I'm making significantly more, also, than either my second year SkW CRJ FO pay, or what I would have made as an EMB CA.

We have guys here on voluntary leave from their US carriers, and that's probably the smartest move. See the world, get paid more, and retain the all important seniority back home, should you decide to go back. At a minimum, gives you plenty of time to think about it.

 

Hi!

Flying in East Africa is much nicer that West.

I was surprised at some of the costs, also. Many decent hotels around are much more expensive than similar US hotels.

In Kinshasa, DRC, which is NOT nice at all, there are RICH people. A large, very nice apartment is about $8.0 usd/mo. Crazy.

cliff
Mafikeng, SA

 

Our company has plans to go to Kenya and the DRC. I might make it to East Africa !!

 

There are many beautiful things and places in Africa. Kinshasa is not one of them. Rational people just don't go there. I've spent a fair bit of time in Brazziville across the river, that is as close as I dared go.

AirFrance flys a A330 in there 3 days a week from Paris, crew gets off the AirBus, steps directly into a Brazilia or B-1900 parked next to the AirBus and flies to Brazzville, a scant 12 miles away. The out bound crew meets them at the hotel, uses the same gaurded bus, goes to the BZV airport and flies over to Kinshasa parks next to the A330 to operate out back to Paris. The opposite week days, AF operates into BZV. Overall, not a place I'd like to work. Even the French were/are smart enough to figure it out.

Decent layover hotels in Africa can be just stupid expensive, I've seen/paid 200-300/night for a room (Lagos). I guess it must be the location, because it sure isn't the neighborhood. Some things are cheap like Cliff says, other things are just crazy like $10-12/gallon fuel in Senagal/Angola/Congo/Ivory Coast...Isn't that where a lot of oil actually comes from? (a rhetorical ?) Some places I'd just rather sleep on the plane, or keep going to the next stop, like Bangui in the Central African Republic

The upside is: all that instability is good for the air freight bid-ness, shipping by barge/truck is just too risky, seems that the chances of the stuff actually making it is not that good, but shipping by air is much more reliable, to the airport, after that the receiver is on his own, and remember, cash on delivery.

Just did a freight charter into Bangui last week. The charter company in Belgium wouldn't fuel our plane for the trip until the freight bill was paid in full by the customer in the CAR, prior to departure. In God we trust, all others pay cash

Fly Safe out there

SD

 

Hi!

DRC flying is the worst (except probably some place you get shot at a lot when you fly).

I have heard, a number of times, that the DRC is a great place to learn to fly. If you fly there for 5-6 years, and don't die in a crash, then you will have learned a lot and be ready for anything, and can fly anywhere.

cliff
NBO

 

I just read this thread yesterday on Pprune, same topic.. good read. Seems as though things are getting bad enough that the really adventurous are getting out there. I think that's the way it should be done. You will earn sooo much more respect from your peers if you build your hours like this, rather than sitting in the right seat of an RJ after dropping $80k at AcademyX.

http://www.pprune.org/african-aviati...b-namibia.html

These are great threads too. People are actually offering information rather that sarcasm. The one thing brought up in this article, was that it sounded like flying in Alaska. Lots of people will send a resume, but you don't really get anywhere unless you actually fly over and show up on the door step. The season seems to run in the spring.

 

I have experience with wasinc and shenzhen. wasinc is just a conduit and they are good at playing the smoke and mirrors game. you sign a contract with their hong kong shell company which is just a PO box for collecting money, then DR and ST funnel the money away to america. If you have any dispute, they are in america and it's a different corporation so good luck at disputing anything. they suddenly stop responding to emails or phone calls. your contract is just with a shell company with a PO box in hong kong, not with shenzhen, not with the real wasinc, just smoke and mirrors. everybody new coming to china says hey can I get a copy of the contract so I can look over it? well don't waste your time, the contract is about as valuable as toilet paper. wasinc doesn't follow the contract, and chinese airlines won't follow the contract. the only reason they pay you is because they want you to come back the next month. reimbursements, or any other promises like bonuses or vacation pay, forget it. been there, done that. not a rumor. If you are unemployed and have no other option feed yourself but do your research first.

 

I've read from several sources that most places around the world prefer a CAA or JAA, as well as JAR over our FAA certificate. Is this true? I ask because I am planning on visiting a friend who lives in South Africa, and while there, I figured I'll stop by some of the local air taxis/air charter groups in hopes of landing a job, but if they have a preference for non-American certification, then well, screw them.

 

I don't think there is a preferance, or at least I have never run into a serious airline that had one. Some operators in Africa ask for a JAR licence as, I believe and correct me on this one if I'm wrong, their local DGCA is either operating under the authority of JAR or they are operating JAR registered airplanes. The registry of the aircraft is not always a factor however as local DGCA's have different rules regarding foreign lease in's (A Canadian operator can fly certain foreign registered aircraft for specified times on dry lease before having to put them on the Canadian register).

Anyway, I've flown in SE Asia, Central America and the Middle East (I have 7 licences)and have never run into a preference as such.

 

Could be true in with some carriers within the EU... not not impossible to obtain a validation in most EU countries. The biggest obstacle is the work visa...

As for the rest of the world... it have never been an issue in the countries I've flown in.