2010. szeptember 6., hétfő

On Namibian stuff

As I promised here's what awaits you if you get hired by a Namibian company.
First of all you will need to validate your license. This is not a great deal. You will need to take two exams. A Namibian Air Law and a Radiotelephony. For Air Law there is a small leaflet, you read it once and you will easily pass the test. Mainly ICAO stuff. 
Geluk (FYGK) pick up day
The Radiotelephony is dependant on where you do it. If you have the possibility to chose go for the exam with Pierre, a pilot and ATC in Walvis Bay. He has a written exam on TIBA and other freqvencies as well as radio failure procedures. Then he will brief you on the Namibian airspace specifications. One of them being the "talk-talk-talk". There is no radar yet for the airspace here. So no transponder codes are given to airplanes. So you need to make your reports regularly. And as you start flying you will see how important the "talk-talk-talk" rule is. Flying on a busy Sossusvlei scenic day with ten other planes around you is quite fun...
Over the big Namib
If you are done with that the DCA will sooner or later issue you a Student Pilot License, so you can start doing your C210 type rating. Which for some might sound crazy, but that's how it is these places. Type rating for every airplane you fly (be it a 152...). But this will mean just a couple of hours flying on type with an instructor.
Walvis Bay harbor
For your license validation you will also need to have a license verification. This means that the namibian DCA sends a request to your home DCA asking them if your license is genuine or you just bought it on the flea market. If you have any contacts to your DCA let the Namibians know about it as in the majority of cases their database is outdated and they are sending requests to non existing addresses. Also you may try to ask for a verification yourself.
In the meantime your company will send a couple of papers to the Ministry of Home Affairs requesting a work visa or work permit. 
Little airplane in the canyon
During this procedure - depending on company - you start your line training. You will be put in the right seat anytime there is a free one. I managed to do around 40 hours right hand.
One day your work visa arrives and if you are lucky enough your license validation will also be there. And you start flying left hand seat with one of the company's senior pilots. Then one day you get signed off and start flying on your own.
There might seem to be lots of waiting, lots of fighting, but the rewards are high! You are finally flying...

6 megjegyzés:

Danny írta...

Very nice tour to Namibia africa which is world famous tourist place and thousand of people visit that place every day.
Thanks

paddy írta...

hello!

i just discovered your blog and will be reading the archives! namibia looks like an amazing place. fly safe!

Névtelen írta...

Hey we are to pilots with each 500 TT who want to go to africa and fly. Could you give us any information about when the best time is to go to namibia or botswana? We heard that you must go there to get hired so that is what we are planning on, but we are not sure what months are best?
janus.list@mac.com

Névtelen írta...

Hey we are to pilots with each 500 TT who want to go to africa and fly. Could you give us any information about when the best time is to go to namibia or botswana? We heard that you must go there to get hired so that is what we are planning on, but we are not sure what months are best?
janus.list@mac.com

Névtelen írta...

Hi Csanad, I'm Bruno.
It look's like that I'm almoast in the same situation who you previously lived...Architect, working now directly with constrution, good friends over here,summarizing a normal life with everything!!
During 2008/2009 I finish my JAA Comercial pilot in Gestair and until now I just flew with some friends and family...making a sum of +/- 220h!I finish the CPL with 150h!
I already sent some CV's to Botswana and Namibia, but some recruiters said that its not easy to get the VISA to foreign pilots!
Since I have plenty of time the idea of taking my things and fly up there, try my luck because flying is what I wanna do in my life! I am currently 28 years old and time is short...for pilot :).
I wish you the best...good flight's for all.
PS: Csanad, if you have some advice for me, please contact me for my email: bnicolau81@yahoo.com

marco2390 írta...

Love your blog by the way! I'm currently in the US and trynig to get stared over there for the season of 2012 becasue i have to stay here untill the end of July. But if you would be able to contact me at all to help me out figure out the best way to go about landing a job there i would appreciate it i have around 600 hrs and CPL, IFR, rated. and maybe will be a CFI and CFII my e-mail is mbouw0318@gmail.com ( any1 feel free to contact me if they hav any info that can help me obtain a job there) Thanks!!!