Flying in Brazil

[Brendonlee7]

My wife is from Brazil (Montes Claros/Belo Horizonte) and we are considering the possibility of moving there in the near future.

Is there anyone that currently fly/lives in Brazil that would have information on getting a flying job there?

Several airlines that I"m familiar with are TRIP, OceanAir, TAM and GOL.

Most of my experience is in light jets for 135 operators but looking at all avenues. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[Avyator]

I know for sure that you need brazillian citizenship to fly there, and of course speak the language. I guess this isn't a problem for you...

[alemaobaiano]

It's been covered before, but essentially you need to be a Brazilian citizen (by birth or naturalized, typically a 5-7 year process, after you receive your permanent visa) to fly commercially and you will need to convert your licenses and any type ratings. You also need fluent Portuguese.

Salaries are generally low and work conditions are tough for new hires, there are thousands of unemployed Brazilian pilots, many of whom will pay to fly and as they are graduates from recognised training centres, the airlines know what they are capable of.

A search will provide more detailed information, but that's a basic outline for you. It's not very encouraging I know, but Brazil isn't short of pilots and really has no need to employ foreigners unless they have a particular skill that no-one here has.

TTFN

[Brendonlee7]

Thanks a lot for the info. At this time I have my ATP and a few type ratings in Corporate Aircraft, however, not fluent with Portuguese yet. Hoping to find a Corporate Position initially if that would be a better transition.

[alemaobaiano]

For a new(ish) pilot, corporate is probably even worse than line flying here. Many hopeful executive pilots are on what is known as a freelance basis, ie no contract, pay by the hour :uhoh: Unless you know someone on the inside, you won't even get that far. Again, the same rules apply regarding citizenship, a visa isn't enough for commercial flying here, so whatever you are thinking of applying for is going to have to wait at least five years, and more likely seven years or so. During most of that time you will need to live and work in Brazil, but you won't be able to fly for a living.

There have been a few special cases in the past where a foreigner was able to fly on a limited basis due to a lack of suitably qualified local pilots, however as soon as a Brazilian pilot was trained up, that was that. It doesn't happen today though.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but in reality Brazil has more pilots than positions and the situation is only going to get worse. The airlines don't have much in the way of expansion planned for the next few years, and their needs are fully met by experienced pilots familiar with operations here. Despite the surplus, the flying schools are still turning out hundreds of new pilots every year who have almost no chance of getting a job, and a new Federal incentive program aims to make flying training available to the less well-off members of society. These people are the ones you will be up against in the market.

TTFN