Life in Bangladesh
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Madrid
Age: 38
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Life in Bangladesh
Hi,
I'd like to know if anyone has any feedback on the lifestyle in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Many companies seem to be on the lookout for Type Rated pilots with little experience, but i'd like to know how life is over there. I know it gets bad during monsoom time, but how bad really? And what if your flying from FL180 to FL250?
How about social activities over? In USD, what sort of money should I need to live decently in Bangladesh?
Thanks
I'd like to know if anyone has any feedback on the lifestyle in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Many companies seem to be on the lookout for Type Rated pilots with little experience, but i'd like to know how life is over there. I know it gets bad during monsoom time, but how bad really? And what if your flying from FL180 to FL250?
How about social activities over? In USD, what sort of money should I need to live decently in Bangladesh?
Thanks
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Well thats a big volcano...
Posts: 369
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From March thru the October Bangladesh is one big CB. 24hrs a day most days the whole place is covered with them, from bases about 2000ft to well over 50 000ft, incredible to see , and scary. I absolutely hate it when we transit Bangladesh airspace on the way to china or Vietnam and are stuck at 290 or below after a stop in VECC weaving in and out of the storms cells that are within 10 nm of you, and to make it worse the ATC system of Bangladesh must be the worst in the world and they have some real busy airspace at certain times of the day. There is no weather radar also and the metars and tafs and pretty unreliable, its really like bush flying .
I would not take a job flying a ATR or Dash flying in Bangladesh no matter how much someone paid me! Some days you can hear the stress in the voices of the Pilots in those aircraft as they are fighting their way thru the storms, always makes the hairs on my back stand up the thought of what they are witnessing when I hear the radio chatter.
I would not take a job flying a ATR or Dash flying in Bangladesh no matter how much someone paid me! Some days you can hear the stress in the voices of the Pilots in those aircraft as they are fighting their way thru the storms, always makes the hairs on my back stand up the thought of what they are witnessing when I hear the radio chatter.
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: dhaka
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Once again, I am exiled back to this part of the world, and from my experience, Dhaka is pretty much like any other cities that I have been around, Detroit and Cleveland come to mind. Sure it tends to be a lot warmer, and the monsoon can be a little bit of a bear, but otherwise I don't see a whole lot of difference. I now work for one of the local operators, and could give a little bit of my understanding of the place.
Dhaka prides itself on having an fitness friendly environment. When I am not strolling through the "diplomatic district", I am sprinting across two (five?) lanes of traffic, very good for the cardiovascular system. At times I have to jump the barriers between lanes, and dodge motorcyclists on the sidewalk. While there may be "fast food" somewhere in Gulshan, mostly we prefer to evacuate our bowels with the organic fruits and vegetables on the corner. As far as hotel food, I believe I saw my cook buying our restaurant food from the same food stall. No worries, it helps keep that BMI under 30. Word of caution - make sure that your precious bottled water has an intact cap, but really what's the big deal, most of the local water is loaded with arsenic. Hopefully arsenic kills bacteria, so you also have that to your advantage. Recapping, weight loss and fitness is a BIG advantage to Dhaka.
As for you single men out there, Dhaka has a wonderful nightlife. For slightly over $100USD, you could get a little beer buzz on at the Westin, followed by male hand-holding, with a stroll back to the hotel, ending up flirting with the only female staff member in the hotel, and realizing that she doesn't understand a word that you are saying. As for the married men, this place should keep your union intact, you can even invite your wife for a visit. After that, there should be no complaining from her about your extra-marital dealings.
Seriously, this forum is dedicated to professional pilots. Personally, my experience with the monsoonal weather doesn't worry me much. I would be more concerned with flying in other parts of the world. I fly Boeing aircraft, they are built like tanks. You fly these parts no different than other sectors of the planet, plan for holding, expect missed approaches, and fly accordingly. There should be no reason for anyone to deviate from from their flight plan without notifying the relevant ATC. I am barrelling down from high above, and I expect the aircraft that are holding or lining up on approach to do what they are communicating to ATC. There are coordination problems with Dhaka and Kolkata, why I don't know, but for the most part we are presumably under radar control. If you can't deal with a non-radar environment, you are not a professional pilot. And if you think of coming here as an expat, you will be the one scheduled to fly into the worst weather areas - deal with it.
So, come to Dhaka, it will be a good resume entry. Living here is cheap ($10USD/day), the expats all seem to have a great twisted sense of humour, and you will be a better pilot for the experience. As a contract pilot, you gotta be in the game, there is good money to be made if you are willing to sacrifice some good things in life.
