Because experienced folks like you won't do it for what they are likely paying. Thus, they offer it to regional Fos making $2k per month who may not know any better about what they are getting into.

By comparing Afghanistan to Atlanta or Detroit, and by equating the overnights to being similar, is ridiculous.

So yes, that is sugar coating.

Also, call it a hunch, but I'm willing to bet that the reason you are being so secretive about the pay is because you don't want to scare off any potential "recruits" by posting the low wages and having those on the forums express the insanity of it.

Listen, you have an axe to grind. You've been "there", and nobody else could possibly fathom the dangers that you know. Yes, you are (or have been) here in this very dangerous place (and make no mistake, contrary to whatever BS you may continue to spew about my characterization of the place, it is dangerous), the very fact that YOU are here telling others not to come is a sense of "blow hard syndrome" that I can't compete with. Yes, only the enlightened can know danger, and everybody else.... Keep out!!!

Believe it or not, folks have heard of Afghanistan. For 35 years, that country has been in one war or another. There's absolutely nothing you could add that any person cognizant enough to fly a jet should not be able to figure out. It's dangerous. Period. Right now, just days before a national election on April 5, it will be EXTREMELY dangerous. There are daily incidents, and the troops are out in force. It will get worse before April 6.

Yes, there are places in the USA that I would not venture around for fear of being killed, mugged, etc. That's reality, whether you believe it or not. iIn the "Tony Scale" of really scary places, Kabul is not at the top of the list. Sorry if that doesn't sit well with your enlightenment. Thankfully, car bombings are rare in the USA.

The folks who don't want to work here are 99.999999% of the world population. You guys surely don't need to keep posting the obvious. The same number of folks who want to fly here, like you, is small of that teeny tiny percentage. The amount of those folks who are pretentious blow hards like you; probably pretty high, because it does take a screw loose to work in some of the world's garden spots like I have, and apparently you to.

By the way, I love the admission that the bad guys keep blowing stuff up in the vicinity of where you work, yet YOU keep going to work (if you still work here).

For anybody else interested, again, we currently have enough applicants. We are busy getting government approvals, and it might be a while to get back to some of you. So, even though the enlightened think I'm worried about "scaring you away", believe me, I couldn't hide the dangers here if I wanted, plus we don't need additional folks now. So, please, make judgements on facts.

Wait, you're going to train Afghans?!?!? To fly?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Hey, I resemble that remark. Learned to fly at Detroit City Airport, flight instructed there for 1000 hours, and then flew checks in MU2s (single pilot) all night long out of the 'hood.

Afghan nationals that may be Permanent Residents of the US, EU or other countries.

Also there pilots who may have the command over the language (native Afghans in US forces or Americans who picked up the language in military service).

So yes, the Afghans can be trained. The OP is not saying that he will go out on the streets of Kabul and pick locals as cadets!

We had them in Okla. in the early 60's. PanAm sponsored ab-initios. Two to three years to Commercial, DC-3 type [Day VFR]. They loved the Cherokee girls. I think a few went back to Kabul with the boys.

We had one of those today in the jump seat all day (4 legs). He is a really nice guy, but obviously quite old.

First proving flight day for Afghan CAA, departing Kandahar (OAKN)

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/s...14/image-2.jpg



http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/s...14/image-8.jpg

Mazar e Sharif (OAMS)

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/s...4/image-13.jpg

New pilot candidate for Afghan Jet International:


http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/s...14/image-4.jpg

Tony,

How are you going to keep the cabins cool on the ground? CLT on a 33C day was horrible, I can't imagine it during a 40C sunny day.

Excellent question. We're not. The plan has been to replace these aircraft with other more capable aircraft. They were purchased to start the airline.

Another big issue with this aircraft is high / hot. Kabul is almost 6000 feet elevation in very mountainous terrain. Loads will be adjusted accordingly.

Final big issue is relatively long distances to the alternate (common third world issue) requiring extra fuel.

Cool pics Tony! I flew out of OAKN during my time over there... Looks like a great visibility day.

I also wanted to make a side note and state that I believe any more comments about the danger in Afghanistan are pointless/overkill. I commented early in this thread about my thoughts on the job, and Tony also expressed his thoughts as well. Based on everything I've read, I applaud you for not dishing out BS on the lifestyle and offering a realistic outlook on how things are overseas. My main concern when you originally posted this opportunity was guys/gals not understanding the potential danger involved with working in Afghanistan; But hell, if you tell people how it really is and they're still ready to go, then I say good for them!

So Tony, thank you for your time as a Devil Dog, for shootin' straight on this whole gig, and for posting an opportunity some people will enjoy and benefit from!

Ha! Well at least you're honest! Hopefully the flight crew uniform is shorts and a t-shirt.

It's interesting that you chose SkyWest as an example. Of course, your mention of "Right to Work" state is a red herring, as you are well aware that ALPA represents pilots under the RLA in several "Right to Work" states such as FedEx in Tennessee. Even if you chose not to be a member of the union, you would be protected by all the provisions of a Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated by your Collective Bargaining Agent. Having a choice to not join the union is irrelevant.

It's also interesting to learn that a U.S. pilot who fails to upgrade at your 3rd-world airline should expect the same treatment you received from SkyWest when you failed to upgrade -- no representation, no recourse, just "See ya!" Never mind the great efforts that were made or resources expended to commit to the airline -- your airline doesn't have any commitment to support the pilot in return.

What happened to you at SkyWest was on one level perfect karma (since you fought against the union vote so vociferously), but on another level it was really too bad. ALPA has been known to negotiate provisions in training protocols focused on training to proficiency in place of the "X strikes and you're out" policy that you experienced. Under these more enlightened kinds of rules, your job could have been saved; you could be in a much better place today.

It's even more interesting to learn there's a different class of employees at your 3rd world airline who should expect more understanding treatment based on their language skills. Perhaps U.S. applicants should invest in Rosetta stone.

Given this sort of discrimintation, I can almost understand why you've gotten your knickers into such a twist by people having the audacity to ask about the compensation package they might expect.


Was this post foreshadowing?
Good luck with the upgrade.






.

Tony C,

"All that hate's gonna burn you up kid." -Red Dawn

You're all class! Maybe a karma will fall on your head and make perfect karma. You're frequent use of "3rd world airline" makes me think that you think Afghanistan is 3rd world? Who knew? Thanks for your valuable insight.



Nothing extraordinary planned. You summed it up perfectly; hit the bricks. Unlike a puppy mill regional airline in the USA, I don't honestly foresee many problems. Thanks for your concerns.

No comments on the super dangerous country?



Sure, why not? I recommend the Dari (Farsi) language. I started learning the language, and honestly, it seems pretty easy to learn. Knowing the local language in any "people" industry is definitely a plus, much like already having a CL-65 type rating.



Yep, I'm a big discriminator!!! it seems your knickers are also bunched up over my knickers which could easily foresee the crazy BS that would spew out if this job was not $500k per year to fly a 50 seat aircraft. Even without that info, there's still bellyaching!!! I'm confident I made the right choice., and again, we currently have enough resumes / CV's. After a long gap of not even peaking in this forum (years), I don't miss this crap.



An improper use of terms, as the airline will get different aircraft to either outright replace or in addition to the CRJ-200's. No luck needed.

That's not an "upgrade", but a full "initial" for any pilot that is not typed in the new aircraft, or "differences" training for any CRJ700-1000 aircraft.

Since you didn't have any substantive response to my points, I'll assume I'm not too far off base. SO, on to your concerns about the semantics ...

Oops. Sorry if I offended you with that term. Do you consider it a big step up from your job in Nigeria, which you described on several occassions as 3rd-world? Are you now 2nd-world or 1st-world?




OK. Good luck with the training. :rolleyes:



You ended a 22-month absence (we missed you) last August when you came looking for a job after a 3-year "break" from flying at your 3rd-world airline in Nigeria. You said it "looks like there might be some bottom feeder hiring."


Looks like you found it.






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Looks like you have it all figured out. Best wishes.

Held it together until you dropped this line. Sounds about right. The new question is would you rather fly for a Russian start-up or take your chances in Afghanistan?

Tony can I get your boots when you.........

