Moving to the Top End for flying
 

Hi all,

I am a CPL pilot living in New Zealand with relatively low hours (about 275TT). I recently obtained my pilots license and have plans to move to Australia’s (ideally with a charter company, however I am open to anything) Top End at the start of next year in pursuit of a pilot job as New Zealand’s GA scene is pretty dry at the moment due to COVID. I also have no plans on getting an instructor rating currently due to cost and poor job opportunities (in NZ at least).

Could anyone please give me advice if this is a move that is worth doing, what the job prospects are like in the Top End, and any advice on what to expect with moving, flying and living in the Top End.

Cheers

Hmmm…. Have a read of this thread.

Always a gamble mate, it's one we all take, works for some, not for others, don't be a knob and bring your knee pads with you- be sure they're comfy, you'll spend alot of time in them.

The thread that you've been directed too is a great idea of what it's like. It is an experience and it's character building.

Before heading straight to the top end, maybe go south to lake Eyre, try working with Wrights Air (or named something similar). Don't rely on phone calls, be a man- drive in, dress smart and walk in and let them know you're more than happy to pour beers, paint fences, clean toilets etc to be a team player. It's all about getting a start. Also, you do t have relatively low hours- you have nothing and have loads to learn- be humble and open.

Skip.

Cheers mate,

I’m hoping that there’s more action next year

Cheers for the advice. I’ll definitely keep wrightsair in mind, although the drive to their operations seems like a bit of a mission... probably worth looking into more.

TFK722

Do it! There are a lot of opportunities in the NT for first job pilots. The basic list is as follows.

Territory Air Services
Chart Air
Air Frontier
Katherine Aviation
Kakadu Air Services
Air Arnhem
Gunbalanya Air Charters
Black Diamond Aviation
Marthakal
Arafura Aviation
Jandakot Flight Center
Northern Territory Air Services
Hardy's (Not a first job but advisable 2nd)
and any flight school if you have an instructor rating

Savannah Aviation in Burketown QLD is also a solid option for a first job on a Twin. GSL, Air Fraser and Daintree are in QLD as well.

Plenty more out there and a quick stalk of FR24 and 16right will give you a huge list of operators to target.

If you can't find something in the current climate you're doing something wrong.

Great list, thanks for this! Going to be job hunting pretty soon so this sort of information is incredibly helpful.

Yellow Pages! :E

Much appreciated mate. I'll definitely look into the companies you have mentioned and talk to them when I begin my job search next year :)

Comprehensive list, don't be signing any training bonds for something like a Baron or 310 (... or 210) :=, you'll be doing the industry a disservice...and you'll probably feel like a goose for doing so after a few hundred hours flying them.

I can recommend:

Territory Air Services (Has recently become a very tidy operation, huge hours)
Chartair (Good career GA spot, probably no need for the step to Hardys/Hinterland)
Air Arnhem (Smaller outfit in Gove, you'll get taken care of)

All other operators are typical GA spec, not too bad, not too great either... also don't confuse NTAS with TAS, you'll be in for a rude shock or pleasant surprise respectively.

Thanks for the recommendations :) also, what do you mean by training bonds? Is this to do with a GA course or?

I recall there being an earlier thread and the advice given was to prepare yourself. This included drivers licence for bus, manual car, first aid certificate, dangerous goods, fork lift certificate, RSA, RCG, WWCC, etc, etc. Being culturally aware. Being weather aware. So a bunch of skills (and knowledge) that would make it easier to get a non-aviation job and could make it easier to get an aviation job. Good luck.

Thanks Missy :) I'll try find that thread. Out of curiosity, you mention a manual car as one of the things to prepare myself (as the thread mentioned), why is that?

Hi,
I found the thread but it didn't contain as many gems as I was expecting.

Edited from a post on that thread.

Not every car / truck / bus will be an automatic.

As Warnie said to his son (Jackson) - Manners are free, Don't give up, Be present.

Good luck.

Very much agree, be very careful of the training bonds, although more operators are doing this now due to movement around the industry. Just know what your signing up for.

Some companies definitely treat their pilots better than others but honestly take what you can, get your hours and get out of there :ok:

Very helpful thread. Does anyone know the best time to head to the top end? Some people say 'there's no perfect time' but I'm trying to minimise my lease breaking costs here in Brissy.

I forgot to ask, there's a "Ga ready" course hosted in Darwin which costs $4750. Anyone done this and is it worth doing it for networking purposes and the 5+ hours on the C210?

No perfect time! The sooner you get up there, the better. Opportunities are always popping up year round and 99% of employers will only hire those already up in location. Some companies go busy during the wet, others thrive during the dry, a lot stay busy year round.

I would avoid the GA course at all costs. Go seek the set up down at MKT if you are after 200 series time or to learn familiarity with the Darwin airspace.

The people who run the GA course are genuinely not interested in developing and growing you as a pilot. If you don’t fit the model they seem to be looking for (plenty of other posts describing the type), you are ostracised since day 1 of the course. They use it for candidates to essentially pay for an interview, nothing more.

