Africa Bush Pilot
- Thread starter alpacino
- Start date
Cloud Surfer
All Roads lead to Trantor
Excuse my ignorance, but why would anyone want to go there? Does it pay so much better?
Roger Roger
Bottom of the list
z987k
Well-Known Member
Some people have a sense of adventure. It's probably half the reason their a pilot to begin with. If any of us were in it for the money, we'd all have to be mentally retarded.
I really want to go there, even if it seems to be very hard, because is the only place where are hiring people, like me, that have low hours that have just finished the training.
If you have another suggestion please let me know
rframe
pǝʇɹǝʌuı
If you have another suggestion please let me know
Another bush pilot on this forum has recommended this book in the past to people like you.
http://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Guide-African-Flying-ebook/dp/B007K78CLA
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Cloud Surfer
All Roads lead to Trantor
I really want to go there, even if it seems to be very hard, because is the only place where are hiring people, like me, that have low hours that have just finished the training.
If you have another suggestion please let me know
Do you mind if I ask you whether you have your CFI rating? If you have only your CPL and less than 500 hours, than of course you will face greater hardship in being hired. I know that getting your CFI takes a lot of hard work, time and $ to get it, but you'll open yourself to a much bigger market. Moreover, it gives you an advantage over those who chose not to pursue it.
swisspilot
Well-Known Member
Not really, in the past years going to Africa to fly as a Bush Pilot has become a plan B for many, among those the large majority of the pilots from NZ, AU and especially Europe are in Africa because they can`t find a shiny jet job. In the past it was a breeze to get a job in Africa pretty much anybody with a wet commercial would get a job, now two things have changed a large amount of pilots with a fresh CPL, especially from Europe, can`t find a job, most of them do have a bit of $ so they can afford to travel to Africa and live on a very low wage, some do like it but for many that wasn`t their idea when they got the licenses. In Africa you meet a lot of peoples from places where there is not much GA, or there isn`t enough for the number of pilots that graduate each year from flight schools (like in NZ), not many entry level jobs or it`s really hard to actually be a flight instructor, back home in Switzerland you can`t teach with with a fresh CPL and a CFI....Entry level bush pilot jobs are getting really hard to find: many countries just want their locals to fly, not much AVGAS so only bigger planes are used (208s, DHC6s,..) and the Economic crisis. It seems that 500 hours now it`s the magic number, in the last places I have been, I have seen mins going from just a CPL, to 300-350 hours to 700-1200 in just over 3-4 years, for the same plane.
I have to say I met very few bush pilot, that where happy to do that kind of flying long term, each one had already one foot out of the door....my former boss was probably the only person I met that was a career bush pilot.
Those this looks like Alaska?
swisspilot
Well-Known Member
Another bush pilot on this forum has recommended this book in the past to people like you.
http://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Guide-African-Flying-ebook/dp/B007K78CLA
I got to know this guy when he was still a student pilot, very nice guy and he really worked hard to get there, his book is really nice!
robofos
Well-Known Member
Most activity is in the countries of Namibia and Botswana. You have to buy a several thousand dollar plane ticket to get there just to ask for a job. Even if you get hired, expect to make $1,000 a month or just enough to live in a tent and eat.
After going through tons of crap on pprune.org this is basically what I've learned about African bush flying.
After going through tons of crap on pprune.org this is basically what I've learned about African bush flying.
JustinS
Well-Known Member
Our school had a pilot come visit and talk with us about a company he works for in Africa. It's called Flying Mission Services.
http://www.flyingmission.org/fmsintro.php
They want people with 500 hours. They have a LOT of single engine work that needs to be done. The guy said they are in such need of pilots that they actually have to turn down flying jobs that need to be done in their single engine aircraft (Cessna 207s, and Cessna 210s). They also have some King Airs and they recently acquired a 737-200 as well. They do their own maintenance, and they also have a steady flow of work from the government in Botswana. Definitely a good place to look into if you want to be a bush pilot in Africa. The guy said it's an ideal job for a single guy who just wants to fly. They make more than enough to live comfortably over there as a single guy. This is all word of mouth. I don't see all of what I said specifically listed on their website, but from what I heard they have pilot jobs available.
http://www.flyingmission.org/fmsintro.php
They want people with 500 hours. They have a LOT of single engine work that needs to be done. The guy said they are in such need of pilots that they actually have to turn down flying jobs that need to be done in their single engine aircraft (Cessna 207s, and Cessna 210s). They also have some King Airs and they recently acquired a 737-200 as well. They do their own maintenance, and they also have a steady flow of work from the government in Botswana. Definitely a good place to look into if you want to be a bush pilot in Africa. The guy said it's an ideal job for a single guy who just wants to fly. They make more than enough to live comfortably over there as a single guy. This is all word of mouth. I don't see all of what I said specifically listed on their website, but from what I heard they have pilot jobs available.
JustinS
Well-Known Member
From what the guy told us, the single engine work is a lot of remote unpaved strips where tourists, and other groups interested in Africa's nature scene like to travel around to get a vivid taste of Africa. Furthermore, the King Airs do medical flights and fly government officials. I'm no official source for this, but I bet if you contact them directly they would help you figure out if that might be the kind of flying for you.
swisspilot
Well-Known Member
Do they actually pay you to work? since I have been flying here in Suriname and saw how profitable MAF is I tend to stear away from missionary flying that expects you to bring money into the company and work for free..
This seems a nice outfit, wonder how much it would take to go from flying the C207/C210 into the King Airs, I already have 100s of hours on 206/7 and bush flying, would be nice to do a bit of both King Air and Piston Single in the Bush.
What also wonders me is why they have an hard time finding pilot, each year other local companies that operate way bigger fleets get stormed with applicants that show up at the door, well maybe most of them don`t have 500 hours, but still.
This seems a nice outfit, wonder how much it would take to go from flying the C207/C210 into the King Airs, I already have 100s of hours on 206/7 and bush flying, would be nice to do a bit of both King Air and Piston Single in the Bush.
What also wonders me is why they have an hard time finding pilot, each year other local companies that operate way bigger fleets get stormed with applicants that show up at the door, well maybe most of them don`t have 500 hours, but still.
