great!
 

I'm very curious.

For those of you that can speak afrikaans,try desert air!min 200hours required,at around 500hours you start flying multi-engine(be58,c310,c401) and then on c208. P2 on AC90(Turbine commander) and at around 1500total time you get command on it!great company to work for!but, you'll have to be able to speak afrikaans...

What if..
 

... I learn afrikaans on the fly?
Only because I speak (and write) in four languages:) and I could learn afrikaans in a few weeks :)
No chance, eh?

What is the best time of year to be in Namibia (and Africa in general) for job hunting? Is there a high/low season, or is it pretty much the same all year around?

Does age matters in Namibia?
 

hey guys i'd like to know is there any age requirement to land a job there asides frm having CPL?

sefofane
 

Thanks for the comprehensive low-down on Namibia. but I'm hearing different stuff about total required hours. Sefofanes website says 250 with an IR, but I hear rumours about 400. Is this rubbish or do you think they are saying this to get rid of certain people?:hmm:

Apparently the start of the winter season is the tourist season. So Jan Feb is the best time. Gives them time to train you up for for March April.

The new guys
 

A word from the wise, Nam is a great place to build up hours, but! There is a huge BUT, Windhoek is hot and high (average temp in summer at 10am 29C up to 40C or higher at mid day, at an elevation 5500' AGL), eros's runways are short and with the mountains and high terrain cause even experienced pilots to sweat sometimes! Experience counts for alot flying in those conditions. And dont forget the thunderstorms, when they hit in the afternoon either fly around or land as soon as possible! Maintenance on the older aircraft is questionable. The average age of a C210 is about 25 to 30 years old, Nam has had more fatal accidents in the last 3 years than ever before. I have personally lost friends due to the accidents and some where due to pure negligence of maintenance, lack of experience of pilots and also certain companies not doing all things by the book.

The ATC standards have dropped, the really good atc's have all left for better jobs, ie south africa, germany, abu dhabi etc... So when flying in other parts of the world you might hear a voice that once controlled eros on 118.7! Do expect to have go arounds, slower aircraft being slotted ahead of faster traffic and orbits at positions in the circuit that will kill people one day! :eek:

Namibia is a lovely place but go there first and check it out. I have lots of friends who have flown there or are still flying in that wonderful country, the companies are professional and welcoming. The people are friendly and the weather most of the time is fantastic. But with this fairytale the darker side is that unfortunately it is not the place it was 5 or 10 years ago.:(

Return ticket from Namibia
 

Hi there,
I am thinking of travelling to Namibia to seek employment. I know you have to purchase a return ticket, but is there a way around this in case you are offered a job while there and don't need to come back within the 90 days allowed for a UK citizen. Or otherwise, can you have an onward ticket to another African country, say Tanzania? Would this be acceptable?
Thanks for any info
Nik

@nastynik: return ticket
 

Check Air Namibia (SW), flying to WDH from FRA only. They usually offer triangle flights, i.e. JNB and CPT, where arrival and departure may be at different places, even in different countries. Just enquire, may be they offer sth similar with their other African flights.

Why would we want to leave the greatest country in the world? (That was sarcasm by the way) and I am an American and that seems the case in general for us just travelling abroad. When I was in South Africa a couple years ago, I hardly met any other Americans. Anyways, I am a female pilot headed down to both Botswana and Namibia so not all of us fit in that category ;)

Yeah there are a lot of Americans who are afraid of leaving the country cause they think they'll get AIDs or whatever they hear on Fox news. Its very annoying getting ignorant comments when mentioning any travel or work abroad, i would imagine fewer American pilots in that area because some are just afraid of it. so far this post hasn't been flying related, so.. whats more sketchy, flying through freezing fog, and icing conditions (currently what im seeing here in Oregon) or the effects of flying in 40C from high altitude, in a heavy loaded plane? (what i assume are the conditions in Namibia and Botswana)

Just to repeat something:

when I was in Namibia the most hiring of pilots was done between February and June. 2010 may be different though....

