What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Lagos
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
chuks,
There should be a job with Caverton. I see that their 'Twinned Ooter is now flying out here.
CHC is bringing in more helicopters with 2 SA365N2s which have arrived in Accra from UK being made ready for bringing into Nigeria.
There should be a job with Caverton. I see that their 'Twinned Ooter is now flying out here.
CHC is bringing in more helicopters with 2 SA365N2s which have arrived in Accra from UK being made ready for bringing into Nigeria.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Germany
Age: 76
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
See you soon, I guess....
Like October. But I think the dear old Twin Otter should soon fade back into memory. Caverton has got a highly qualified guy for theirs and I wouldn't dream of trying to take his place.
I have been taking regular salt baths, toughening up my hide for evenings in the bar with my rude and crude rotary-wing friends. I am sure they shall have some pointers for me on just where I fit on the new organigram. I can hardly wait.
I have been taking regular salt baths, toughening up my hide for evenings in the bar with my rude and crude rotary-wing friends. I am sure they shall have some pointers for me on just where I fit on the new organigram. I can hardly wait.
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Lagos
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You Will be Wellicome
chuks,
Is it really true, are you really coming back to a BRC near you in October? It wouldn't have anything to do with the departure of a certain scnitzel and sausage-eating former experimental test pilot would it?
The main danger you will have to face if you come back to the Nigerian skies is that Caverton now operate a fixed wing as well as a helicopter. They've managed to land a helicopter in the Shell RA, so wonder how long it will be before they inadvertently land their Twinned Ooter in the Shell IA
.
Is it really true, are you really coming back to a BRC near you in October? It wouldn't have anything to do with the departure of a certain scnitzel and sausage-eating former experimental test pilot would it?
The main danger you will have to face if you come back to the Nigerian skies is that Caverton now operate a fixed wing as well as a helicopter. They've managed to land a helicopter in the Shell RA, so wonder how long it will be before they inadvertently land their Twinned Ooter in the Shell IA
.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Germany
Age: 76
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TCAS is your friend....
Well, as long as the other guy remembers to turn his transponder on!
(We had a near-miss that was way too close for comfort at DNPO one day, when there was nothing to be seen on TCAS. After we got ourselves sorted out I went over to see the other crew involved. When I asked them to point out the transponder control in their F-27 they first had to find it. Then I asked why it was set on "Off," when they asked what the point of turning it on with no radar was. I had to give them the latest news about what ICAO recommended, how TCAS worked and all that sort of thing. It was all news to them.)
I think I should do okay with the Caverton Twotter. I know the Captain (ex-Bristow, actually) and I think he, like me, wants to retire on account of age and not an accident. What their extensive rotary-wing fleet gets up to, I have no idea. I should be okay above FL100, eh?
Your info is right up to date and alarmingly accurate. "Sausage-breath" is off to Down Under to impress the folks found there with his extensive and peculiar aeronautical knowledge. From what I know of Aussies I give him about six months before having a major hissy fit, but what do I know? Not least, he is going onto an SAR operation, when they might expect him to leave his bratwurst half-eaten or his Porsche Club magazine half-read, just because of some emergency or other. Let us see how that goes down.
All I care about is that I get another whack at that big pinata; working for normal wages is such a drag! I have ordered a copy of "How to Make Friends with Armed Robbers," just in case.
(We had a near-miss that was way too close for comfort at DNPO one day, when there was nothing to be seen on TCAS. After we got ourselves sorted out I went over to see the other crew involved. When I asked them to point out the transponder control in their F-27 they first had to find it. Then I asked why it was set on "Off," when they asked what the point of turning it on with no radar was. I had to give them the latest news about what ICAO recommended, how TCAS worked and all that sort of thing. It was all news to them.)
I think I should do okay with the Caverton Twotter. I know the Captain (ex-Bristow, actually) and I think he, like me, wants to retire on account of age and not an accident. What their extensive rotary-wing fleet gets up to, I have no idea. I should be okay above FL100, eh?
Your info is right up to date and alarmingly accurate. "Sausage-breath" is off to Down Under to impress the folks found there with his extensive and peculiar aeronautical knowledge. From what I know of Aussies I give him about six months before having a major hissy fit, but what do I know? Not least, he is going onto an SAR operation, when they might expect him to leave his bratwurst half-eaten or his Porsche Club magazine half-read, just because of some emergency or other. Let us see how that goes down.
All I care about is that I get another whack at that big pinata; working for normal wages is such a drag! I have ordered a copy of "How to Make Friends with Armed Robbers," just in case.
