Flying in Africa

[jafo20]

I'm gonna be going on a 1 year deployment to Nigeria soon. Anybody, especially those of you who have worked expat jobs, have advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[30West]

Some sage advice: If you can find a better, or even crappier, job someplace else, take it.
Nigeria is crooked. Carry cash. Do not use your own credit card for anything. Not even brand name hotels. Nigeria is #1 in the world for CC fraud. your CC number will be working hard without you even before you finish signing the reciept.
Don't drive after dark, Always verify who your driver is before you get into the van to the airport. Insist on operable door locks, watch them and make sure they do.
If staying at a hotel, a common scam is to get a call from an airport "representative" telling you that your report time or van time has changed. Usually comes early in the morning. When checking out of a hotel or paying your tab, count your change.
Take the old adage "Trust but verify", change it to "Question everything, and verify twice" and you'll be fine.

When flying, keep your eyes peeled and check the TCAS often. Aviation in Nigeria seems to be rapidly outgrowing it's infrastructure.
I am using Lagos as an example. More than 3 on the freq and the controllers can rapidly lose control of the airspace. Particularly Lagos Radar 124.7.

On the other hand, it beats the same old domestic milk run day after day. Good luck!
P.S. Don't dreenk zee water!

 

[brnstrmr]

Nigeria is possibly the most corrupt country on the face of this earth. Can't imagine the aviation system working too well, good luck if you go.

 

[mrvmo]

Go.....treat it as a great adventure and have a blast. But do one thing and listen to what these guys on this board are saying. Not just for Nigeria, but for most of the countries in the region. GET YOUR SHOTS!!!

 

[MD11Drvr]

Assume everyone on the other side of the radio wants to kill you. Stay on the airways and know the MEA's. Never trust a direct or descend without checking terrain.............Have Fun if you can..

 

[414Flyer]

Nigeria would not be terribly fun. At least in Mali it was not a problem to walk around anywhere at night as a white guy, its not that way in Nigeria, that will get you robbed, and easily killed.

I cant think of any aviation job in Nigeria worth going there. They better be paying you a lot, and giving you armed transport to the airport and housing

 

[brnstrmr]

Armed security would be a good idea, especially if you're the wrong race and religion. Nigeria is a predominantly Moslem country with all that implies. People really do forget that the rest of the world is not like the U.S. unfortunately, you can get killed for belonging to the wrong group.

 

[jafo20]

Yeah. I was reading the reports put out by the State Dept. and the security situation there is a total mess. That's why I want as much info from people who have been over there as I can get.

Your comments have been very helpful and I appreciate them. The trick now is how to figure out which security companies I can trust and what driver is actually going to take me to the airport. Hopefully, company can hook me up with someone friendly on the ground in Abuja to babysit me 'til I know the "lay of the land".

Again, thanks for the help.

 

[Publishers]

One thing you need to know--- phones do not work in Nigeria. It was the biggest problem. The symbol of the phone company is a satallite dish with drums being it on it. It is perfect and describes Nigeria perfectly. Some high tech stuff but no one knows how to use it.
You can survive the place and you will have good stories. Of course, then again you might not.

 

[jafo20]

Publishers raises a good point. I've been told that there are local cell companies that work in larger metro areas. Aside from using the ac's satphone, does anyone have experience with ground communication in Nigeria?

I should research companies in the US that can equip me with some kind of communications that will work over there. Perhaps I can prepay, or something.

 

[jafo20]

Power:

Do the Nigerians keep their electricity running constantly, or are there frequent blackouts, like in other African nations? I just assumed power was intermittent, but they do have a lot of oil to fuel their plants.

 

[dhc8drvr]

ONE YEAR!!!!!!! My 48hr layover in Lagos seems pleasantly short now, thank you..

T-mobile, Cingular, Vodafone all work in Lagos and PHC, but it's like $4.99/min!

Communications (ATC) are terrible, they are more concerned about your registartion mark and souls on board than the 747 thats climbing through your alititude. It's an adventure every day.

Oh, and worst of all, Star beer sucks.........

 

[dhc8drvr]

Frequent blackouts, but usually short lived. According to the local papers it is their top priority to get the the national grid up to speed. It really is a screwed up place.

 

[Piper877]

Well, it looks like Nigeria might be on the upswing:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4926966.stm

Supposedly paying off almost all their debt to the outside world could open the path of investing in infrastructure and perhaps some social programs to help out the extremely poor in that country that live on a dollar a day. The only catch is that the current President's term runs out in the not too distant future.

In short, things may get better, but the country's in, and going to be in at least the near term, in turmoil. Definitely an oil-rich country, but also one of the most corrupt.

 

[b19]

You will be completely on your own. ATC can be downright scary. Do you have one of those medical insurance plans to get your ass out of country ? You had better have all your shots, about $900.00.

Always, always, always, offset to the right on airways, and maybe even cheat the altitude up or down by a little. Read the bottom of the page on the Africa chart and make all position reports (a slightly different format than pta ptp), it is the only thing helping with separation.

I have been there a number of times and would not recomend it, but don't take my word, read what the State Department has to say.

