For those new in town and a reminder to all; this next week will see the highest crime rate of the year. Laptops, smart phones and cameras are the favorites. Stash away your cash.

If you have a gun lock it up. The police will charge you if you report it stolen.

We have already had our joint cased twice in the last few days.

It is recent policy that there must be no less than 1 ATM per 1000 donkeys in Maun.

Also new minimums on electronic payment facilities for goods and services, at many outlets shall be 1 for every 200 pre paid phone outlet sales points.

Hello! I'm in Maun, so if any of you are around please let me know! I will stay all day around Beer Garden next to the airport as I will also been doing some runs to different companies. And I'm staying in Old Backpackers Bridge, hope to see you guys.

The Old Bridge Backpackers. 10 km out of town on the old road to Moremi. Highly recommended.

The 'Beer Garden' referred to is actually called 'Pizza Plus'. Also very pleasant.

Spaflyer, may see you around. Usually at Pizza Plus 10.00 on Thursdays. One is the geriatric ATPL leaning on the bar drinking Savanna Dry! Cheers.

Lol, that's where we are! in Old Bridge in a camping tent, and now writing from Garden Beer, making time to couple of visit to different CFI!

Wish Dave and Helana my best.

Dave sorta helped me get a job in Maun when he had Jungle Junction in Zambia.

Simply ask them if they know anything about a water wheel over a social chat, Patrick at the bar can be helpful for accom needs if you get a group together and need a house.

I left Maun about 15 years back and Bots about 10, but have been back a few times to visit. I knew where to stay and Dave and H looked after me well - best tent at camping price. The tent is luxury ask to see them.

Hi Band, not sure who are Dave and Helana... but if you give me some tips I will! anyway looks like I'm the only one in town? where's everbody looking for jobs?

Dave and Helena would be the owners of The Old Bridge Backpackers - certainly the ones that started it and don't think they sold it.

Dave is a Sandenberg (or how ever you spell it) same as his brother that owned Delta Air. They are 2 different folk but are family.

There are many good folk in Maun outside of aviation, get to know them too.

My first wife is from Maun, I believe her nephew is now a LAME and think both fixed wing and rotary. NF does not give that easy - also will go on record that the best ever LAME's I worked with were in Bots, would have most them work for/with any day in any place.

All the best to everyone for 2017 and may all your impacts with mother earth be smooth ones

Spa, I was at Pizza Plus on Thursday at 10.00 as always every week you were not. Got to network old boy. PM sent.

David still does own The Bridge. Bit confused about the brother though. Only know one and he is in the safari industry.

Damm he is dead.

South African Tourism Update

I was here in Thursday all morning, only few minutes away looking for flights on companies, but all day long here (now wraiting from Beer Garden), where you yesterday on the camp fire on Samedupi?

Hi, I have my doubts, hopefully Pink Pilot will be able to give you a more precise info, but I believe that if you apply for a fixed wing position you must have minimum 500hrs on planes

Email (or call) Helicopter Horizons in Maun. They should be able to sort you out, or at least point you in the correct direction. PM me if you need an email address. Good luck and cheers.

Every now and then we do see a new question here!

I don't have any solid information, but here are my thoughts:

There is one pilot that I know of who flew fixed wing in the Delta and then got a helicopter licence. I imagine that he can't have had too many helicopter hours under his belt when he started flying them here. But this was many years ago so is not necessarily a good measure of the current situation.

As far as I know, the helicopter guys haven't had the same issues as the fixed wing pilots have had with immigration and permits. They are still employing recent graduates from overseas. However, you want to go the other way which is more restrictive and therefore more difficult.

A CV with that many hours will look very good to the department of labour and home affairs. They won't fully understand the difference between fixed/ rotary wing. Many pilots here have boosted their hours with simulator time, gliding, gyrocopter... for the purposes of showing more experience for the work permit application. So that should not be a problem.

CAAB have had issues with people holding both pilot and engineer licences. I have no idea what they will say about two categories of pilot licence. As I said before, it has been done in the past, but many years ago and before the new and improved(?!) CAAB. There is a chance that you could run into a problem when applying for a licence validation whereby CAAB tell you that you need 200 hours for a CPL therefore you cannot hold a licence. While it's not specifically written in the rules, the authority has been know to read between the rules and stick with one person's interpretation many times before.