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Lagos
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
chuks,
If you're coming back it's probably also a good idea to get a copy of 'kidnap scrabble'. This is a nice colour A4 sheet with a scrabble board and all the letters on it for you to keep in your wallet. After you're kidnapped ask one of the nice men in a balaclava with a 7.62 mm fertility symbol if you can borrow a pair of scissors to cut out the letters and hoopla, you'll have endless hours of fun to while away the empty hours in the swamps. Mind you, as a plank wing aviator, I guess you can mostly leave that sort of thing to your 'rude and crude' rotary wing friends. However, don't rely on it as many people these days are kidnapped from their cars. Not too bad for you as I'm sure the militants have heard the great news about the Bristow pay rise and will leave their vehicles alone in favour of the Aero or Caverton ones 
As you say, I'm sure you'll be okay above FL100, but once you descend into that heavier air which is home to those alarming flapping-winged denizens of the dense lower regions of the atmosphere you'll find eyeballs as well as cojones and TCAS are necessary
If you're coming back it's probably also a good idea to get a copy of 'kidnap scrabble'. This is a nice colour A4 sheet with a scrabble board and all the letters on it for you to keep in your wallet. After you're kidnapped ask one of the nice men in a balaclava with a 7.62 mm fertility symbol if you can borrow a pair of scissors to cut out the letters and hoopla, you'll have endless hours of fun to while away the empty hours in the swamps
. Mind you, as a plank wing aviator, I guess you can mostly leave that sort of thing to your 'rude and crude' rotary wing friends. However, don't rely on it as many people these days are kidnapped from their cars. Not too bad for you as I'm sure the militants have heard the great news about the Bristow pay rise and will leave their vehicles alone in favour of the Aero or Caverton ones As you say, I'm sure you'll be okay above FL100, but once you descend into that heavier air which is home to those alarming flapping-winged denizens of the dense lower regions of the atmosphere you'll find eyeballs as well as cojones and TCAS are necessary
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Germany
Age: 76
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No problems....
You must remember that seeming fixture on the rotary-wing scene, the ex-FAA guy with the white beard and the robust physique that made him look like a perverted, tropicalised Father Christmas.
One afternoon he was flapping along, single-pilot in his 212 on his way to DNPO, when it must have just seemed like too much trouble to call NAF Tower Port Harcourt and clear through their area, since he was talking to Port Harcourt Approach anyway.
We had just departed the NAF Base when my FO (PF) called, "Traffic One O'clock." (Our procedure was to maintain one thousand five hundred feet until cleared to climb by Port Harcourt Approach. A Dornier 328 hits 250 knots "just like that" when it's held down low, so that we were cooking!)
I had already figured out what must have been happening, so that I asked my FO to hold runway heading and pass clear of the traffic below and behind, since the 212 was crossing right-to-left at about two thousand feet. (This was, of course, an FO who was also a sharp pilot. There were some you probably would not want to do this sort of thing with unless you were really big into risk-taking activities such as fishing with dynamite or bungee-jumping. That is not me.)
Our sudden appearance at his five-four-three-two o'clock must have shaken up our 212 jockey's afternoon, to say the least. It would have been one of those classic, "Where the hell did he come from?" moments, with that 500 feet of vertical separation looking like nothing much. My spies at House One reported that he was in a bit of an agitated state that evening but we had a good laugh over it when next we met. Mind you, he left before he could figure out a good pay-back.
One afternoon he was flapping along, single-pilot in his 212 on his way to DNPO, when it must have just seemed like too much trouble to call NAF Tower Port Harcourt and clear through their area, since he was talking to Port Harcourt Approach anyway.
We had just departed the NAF Base when my FO (PF) called, "Traffic One O'clock." (Our procedure was to maintain one thousand five hundred feet until cleared to climb by Port Harcourt Approach. A Dornier 328 hits 250 knots "just like that" when it's held down low, so that we were cooking!)
I had already figured out what must have been happening, so that I asked my FO to hold runway heading and pass clear of the traffic below and behind, since the 212 was crossing right-to-left at about two thousand feet. (This was, of course, an FO who was also a sharp pilot. There were some you probably would not want to do this sort of thing with unless you were really big into risk-taking activities such as fishing with dynamite or bungee-jumping. That is not me.)
Our sudden appearance at his five-four-three-two o'clock must have shaken up our 212 jockey's afternoon, to say the least. It would have been one of those classic, "Where the hell did he come from?" moments, with that 500 feet of vertical separation looking like nothing much. My spies at House One reported that he was in a bit of an agitated state that evening but we had a good laugh over it when next we met. Mind you, he left before he could figure out a good pay-back.
