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| Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambi |
| Flying jobs in Africa. Pilot jobs for low-timers in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and other places. Cessna 206, Cessna 210, Cessna 208 Caravan, GA8 Airvan, Piper Cherokee. |
| Language: English |
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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 576 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 2768831 |
| Visitors Out: 6678 |
| Total Visitors Out: 12942 |
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| Giraffe vs C172 |
| 2012-04-24 05:12:17 |
What happens when a Cessna 172 hits a giraffe?
I had lots of friends asking me about the incident that was eternalized on this picture that became quite famous on the internet.
The story behind the picture: a researcher for African Wild Dogs collided with a giraffe at Santawani airstrip in Botswana close to Maun, in the Okavango Delta, in his Cessna 172 with registration V5-ETS. From the position of the flap on the wing I'd presume it happened on landing. The pilot fortunately sustained minor injuries. The aircraft and the giraffe were not that lucky. And as you can see from the picture that was on Airliners.net (but unfortuntely is not there anymore) the 172 was damaged beyond repair.
The story does not end here. From the picture some have misread the registration number as V5-EYS (no surprise seeing the creased fuselage). This is true even for FlightAware flight tracking portal. And a James Dean like cursed Porsche story started to unveil. Th...
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| Rules of thumb (not just) for the bush I. |
| 2012-04-23 10:07:10 |
A simple bush rule
Airplanes get old, pilots get tired, runways are not always in best shape out there, things not always work the way we planned. Here comes the first and probably most handy little rule: even when you calculated and planned everything meticulously you should allow for at least a 20% safety margin. Just in case. If required parameters are not allowing for this safety margin you better start thinking how you could improve performance (throw out some luggage, passengers, fuel, change airplane, wait for weather to cool, whatever...).
Density Altitude
This might sound quite tricky but let me show you a quickie here as well. Every degree of Celsius variation from standard temperature, density altitude (DA) changes by 120 feet. If temperature increases density altitude goes up; if it decreases density altitude goes down. So DA is the pressure altitude plus 120 times the difference between local air temperature and standard. At sea level, the altimeter is 1013 ...
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| Rules of thumb (not just) for the bush II. |
| 2012-04-23 10:05:19 |
Aborting takeoff
On takeoff roll 70% of flying speed should be reached at 50% of the length of the runway or the takeoff should be rejected. The reason: acceleration is not linear.
Crosswind component
Not as tricky as most of the pilots think. If wind is 15 degrees to the runway, the crosswind component is 25% of the wind velocity (at 10 kts wind the cross component is 2,5 kts). If the wind is at 30 degrees, the crosswind is 50% wind speed (10 kts wind 5 kts component). If the wind has a 45-degree to the runway, the crosswind component 75% of the wind (7.5 kts at 10 kts wind). In case the wind is 60 degrees or higher you can calculate that the crosswind and total wind are equal.
Descent planning
Sometimes we just forget about it, then just fall out of the sky with popping ears and unhappy passengers. If you plan ahead normally a three-degree descent gives aproximately 300 feet per nautical mile (the exact number is 318, but 300 is easier to use). Dividing the altitude to be l...
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| Soft field technique |
| 2012-04-23 10:04:57 |
This Skeleton Coast Safaris Cessna 210 landed on the sandy beach somewhere at Conception Bay, on the Namibian Diamond Coast. If I'm not wrong, and knowing the pilot I'd bet on a 100$ that I'm not, they just had a nice picnic.
I'll share with you as well the advice I got from the wise on soft field takeoffs:
"350 meters of softish sand, only works because of the constant wind. Begin the roll with a clean wing and low power to save the prop, gently feed in the oomph as the speed builds while reducing back-pressure on the stick, then drop full flaps when you run out of surface and let her come off. Stay in ground effect as you go out over the sea, tickling the flaps up bit-by-tiny-bit while staying just over the stall-warning."
Low Time Pilot's Low Time Pilot's Guide to African Bush Flying - 12.99€
Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia) Low-time Pilot Wannabe's Info...
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| UPDATE: Pilot job opening in Malawi |
| 2012-04-23 10:04:40 |
Bush&Lake Air Charters in Lilongwe, Malawi is looking for a pilot.
Requirements: Commercial license. A minimum of 500 hours. And logged hours on CT206 and PA32-300
Email CV's to info@bla.mw or claudia@bla.mw
About the company: http://www.bla.mw/
UPDATE: B&LA is a small company with a Cherokee 6 and a beautiful new 206 (as far as I know G1000). The boss is a really really nice lady. She cares and looks after her pilots. She provides a house and a car too. Pay is somewhere around 1000 USD equivalent in Kwacha. Malawi is great to live. You have everything you need, school, supermarkets and so on.
