Some good pointers for pilots wanting to work in Namibia. Do not, I repeat DO NOT send your CV via email. That is the quickest way for your CV to end up in the trash can. Companies want to see that someone is willing to make the effort to get here. And pilots are lazy people to begin with, so get off your bum, book a plane ticket or get in your car and get here. The peak season starts in June/July and end in November, so most of the Pilot's contracts end at that time. My advice would be to come early October and stay a while. Walk through the companies in Windhoek and definitely book a bus ticket to Swakopmund as well.
Windhoek mostly offers a lot of Safari work. For those not knowing, a Safari is when you take clients to different lodges in the country and staying with them for the entire trip. This usually is a lot of fun. It also gives you and the clients a chance to get to know each other and for me personally, that is the highlight of the trip.
Swakopmund, being the closest to the Namib Desert offers a large variety of different scenic flights. The Sossusvlei Scenic being one the most popular. Believe me, no matter how many times you fly it, there is always something different along the way and it will take your breath away every time you fly it.
All the companies want their pilots to be trained and ready for the peak season. This usually takes a couple of months. Firstly getting your work visa can take up to 3 months. Once you are legal in the country you can start your route training which normally is 25 hours right hand seat and then 25 hours left hand seat depending on the amount of hours you have (Total Time). Only after all your training is finished you will start earning a salary when you do solo flights. This is also depending on the company that you work for.
Once all of this is finished and you start packing the hours, you will never want to leave!!
Most new guys that come to Namibia only has about 200 - 250 hours, which is OK. No one is going to pay the amount of money to build his own hours to 300 or more. At least make sure that you have a descent amount of C210 hours. Since the C210 is the most commonly used aircraft in Namibia, every company here owns at least one or two. And study every little detail about it. Included the emergency procedures. The more you study the better your chances are to start working sooner.