Hello
"...the ex-FAA guy with the white beard and the robust physique that made him look like a perverted, tropicalised Father Christmas...."
That made me chuckle...mind you I don't think Father Christmas has so many stains on his tunic
That made me chuckle...mind you I don't think Father Christmas has so many stains on his tunic
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Germany
Age: 76
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When I....
When I was still on Twotters, enjoying the sight of all these Dornier "aviators" flooding in to show us how it was to be done there was a certain amount of friction in the bar. (If you think of how snobby proper airplane pilots can get towards you helo jockeys, treble that for how snobby a Dornier pilot could get towards a mere "bush pilot.") We had to think of a few little come-backs to put the Glass Cockpit Commandos in their place in the grand scheme of things.
One was telling them that Twotter pilots had callused hands; Dornier pilots had a small callus on the right index fingertip. Another was that Dornier pilots had scrambled eggs on their cap brims; Twotter pilots had scrambled eggs on their shirtfronts.
The best one was a German (not my little friend, though) whining about the short runway at the NAF Base. I just had to tell him about Warri Airstrip, when he didn't believe me. Later, once I was on the Dornier myself, my FO asked me where this fabulous place was, so that I showed it to him departing Osubi. He said that it looked like a ramp and not like an airstrip at all, when I told him that we would go in and out of there in all sorts of weather.
One thing that was sort of surprising was how many of my F/W brothers would freak at the sight of a helo doing its thing out there in the right-hand circuit, when I would have to quote that bit about "avoiding the flow of fixed-wing traffic," as the only real rule they had to follow. Silly me, I had this idea of getting them on familiarisation flights in helos so that they could understand just how manoeuvrable they are. Well, many of them had no idea what a Twotter could do, come to that.
One was telling them that Twotter pilots had callused hands; Dornier pilots had a small callus on the right index fingertip. Another was that Dornier pilots had scrambled eggs on their cap brims; Twotter pilots had scrambled eggs on their shirtfronts.
The best one was a German (not my little friend, though) whining about the short runway at the NAF Base. I just had to tell him about Warri Airstrip, when he didn't believe me. Later, once I was on the Dornier myself, my FO asked me where this fabulous place was, so that I showed it to him departing Osubi. He said that it looked like a ramp and not like an airstrip at all, when I told him that we would go in and out of there in all sorts of weather.
One thing that was sort of surprising was how many of my F/W brothers would freak at the sight of a helo doing its thing out there in the right-hand circuit, when I would have to quote that bit about "avoiding the flow of fixed-wing traffic," as the only real rule they had to follow. Silly me, I had this idea of getting them on familiarisation flights in helos so that they could understand just how manoeuvrable they are. Well, many of them had no idea what a Twotter could do, come to that.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jankara
Age: 64
Posts: 377
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No Hope
Port Harcourt continues on its bid to become one of the most dangerous areas of Nigeria. Yesterday, sadly, a Lebanese furniture manufacturer was murdered in his house by killers who use explosives to destroy the front security gates. Later in the day a bus carrying expatriates who had an armed police escort was attacked by gunmen in a minibus on the main Aba expressway. For once, the mopol didn't run away and managed to drive off the attackers who were thought to have been attempting to kidnap the expats.
There are some who think the UN would be the solution to the problems in the Delta. However, in many places where the UN has been stationed their troops are involved in crimes such as rape, paedophilia and human trafficking. The entire 800-man force of the Moroccan battalion of the UN forces in Bouake, Ivory Coast has been confined to barracks following allegations of widespread sexual abuse by hundreds of Moroccan peacekeepers.
. The UN has summonsed Rabat's diplomats to respond. 
There are some who think the UN would be the solution to the problems in the Delta. However, in many places where the UN has been stationed their troops are involved in crimes such as rape, paedophilia and human trafficking. The entire 800-man force of the Moroccan battalion of the UN forces in Bouake, Ivory Coast has been confined to barracks following allegations of widespread sexual abuse by hundreds of Moroccan peacekeepers.
U.N. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation involved Moroccan soldiers having sex with a large number of underage girls. The world body took the highly unusual step of confining the entire battalion of 800 troops to barracks.
"An internal investigation by the United Nations Mission in Cote D'Ivoire has revealed serious allegations of widespread sexual exploitation and abuse by a U.N. military contingent serving in Bouake," a U.N. statement said.
