaden your horizons a bit and head of to Namibia or another close by country (if and when you grow weary of hanging around for a job in everyones favourite donkey resort) you should be able to find something! Here is info on that.

Please be realistic
 

This thread is worrying me a little. There is only the very hint of realism toward the end. I don't want to dampen enthusiasm, but the image this is creating is somewhat different to what can be expected for your ongoing life in Africa. Life here is much harder than you might imagine and it's really only suitable for a certain personality. Please realise that there is an inherent risk, not just financial but obviously health and accidents. If/when something goes wrong, will you feel safe? You can't take anti-malarials on a permanent basis. You WILL become ill at some stage, perhaps needing a hospital visit. And remember that over 50% of the population of Bots have AIDS. Life is VERY different from the image being generated of easy employment (there isn't) and fun (it can be anything but - don't think this is a holiday camp). Sure, a very few people, if lucky enough to find a job will find some adventure (even though this thread seems to be trying to destroy exactly that?!?!?!?!), though most people will not be suited to this environment for ongoing employment and life. In the probable case that you can't get a job even after 4 months, there is nothing else. Hope this doesn't annoy people, but it's better that you have realistic expectations.

Agreed
 

Thanks Desert Strip Basher, I actually was just starting to think this thread was getting a little too idyllic. I'm all for a more positive pprune (looking at the wannabe's employment section everyone is suicidal), but we still need to have our feet on the floor.

As for destroying the sense of adventure, I am just trying to help - I got a number of PM's asking a range of questions so rather than answer all of them individually I tried to vomit all the info up on the thread. My very first paragraph on the first post says I'm just trying to help people know what they are getting themselves into, and yes I know it's a little happy happy but that is because I had such a good time! Please be aware guys I was only there for a week, and don't really know how it works.

Don't worry - it takes far more than somebody keeping me in check to annoy me. You will be pleased to know you won't be feeling my immense wrath (and if you are one of the guys out there at the moment who met me you will know how terrifying THAT would be)

I suppose I good way to end this post would be... keep it real! :ok:

just a note to the last two posts,
its true this place can bite you in the ass, but if you settle in, have good friends, fly safe and look after yourself, its a really cool place to stay and get your hours up. Just remember to write emails to companies before coming, try and get in contact and find the best times to come, cause some guys can be waiting for quite somtime to get work. Further more, if u can handle bugs, and bugs and more bugs... sand and the heat... flying in 40 degree heat with no aircon, then this is the place for u

I love that lol. Better then this rainy acy weather with all the depressed people complaining about every fly sh*t.

If only the companies looked at their mails more lol ... ;)

Daft (well possibly) questions alert.

1) should i take my laptop? Will it still be there when i get back to my tent at the AUDI camp? Any internet / wifi available?

2) is it quite informal there when looking for work? Do people go wandering around in the heat CV's in hand in full glorious pilot attire? Or is jeans and a T shirt the norm?

3) Is it worth taking a load of malarials or are they cheap to get over there? Are they even needed?

4) If i choose not to stay at camp AUDI are there any other cheapish places to bunk in Maun that dont involve tents?

5) Is there anything else to do in Maun aside from getting blotto? :ok:

6) ermmm, thats it. (for now)

CB

according to Waiterpilot, theres WiFi at Audi Camp so a lappy might come in handy. if i take mine, i'll keep it with me rather than leaving it in the tent :)

i checked online and the cheapest i got was i think 300 palu a night, but since my budget doesnt allow for more that 50 a night, so i stopped looking :p

If you settle in......
 

That's the exact point Gavin....IF they settle in. What people need to think about is life in Africa first and foremost. Any possible flying is secondary - and think long term, well beyond your 1 week holidays. It's fairly obvious if a character will be able to stick it out - to me that's one of the main selection criteria. As jobs are filled readily now in any case, I just want to help prevent unsuitable people wasting $4000USD and 6 months of their life through seeing this all through rose tinted spectacles. All this talk of WiFi etc is just nonsense.

When I flew in Maun the temperature in the cockpit of an aircraft standing on the ground could become 48c quite easy. I do not know what the effect of that is on computers. I do know what the effect was on me. So if you take it with you, pack a cool box?

Desert Strip Basher
 

In advance, please xcuse my horrific english prose and the pathetics in this post :8

I think that there are more guys on this forum than those who will actually take their stuff and head to Maun.

me personally will get either to Maun either to Windhoek as soon as I have my hours and rating licenses.

I'm no dreamer but if u lived in eastern europe with the same flight training fees as in the western part of europe but with far less incomes you'd have no illusions. working your guts out just to fly a bit and build some hours - besides having to pay a load of other stuffs - you'll become hell of a relistic guy. instructing said somebody... well, you need more than 400 hours for that kinda stuff, and there is no job guarantee.

I really read what Der absolute Hammer posted here earlier (also I quoted him on my website), and I agree with you DSB, but I've seen all available pictures on the net, I've seen the satellite images on google earth. I looked after guys who lived in Bots, called the consulate, tried to acquire all necessary information.
Yepp, ol' donkeytown isn't downtown New York, not even downtown Nyíregyháza (badass Hungarian city), but it could be the center of the world for some dedicated guys.

so for me Maun is like light at the end of the tunnel, which I never hoped to really see, but was too fanatic to confess it to myself. and I know that it is the place where I must go and try to find a flyin' job, 'cos if not I'm going to regret it my hole life (there's going to be that what if)

good luck to you all.
take care, and my mom told me to fly low and slow :}

lol, wouldnt have any major effects as long as its in the shade except for some seals giving way but hey as long as you have a screwdriver and silicon it can be fixed :}

the talk on WiFi was just a way to communicate back home, not entertainment or anything.

Csanad007.

May I please say that the English is excellent. I can understand it completely.
I think you have an excellent attitude and Maun flying will be, what they say, your cup of Roibos. You will get hours pretty damned quick and see some wonderful wildlife. Also it will be an adventure and I wish you the best of the absolute luck!