Low Time Pilot's Low Time Pilot's Guide to African Bush Flying - 12.99€
Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia) Low-time Pilot Wannabe's Info...
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| 210 ditching on the Etosha Pan |
| 2012-04-23 10:04:19 |
African Profile Safaris' Cessna V5 PTL plane crash-landed on the Etosha Pan on 2nd of January.
After ditching in the water
The plane had the pilot and an American tourist couple on board. They were flying from Ongava (FYNG) to Immelmann Airfield (FYIM) in Caprivi when it crashed into the Etosha Pan's water. The cause is suspected to be engine failure.
During disassembling
A helicopter of Expedite Aviation was hired to search for the plane and its passengers. The passengers and the pilot sustained minor injuries and the SAR helicopter brought them to safety.
Ready to be transported to Windhoek
For investigation purposes the airplane had to be taken to Windhoek. And it had to be taken apart on site so it fits on a trailer.
Back those days flying as my wing (and was owned by Wings Over Africa).The C210 in the background is V5-KIN of Bataleur Aviation
Low Time Pilot's Low Time Pilot's Guide to African Bush Flying - 12.99€
Africa (Botswana, Mala...
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| Soft field takeoff |
| 2012-04-23 10:03:51 |
I hear lots of times that taking off is easy, you just push the throttle all the way and let the airplane fly. Yeah baby! Or maybe not?
Let's see the case of the soft field takeoff. It can be applied not only if the surface is soft - like sand or wet mud - but in case it is rough, stony or the grass is long. In case of rough, stony runway with a normal takeoff we are stressing the tires, landing gear and the prop as well. If the runway is soft, wet or the grass is long then the problem is even bigger. The drag on the wheels increases the required takeoff distance. The drag can be so much that the airplane will not be able to reach the rotation speed!
Now these stones don't really save a propeller
So we need to do something to get the weight of the airplane off the wheels as soon as possible. Thus reducing not only the drag of the soft surface but also the forces that stones and rough surface put on the wheels and propeller. We then get the airplane off th...
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| Good bye Malév |
| 2012-02-20 12:20:16 |
Waking up this morning and seeing that Malev (the Hungarian Airlines) went down was saddening. A piece (or maybe The Piece) of Hungarian aviation history disappeared.
Ju52 at Budaörs airfield in the 30's
Maszovlet Li-2 (Soviet copy of the DC3) at the beginning of the 50's.
Later MASZOVLET became Magyar Légiforgalmi Társaság (Hungarian Airlines)
A Malév Li-2 at Ferihegyi Airport
Malév Il-18,
with the most beautyful paint scheme that the airline carried
Tu134
A MALÉV TU-154 in the mid 70's at Ferihegyi Airport (now Liszt Ferenc International)
Low passing Boeing 737 in front of the Hungarian parliament
on one of the 20th of August parades
Fokker at Debrecen Airport, 2006
Q400 low pass at Ferihegyi Airport. For Malév's 65th birthday
a couple of airplanes were painted according to the scheme used in the 60's
Good bye Malév!
Last radio call
Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia) Low-time Pilot Wannabe's ...
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| Lettre d'un ami |
| 2012-01-19 03:01:07 |
Just got this mail from my ol' friend who's back in Europe and it really cought the spirit of things and he agreed to publish it, here it is (merci mon ami!)
Hey ma Bru...
I read these are your last days enjoying a lekker coffee at the museum, chilling at the sea side in Swakop paradise!!
It is 5 months since i'm gone now and I still haven't recovered yet...
This wicked Namlife is once in a lifetime and my mind is still wondering if it was true or unreal...
Fly by some elephant, landing on a sand strip and overflying place nobody would ever go...
I'm haunted by the spirit of Africa as the land of the brave, the place where people are alive and stressfree. Tears come up when I think of the great people I have met and the times we had, carefree in a marvelous land...
But well... I'm out. You're going to be out. And I guess, life goes on and on!
See you again amigo, keep it real for me and tell all the new crews how wonderful life is when you've got to live the unbelievable!Africa (Bots...
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| Low timer pilots handbook to bush flying? |
| 2012-01-18 04:59:21 |
I was wondering if any of you would be interested in an e-book that has all the information about the where's, how's and what's of the job hunt in Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania (and also some other information I have). This e-book would cover everything you need know about the countries, visas, accomodation, types, licenses and procedures. As well as lots of tips and tricks, to help you make the decision of jumping on a plane for that big adventure and save you some headaches once on site.
Although all this information is here on the blog during all these years it got deeper and deeper. This planned book would always be at hand.
Please leave a comment. If there is a need for such a "manual" then I would compile it.
I thought it would sell somewhere between 5 to 10$. Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia) Low-time Pilot Wannabe's Info...
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