"An internal investigation by the United Nations Mission in Cote D'Ivoire has revealed serious allegations of widespread sexual exploitation and abuse by a U.N. military contingent serving in Bouake," a U.N. statement said.
Over the last few years as peacekeeping has expanded, reports of abuse have mounted in various African nations, especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the "zero-tolerance" policy declared by the United Nations.
"If the allegations are proven to be true, it's entirely unacceptable that U.N. peacekeepers would behave in this manner," one U.N. peacekeeping department official said.
The Ivory Coast mission numbers just over 9,000 uniformed personnel from more than 40 countries. Moroccans make up the bulk of the force in Bouake, a rebel stronghold in the northern Ivory Coast, with some Bangladesh police, Pakistani engineers and Ghanaian medical personnel.
The Moroccan U.N. mission had no immediate response to the allegations.
The U.N. statement said a full investigation was underway.
"But due to the serious nature of the allegations, the United Nations has taken the decision to suspend all activities of the contingent and has cantoned the unit within its base," the statement said.
"If the allegations are proven to be true, it's entirely unacceptable that U.N. peacekeepers would behave in this manner," one U.N. peacekeeping department official said.
The Ivory Coast mission numbers just over 9,000 uniformed personnel from more than 40 countries. Moroccans make up the bulk of the force in Bouake, a rebel stronghold in the northern Ivory Coast, with some Bangladesh police, Pakistani engineers and Ghanaian medical personnel.
The Moroccan U.N. mission had no immediate response to the allegations.
The U.N. statement said a full investigation was underway.
"But due to the serious nature of the allegations, the United Nations has taken the decision to suspend all activities of the contingent and has cantoned the unit within its base," the statement said.
A 2005 U.N. report said soldiers should be punished for any sexual abuse, their pay docked and a fund set up to assist any women and girls they impregnated. But member nations have not agreed.
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Lagos
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nigerian Shortages
There's an entry on another thread on this forum that probably best sums up why so many pilots are flying more than ever in Nigeria, despitemanagements telling us that we have more than enough and a pile of applications pending:
I also hear that yet another expat has left Caverton, probably the first they employed and the man who got everything set up for them in Lagos. I wonder who'll now take on that job and what will happen to standards at the 'centre for excellence'. That company must have the highest percentage turnover rate of any helicopter company in Nigeria for both nationals and expatriates.
To put it another way, it is a shortage of pilots prepared to work for peanuts, under continuously deteriorating employment conditions.
I also hear that yet another expat has left Caverton, probably the first they employed and the man who got everything set up for them in Lagos. I wonder who'll now take on that job and what will happen to standards at the 'centre for excellence'. That company must have the highest percentage turnover rate of any helicopter company in Nigeria for both nationals and expatriates.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Germany
Age: 76
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Peanuts?
My present job pays a pretty good wage by European standards, especially when you factor in the free food (quite good food, by the way, way better than in Nigeria) and accommodation when at work, plus no tax.
On the other hand I live in a large box at a small camp in the middle of the Sahara, guarded by guys carrying shotguns (when the bad guys carry AK-47s, I assume). If there's a serious medical emergency, why, that is me to the rescue! So I guess I had better not sit on any scorpions, say.
Entertainment of an evening is watching chubby Italian bints on satellite TV, gyrating with their bra in one hand and a telephone in the other trying to look sexy (when they just look constipated) waiting for some sucker to call on a pay-per-minute line for a real intimate conversation. I might be bored, but not THAT bored!
My wife gave me a real rocket for talking loosely to the neighbours about the lousy pay, telling me it was about double what people here in the village earn. It turns out that a normal guy here is happy to pull down something like 2,500 euros per month before tax. Of course, last time I checked, Al Q'aida is not operating here and it has been a while since time someone was bitten by a scorpion.
So whatever I am going to be paid to go back to Nigeria, well it certainly isn't peanuts.
I have heard rumours about some people being paid $4,500 USD per month, but can that be true?
On the other hand I live in a large box at a small camp in the middle of the Sahara, guarded by guys carrying shotguns (when the bad guys carry AK-47s, I assume). If there's a serious medical emergency, why, that is me to the rescue! So I guess I had better not sit on any scorpions, say.
Entertainment of an evening is watching chubby Italian bints on satellite TV, gyrating with their bra in one hand and a telephone in the other trying to look sexy (when they just look constipated) waiting for some sucker to call on a pay-per-minute line for a real intimate conversation. I might be bored, but not THAT bored!
My wife gave me a real rocket for talking loosely to the neighbours about the lousy pay, telling me it was about double what people here in the village earn. It turns out that a normal guy here is happy to pull down something like 2,500 euros per month before tax. Of course, last time I checked, Al Q'aida is not operating here and it has been a while since time someone was bitten by a scorpion.
