Air Express Algeria is a Joke!

[Master Pain]

I'm sure many of you have had the pleasure of dealing with this lovely bunch of camel salesmen, but I think they've really ripped the ring out of it lately. Apart from not communicating with their clients, calling aircraft back during the taxi, and being generally incompetent, they are also blessed with the most positive personalities I have yet encountered in my life.
They are starting to make Executive Turbine look good!

NAC boys should remember fondly...

[Beechdrivr]

:}
Yeah... that place.. was wondering how the Solenta guys were finding the pleasure that is Hassi.....

I still have nightmares of that place.... never wanna go back there ever again... oh maybe if it was on a bombing run say:E

Sure absolutely nothing has changed there!!! Good luck guys... you're gonna need it!!!

Safe flying BD:ok:

[maxrated]

Master Pain.

Strange this posting I did Algeria contracts for four years and have nothing but fond memories of the place.

Loads of flying and boozy late night parties with a great bunch of expat pilots from all over the world.

Any contract is what YOU make of it !

Get a grip, the reason you are there in the first place is because these people cant do it themselves yet, so you are there to make sure the operation works, the problems you mention are pretty standard for contract fliyng anywhere in the world.

Make it happen, you are after all a contract pilot !

[south coast]

Max, would that include playing Risk of an evening, an one of the reg's demanding that Afirkaans is not used, terrorist style raids into countries formerly considered allies.

I agree with Max, I have nothing but great memories of the people and laughs we had there.

[chuks]

I just finished a month at Messi Hassaoud with the other crowd. My main problem was bl**dy Air Express aircraft parked on the ramp taking up two spaces, just because they couldn't hit the spot! We would come trundling up in the Twin Otter, full of unfounded optimism because we thought we saw a parking space, only to find an Air Express Beech 1900 or Let 410 sat there just enough off to one side that we had to go off in another direction, disappointed with the cabin holding steady at about 45° C and the barf bags running low.

Are the ramps in Seth Effrica wide-open or something, vast rolling expanses of asphalt? Hassi has a rather small and crowded ramp with a limited number of spaces for small aircraft. I end up having to cram my Twin Otter into a Porter parking space, just to ram home the message that I'm not even a small jet pilot anymore. God! The humiliation....

Other than that and the odd camel spider I found life in Algeria pretty good relative to West Africa. The Algerians do love their bureaucracy and ATC seems to think less than 10 miles or 20 minutes separation constitutes a "near miss" but the absolute bloody-mindedness you can find just a few countries further south was not present. Too, to see a man in uniform without his hand out, you feel like, "What is wrong with this picture?" So, cheer up! It could be worse.

[maxrated]

South Coast, you are absolutly correct, also dont forget the "30 seconds " championship that we won, just before the furniture got smashed up after the pretty Algerian waitress did that infamouse pole dance, but my memory becomes cloudy after that.

Gosh what an exotic life we all led then, nowdays I actually look forward to a dull evening at home on a friday night.

:hmm:

[bathtub200]

Southcoast , you forgot to mention about the good times you had in Malta as well.
The good laugh I had in Hassie was about Assia wanting to be your wife.

[south coast]

Bathtub, you are also right, had some good times in Malta too...

All round, I would not change the good times and people that were met in Hassi, be it fellow pilots working for the same company or working for a different one, also the good guys who we used to drink with in BP.

[Goffel]

The trip to Malta was definitely worth sitting in the container for.

Must admit the food and the flying was good.

Seeing that idiot Grinn????er climbing the tree and then sliding down without letting go was definitely a highlight of my stay there.:ugh:

The porter pool in the car park....funny no-one ever got out to pee?????????:p

Ah...the memories.....aaaaag, Im going back there in 3 weeks time.:=

Goffel..:E

[Woof etc]

"Are the ramps in Seth Effrica wide-open or something, vast rolling expanses of asphalt? Hassi has a rather small and crowded ramp with a limited number of spaces for small aircraft."

No, But the parking bay demarcations do line up with the tie down points! I think you will find, Chuks, that the AEA pilots curse you just as much for not lining up on the demarcated bays. Of course the route of the whole problem is that some %$£"£wit did not line up the tie down points with the bay markings.

Also remember the good times in Algeria - unforunately the vibe has changed and that spirit is no longer there.

[imustbemad]

Southcoast
Times are always better when you have your girlfriend there!;)

[south coast]

I must be mad...

Yes, it was nice to have her there back then, but as you know, the beds in the Air Express rooms were not particularly big.

Sometimes it also is not nice because one can inadvertantly find themselves the topic of conversation and gossip.

So, as for everything in life, there are good and bad points.

By the way, who are you, you obviously know me.