The problem that I definitely see is with insurance. I checked a couple of policies in the office just now and they make specific mention of "fixed wing time". The policies I checked are fairly lenient, but do require far more fixed wing time than you currently have. If you came to Maun with a great attitude and a personality that one of the companies really loved, then maybe they would try to speak to their insurance company, but that is a risk and there's no guarantee that insurance will budge. I am afraid that most people would simply put you into the 'too hard basket'.

Good luck!

Mack Air hired a hell of a good bloke who flew both fixed and fling wing back in 2010/11.

Torque, good post from Pinky and Lilfly is correct.

As far as the Department of Irritation are concerned, as Pinky says, it is total hours as a driver. They will not know what 'rotary' means.

Just interested to know why you want to switch to fixed wing here. Rotary is much more fun.

Savanna Dry

Pretty demeaning sorts of comments from you; let's hope you will not need any help from either authority, as with that attitude you won't get far.

How much experience (hours) do you have?

Torque, thank you. See your point. Rotary down here is great fun though. You quite often get based in the bush at a luxury lodge for some time. Lots of skimming the tree tops in Jet Rangers for scenic flights. Yes long term probably best fixed wing. The very best of luck.


gehenna:

About 10,000 hrs. ATPL, heavy four jet, wide bodied, twin piston, twin turbine, single piston, military fast jets, bit of rotary but not rated. Will that do you? Oh, and personal pilot to HMQ for some years. Now you know who I am! ;-) Yea, as you say I probably won't get very far.

We were in the Department of Irritation the other day. Extremely helpful folk actually if you adopt the right attitude. Calls for a bit of acting ability. They have a new target to turn applications around in two weeks we will see. Our papers go in next week - will report back.

Experience dictates that you are best going in there yourself, collar and tie and chatting to a senior officer not going through an agency. I appreciate that most charter companies use agencies and you have no choice but it still pays to pitch up in person for a seperate meeting without the agency girlie who has probably lost most of your papers anyway - keep copies for this eventuality. .

Zambia
 

Hi
Does any of you guys have any information on the job situation in Zambia?

appreciate thanks

Interested in Zambia's situation as well, no thread in African Aviation. If anyone has infos to share, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hi guys, Zambian requirements went recently up to 1000hrs tt for expats, in order to get a license!

A part from that, do you know if they are looking for people over there? I am thinking of taking leaves and driving there to hunt for a new gig.

Apart from the rumors on this forum, nothing. Are you the same pilot paul I see on /r/flying?

I have a quick question if any of the Maun experts still read this thread.

Would a restricted instructor rating (i.e. an Australian Grade 3, NZ Cat C, Canadian Class 4, EASA restricted instructor etc.) be useful in getting hired assuming you had some instructing experience, or is it not any use to the Maun companies until you've had it upgraded?

Currently you really only need one thing to get the job and thats 500 TT to get a work permit. Note thats not a company requirement, but one from immigration. Instructor ratings (any type) sweeten the deal for immigration purposes. Companies like anything that make it easier for the new guys to get a work permit.

As far as practically using your instructor rating, unless you end up in a flight school in Gabs, it will be of little practical use. Company line training pilots don't require an instructor rating. After you've been there for some time and have obtained your Bots license after 500 hrs in the Delta, assuming the company requires it, you may do a flight with the CAAB to get check and training approval for your company.

Having said all this, you could have space shuttle time and be the world aerobatic champion but drinking Black Labels at a braai (bbq) is the best way to get a job. Arriving around this time of year, I would say its easier to get a job than Australia or NZ. Not many new pilots looking these days. If you have 500 hrs seriously just go there, will be the best thing you ever did

hey guys and girls... wildderness air has IR as a mimimum requirement. IR for SE? What about the other companies there - do they require Single Engine IFR? Cant find information on their websites. Cheers

Not sure why Wilderness require that given all operations are single engine day VFR in the Delta. Other companies don’t require an instrument rating

In Southern African Air Law (R.S.A., Nam, Bots ...), you need an IR to operate away from base (50NM Radus) commercially if you do not have a certain number of commercial hours (I do not remember the amount, but I think it is 300hrs in commercial air transport, which a fresh pilot from flight school will not hold).

Mainly it is an insurance and safety thing, so that if you inadvertantly experience IMC, you will be able to get yourself and your passengers back into VMC safely.

