Hello,

Anybody heading to namibia? I will be there end of January.

Good luck....

Bush Flying in Africa - Situation for 2012-2013
 

Hi everyone,
I plan to become bush pilot in Africa (I don't know yet where, I just want ). :ok:

Apparently, if you look at all the things already stated on this website, low timers (as me) are everywhere (Namibia, Bostwana, Zambia, South Africa....). Procedures for work permits become more and more stringent (sometimes you will need more than 1000TT to get a job on a cessna C210!
2 years ago, nothing was more easy to get a job in Maun. Just knock at the chief pilot desk's door with 250hrs TT, and a job was nearly offered to you.
Now everything is changing, and it freaks me out.
Here is a letter I just received from a chief pilot in a famous local charter company in Maun:

"We are NOT hiring at the moment. Our minimum hour requirement is as follows:
• 500 hour total time with an instructors rating and instructors experience or
• 800 hours total time with a Commercial Pilots License.
CV's are filed for six months, as is policy in our company. When we require crew, we contact short-listed candidates for an interview in person.
All non-Botswana citizens require a work visa/permit to work in Botswana. We have been experiencing extreme difficulties in obtaining these from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and this is beyond our control. Consequently, we prefer hiring Botswana crew i.e. citizens of the country. Should none be available, we revert to the (foreign) CVs on file.
All our pilots start their career with XXXX – Botswana on the Cessna 206 aircraft for a minimum period of one year, after one year of service selected candidates will progress onto the Cessna Grand Caravan.
Good luck in your search for employment!" :sad:


Howewer, I'd like to have your opinion. Is it still possible for a european guy, low houred with a CPL IR/ME to get hired by a local charter company (on SEP) out there?


Did you hear any story about employement in RDC, Gambia, Madagascar, Angola, Gabon etc... I just do not want to camp around a airport or weeks to get my first job.

FasterStronger

Be patient and stay where you are ! it's not the right time to make changes even if you have the opportunity to change. It's better to gain more jet experience than anything else. The situation is everywhere crap at the moment even in Africa with low hour pilots desperately looking for jobs.


You have been warned !

Merry Christmas from Sweden to all flying in Africa, you've got my dream job!

Merry Xmas to all you job hunters :)
I miss my time there! I always find myself going through my old photos of there. Plus now I am thigh deep in snow... missing it even more!

Good luck! Hope you all get the chance of a life time to start your careers.

lilflyboy

Did you find a better job in Canada?

I moved onto an IFR Caravan and King Air job. Great experience going from +40 to -40!
having trouble extending my work permits now though so I am heading back to NZ where I have an interview with Air New Zealand.

Allow me then to wish you the best of luck in flying with a fine and fun airline. Your cause would be probably greatly enhanced if you could somehow direct the interview panel's attention to wrinkled plums' pages, where you have for so long waged a consultative campaign to educate the aspiring android aviator and to give freely of information both helpful and constructive.
Good luck!

Botswana and Namibia's view on hours
 

Does anyone know how either of these countries view copilot hours on aircraft they class as single pilot.I've many hours as copilot multi crew in a country where it was required by local regs but the aircraft is certified in most other countries as single.
I recently went to Tanzania and was told by few companies that they would not be recognised towards my 1000TT,then one company said ask TCAA and they said yes we recognise as P1/US not P2. I guess its down to who you ask on the day and their own interpretation of ICAO regs .
Anyone had similar dealings in these countries?

Welcome to Africa.

It usually depends on the rules of the authority where the hours were flown.
For example, the Twotter is certificated for single pilot operation but most CAAs require a second pilot for commercial passenger ops so P2 time counts when flown under their rules.

Hello,

Are there opportunities in Africa for EASA holders with MEP/IR attached... no SEP?

my CPL was completed in a twin so I do not hold an SEP on my EASA licence.

Thanks

And as for the topic, is there anyone who can provide the info on Maun situation nowadays? How many hopefuls, have the companies hired already or not, latest visa/work permit hearsay?

I arrive in Namibia tomorrow. Then I will make the trip over the Maun in a couple weeks. Anyone there now?

Outside hiring season?
 

Having spent a lot of time checking up on this forum over the last 18 months while saving up for my african adventure, I finally have the money to make the trip. Instructing in the USA paid enough to survive, but not save so I found something that allowed me to obtain the cash to pursue my dream.

I know that the hiring season is Nov - Feb but unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to leave for Africa until the end of Feb. Am I stupid in considering that or is there a chance of being hired outside the specified hiring window? I am itching to go but would appreciate any advice on whether it really is a pointless venture to go at the end of Feb and whether it would be better to wait until Nov at the end of this year (seems so far away, but I guess good things do sometimes come to those who wait).

Many thanks.

Assuming that you have a few hours under your belt now, and are allowed to live and work in America, have you thought of trying Alaska?

Arriving end of Feb is a waste.
The companies might hire 1 or 2 between March and May, but that's about it.
Good weather though, great time to be in Botswana or Namibia.

Feb!!Isn't that's the end for maun hiring season? And, the start for Namibia?
Just wonder is there any Chinese Pilots do their flying over Africa?
Thanks

From my experience, Feb is end of hiring in Namibia AND Maun.
mid November is the time to arrive, and stay for 3 months until mid Feb.
If you go back/forth between Nam and Maun, then you can stay for a few more weeks (3 months in each actually), but not really worth it after mid Feb.

Unfortunately lilflyboy, no. As a UK national I was able to instruct in the USA through Optional Practical Training, but once you have done that, you cannot extend your Visa any more. Obtaining a Visa to instruct in the states is incredibly difficult nowadays. Used to be able to get a J1, but that is no longer offered for flying purposes. Alaska would be amazing and I had thought about that. Just wish it was me and not my brother who was born in the states and therefore had the right to citizenship.