Don't do the GA ready course, you already have a licence, those guys are just there to pinch a few extra dollars, have a look at the thread, "What happened" that's an experience of GA readiness that you need, maybe bring your own pineapple to sit on for the next few years- remove the spikes.

As for moving up, I would say, no time like the present. Definently before wet season starts, for your own safety and the companies they would want you to be semi comfortable in the plane and to be making correct judgement calls on where your limits are.

But don't just expect to get a job, shake a tree up there and a junior pilot falls out- bring knee pads and your own gag ball- really show you want to go the extra mile.. :)

A waste of money designed to exploit eager low time pilots.

Could you expand on the model of pilots they're looking for/provide the link for the posts describing the type. I'm genuinely curious to read up on it.

Cheers

agh okay I read something similar to that on another thread here. It's alot of $$$ to splash but what are you thoughts on the GA course giving you networking abilities?

The GA course only opens doors to the operators directly linked to the flight school. Nothing more.

And once again, referencing other threads on this forum, stay clear of those operators. Exploited duty, paid well below award, subject to bullying and harassment - but if you survive all that, you might be lucky enough to score a ring and proposal.

Have a read of threads “Too late for 2022?” and “What Happened?” to start.. but there are more - all linked to the same “operator”.

What is the “operator” looking for? Young, male, fresh CPL wanting to make a start in the industry. Perfect for grooming.

Im getting old. WTF is GA ready course? I would think nothing more than another way to remove money from people, in what has become a very sad shadow of what the GA industry once was.

43 years ago…I graduated with 250 hours a CPL and a multi IFR rating…. Went up North and got a job flying a C210 and Seneca 3.

Retired as. B777 Captain. I somehow did this without the “aid” of all of these new and wonderful expensive useless courses.

DO NOT DO THIS "COURSE".

It's absolutely garbage and you will learn nothing. Put that money aside incase times get tough. The cost is actually about $5k by the time you buy the required amount of lubrication you'll need.

Don't know to which "operator" you refer, but plenty of the fair sex represented, in fact one operator said he preferred the ladies because they operated the aircraft as they were told, unlike the lads who often seemed to know a better way. Is an operator who takes pride in the condition and maintenance of the aircraft.

"Operator" is definitely not the word I'd use to describe them and whilst I totally agree with your statement, the above mentioned "operator" being referred to, will not and does not employ women. That's just a fact like it or not.

you've just saved me 5K. Legend!! I was just thinking of the networking opportunities from the course more than anytihng due to nepotism being a big reason why some get the jobs and others never succeed.

If you're after networking opportunities, you'd do better spending the 5K on a check-out and a few hours rental out of MKT. That would at least demonstrate that you're keen enough and capable enough to fly the aircraft without getting lost and/or running into a tropical storm and at worst get you a bit more time in the aircraft of your choice...

Of course, 5K worth of beers in the right hands might do the same. :cool:

Well said.

It'll also buy quite a few nights accommodation at the Youth Shack Hostel in Darwin. Not a bad place to run into people who can you get you places.

G’day guys,

I’m in a similar situation to TheFlyingKiwi722, with several key differences. The first and most glaring of these is that I’m an old bastard. 48 next month and thought that a career change from farming would be a good idea. I guess that age has its pros and cons, but I was wondering - from an employer’s perspective - how much of an impediment this may be? Also, am I mad or deluded in considering heading up north for a year or so with a young family?

Depend on the job you land, some are based at Aboriginal communities. Next door neighbour flies a Cessna single for a non aviation business, one business had a Metro to support its business, don't know if it's still the case.

Thanks. To be honest, I’d be pretty happy with almost any job that didn’t require a GA Ready course! Think I might give that a very wide berth, given what I’ve read on here. I haven’t been up to the Territory or the Kimberly for 20 years, and I just may have an opportunity to to spend a year up there before my youngest child starts school.

Plenty of pilots have gotten work in the NT of a similar age bracket.

Many companies that are based rather remote typically will have company housing, sharing with other pilots. In most cases, they won’t allow partners / families to occupy as well. Getting your own housing in community is very difficult.

Your best bet would be trying to score a basing one Darwin, Katherine or Gove in the NT.

Best of luck, maturity and commitment goes a long way with most operators. I'd just be careful you've mentioned a couple of times 'for a year or so' operators don't want to hear you are only in for it for a year.

Agree with this, most of the Arnhem land operators will put you up in company provided housing with other pilots, unless you can score a single pilot base not practical for a partner/families. Although black listed for numerous other reasons Black Diamond in Gove in the past has assisted with company housing for families, I believe Air Arnhem also Gove based has helped with housing for families, although I think the CP might have moved on now.

Send me a private message mate, your inbox is full so I can't dm you.

172, it's not that his box is full, it's that he doesn't yet have the necessary ten posts yet. Suggest one of you post your email address on here in order to make the link up.

Thank you 😊

Thanks Megan. I was also trying to work out what was going on…