Originally Posted by satchip

After having flown in all 4 theaters, South America and Africa do pose challenges that you don't see when flying to Europe and the Pacific. Lack of communications, reliable navaids and alternates, and in SA, critical terrain all make for potentially dangerous situations to the uninitiated or the casual international flier. While the Pacific is new to most Delta South pilots, I liken it to Europe in that the controllers are usually of a higher quality than your average Third World radio operator and the facilities are for the most part modern and well maintained.

I do remember some hairy experiences in Korea with Korean controllers, though. Not to mention the Manila Control person who tried to reroute us over Taiwan. Also, one caveat, I've never been to some of the island destinations Ferd has been. So if some of those destinations have unique pitfalls, I stand corrected.