Also, in 2007-8 you could get a room at the backpackers for between US$10-15.
The 20 British pounds/night that someone mentioned above seems a bit steep to me! If you're really tight and think it might take you a couple of months to get a job sorted then buy a tent and pitch it on the backpackers' grounds for around US$7-8 /night... I lived in a tent for about 6 weeks - good character builiding! :E

Cheers!

Hi everyone,

I'm getting a lot of PMs with people asking questions along the same lines so I'll post some answers here... I'm sure that I'm repeating myself in a few places :ugh:

Q: Are companies hiring right now?
A: I'm guessing that 2009 was a slow year and that it will pick up in 2010. See above posts for previous high season times... I left Namibia nearly 2 years ago, but I've just emailed a mate who still lives there for a more accurate answer. Stay tuned.

Q: Is it possible to get hired with just a CPL and 200-250hrs?
A: YES! These are low hour jobs and a couple of hours on a 210 will help, but are not essential. It is more the norm rather than the exception to get hired with less than 300 hrs.

Q: I'm quite an old geezer, does age matter for employment? :E
A: Short answer is no. Most of the guys/gals were young in their early/mid twenties but there were the odd exceptions. The companies don't care about your age as long as you get the job done safely and perform well.


Can't think of anything else right now, Will talk later...

Happy Landings!

I'm in Windhoek now. Noone is hiring. Sefo hired one guy recently. He's currently working at a lodge burning time before they bring him online.

How to find a job
 

Hi,
First of all I have deep respect for all of you guys here. You're all very eager to find a job, and I hope for all of us we will find one soon. I have recently graduated as a pilot in the Netherlands, and now looking for a job.
I have a question I'd like to ask. Is it an advantage to actually go to Namibia or other African countries? How do you figure out which companies you want to visit?
I've send my application letter to Sefofane, but no reply yet. So I'll be crossing thumbs the coming days.
Regards

Hey mate, I know exactly what that's like... Just hang in there, I'm sure it will pick up around FEB-MAR. If you get restless just do what I did and catch a bus up to the Vic Falls in Zambia for a week or so. An amazing sight!

I wouldn't bother exploring Namibia though - you'll see the whole country for free once you're flying tourists around! :ok:

Cheers!

Basic question here from me - when people go to Namibia (or any other random place for that matter) - do you have a few changes of a typical pilot uniform packed as well? Or is this something you buy (receive?) once you land your first job?
Also - in a place like Namibia where it's freaking hot - what sort of clothes are you fronting up to these places in? Surely not slacks & a tie?

(I am sure someone is going to **** on me for asking these questions, but hey, I'm OK with that).

Haha! Funny that you mentioned it, there is a company here that makes their pilots wear white shirt,long pants and a RED tie for bush flying!!:}

Transport
 

Hi,

What is the transport system (if any) like in Windhoek? Would I need to buy a car to get around? I see online they are quite expensive, even second hand...compared to Europe :confused:

Thanks:ok:

You can get a taxi anywhere in Windhoek city for $7.50 per Person. Possibly $15 for out to Eros Airport.
It doubles after midnight.
Do not pay more than that. (that is of course unless you are taking a cab from the international airport into town, that is around $180-$280 depending on your barter skills. Probably around $250 is the going rate if you are travelling alone)

Return Ticket
 

Hi CT,

Thank you for the info.
Nik

Well, I've been reading posts about Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, etc. for about 5 months now and have finally decided to go for it (hence the first post). I'll hopefully be heading to the other side of the world within 2 months, so now it's time for deciding where to go and ask some practical questions. I was thinking a lot about Maun at first so I hope these questions aren't ignorant for Namibia.

I've been thinking through the details of what to bring, what to do with my things here, etc. I guess my questions are:

1) Are basic needs such as toiletries and clothing worth stressing about or can I easily get what I need inexpensively once on the ground? Basically how thoroughly do I need to pack and still fit in my backpack?