So whatever I am going to be paid to go back to Nigeria, well it certainly isn't peanuts.
I have heard rumours about some people being paid $4,500 USD per month, but can that be true?
Chuks,
Shotguns beat curtains everytime!
Shotguns beat curtains everytime!
The last couple of guys that left my outfit for Nigeria say they're making about 100k US a year working six months in country, or $17000 per month in country. Probably with CHC, since they pay full bubble to start, whereas Bristow wants you to hang around for 14 years to get the top level. Who's offering you $4500/month - Caverton?
Malabo
Malabo
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Okrika
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
malabo,
You are sadly misinformed. A CHC pilot in Nigeria starts and finishes on year 14 (as that's their maximum seniority and nearly anyone with more than 100 hours on an R22 is on that). They're only paid basic salary when offsite. A Bristow year 5 Captain makes almost identical money to a year 14 CHC Captain (and yes, with all the guys who've crossed the line there are figures to back that up 
) and he then has the possibility of an additional 20 years of seniority payments to totally outstrip his CHC counterpart. What you actually mean is that someone with CHC only actually earns $102,000 per annum (you haven't stated whether that's yanqui $ or maple $). Even a year 4 Bristow Captain earns more than that and the same money is paid into his account whether he's in, or out of country 
You obviously don't understand chuks' interesting sense of humor
Maybe you should get out a bit more
You are sadly misinformed. A CHC pilot in Nigeria starts and finishes on year 14 (as that's their maximum seniority and nearly anyone with more than 100 hours on an R22 is on that
). They're only paid basic salary when offsite. A Bristow year 5 Captain makes almost identical money to a year 14 CHC Captain (and yes, with all the guys who've crossed the line there are figures to back that up ) and he then has the possibility of an additional 20 years of seniority payments to totally outstrip his CHC counterpart. What you actually mean is that someone with CHC only actually earns $102,000 per annum (you haven't stated whether that's yanqui $ or maple $). Even a year 4 Bristow Captain earns more than that and the same money is paid into his account whether he's in, or out of country You obviously don't understand chuks' interesting sense of humor
Maybe you should get out a bit more
Etienne, you'll need to simplify it for us domestic bush hicks that dream of the offshore bucks. The guys tell me they will make over $100,000 US working for six months in Nigeria this year on a six week on, six week off shift, don't know if it is Bristow or CHC. Who cares whether it is paid in cash at the end of the day or the end of the month, or if more comes one month than the next. At the end of the year I compare what I brought in for how many days I had to pull collective.
Can you clear up the whole year/level thing? You say everyone starting at CHC gets Level 14 and stays there, but the Bristow guys start lower and then catch up to CHC after four or five years then start to stretch ahead? I guess if you plan to be in Nigeria for at least ten years (five to catch up, plus another five to make up for what you lost in the first five) then Bristow may have an edge. That seems like a long time to commit to that particular country.
Here if you spend a couple of seasons with the same operator you could be high man on the pole. 25 years with Bristow to max out, I guess you'd have to start before you were 30 and hang in there to get at least a couple years in at the top rate. Any older and the numbers don't add up.
Bristow over CHC doesn't seem that obvious to me.
Malabo
Can you clear up the whole year/level thing? You say everyone starting at CHC gets Level 14 and stays there, but the Bristow guys start lower and then catch up to CHC after four or five years then start to stretch ahead? I guess if you plan to be in Nigeria for at least ten years (five to catch up, plus another five to make up for what you lost in the first five) then Bristow may have an edge. That seems like a long time to commit to that particular country.
Here if you spend a couple of seasons with the same operator you could be high man on the pole. 25 years with Bristow to max out, I guess you'd have to start before you were 30 and hang in there to get at least a couple years in at the top rate. Any older and the numbers don't add up.
Bristow over CHC doesn't seem that obvious to me.
