student pilot needs info on Maldives

[Ianpilot]

I am just starting on my path to being a pilot, live in the USA, and have an interest in flying in the Maldives after completing my commercial license. I need any info i can get and i am so green at this point i am not sure what questions to ask. My instructor thinks i would make a great freight dog but that looks like a tough gig (he is one himself) if i were to go that route what type ratings would i need to fly the islands? is there a need for small float plane operations there, flying tourists around?? what companies should i talk too?
any tips on other exotic location flying would be of big help too!
I am not to concerned with high pay, i have no loans to pay off. I have done a lot of world travel and have no problem relocating. I just don't want to be a flight instructor for a living!! thanks for all advice in advance. hope the questions are not to broad

[macuser]

DHC6 with floats

[ab33t]

208 on floats, maybe a beaver

[L337]

DHC-6 With Floats:

Maldivian-Air-Taxi (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Maldivian-Air-Taxi/De-Havilland-Canada/1510529/M/)

[Ianpilot]

thanks for the responses!! It looks like i need a float rating and then build hours, hours, hours!! The Twin Otter looks like the one i need for the kind of work i am interested in! Thanks again for helping me determine where to direct my focus! :)

[stepwilk]

My wife, a pilot on vacation, is just back from there and said they (Maldivian Air Taxi) have the world's largest fleet of Twotters on floats, and that the pilots famously fly barefoot. Something that perhaps was once necessary (lots of beaching, etc.) but has now become tradition.

So you'll need a Barefoot rating.

Susan said the only airplanes she saw in a week were Twin Otters, both wet and dry. Oh, and she just shouted to me, as I told her what I was posting, that you also need to be cute, judging by the guys with whom she flew.

[macuser]

Yup, definitely a barefoot operation. Air Taxis work out of Male to atolls further afield. They also provide leisure trips out of various islands.

[macuser]

christmas there is special. work hard. do well!

[Nekro]

Since these guys don't hire expat first officers, anyone know any company's that hire low hour expat first officers? not in Maldives anywhere in the world really as long as it's flying seaplanes, thanks.

[Mr Mac]

My experiance world wide with Twotters is that they seem to come with Canadian/ Australian / New Zealand aircrew. I got the feeling at one stage that it must be in the ops manual for this type, or mandatory, or even the a/c came with them as std issue !;). Great plane and characters in my experiance.

[Lear60]

My advice, although the Maldives sounds lovely, don't write off any locations to get started. What you may learn in one job you may never do in another. If you're looking to build experience aswell as hours consider all the options.

Good Luck :ok: