No, its just that you are continually running the place down.

Look at the original post in this thread. I sure as heck don't paint a rosy picture.
And yes, my experience is the norm in Botswana (Which is what this thread is about). It's just most of the others piss it away at the bar.

As for the entry level stuff, most of the ones I have seen were around 19-25k. Unless that has changed in the recent times?

It's a great place to go and get your hours that you need to get over the 1500 mark, and to have a hell of a fun time doing it.

My god man... So unless I like EVERYTHING and have ZERO complaints I'm "running the place down". :hmm:


I LIKE NAMIBIA

Just go eyes wide open,

The flying is GREAT, people GREAT, food and booze GREAT, one of the most beautiful countries I've seen, plenty to do, great group of pilots.

The pays sucks, people running the companies are not quite up to par, many imports are expensive and data gets expensive.

It's a give and take, just like every other place on earth.


Overall how am I running the place down when I said it's a GREAT place for low time guys???

Agreed 100%

Moremi
 

i am QF Domestic Airline pilot from Australia (ex air Zim) ...Need some on ground advice. We are planning a short trip in April to the Delta after a wedding in Joburg.
first visit to the delta even though I flew many years in Zim. Looking forward to a ride with one of you to one of the lodges...but which one!??
Moremi caught our eye.
For best overall value which lodge would you recommend?
Looking at using the Maun based "the booking Company" for ...bookings.
Any tips much appreciated.

Go back through 90% of your posts about Africa. You will see what I mean. Perhaps you don't realise your own negativity.

@Gimp.

Savuti and Kasane are two places that are always magical.
The booking company will offer those places to you. If you are fixed on using them... I would suggest going Shinde, Savuti then Chobe Game Lodge in Kasane. From Kasane you can fly back to Jo'burg, or go back down to Maun and fly to Jo'burg.
Those three camps are great camps with great staff and loads of animals. Camp Moremi is also highly recommended but there is also a large amount of self drives there.

Wilderness also has some good lodges, actually they have the best ones, but they also tend to be up there in price.

"Which lodge" is a bit like asking how long a piece of string is...

It all depends;
What do you want to see?
Where do you want to go?
What kind of accommodation standards do you want?
What activities do you want?
Is this your first safari?
And most importantly, budget.

And if course it's wise to remember that pilots are often treated quite differently to guests, so my favourite places to overnight are not necessarily guest favourites...

Current update for Maun:

Requirement for a work permit is now 500 hrs total time. If you don't have the hours the companies simply cannot employ you.

Since September 2014, the CAAB recognizes and will validate your license with class ratings. However some companies (not all) will still require you to have a type rating on either the 206 or airvan before being employed. This is important to note because so many pilots are going back to their home country simply to log one hour on these types.

Please avoid the Motsebe and Sedia backpackers. There have been several robberies lately. The best place to head to is the Old Bridge backpackers as it is busier and guarded 24/7.

Pay seems to be between p6000-p10000 per month, easy to live off of. Rent is easy to find in the range of p1000-p2000 all in for shared accommodation. Alone you can budget p2800+.

Just a few things I have learned/have proven to be true since I arrived in Maun and are important to note.

dash8ing: Sedia are not backpackers, it is a lodge/hotel with a camp site. You are right to caution people on these matters. Unfortunately The Bridge doesn't welcome pilots long stay. Sure, until you find something else, and, it is a.great place. They want tourists who will buy their tours. As for your 24/7 (only on the 24th July :confused:) security. We had someone try to break into our tent there. Security were asleep. Bad choice of target, a Botswana resident, very light sleeper, ex-military with a gun, big mistake :eek: Also if you do not have transport it is a long way from the road. I still think Sedia is a good place despite security problems. Great facilites and on the road. Come on, this is Africa. Even at home 40 km out of town I sleep with a gun under the bed. Just secure your valuables and kill any b@start who tries to nick them. Easy :ok:

Nurse Ascot been feeding you raw meat again, Mr A?:}:ok:

SRT, you have been on this continent long enough.The only thing these criminals understand is a big hole in their body. Having been robbed twice (not present at the time) I have told the police I will just shoot any intruder onto our estate and ask questions later. If you get a kill they have recommended that you stick a knife in their hand before calling them :)

Folks, do not be put off coming here it is probably the safest and most stable country in Africa. You just have to be street wise like anywhere else in the world.