 

[Big Beer Belly]

All great advice. For all practical purposes, you are completely on your own in that area of the world. Unless it is CAVOK, NEVER descend off airway, deviate right of course, report your position on common, etc...

Once on the ground and depending where you go, risk and danger only increase exponentially. What we call "bribery" is an ingrained societal norm and little will occur without it. Get very used to staring at the barrel of an automatic weapon and depending upon the neighborhood (surrounding countries) your business takes you I'd liken it to driving an ice cream truck at 0200 in South Central LA screaming the "n" word ... I don't run for pleasure but the BBB can set a world record pace when being chased by gangs of machete-wielding gentlemen ... as I found out one evening.

Good luck Toto ... you're definitely not in Kansas any more!

BBB

 

[JohnnyP]

....

Yeah. I was reading the reports put out by the State Dept. and the security situation there is a total mess. That's why I want as much info from people who have been over there as I can get.

Your comments have been very helpful and I appreciate them. The trick now is how to figure out which security companies I can trust and what driver is actually going to take me to the airport. Hopefully, company can hook me up with someone friendly on the ground in Abuja to babysit me 'til I know the "lay of the land".

Again, thanks for the help.

Is your company not going to assist you with housing, drivers, house staff, etc? Id feel pretty lonely if I had to go to Nigeria, then on top of that locate my own housing and staff, etc. Hopefully they will provide this for you.

 

[Huck]

I'd liken it to driving an ice cream truck at 0200 in South Central LA screaming the "n" word ....

Thanks for that laugh, man.

Offset always, don't accept vectors, slow down early. The Lagos airport is not safe at night - friend of mine was held up at gunpoint one night on the cargo ramp. By a security guard.

I heard a folktale about a Springbok 747 that was taxiing out in Lagos one night. They came up on a telephone pole lying across the taxiway. As they pulled to a stop, they saw the cargo door lights pop on....

 

[b19]

He is absolutely right about slow down early, it is fairly common to wait 50-60 miles or longer to get someone ( control or approach) to answer the friggin radio to allow for a descent, in other words include incompetence in your descent plan. Also absolutely never ever trust ground guidance and wing walkers they will marshall you into other planes etc. And in some places it is much safer to sleep on board, waiting for maintenance to fix the problem, than to risk the drive to the hotel and back. And when you get to Lagos you will see an old 747 missing an engine and a gear truck.... approach forget to tell them the runway was closed for construction after clearing them to land on it.

 

[Publishers]

I took six pilots over for a one year contract. Within the third month, I was spending my time trying to help thm escape the country. Again, without any real phones.
Now you can take your fancy sat phone or other hi tech devices, however, your chances of keeping them on from the time you get there to the time you use them is about 80-20 against you.
I found that alcohol consumption was very key to having an enjoyable stay but then again I was not flying anything -- well except for that one commercial flight the captain asked me to try it--- so drinking was not a problem.
Any of you familiar with the game --nuts ro noggins. This is bar betting on whether the next object floating by was a nut or someones noggin. Insiders always bet on the noggin.
It is also easy to get a hold of the police when you are being robbed, they are the ones robbing you.
The really good thing about someone pointing a gun at you is that most of the people who would do that cannot afford the bullets to go in the gun.
As in most countries, you can find some really good Chinese food here. I would suggest that as your chances of living through your stay increase proportionately.
Have a great stay -- and the beer is not that bad-- it has an alcohol content of like 10%.

 

[PastV1]

All that being said,

AT LEAST THE WOMEN ARE SOOOOO HOT!

Past..

 

[jafo20]

Flying a little right of the airway, eh? So I should treat the airways just like if I was following a river or something. I'll keep these thigns in mind, so I don't bounce of an Antonov during the rainy season. We do have the emergency evac insurance, and I've already been pestering Cell companies about communications over there.

Obviously, Nigeria is a screwy place, and this brief period of relative peace will probably lead to another military coup when Obasanjo leaves office or tries to stay in power. Confluence of geographically separate religious groups, a recent (25ya) civil war that left 2-3million dead and oil is never a good thing.

I heard about airplanes being robbed on the ground at the Lagos airport in years past. Papers say Obasanjo has improved the airport security in Lagos by instituting a shoot on sight policy for people found inside the airport's perimeter. How have things changed on the ramp there? Does anyone have experience flying into and out of Abuja, Kano or Port Harcourt?

I guess, aside from knowing people on the ground, that I can only go so far by studying state dept. reports and typing on the internet. I'll know more in a month, when I'm in country.

thanks again for your help, all. I'm sure this correspondence made me and my crew a tiny bit more savvy when we're over there. We'll still be total babes in the woods, though.

 

[freightdogfred]

Hmmmm....after reading all these posts, I've decided it's my kinda place. Please send me any employment details once you get settled, post them here on this thread...Thanx.

Also, tell all those thieving Nigerians I don't have a cousin there who died on the highway/died in a plane crash,/drowned on vacation etc. Also tell them I don't deal in second chance offers on Ebay.

Many thanx...the freightdog

 

[414Flyer]

Have you been able to get ahold of any pilots working for that operation there? Talking to some would be highly suggested to find out the reality of the job. Someone trying to hire you is going to tell you whatever it takes to get you over there, they just might leave out some of the details of life there.

Find out as much as you possibly can, especialy about things to bring or not bring. Sometimes things that are cheap and easily available here, are not at all there or are really expensive there.

Also maybe buy the cheapest laptop you can that will do what you need to take over, dont take over the nicest thing you have, same with digital camera too. Just take a small cheap one over, something that if gets stolen or breaks, that its no big deal.

Stay tight with the expats, especially any South Africans you run into. They will usually know how things work, and S.A pilots are all over Africa.

Africans associate light skin color with money, so realize that anytime an African just randomly comes up to you or starts talking to you. They probably want something. Even if they are telling you they want to give you something out of kindness, often it will be followed shortly thereafter by a request for money.

Dont fool around with African women, take plenty of porn so that if you get the urge and start thinking African women are looking good, then just watch the porn, take care of yourself and fall asleep. You will be doing yourself a big favor.

Even if you run into European women, still dont go bareback, because they may have been in Africa long enough to get an STD. I had a Danish friend tell me its a big problem that European women in Africa on vacation will sometimes screw their tour guide, to be adventurous, unfortunately a lot of them have various STDs, including HIV too that this women end up getting.

I really cant emphasize enough how important it is to get ahold of pilots already at that operation, if you havent already, to find out the reality of life, and also what really important things to take with you

Oh and doxycycline is a good malarial preventative med. DONT BLOW OFF taking malarial meds. My copilot in Africa this summer ran out of pills and got malaria afterwards.

 

[414Flyer]

Well, it looks like Nigeria might be on the upswing:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4926966.stm

Supposedly paying off almost all their debt to the outside world could open the path of investing in infrastructure and perhaps some social programs to help out the extremely poor in that country that live on a dollar a day. The only catch is that the current President's term runs out in the not too distant future.

In short, things may get better, but the country's in, and going to be in at least the near term, in turmoil. Definitely an oil-rich country, but also one of the most corrupt.

However corruption and criminal behavior are just part of Nigerian culture, especially in the south. Even if that country gets better economically, they will just be criminals with more money.

Nigerian culture, especially in the south, looks up to being able to make money thru crime, and looks down on honest hard work. Its why the 419 scam is so popular there, especially in Lagos, is that is how it is seen as the best way to make money.

 

[jafo20]

Dude, any country that allows itself to go from being a net food exporter to a net food importer because of simple mismanagement and corruption isn't going to improve any time soon. Not in a meaningful way.

414:

I'm getting information from as many sources as I can find. That's why I'm on here. Your tip about the Deoxycycline is a good bit of advice. Methoquinine is the psychotropic drug, right?

I'll be on the lookout for SA and Russian pilots.

Questions:

If my company can't get cash to me, what's a good, secondary route of accessing my cash from Nigeria? Can I circumvent the Nigerian banking system to avoid fraud, etc? Perhaps this is a silly question.

 

[414Flyer]

Dude, any country that allows itself to go from being a net food exporter to a net food importer because of simple mismanagement and corruption isn't going to improve any time soon. Not in a meaningful way.

414:

I'm getting information from as many sources as I can find. That's why I'm on here. Your tip about the Deoxycycline is a good bit of advice. Methoquinine is the psychotropic drug, right?

I'll be on the lookout for SA and Russian pilots.

Questions:

If my company can't get cash to me, what's a good, secondary route of accessing my cash from Nigeria? Can I circumvent the Nigerian banking system to avoid fraud, etc? Perhaps this is a silly question.

Doxycycline is cheaper, you can easily get a prescription in the US and get your whole supply before you go. Doesnt have big side effects, but I advise not taking it on an empty stomach.

As for getting money, we had that problem in Mali because West Africa is almost exclusively Visa, mastercard was worthless there.

Check and see if any ATMs are where you will be at, that will accept your card. Sometimes a nice hotel may have an ATM inside, and some banks will have an ATM. Of course it goes without saying to be careful when you go to one.

You may also consider getting a debit card account, that is not your main account. Something like with HSBC that you can sign up for online, and get an ATM card. Then before you use it, transfer whatever money you anticipate withdrawing, to it. That way you only have in that account what you plan on taking out, and in case the card gets compromised, you dont have all your money in it. ATM availability would be something to investigate before you go, to see what you will be able to use, and for what kind of card to have.

 

[Huck]

I advise not taking it on an empty stomach.

I did that once in Entebbe - ordered my food at a restaraunt, then took the pill while waiting. By the time the food arrived I was doubled up with my head on the table.....

 

[JohnnyP]

....

Stay tight with the expats, especially any South Africans you run into. They will usually know how things work, and S.A pilots are all over Africa.

And make sure to brush up on your Afrikans, some of the South Africans dont like speaking english.

 

[big_al]

Dude, any country that allows itself to go from being a net food exporter to a net food importer because of simple mismanagement and corruption isn't going to improve any time soon. Not in a meaningful way.

that is not why they became a food importer rather than an exporter, it is because they followed the guidelines of the IMF to get more loans.