Malabo
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Okrika
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
malabo,
Thought it was quite simple and it's all been aired on this thread in the past couple of months. However, now quite a few guys have crossed over between companies it's easy to confirm. OK, here goes. Both CHC and Bristow work just 6 months a year on site (unless you're one of the nuts who love the place so much you want to spend 8 months a year here!). Most of the expat Captains now here with CHC started with between 12 and 14 years seniority. There is no more seniority to come. Most of the expats Captains with Bristow start with between 4 and 6 years seniority. There is 19 to 21 years to come whether they stay here or go to Kazakhstan for example (worth more than $20,000 a year than CHC pay as top $). Even with only 5 years seniority a Bristow Captain earns the same as a CHC Captain. So if one has 14 years seniority with nothing more to come and the other has 5 years seniority with 20 years more to come and both start on the same money for 6/6, the Bristow guy will be earning substantially more after 2 years here. These figures are before the Bristow pay review for this year (figures not yet known). The other good thing about a monthly salary is that if you spend time on tour out in France or USA doing simulator training you get the same monthly salary, but with CHC you lose your incentive pay. With Bristow, I'm told, you're less likely to be expected to give up leave to do your sim training - but that could change I guess as they get more pilot shortages.
The managements of both companies know exactly what the other pays (pilots and engineers in Lagos and Port Harcourt work in hangars right next to each other and talk to each other and quite a few have crossed the fence one way or the other). CHC is pretty upfront about what they pay, but with Bristow it's all circultaed by 'eat before reading memos'. However, when a guy from Bristow shows me his pay stub, it's obvious he's getting paid more. Maybe CHC will do the same as last year and have a second pay rise, then Bristow also did the same. I guess we'll find out once Bristow open the box with the big secret in it (that's if they do this year). Both companies offer a pesnion scheme, but the Bristow one is better because they'll match 7% of your contributions where CHC will only match 4% and if you decide to leave this tropical paradise to work for another operator before you've been in the scheme for 2 years with CHC you won't get the company contribution back. Both companies offer good health insurance. CHC offers much better additional benefits, like loss of licence, computer loans
It's obvious that CHC is spending big bucks on a huge new hangar at Port Harcourt and is bringing in more new helicopters than Bristow (though for the CHC guys it's not so easy to see the new ones Bristow is bringing in because most of the new ones have gone to Escravos and Eket). This may or may not persuade the oil companies that CHC is more serious about staying for the long haul. It doesn't make the pay any better, but I guess it's nice to be more likely to be flying a newer helicopter with the goodies like TCAS, GNS530/UNS1K, Skywatch and a coupled autopilot if you're with CHC. CHC also has the AW139, though whether that's good or not is too early to say yet. Those that fly it really like the power it has though. Bristow now has the S76C++. It's only an improved model, but friends flying it say that the extra power is really noticeable and it's available right up to 35 centigrade.
When you spend 6 months a year of your life here, where you live gets quite important. Bristow definitely scores better here. CHC live in an old, insecure camp and although they're doing their best to improve facilities, it's pretty basic. One pilot even got an infected spider bite in his house there recently and had to be shipped home in considerable pain. They have plans to build a new housing estate near the airfield, but that's years down the road. After many complaints a new satellite system is being installed and should give everyone a good satellite connection from his room. With Bristow it depends where you live, with Eket now being the worst and one of the few places where there's no real sporting facilities available on site. Internet communication is very variable between bases and generally a lot worse than what CHC provide.
It's all been said before, mostly by Mama put, but there it all is again. I guess it'll change next month if Bristow have a pay hike and Brian Clegg comes up with anything to counter it. Both companies are short of experienced, qualified pilots and with a couple of big contracts coming up involving either S76C++, AW139, S92 or EC155 that shortage will likely continue.
Hope that helps
Thought it was quite simple and it's all been aired on this thread in the past couple of months. However, now quite a few guys have crossed over between companies it's easy to confirm. OK, here goes. Both CHC and Bristow work just 6 months a year on site (unless you're one of the nuts who love the place so much you want to spend 8 months a year here!). Most of the expat Captains now here with CHC started with between 12 and 14 years seniority. There is no more seniority to come. Most of the expats Captains with Bristow start with between 4 and 6 years seniority. There is 19 to 21 years to come whether they stay here or go to Kazakhstan for example (worth more than $20,000 a year than CHC pay as top $). Even with only 5 years seniority a Bristow Captain earns the same as a CHC Captain. So if one has 14 years seniority with nothing more to come and the other has 5 years seniority with 20 years more to come and both start on the same money for 6/6, the Bristow guy will be earning substantially more after 2 years here. These figures are before the Bristow pay review for this year (figures not yet known). The other good thing about a monthly salary is that if you spend time on tour out in France or USA doing simulator training you get the same monthly salary, but with CHC you lose your incentive pay. With Bristow, I'm told, you're less likely to be expected to give up leave to do your sim training - but that could change I guess as they get more pilot shortages.