Meh. Just roll the stiff into the lagoon and let the flat dogs take care of it.


Couple of years fattening them up and you can afford to expend a single round on a new set of croc luggage for Nurse Ascot.:}

What companies(jet(airlines/business jets)/turboprop) in africa hire pilots with time on say C206/C210/C208 or any other MEP?

Another lazy post.

I have sent emails to over 200 companies in africa asking them what their requirements are and only 5 have responsed.Calling them is expensive.Thats why asked for the help.

This thread is about MAUN, BOTSWANA. Read the first post to get all the info you need. Questions about the rest of Africa belong somewhere else...

We get a couple of emails every day from prospective pilots but only hire the guys/girls who make the effort to come here personally (info that you should have read in the first post). But I guess that if making phone calls is too expensive, actually turning up to try your luck is out of the question.

All of the information you need is in this thread - just make the effort and read it.

Companies receive hundreds of emails from prospective low hour pilots who are usually unsuitable for their requirements and they simply dont have the staff or resources to educate the world and his dog.

In general the best (only) way to get a job is to be there on the ground making friends and talking to the right people. If you have the right number of hours on the correct aircraft (read the thread - this varies with time) and the right personlity you will succeed.
Note, however, that times are hard and tourist numbers are down so it could take some time for a vacancy to arise.

Word on the street is that 4 companies in Maun are hiring now. At least two companies currently have more aeroplanes than they have pilots.

The industry in the rest of Africa seems to be booming and there's been a few shock resignations from here.

Minimum requirements still seem to be 500 hours (or 200 for a Botswana citizen) and as always, pilots will only be chosen from the guys/girls that are putting in the hours at Bon Arrivee.

Class ratings are slowly starting to be recognized, but a few hours on any of the piston types flown here is very useful. (Or anyone from South Africa, New Zealand or any other country that has type ratings for single engine pistons, will actually need the type rating before they arrive).

Hmmm - sounds very encouraging.

Sadly for me the problem is years rather than hours, otherwise I would be with you on the next flight.

I've a big green Botswana ATPL last used in 1988. Wouldn't mind a last fling in the Delta regions; something to keep the sparkle going!

The only problem is that a CPL or ATPL automatically degrades to PPL privileges only at either age 60 or 65 depending on origin.
You can keep the IR current so long as you can keep the medical but no paying passengers. :{

OTOH perhaps it is a good thing to leave some jobs for the youngsters.

But then what happens if you're over 65 and hold a Class 1 and a current EASA ATPL and you request a Botswana validation of that licence? Is that a conundrum of histrionic proportions?

Their mind will probably just explode CC.

Such an occurrence could be described as an exploding Bat Brain.

CC: Soooooooo tempted to open the old box of tricks again.

"Will fly for free!"

If you hold Zambian citizenship, wouldn't it be wise to look there?

info is pretty much the same, read the first page and the last page and it will answer your questions about maun.

@lilflyboy262...2

The scope of charters who will accept low hour pilots just isn't as wide. I've definitely looked into it already.

Botswana= 500 hours. End of story.

Does the 500 hour rule apply to work permits for Helicopter pilots as well?

Medicals!
 

Hello folks! I have and FAA and EASA CPL+IFR License, and I have medical Class 1 in both, however I do not pass the Isihara test, (did CAD for EASA anda Fartern Lanworth for FAA), can you let me know what they do on Botswana, Namibia, etc..?

Thanks beforehand!

And one more, are all of you guys flying with EASA licenses on Africa, or there's' anyone with FAA around?

Thanks!

Best time to come? Last week. Or next week. Or maybe the end of the year. No one knows. Though most companies seem to be close to, or fully staffed for the season.