A startup airline. In Afghanistan. Hot and high. With 2 CRJ 200's. And you don't foresee any problems ?! :rolleyes:

What kind of schedules does your airline plan to operate ? What kind of profits can you expect with such limited capacity on an aging aircraft ? What kind of market even is there in Afghanistan ?

I think it's great that you're part of starting an airline, but I think it is a bit naïve to state you don't foresee any problems. I don't however agree that you're trying to sugarcoat the region; it definitely seems like you've pointed out its major flaws.

p.s. Yes, I know, you plan on having other aircraft, but at this point what you have are two CRJ200's.

You seemed to have answered your own questions. Whatever problem you foresee with a CRJ-200 doesn't apply when there isn't a CRJ-200. Yes, high and hot in a CRJ-200 can make for a very limited number of passengers. Also, fuel is expensive for this oil rich region, therefore it's unlikely that CRJ-200's would ever make any money.

I'm not completely sure that profits and market share should be a particular issue with new hire pilots. Obviously to most, any start up airline wants to grow and make money. I am not an investor, nor are the pilots paid based on profits. The job is flying, not investing.

The schedules are on the website, as we begun operations on 11 April 2014. The loads are completely full most of the time from Kandahar to Kabul, so there's already room for bigger equipment. You can check out the schedule at:

www.FlyAJI.com

We will have a next round of hiring soon, but we will outright dismiss any candidates that do not have a CRJ type rating or lack relatively recent experience. If you have Farsi, Dari or Pashto fluency, put that in the header of your email. If you are current in the CRJ, put that in the header. If you have Expat flying experience, please put that in the header.

If you already sent a resume, thanks. They will all be reviewed. If you want to send another and you meet these guidelines, go ahead.

So, your email header should look like this:

CRJ current (16 months past), CA (FO), 1234 hours in type, Dari, 28 months Uganda (China, Peru, et al), FAA (EASA, TC, et al) ATPL (CPL, MPL)

[email protected]

Attach your current resume. Nothing else.

... when I jam them up your six? Sure.

<Spiritual Deity of your choice> help you when applying here. Not anything specific about the airline, but life in Kabul in general. Think long and think HARD before you just send in your application. Life in that part of the world is extremely difficult, I don't care what kind of airplane you fly...

Who exactly are your customers that are filling up the planes? If they're exclusively white/english speaking.... you do know everying is leaving with the draw down right? A lot of Afghanis live their entire life within 5 miles of their home. I can't imagine more than 1-5% have the cash and the need to travel anywhere by air.

You'd be surprised... every time I taxi by the commercial side of the Kabul airport, the planes are being packed with customers... at least Kam Air, Safi, etc. are.. I haven't witnessed an AJI boarding. However, there is a lot of money in Afghanistan, but people don't realize that. The market was strong enough to also bring in daily Emirates A340-500 flights.

I see they will be serving TK this month, according to the website. Haha. That will be fun.

Too bad the Ausie DFAC is closed, was one of the best in the country.

So how'd it go? How many apps did you get?

I don't think they are still in business anymore (as of last summer of 2014).

Most contracts pay $12000 a month, this one because of location, can't be no lower than $15000 a month.

Holy random thread revival..... why?

Hey Tony, how’d Afghan jet work out in the end?

Probably like a monkey getting spatted with poop on a Sunday afternoon in Hatti.

After two years in an old thread of lies, denials, insults, threats, and running a trump-like recruiting campaign, to say nothing of telling a board full of participants who have been there, seen that, done that, and know the country, that it isn't so...it withered away, the website is gone, and Tony has gone to greener pastures somewhere else.

Afghanistan, incidentally, IS third world.

It's almost as if, in 2015, someone found an unused can of fobbit-be-gone, and he vamoosed. Now three years later, raised from the dead, it's still entertaining to read, especially in retrospect. Between all the regional millennials who had never been out of the country and didn't have a leg to stand on, to the guy trying to recruit for it, hush-hush money and the-big-stuff-is-coming, and those who actually have been there, it's like watching a train wreck of denial, complete with built in pre-failure excuses and laundry lists.

Sort of like a recruiting thread with delay codes.

I have to admit, I wasn't around when this thread was active, but after reading through it now, the ones telling people to be careful were dead on accurate.