Fixed wing civilian contract work Afghanistan/Iraq
 

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Hi ladies and gents I'm wondering if anyone can shed any light on contract work for fixed wing guys in Afghanistan/Iraq for JAA licenced pilots as all the contracts I've seen so far are for FAA/American residents. Any info of company names and so on would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

HF2

High flyer, most of the contracts require US citizenship due to security clearance requirements, hence why most of the companies are American requiring FAA tickets... That's how the helicopter contracts there work and I'd imagine fixed wing is no different.

I've been operating out there on and off since'05 and not seen any FW contractors operating inside the military bases other than US. Bases require a secret clearance.. only US Citizens are likely to qualify except for very special circumstances..I was lucky in having dual citizenship.. Plenty of non-military ops based out of Kabul on the civilian side though almost entirely ZS (South African) and N reg... I've worked for a SA company after obtaining a ZS endorsement in J'Burg.. sit a law exam.. fly a simple qualification flight.. You might need a good contact though.. plenty of South African pilots looking for work out there due to their unfortunate situation at home..

Just be aware of the risks, too. From AIN earlier this month:

Business aviation charity Sky Hope Network is collecting donations for the families of nine industry workers who were killed in a terrorist attack on Sept. 18th in Afghanistan. Employed by South Africa-based ACS/Balmoral Central Contracts, the nine included three pilots, five mechanics and a customer service representative, who were targeted by a suicide car bomber as their minivan stopped at a gas station on its way to the airport in Kabul. The company provides contract air transport in support of embassies and relief programs such as USAID, using turboprops such as Hawker Beechcraft King Airs and 1900Ds. Thought it often operates in dangerous areas it offers business aviation workers good pay at a time when jobs may be scarce, as well as an opportunity for low to medium hour pilots to gain valuable right seat time, flying approximately 100 hours a month.