The managements of both companies know exactly what the other pays (pilots and engineers in Lagos and Port Harcourt work in hangars right next to each other and talk to each other and quite a few have crossed the fence one way or the other). CHC is pretty upfront about what they pay, but with Bristow it's all circultaed by 'eat before reading memos'. However, when a guy from Bristow shows me his pay stub, it's obvious he's getting paid more. Maybe CHC will do the same as last year and have a second pay rise, then Bristow also did the same. I guess we'll find out once Bristow open the box with the big secret in it (that's if they do this year). Both companies offer a pesnion scheme, but the Bristow one is better because they'll match 7% of your contributions where CHC will only match 4% and if you decide to leave this tropical paradise to work for another operator before you've been in the scheme for 2 years with CHC you won't get the company contribution back. Both companies offer good health insurance. CHC offers much better additional benefits, like loss of licence, computer loans
It's obvious that CHC is spending big bucks on a huge new hangar at Port Harcourt and is bringing in more new helicopters than Bristow (though for the CHC guys it's not so easy to see the new ones Bristow is bringing in because most of the new ones have gone to Escravos and Eket). This may or may not persuade the oil companies that CHC is more serious about staying for the long haul. It doesn't make the pay any better, but I guess it's nice to be more likely to be flying a newer helicopter with the goodies like TCAS, GNS530/UNS1K, Skywatch and a coupled autopilot if you're with CHC. CHC also has the AW139, though whether that's good or not is too early to say yet. Those that fly it really like the power it has though. Bristow now has the S76C++. It's only an improved model, but friends flying it say that the extra power is really noticeable and it's available right up to 35 centigrade.
When you spend 6 months a year of your life here, where you live gets quite important. Bristow definitely scores better here. CHC live in an old, insecure camp and although they're doing their best to improve facilities, it's pretty basic. One pilot even got an infected spider bite in his house there recently and had to be shipped home in considerable pain. They have plans to build a new housing estate near the airfield, but that's years down the road. After many complaints a new satellite system is being installed and should give everyone a good satellite connection from his room. With Bristow it depends where you live, with Eket now being the worst and one of the few places where there's no real sporting facilities available on site. Internet communication is very variable between bases and generally a lot worse than what CHC provide.
It's all been said before, mostly by Mama put, but there it all is again. I guess it'll change next month if Bristow have a pay hike and Brian Clegg comes up with anything to counter it. Both companies are short of experienced, qualified pilots and with a couple of big contracts coming up involving either S76C++, AW139, S92 or EC155 that shortage will likely continue.
Hope that helps
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Germany
Age: 76
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't call me "Shirley"
There's no joking when it comes to money, actually! Low pay, like warm beer,
is something I am perfectly serious about.
The reason I ask is that I had noticed an influx of people from South Africa who seem to be quite happy to make about $4,500 USD per month, when that was, to me, about half what I expected. Of course, as noted, my expectations were probably warped by years with one, rather high-paying operator. Too, I have been out of there for almost two years now, hence the question.
Not to talk out of school, but my current contract has been a real wake-up call. I only get half-decent money for time on-site. Otherwise it is not enough to worry about. Every operator in Nigeria that I worked for paid the same for time on and time off, of course.
Almost everything else has been so much better it just isn't funny. The people are generally young and friendly rather than old, bitter and twisted. The aircraft are freshly renovated or else fairly new (depending on type). The food in Hassi Messaoud is excellent. Out in the desert it is fresh and well-cooked, but the selection is very limited, either chicken or steak except for Friday, which is "Cous-cous Day." No pork chops, of course....
Security is a bit dodgy, I think. Every so often the bad guys gang up and over-run some remote installation, doing the usual rape and pillage number. If you compare that to the day-in, day-out risks of Lagos for instance, then I would think the desert is safer, but you couldn't really call it safe.
The weather in the desert is a bitch! Sandstorms, extreme heat (50°, when the throttles are hot like holding a fresh cup of coffee), shifting crosswinds, low viz in blowing sand and dust haze... Nigeria, even Harmattan, is easier.
ATC is a real pain, but in a very different way from Nigeria. They don't try to give you a hard time, but you do get a hard time. Forget the idea of getting assistance from ATC.
As some of you have probably found, it's very difficult to down-shift to lower wages. My wife still spends like a drunken sailor, so that I transfer the stuff and the next time I check the local account is nearly empty. It doesn't go on fripperies but on maintaining a typical middle-class German lifestyle, when I really don't get to take part in that.
Here, 'cost-cutting' means things such as buying a used BMW 330Ci rather than a new one and taking two weeks holiday in Sweden and Estonia instead of the States. When you think about what life is like for the average citizen of wherever, this is not really grounds to feel disadvantaged, but don't try telling that to a German!
