Colombian airlines

[jsfboat]

I have a Colombian Girlfriend, but am flying Beech 1900s in the states. Looking at maybe trying to go work there, I'm learning spanish and am finally able to get around in spanish (not bad for only a few months of studying and lots of traveling there).

Any airlines, maybe Avianca, that hire Americans?

[zondaracer]

What happened to the Belgian girl? I lived in Colombia for a little while and it was awesome. Having said that, I've got a few friends who are pilots down there, and there is a lot of nepotism and they also try to protect the industry from foreigners for the most part. Not to say that it is impossible to get hired, but the American pilots I knew down there were working for US operators.

[SonnyCrockett]

It's all "who you know"

Don't expect to be welcomed with OPEN ARMS with some Turbine time in the B1900. Your best bet to is to get on with a US Operator that needs pilots for contract in Colombia--they are few and far between but it does happen.

I did see a ton of B-1900 (D) models parked in Bogota the other day.

Good luck on the Colombian GF. I have one too and they are "ahhh-sum!"

[PILOTHEAD]

Yes we all have Colombians, the question is how much does she cost and if she stays or leaves after the hour or two. They are all hoes

[zondaracer]

that is kind of a rude comment

[Hunter58]

@Pilothead
¡Jodate!

@jsfboat
Well, marrying said GF would help endlessly in getting accredited. Spanish must be fluent as you will not get the nice seat on the sparkling new A320s flying around the country but rather the right set of any turboprop you can get and ATC will not speak english with you outside of the centres. Oh, flying a local airline there and having a chat to the flightcrew helps enormously to get contacts. Avianca has hired foreigners (fluent in Spanish) in the last few years, but they had current ratings for A320s...

It boils down to whether they feel you want to become a Colombian by heart or not (used to be one year married to a local to get the passport as well, but due to some circumstances with some poeple involved in rather illicit activities they changed that to having lived five years in a row in the country). The flying on Fokker50 and Dash-8s to some of the local destinations is still one of the most fun in the world, I am told.

[MDT06]

jsfboat,

It's an uphill battle. Last year I met three guys with about the same profile trying to get hire and all three failed. They want you to be Colombian and that takes 5 years.

Take care


MDT06

[jsfboat]

Thanks for all the replies. The Belgian girl didn't work out, was a disaster last time I went and saw her. Maybe it's better that I stay at my current place, upgrade when I can, get the PIC time, then move on to a cargo type company , so I can be home based.