Helicopter pilots? No idea. Best to contact the company directly. They can give you a better answer, plus they don't hire the same way.


Colour vision deficiency? No idea either. But read back a few pages and see that you use your home medical to start with anyway.


And personally, I don't have an EASA or FAA licence...

Hi thanks for the reply, as mentioned I have both EASA and FAA class 1 :) but not with Isihara.

This post is mainly aimed at the kiwi and oz guys in bots or have been in bots before however feel free to comment if you have any information.

I hold both a NZ cpl and Australian cpl. I am planning on arriving into bots on my Australian cpl since i am currently in Australia looking for work, rather unsuccessfully. My Australian licence is not rated for IFR flight whereas my kiwi one is.. I have seen a couple of companies making this a requirement to fly on their books. Are they after the instrument experience or the nice little sticker, because as far as I am aware the only thing close to actual IFR ill be doing is on the flight over.

Secondly, what suffices as a c206 or Airvan endorsement for the Botswana CAA in your log book? Since I will be on my Australian licence the is no requirement to hold an actual rating for the said aircraft.

Many thanks chaps. :ok:

Anyone in the Delta been on board the same boat would be nice for some help.

Theres no IFR in the delta, so it's not a huge issue. It was one of those requirements that were tacked on to make your work visa get issued a little easier. The fact that you have one should be enough.

As for the endorsement, I think I remember reading that the issue that you are having has been solved.
That or you could just get the endorsement on your kiwi licence?

Thanks for the reply.

I will use my Australian one however will bring along my kiwi one with instructor and instrument ratings on it.

I have done about 2 hours on the c206 here in Aussie and im trying to find somewhere to get around 2 hours on the Airvan here. I will not be going back to NZ before I leave so would love to know a definite answer however having some hours on type would surely suffice.

Any aussies been in this boat???:rolleyes:

On the Aus licence you won't need time on type. The class rating system applies.

Lilflyboy is correct about IR being an added bonus for immigration purposes.

Make sure you do a BFR and medical just before you come over. Flying home to renew these is a very expensive process.


Do you know if you have to fly an NZ registered aircraft to get the type rating on your NZ licence? Or can an NZ instructor do the rating on a foreign reg aircraft (assuming they have a right to be PiC in that country)? There is a couple of kiwi instructors here (B-Cat and D-Cat) so that could be an option if required... Might be worth looking into

PIP so you're saying that if i arrive on my aussie licence that i wont need time on GA8 to able to fly the aircraft on my validated licence? of course id love to try get an hour or 2 on it. I have about 2 hours on the c206 i did last month. so that should at least bury the issue with the Cessna. I just do not want to arrive only to be told you need to get an hour or so on the airvan, go home.

from what I am aware a type rating is a type rating regardless of country obtained, for instance a friend of mine was in WA and did a tonne of time on the 210 and came back to NZ with the time in his log book and some evidence of performance knowledge ie in the form of p charts and c of g calcs and they put it on to his NZ licence. Aussie reg aircraft (obv) and aussie instructors

And yes I was very aware of the bfr and medical issue too, thanks.:O

That's exactly what I'm saying. There are pilots in Maun, on license validations, flying aircraft that they had never flown before.

Further info for you from Mack Air's Facebook page a few months back:

No mention of time on type there.

If the word of a stranger on the internet doesn't satisfy you, contact the companies directly.

No no, you've helped me, I appreciate it.

I have managed to get around 2 hours on the 206 here in Brisbane, I wont worry about getting time on the airvan then. Considering the nearest one for rent is in Victoria...:ugh:

Hi

I´m planning to go Bots or Namibia
I´m seeking some advices please:

a)Hire season
b)Best companies
c)T&C
d)License validation

I´m EASA CPL/SEP/MEP/IR/FI/SET PILATUS 800TT
Currently living in UK as FI
Experience FI/Paradrop/Tow Gliders/Air Charter/Aerial survey
Flew complex such C421/Be33/GA8/Pilatus PC-6

Thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers