Where to from Africa?
 

Where to from Africa?
I'm a UK expat living and flying in Botswana and am shortly looking to return to work in Europe. I will have to sit the ATPL exams and convert my ICAO licence to a JAR, but i was wondering if anyone can give me any advice as to where i should search for work and what i can expect to find. I'm 22 and will have around 1500tt 200multi 1400pic.
Thanks for your help.
N.B If your not barefoot, it's not bushflying!!!:=

Mate, have flown in Maun and Zambia myself, I know where your at. My advice to you is at 22, you've got plenty time to come to an airline in the UK or Europe. Try and get a job with a contract company. Fly a King Air or something for a few years. Enjoy that type of flying. I know its difficult to live over there, and you might want to come back, but trust me, you will miss Africa big time. Only the other day I was talking to one of my colleagues (we both work for a UK airline) and he was showing me pics of his time in Tanzania. Brought back great memories. I asked him if he missed it, "only every morning when I wake up" was his reply. We are both mid to late 30's and only came back because of family pressures and because time was against us if we wanted to get into the airlines. You at 22 should be out there flying in all sorts of god forsaken countries enjoying the diversity. If I could do it again, I'd fly contacts during the african winter and spend the summer months in Cape Town surfing etc.
You've got Biltong, castle beer, and probably a house boy. Put off joining the rate race for at least another few years. :ok:

Hi,
I agree with Jockflyer. I'm also 22 with about the same experience as you and am now flying a Citation, living in a massive city in the desert and very far from home.
Before I was flying Islanders/206's etc in the African bush and loved it. I can't tell you how much I miss it and a day doesn't go by without me thinking about that awesome bush flying.
I do love this job on the Citation, but I think I made the move to early.
Stick around there a bit longer, maybe try a new area/aircraft to keep up your interest.

Enjoy it! :ok:

Cheers Mal

Jockflyer....you are full of rubbish...!!
You and I both know that both of us left because sometimes they made us pay for our beer!!
How are you keeping anyway? And more importantly, when are you coming to visit?
Speak to you soon!
NP:ok:

Cheers guys, i understand where you're coming from. As we all know the flying in the bush, especially the Delta is awesome, but living in a dusty s**t hole can become very tedious, especially when you throw in Botswanas ish lazy attitude!:ugh: Mal_206, did you struggle to find work after leaving? Flying a citation at 22 sounds like a pretty good gig!!

Why not try Zambia. The scenery is much more varied than the Delta. If I had the choice again then I'd maybe look for a Livingstone base. Or what about Malawi. Some great places there, and there is an excellent expat community in Lilongwe. From what I experienced, the pilots stayed in very nice houses, not like the **** holes in Maun. Good luck whatever you do, but don't be to hasty to come back. Enjoy life:ok:

Flying Mission are expanding from Bots into Zambia and will soon have turbines on the fleet.

Brand new Kodiak due there soon looks fun!

**quote from jockflyer**

You've got Biltong, castle beer, and probably a house boy.

i am afraid if he drinks/drank castle we cant trust a word he says as we all know that Castle is a dreadful beer and is brewed with all kinds of chemicals.

i even herad that Scotland Yard were considering it in the case of the poisoning of a.litvinenko as opposed to the pollonium metal.

I spent nearly ten years in Africa, including four years in Maun (many a good night at Mma Duck's and the Power Station). Even though the, er, ambient conditions (you know what I mean) infuriated me at times, I still miss the place.
Ao, monna! - Africa's like malaria: it gets in your blood.

Hey Snitch, some good advice there from Jockflyer...

I would say, make the most of your time in the bush. With your hours you are ready to go into contract/twin/turbine flying, which is great experience. You will see awesome places that most people never get to see (SC the cynic will tell you that most people never want to see them ;) )

Always keep in mind where you want to go, but never quit a job without knowing your next step. I assume you still have a CPL, in which case your flying hours will be no use to you when it comes to converting your license to a JAR one. Better to get the ATPL first and 500 hours of multi-crew/turbine flying. It helps with the conversion and also employers in Europe are not really interested in piston time.

I got a lucky break into contract flying, straight from flight school, and spent 3 years all over Africa including 8 months on a 737-200. My aim was always to be in a 'proper' airline age 30. Now age 33, sitting at the national airline here, not a day goes by where I don't think about my bush time. Often I think, why did I only do 3 years, when I've still got 25-30 years of airline flying ahead of me.

Something else worth considering - contract flying enabled me to study for the JAR exams through a distance learning course, whilst still earning money and flying hours.

Who do you fly for in Maun? Some good guys up there, regards to Dan at swampair if he's still around....

Good luck :ok:

Ha, a few w@nkers as well, most of them at Moremi. Lots of ego's in such a small place.
Lutz at MackAir was a top bloke.
Ditto everything else though:D

Is Andrew Mantell (Mantle?) still around?

I had no intentions of leaving my previous job, but the opportunity was presented to me by a chap who was linked to the company i was working for. I'd flown him quite a bit and then he invited me to come fly his own aircraft. Would've been stupid to say no.

But you know what its like in aviation... Being at the right place at the right time!

Good Luck :ok: