expatriate pilots (Russia)

[freightdoggie]

Anyone on board an Expat pilot?
Would you share your experiences good/bad?
Looking at doing a year or two in Moscow on the corporate side.
Would appreciate any guidence you can offer.

Thx

 

[AA717driver]

Try pprune.org. They've got people who have been based in Russia over there. TC

 

[Draginass]

Moscow's pretty expensive to live in, I hear.

 

[AZFLYER]

I'm from Moscow origionally. It is a very expensive city of you visit western establishments. Otherwise it is not bad at all. I love going back to visit. Give me a heads up if you find a gig over there. I would love to know how it works out. I may be interested myself down the road.

 

[EMBpilot]

A friend of mine (a Russian immigrant in the US) recently came back from working over there for about 2 years or so.
He lived in Moscow area and flew all over Europe and Africa out of one of the Moscow airports.

If you are still looking for info I can help you to get in touch with him.

 

[cvoav8r]

The grass is not always greener in red dirt.

Anyone on board an Expat pilot?
Would you share your experiences good/bad?
Looking at doing a year or two in Moscow on the corporate side.
Would appreciate any guidence you can offer.

Thx

I have been flying fulltime for a russian out of moscow for almost 2 years now. I got here because I thought the grass was greener on the other side. Yesterday I applied at Disney's flight Dept to move back to the states. Here is what you need to be prepared for:

1. Tax Issues. Simply put as a US Expat flying offshore contract you will pay as much in tax and maybe more than you would working in the states. That includes assuming you dont go back to the states on your time off and therefore can loosely qual for the FEIC. I have seen two guys try to run from the tax man and lose big when they got audited. I only know four Americans here all the time as pilots.

2. Owners. Russian culture is different, and the russian owners are not nearly as friendly as the US owners I have flown for. Last month Our owner who is usually one of the nice ones, got drunk, and punched one of our Captains in the back of the head and knocked him to the ground. That ******************** doesnt happen back home with out recourse, in russia it is a different story.

3. Management Companies. Europe and Russia are years behind the states as so far as flight crew working conditions. Virtually all these outfits here are allowed to operate based on bribes and kickbacks. Some local operations are starting up, but if you are familiar with the progression in the Mideast corporate scene and operators like BexAir, ACASS, NAS, etc. Then you will understand some of what is happening here. The common thing that gets people here is an offer of a schedule, the most common crew compaint...."I have been on duty 7 months for no extra money". You will be often asked to make things happen or be replaced with someone who will in regards to duty times and illegal charters in Foriegn registared aircraft. Per Diems/ and out of pocket expenses are often weeks late in getting to you.

4. Cost. It is very true that it is expensive here. If you want to eat a simple healthy meal be prepared to shell out 1000 rubles per meal. That is $40 USD. You can reasonably expect to eat through your per diem. See note 3.
A night at the bar...$100. You do the math.

5. Social life. For the first 2 months you will have museums to see, after which you might spend a very long winter in your hotel room on the internet (as I am now), paying $44.00 a day for internet. Movies at the theater are almost never in english, and there is not much activity outside drinking and eating, and things of the seedy nature.

6. Crew. You will meet some good guys and you meet some not so good guys out here. These are not EOE employers and the good jobs are not advertised. So you will probably also be placed with guys that replaced the guys who quit the lousy jobs. Perhaps they will have no clue what they are doing outside the USoA, or even how to use a Qfe setting. We read about some of those guys who destroyed a private RJ on the runway last october. So you had better know who you are flying with, or know what the hell you are doing. A rejected takeoff in these places where there is no maint. Facilities may find you the subject of and investigation lasting a couple weeks. I have seen the FAA wandering about out here before if you give them enough a reason.

7. Longevity. There is no retirement, no 401k, no medical benefits, and no job secuirity. Here today gone tommorrow is a reality as owners change management companies after operations stop when the money disagrees. Often the new managment has their own pilots and you maybe buying your own ticket home. Recently Russians are starting to register there planes in russia, and hire russian pilots....they make half what you do.

In conclusion, if after you do your due your diligence and research on what you are getting yourself into, and you are still comming let me know, maybe we can trade jobs, Las Vegas charter trips sound great to those of us here.

CVOAV8R