Guess it will be wise to continue searching over here in Latin America for the time being until November comes back around.

Appreciate all your thoughts.

I'm in Namibia now
 

Just went through the interview for Wilderness Air, I know Westair is looking for guys too (closer to 1000 hours though). Not sure whats happening at the coast but I heared companies got tuned for not employing enough locals.
Air Namibia is getting rid of expensive contract pilots from Europe so people will be moving up the ladder ssonish... Wouldn't be too sure it will be dead in Feb... I'll keep an ear out :D

MKA742, sounds to me an opportunity in namibia??.or maybe not. If air nam. is kicking out expats and forced to hire locals, which means pilots from bush companies will move up the ladder and an opportunity for us low timers? But, 1000hrs for bush seems quite a lot. The last time i checked on westair was around 200-300 hrs, and check again its still the same. Anyway, thanks for the update and hope you get through with wilderness.

Yes Dave, thats what I meant :ok:

Westair is not looking for C210 guys per se, thats why they ask 1000 hours. They want people who can move on to the Cessna twin turbines quickly. The website is not there main concern I suppose...

Heared today that Scenic (from Scenic staff) will be hiring 'a couple' soon, but if youre not here now, youre too late anyway :)

You just have to be here by the end of the holidays and you can get lucky!

Hey guys i am in Maun now and the minimum requirements are 300hr! This is due to work permit difficulties! Major, Wilderness and Moremi are asking for min 500hr. Make your decision but this is the situation...

How can i apply to Westair. Is there an email address ?

Thank you !

You travel to Maun and knock on their door it seems.
As for the email adress...have you even looked at their website?:ugh:

I don't have any plans going there yet...was only wondering if somebody knew their email address because i couldn't find it on their website.

Thank you !

Dave is right, except that it's in Winhoek, not Maun.

Sending your cv is not gonna help. Show up here and talk to Christo the chief pilot. Heared this weekend they hired five so only guys with real twin time are still in the running. C425 rating especially. If you have either of that, calling might a good thing to do. I heared of a guy getting hired over Skype, that was last year and he was lucky they needed an instructor fast!

So far about 15 guys got hired this season, not bad at all. Most hiring done now but like I said... anything is possible down here :ok:

MKA472,

I think I already missed this hiring opportunity in Namibia! Still waiting to renew my medical and IR. Waiting is pain in the as%
Did my research on Low Time Pilot Guide and another various websites that hiring are mostly done in Mar-May. I guessed i was mis-informed.

March to May is the beginning of the season.
I have always said November to Feb.

Maybe a job for ex 1time pilot..?

Getting a job a Maun is about to get alot tougher....
 

I'm guessing with the FAA raising the minimum required hours for airlines to 1500TT in August 2013, meaning ERAU grads and such don't have the feeder from regionals airlines because they wont have the time to qualify....FO's originally only need 250hrs to qualify for regional airlines... soooo all those pilots have to find a gap somewhere....there will be a massive influx of American pilots looking to grab these jobs..... so expect the minimums at these places to keep rising as well because they will be getting the pick of the litter from some of America's best flight schools.....

pharael

Do you really think that a lot of americans will be able to cope with africa? I think not.:ok:

The Yanks have done just fine in Maun for years if not decades. They're a blight on the southern African market but on the other hand there used, at one time, to be plenty of pilots from South Africa who couldn't cope with the tremendous heat and dust of Maun.

Thank goodness for their business in the safari travel industry over the years otherwise many of you guys would not have jobs.

Do the companies in Maun usually have an upper hour limit?
If I were to come there with around 3000h would they think that was weird and not hire me?

@CanPilot89, I would seriously recommend you get above 300hrs before comingover. The hiring is about done for the year as well so it wouldn't be the besttime to get here.

Do not go to Maun with less than 300TT.
 

CanPilot89, 300TT is the strict minimum for work permit issues. As it is, don't bother going there if you are under 300. Take my word for it. Been there.
Just confirming what byronmc said.
300TT is just for the work permit (government thing). Companies there usually want 500TT. This is the actual reality in Maun.
Wish you the best mate.

Hey PLC-
If a guy was to rock up with slightly less than the minimums you mentioned on powered aircraft, but with substantial gliding experience as well, how do you think this would be viewed with regards to meeting the total time requirements? I know different regulatory authorities have different attitudes towards counting gliding time for a CPL, but has anyone had any experience of how this sort of thing is viewed by operators, or whether non GA flying experience could be used to get you over the line for a work permit if your powered flying hours fell a little short?
Cheers.

Isn't that like asking if you'd receive preferential achievement if you were a dandy shot with a .375 magnum and had a boy scout badge in bushcraft?
After all, in the unlikely event of a forced landing, there you are, out in the bush with a plane load of bedraggled Brits, each one of whom thinks they are now the colonial master piece in charge. Quickly taking command yourself by the simple expedient of pointing out which way is North, you use your not inconsiderable talents to make bivouac for them, pot off a passing impala with your trusty rifle, whip up a gourmet stew, tell them tales of the bush under the stars, bed the millionaire charter's daughter and lead them all to safety the next day. Well, perhaps the day after if the daughter was very good in the sand pit. Those are talents that would be of more use on the face of it than gliding. However, none of the above would have happened had you not known how to glide and had you not known that jettisoning the aforementioned daughter from the gliding aircraft would not have extended your gliding range one metre.
So yes, gliding is very important but a degree in aeronautical engineering would be really useful in the Botswana bush.