Hey, "Life is unfair," as Jimmy Carter once pointed out to one of his disadvantaged, Black, female constituents. What is a boy to do, except to suck it up and go for an offer of more work back in dear old Nigeria?
I have been trying to figure out which way things are going in terms of "You pay peanuts, you get monkeys" versus "We have a stack of resumés THIS high." You hear the first one from the line slime and the second from the management, when the truth is somewhere in-between, I suppose.
I noted with interest that many people where I now work absolutely refuse to consider working in Nigeria, no matter how much it pays. Well, one guy did get "arréssed" when he had to make a precautionary landing on a ferry flight in a crop-duster. They thought he was a spy and locked him up for a few weeks in Calabar, just in case. Now everyone has heard the story and thinks Nigeria is some sort of horrible place. Of course the news doesn't exactly help to dispel that image.
Too, the Company has absolutely no interest in operating in Nigeria. They try to avoid using bribery, or so they tell me. How far could you get not doing that as a new entrant to the market? "Just asking," mind you.
PsS. As I was writing and posting this the previous post from ETB had appeared. There is nothing that I wrote here meant to contradict what he posted, which appears to be right on the mark. If I had read it first I would probably have written something a bit different.
is something I am perfectly serious about.
The reason I ask is that I had noticed an influx of people from South Africa who seem to be quite happy to make about $4,500 USD per month, when that was, to me, about half what I expected. Of course, as noted, my expectations were probably warped by years with one, rather high-paying operator. Too, I have been out of there for almost two years now, hence the question.
Not to talk out of school, but my current contract has been a real wake-up call. I only get half-decent money for time on-site. Otherwise it is not enough to worry about. Every operator in Nigeria that I worked for paid the same for time on and time off, of course.
Almost everything else has been so much better it just isn't funny. The people are generally young and friendly rather than old, bitter and twisted. The aircraft are freshly renovated or else fairly new (depending on type). The food in Hassi Messaoud is excellent. Out in the desert it is fresh and well-cooked, but the selection is very limited, either chicken or steak except for Friday, which is "Cous-cous Day." No pork chops, of course....
Security is a bit dodgy, I think. Every so often the bad guys gang up and over-run some remote installation, doing the usual rape and pillage number. If you compare that to the day-in, day-out risks of Lagos for instance, then I would think the desert is safer, but you couldn't really call it safe.
The weather in the desert is a bitch! Sandstorms, extreme heat (50°, when the throttles are hot like holding a fresh cup of coffee), shifting crosswinds, low viz in blowing sand and dust haze... Nigeria, even Harmattan, is easier.
ATC is a real pain, but in a very different way from Nigeria. They don't try to give you a hard time, but you do get a hard time. Forget the idea of getting assistance from ATC.
As some of you have probably found, it's very difficult to down-shift to lower wages. My wife still spends like a drunken sailor, so that I transfer the stuff and the next time I check the local account is nearly empty. It doesn't go on fripperies but on maintaining a typical middle-class German lifestyle, when I really don't get to take part in that.
Here, 'cost-cutting' means things such as buying a used BMW 330Ci rather than a new one and taking two weeks holiday in Sweden and Estonia instead of the States. When you think about what life is like for the average citizen of wherever, this is not really grounds to feel disadvantaged, but don't try telling that to a German!
Hey, "Life is unfair," as Jimmy Carter once pointed out to one of his disadvantaged, Black, female constituents. What is a boy to do, except to suck it up and go for an offer of more work back in dear old Nigeria?
I have been trying to figure out which way things are going in terms of "You pay peanuts, you get monkeys" versus "We have a stack of resumés THIS high." You hear the first one from the line slime and the second from the management, when the truth is somewhere in-between, I suppose.
I noted with interest that many people where I now work absolutely refuse to consider working in Nigeria, no matter how much it pays. Well, one guy did get "arréssed" when he had to make a precautionary landing on a ferry flight in a crop-duster. They thought he was a spy and locked him up for a few weeks in Calabar, just in case. Now everyone has heard the story and thinks Nigeria is some sort of horrible place. Of course the news doesn't exactly help to dispel that image.
Too, the Company has absolutely no interest in operating in Nigeria. They try to avoid using bribery, or so they tell me. How far could you get not doing that as a new entrant to the market? "Just asking," mind you.
PsS. As I was writing and posting this the previous post from ETB had appeared. There is nothing that I wrote here meant to contradict what he posted, which appears to be right on the mark. If I had read it first I would probably have written something a bit different.