Gringo pilots in Brasil
 

Anyword on the progress of lifting the ban on foreign pilots in Brasil? I hear there is somewhat of a crisis there and they are considering lifting the ban..Any truth to that?

If there is a crisis there is because Brazilian pilots make meager wages that they have to go somewhere else to work. I know one Asian airline has over 70+ Brazilian pilots.

You won't make any money downthere, I'll tell you that much

Yeah... I know quite a few in Euroland and the land of the fortune cookie too.

After what happened to those corporate Legacy 600 pilots involved in that collision, are you sure you want to deal with the fallout?

They were involved in an accident that caused the lives of everyone on board a 73, the authorities there determined that they weren't negligent and released them. I think that the investigation was conducted correctly and it was a positive outcome for the pilots, remember that the initial readout from ATC was that they were climbing and descending erratically due to the mode C being turned off inadvertently. How much better could it have gone for them, they were absolved! :confused:

It took the state department and some serious weight to get them out of the country before hand though... they were guilty until proven innocent. One of those guys was a Fraternity bro of mine.

I hope that we never, EVER have a similar incident in US soil, but try to imagine a scenario where two pilots get involved in a midair collision that resulted in a crash of a midsize airliner and the initial ATC readout is that they were in the wrong altitude for that segment (assigned or not) or that the ATC readout was showing an erratic climb/descend pattern (caused by mode C inadvertently being switched off), If you think that they would not be detained by the authorities after they landed here in the U.S of A. you are being very naive. The fallout here in the US would be a complete circus fueled by speculation and media hype and like I said, I hope that we never find out.

In my opinion the investigation was handled with an open mind by the Brazilian lead investigator and at the end he came up with a very sobering and impartial judgement of the causes of this tragedy.

Anyway, sorry for the thread drift

Actually, The Brazilian Air Force found them liable, at least partially. This was somewhat in conflict with NTSB. AFAIK they are still on the hook - I haven't seen an update. It's good they made it out of Brazil. That's not intended as a put down of the country - but they're better off at home.


Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia certainly isn't unimpeachable, but this article "matches" my memory pretty well. Yeah, there'd be a media circus anywhere, but since we're talking about Brazil, then this accident - and the government's handing of it - must be discussed.



This sort of thing (legal problems, not thread drift :)) is a concern for anyone working "away from home". Wherever you are, be careful and stay out of trouble. This is true for any "gringo" of any nationality.

IMHO the environment for American pilots in Brazil might still be a little "hot", but I'm not there (close by, though). Anybody working there or passing through frequently?

Back on topic:

Brazilian pilots are paid very well....much more than pilots in the United States. And when you take into consideration salary vs cost of living the lifestyle of a Brazilian pilot is comprable to that of an American pilot back in the 60s and 70s. The reason why there were ever any Brazilian pilots abroad was because up until about 3 years ago the airlines in Brazil were not hiring.

Plus, 2 of Brazil's major airlines folded in the early 2000s; VARIG and VASP leaving thousands of pilots unemployed.

Now things have changed. Brazil's economy is booming and rocketing upwards. Already it is the 8th largest economy in the world and projected to be the 5th within 4 years surpassing England and France.

As a result aviation in Brazil is growing at such a rate that the airlines can't keep up. Right now they can't hire enough pilots...literally. The average time requirement is 500TT to 1000TT to fly Airbus, Boeing, and E190s for all the legacy carriers down there. One thing they will not compromise on is English. ICAO 4 is the minimum for all the legacies...if you don't know what that means don't worry. If English is your first language than you are ICAO 5.

As of right now, you have to be a Brazilian citizen or legal resident to fly down there...just like you have to be an American citizen to fly here in the U.S.

A couple of Brazilian Senators introduced legislation this last Summer proposing that foreign pilots be allowed to fly in Brazil to meet the high demands of the airlines. There were strong measures against the bill and so far it hasn't gone anywhere.

As far as safety goes...Brazil has very high standards. The GOL/Legacy mid-air was a combination of erros made by BOTH the Legacy crew and ATC...the only ones who did nothing wrong were the GOL pilots and unfortunantly the people on that plane were the only ones who paid the price.

Mid-airs such as that one has happened all over the world...most recently in Europe involving a DHL and Russian airliner. So to say that Brazil is or isn't safe based on that one crash alone is not valid or fair. And to be sure, after that crash a number of new policies were put in place by Brazilian ATC to guard against something like that happening again.

Not to mention the Brazilian Government has set aside billions, I repeat BILLIONS of dollars to spend over the next 3 years on aviation alone. That includes airports, ATC, radars, etc....

It is certainly an interesting moment to be a pilot in Brazil. Plenty of jobs and very high pay...not to mention rapid development of the industry and country. And unlike flying in the Middle-East, India, or China...Brazil is a Western country with Western standards of living. It wouldn't be very much of a culture shock at all. In fact I know many, MANY N.American and European transplants living in Brazil right now working in non-aviation fields who swear they will never leave.

If and when Brazil allows foreign pilots to fly down there I will let you guys know. :)

Fixed that. Green cardholder with a sponsor is okay, IIRC. :)