The above is true of Namibia I believe from what my friends flying in Namibia have told me. SA pilots will usually have instrument ratings as well.

I just want to make sure that people who are genuinely planning on going to Maun make the decision based on the most accurate and up to date information. This forum played a major role in my decision to fly in Bots. Best thing I ever did. I previously worked in Maun but have since moved on.

Just be clear on ‘need’ and ‘desired.’ The question is whether you need an instrument rating to work in Botswana. No you do not! Wilderness are asking for one and I would suggest you email the chief pilot directly to clarify their own company requirements. Wilderness operate in different countries and possess different requirements depending on the jurisdiction. Pilots come from all over the world. Some pilots complete an instrument rating as part of their CPL, but many do not.

In Botswana you’re flying on a validation of your home license so as long as you have a CPL you are good to go. I flew with numerous guys who didn’t have one.It wasn’t really a topic of discussion.

Having one might make you feel better in the wet season but it’s not a requirement and no aircraft is IFR equipped! 500+ is the key and that’s all you need. Insurance requirements are company specific but total hours were most important. Instrument rating / instructor rating is another piece of paper to add to the stash when your file appears before the immigration board who grant your work permit.

If you arrive around now, have 500+ hrs your chances of getting a job + work permit are good. Visa processing times vary with the angle of the sun and tides of the moon. In recent times it has only taken a few weeks.

I don't recall ever seeing that in the BCARs... If it is there it could throw quite a spanner in the works... Once the Christmas rush quietens down I will have a search

Elevators, pretty sure aircraft flying in Botswana are IFR equipped.

If you are talking Maun I would still say that there are IFR equipped aircraft, certainly some twins if there are many left and C208's.

Maintained and approved (released for IFR flight) might be a different story.

Not sure a IF ratting in the Delta is as good a insurance policy as it is in other parts of the World, but even if it is expired - it is a good insurance policy to have.

thank for the answers... anyone can give updates about housing and prices?
The numbers from the first page are way out of date. now i find prices for tent per night about 80P. what about food and taxi?
Whats the actual Internet Wifi condition right now at audi camp or old bridge backpackers?
Where to go these days ?

I'm heading to Maun at the end of January. If anyone else is heading there and wants to meet up, let me know.

Old Bridge is a good place to start. It has a good bar. I think P80 if you have your own tent. Alfa Accomodation is a good option also at P100 for your own room and it’s close to town. You’ll appreciate concrete walls and having a place to put your belongings after living in a tent. Nobody stays at Audi Camp anymore, I think they became quite expensive. Motsebe Backpackers is also worth considering, just make sure you don’t leave valuable around.

Taxis are P4 for a shared taxi and P40 for a private one. Food is imported and can be pricey. Choppies and Spar in town are the local supermarkets. Become friend with the Choppies butcher and you will have cheap fillet steak for days! There is even a Woolworths!

Chilli farm cafe will take the place of Bon Arrivee which is now closed. You can get good coffee and wifi at Chilli. As far as internet and data, get an Orange sim. The cost of data in Botswana’s rubbish phone network will drive you nuts.

Knowing that several expat pilots have arrived in Maun unprepared recently, before leaving AUS make sure that you have:

- More than 500 hours TT
- A recently renewed medical
- At least 3x certified copies of every document you can think of (licence, medical, passport, birth certificate, school/ university certificates...). Work permit applications require all documents to be certified in the country of origin now.
- Enough funds to last many months before your first paycheck.

Does anyone know of a FAA CFI in Maun at the present time? I'm in need of a bfr.....

Thanks Pilot in Pink, the certified docs I didn't know about.

I've just read the thread starter's message and was wondering if 200 hours could still make me eligible for a positon?
I am 25 years old and got my Frozen ATPL in November and willing to take the plunge and make new experiences.

Not only in Botswana. I am open to options.

Banana Joe, years since I have been there but pretty sure the Botswana Government set a 500 hr minimum a few years back.

It will not be flexible and with Ian Khama being a fixed wing and rotary pilot himself I expect he set the minimum for the work permit.

** Can be corrected on the rotary pilot but do know he flew the King Air OB1.

Thanks, for your reply. I was told Namibia might be an option, so I will be doing my homework and try to plan a journey during the hiring season in Namibia and hopefully in the meanwhile find a way to fly and build hours.