2) Are the accommodations relatively secure or should I plan to carry most of my things with me all of the time?

3) Is it easy to exchange US $'s once there or do I need to get local currency here? Are credit cards accepted?

4) I'd rather not bring my laptop but is it easy enough to get online so my family doesn't freak out or is it worth bringing if I can?

5) Most importantly, anything I can buy cheaply here that I can make some money on when I get there (obviously not most important but worth asking)?

Thanks for any help

Windhoek in Namibia is pretty much First World - so the first 4 Questions present absolutly no hassles. Should be the same for Maun by now, although it is more rural than urban. You can get anything for everyday needs so I would rather take my Laptop along as well.

Concerning Question 5 - importing stuff would just be a waste of time... unless you really have something unique.

What about medical certificates? Do you need to get a Class 1 done in each country? Or does a foreign class 1 do the trick? Which begs the question - if I come from Oz with an Australian class 1 and it expires after a few months in Africa, can I just get a new one done there? Or do people return for a holiday and get their renewal done?

Krazy, you need to do your medical again in Namibia, but not the whole medical examination. The medical examiner will then convert your valid OZ medical to the Namibian one.

Thanks Voel.

I've just heard from a friend in Windhoek that things are very quiet in Namibia at the moment. Some of the companies are also getting a little picky and raising their minimum requirements (because they can or for insurance purposes) to the 400-500 hour total. :( Time on type also a neccesity.

It's likely that things will pick up in March. I would advise anyone thinking of heading over there to wait until mid Feb. :ok:

Cheers and Good luck!

Thanks very much for that BBNRADAR - it's appreciated greatly (by others as well I'm sure!)

I received a reply via email from the Chief Pilot at Sefo saying that they are having extreme difficulties in obtainning work permits for non-Namibians from the Ministry of Home Affairs... and they don't know for how long this is going to carry on.

I was also up in Nam during Dec, granted it's not the best time of year, but things were very very quiet and not much movement was expected for a while..

Thanks for all of the information on this thread. How critical do you think it is to be there in March as opposed late April or May? Obviously things are slow at the moment, but I've got a commitment at work I'm not really willing to walk away from until everything is resolved.

Also, since the World Cup is in South Africa, is there any chance that will increase business and hiring opportunities in May and June leading up to that? Since I've never been there, I'm not sure if international tourists would want to tack a safari, etc. onto their trip.

Thanks again for all of the great information.

Any pilots in Windhoek ???
 

Hi
I am currently staying in Windhoek and have been to the airport and done the rounds with all the operators. I have had a couple of informal chats/interviews, but haven't had any replies yet!!
Is anybody else in town? If so, PM me or call me on 081 618 4996.

Also, do you know where local pilots hang out round here? Maybe a pub or a club where it is easy to network, like the skydiving club in Swakop for example?

Cheers

hi friends
 

i have a ICAO CPL issued in philippines.I have a total flying time of 825 hrs out of which 580 hrs are on PA-23-250 and i am very much interested in doing job in africa as my company closed its operation can any one plz help me get a job there
will be very greatfull to u all thank u

Namibia
 

Tomcat has answered your questions pretty much, You have the correct amount of hours and if you weigh very little ie 50 or 60 kgs Scenic Air would probably be very interested in you as they like pilots that are as light as a feather !!!

I know they are doing interviews at the moment as a Buddy of mine went on the 3-5-10 with a TT of about 325hrs, again he is built like a racing snake !!!

Cheers

Bush Bird - Stellenangebote


good luck:ok:

Well, this is always there on the site.

hiring
 

Bush bird has actually hired a pilot last week.

Scenic has hired 3 in the last 2 months.

Noticed MKA742 blog has re-opened !!

Yepp
 

Me the Bush Bird :ok:

July
 

Hi everybody,
I've been coming back to check on this topic for some time now. I would like to make the best of my situation by doing a year of flying out in Africa. I know you won't get hired unless you show up, but is it even worth considering in July?
Thanks for the help.

Might be worth trying Namibia or Tanzania