Dhaka prides itself on having an fitness friendly environment. When I am not strolling through the "diplomatic district", I am sprinting across two (five?) lanes of traffic, very good for the cardiovascular system. At times I have to jump the barriers between lanes, and dodge motorcyclists on the sidewalk. While there may be "fast food" somewhere in Gulshan, mostly we prefer to evacuate our bowels with the organic fruits and vegetables on the corner. As far as hotel food, I believe I saw my cook buying our restaurant food from the same food stall. No worries, it helps keep that BMI under 30. Word of caution - make sure that your precious bottled water has an intact cap, but really what's the big deal, most of the local water is loaded with arsenic. Hopefully arsenic kills bacteria, so you also have that to your advantage. Recapping, weight loss and fitness is a BIG advantage to Dhaka.
As for you single men out there, Dhaka has a wonderful nightlife. For slightly over $100USD, you could get a little beer buzz on at the Westin, followed by male hand-holding, with a stroll back to the hotel, ending up flirting with the only female staff member in the hotel, and realizing that she doesn't understand a word that you are saying. As for the married men, this place should keep your union intact, you can even invite your wife for a visit. After that, there should be no complaining from her about your extra-marital dealings.
Seriously, this forum is dedicated to professional pilots. Personally, my experience with the monsoonal weather doesn't worry me much. I would be more concerned with flying in other parts of the world. I fly Boeing aircraft, they are built like tanks. You fly these parts no different than other sectors of the planet, plan for holding, expect missed approaches, and fly accordingly. There should be no reason for anyone to deviate from from their flight plan without notifying the relevant ATC. I am barrelling down from high above, and I expect the aircraft that are holding or lining up on approach to do what they are communicating to ATC. There are coordination problems with Dhaka and Kolkata, why I don't know, but for the most part we are presumably under radar control. If you can't deal with a non-radar environment, you are not a professional pilot. And if you think of coming here as an expat, you will be the one scheduled to fly into the worst weather areas - deal with it.
So, come to Dhaka, it will be a good resume entry. Living here is cheap ($10USD/day), the expats all seem to have a great twisted sense of humour, and you will be a better pilot for the experience. As a contract pilot, you gotta be in the game, there is good money to be made if you are willing to sacrifice some good things in life.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Madrid
Age: 38
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't get me wrong, when I got into aviation, I was looking for adventure.
Really thought I would end up somewhere in Africa though.
The operator over there is paying for many expenses, including housing in "single / bachelors furnished accommodation in the form of shared flats, near the airport at the contracted base" and I don't really know what to make of this.
How about travelling all over Asisa while i'm there? Is it possible from Dhaka? Do I need special medical coverage over there?
Really thought I would end up somewhere in Africa though.
The operator over there is paying for many expenses, including housing in "single / bachelors furnished accommodation in the form of shared flats, near the airport at the contracted base" and I don't really know what to make of this.
How about travelling all over Asisa while i'm there? Is it possible from Dhaka? Do I need special medical coverage over there?
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: dhaka
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, it's an adventure over here, although I do really miss Africa. Problem with Africa is the pay, and whether you get it or not. The great part about Dhaka is the proximity to other interesting places. We have a daily flight to Bangkok and Kathmandu, as well as Dubai. Druk Air flies here twice a week from Bhutan. Don't even get me started on the great places to visit in India and the Maldives. Lastly, I heard rumours of Regent starting a Yongon flight. Not too shabby if you fancy a backpackers lifestyle. Additionally, Dhaka is quite safe for expats, I guess the locals just haven't been corrupted by tourism. That said, it is like any other Asian megacity. Too many people squeezing into too little room, and all the human problems that go with it.
There is an excellent hospital (by our standards) that is quite cheap nearby. We have had some guys use it without problems. You will pay cash for the services, but it is probably less than the co-pay in the States.
Lastly, I have yet to have a problem with being paid here. So come on over, after the initial shock wears off, start planning on doing some exploring on your free time. My contract gives me a month off every sixty days, so life is pretty good. And BTW, any summer day in Central Florida has more convention than I have seen here, I think points southeast of here actually experience more weather events.
There is an excellent hospital (by our standards) that is quite cheap nearby. We have had some guys use it without problems. You will pay cash for the services, but it is probably less than the co-pay in the States.
Lastly, I have yet to have a problem with being paid here. So come on over, after the initial shock wears off, start planning on doing some exploring on your free time. My contract gives me a month off every sixty days, so life is pretty good. And BTW, any summer day in Central Florida has more convention than I have seen here, I think points southeast of here actually experience more weather events.
If you want to get a job in a lesser developed country, first try looking somewhere more pleasant, such as Somalia, Haiti, or Zimbabwe.
Finally... how do you know you are going to get paid by whatever outfit in Dhaka promises you the moon and the sky?
