Does Anybody have some recent infos about flying for them , Cpt & Fo working conditions,min requirements, duty ,salary , cost of life , accomodation?
Thank you
TMA Maldives
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Re: TMA Maldives
Only locals for FO positions. Qualified twotter captain time on floats for captain. If you get an offer, don't quit your day job until you see the airline ticket!!
What little I do know is either not important or I've forgotten it!
Transport Canada's mission statement: We're not happy until you're not happy
Transport Canada's mission statement: We're not happy until you're not happy
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seriousflyer
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Re: TMA Maldives
In October 2013 TMA hired 4 FOs from my work. Co pilots are paid based on experience. 3 of the 4 guys had less than 500 hours on the DHC6 (around 700TT) and got paid I think $1200/mth. Accommodation paid for and I think 1 Airline ticket home every 3 months.
The fourth FO had 1500 hours on the DHC6 and got paid $1800/mth. I believe Captain upgrade around 2500-3000hrs.
These 4 pilots had only about 100-300 hrs twin on floats.
I heard that one of these FO's got flown over to MALI and ended up sitting almost 4 weeks before company wanted to train him. I heard and seen a lot of cool pictures, the flying sounds and looks unique. Be prepared for culture shock. Also long hours and days in hot hot hot heat. Plus you have to be customer service orientated or you'll get spit on like a friend of mine did.
The fourth FO had 1500 hours on the DHC6 and got paid $1800/mth. I believe Captain upgrade around 2500-3000hrs.
These 4 pilots had only about 100-300 hrs twin on floats.
I heard that one of these FO's got flown over to MALI and ended up sitting almost 4 weeks before company wanted to train him. I heard and seen a lot of cool pictures, the flying sounds and looks unique. Be prepared for culture shock. Also long hours and days in hot hot hot heat. Plus you have to be customer service orientated or you'll get spit on like a friend of mine did.
Re: TMA Maldives
Idufferin I'll try and clear a few things up for you before this thread gets to far off the rails. First, yes they do hire expat copilots. There are probably more expats flying in the right seat now than ever before. The pay is not great but and as mentioned is based on flying experience. You also have to remember there is no income tax over there so a salary of $2000 per month is what gets deposited into your bank account every month. Company supplies the apartments and as mentioned pays for the return airfares home. You have to pay for food and beer. Food is fairly inexpensive so doesn't cost a lot to live. All overnights at resorts, accommodation and meals are taken care of, you just have to pay your liquor bill and that is usually with a 50% discount.
The days can be long but you work a 5 on 2 off schedule and it gets daylight just after 6am and is dark just after 6pm. There is no climbing into the cockpit at 4am and getting out at 10pm like in northern Canada. The temps are quite bearable pretty much all year because of the wind except you get a few weeks of no wind and it can be quite hot. You will fly a 100 hours a month so it's a good way to fill a logbook with hours. Maldivians make up the majority of pilots and Canadians would be second. The rest are from countries all over the world. They operate 44 Twin Otters and have over 200 pilots on staff so it's a big operation.
The experience they look for in expat copilots is around a 1000 hours, multi IFR with some float and multi time. No ATP needed but you will have to get one before you will see the left seat. There is no hard rule as to how much float or multi time is needed. They have hired copilots with hardly any multi time but more than 500 hours of float time and have hired copilots with hardly any float time but a fair bit of multi turbine time. Captains require ATP, minimum of 3000 hours and a 1000 hours on type.
As far as being spit on, it's the first time I have ever heard of this happening. If it did happen it certainly is an isolated incident. The Maldives are a Muslim country but a very Liberal Muslim country and the people a very friendly so for some people they find it hard to take. Others go there and love every minute of it!
They have a website and you can apply online if you are interested.
Hope this helps!
The days can be long but you work a 5 on 2 off schedule and it gets daylight just after 6am and is dark just after 6pm. There is no climbing into the cockpit at 4am and getting out at 10pm like in northern Canada. The temps are quite bearable pretty much all year because of the wind except you get a few weeks of no wind and it can be quite hot. You will fly a 100 hours a month so it's a good way to fill a logbook with hours. Maldivians make up the majority of pilots and Canadians would be second. The rest are from countries all over the world. They operate 44 Twin Otters and have over 200 pilots on staff so it's a big operation.
The experience they look for in expat copilots is around a 1000 hours, multi IFR with some float and multi time. No ATP needed but you will have to get one before you will see the left seat. There is no hard rule as to how much float or multi time is needed. They have hired copilots with hardly any multi time but more than 500 hours of float time and have hired copilots with hardly any float time but a fair bit of multi turbine time. Captains require ATP, minimum of 3000 hours and a 1000 hours on type.
As far as being spit on, it's the first time I have ever heard of this happening. If it did happen it certainly is an isolated incident. The Maldives are a Muslim country but a very Liberal Muslim country and the people a very friendly so for some people they find it hard to take. Others go there and love every minute of it!
They have a website and you can apply online if you are interested.
Hope this helps!
You Can Love An Airplane All You Want, But Remember, It Will Never Love You Back!
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FOD_Vacuum
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Re: TMA Maldives
Yep, buddy from Tindi got hired last fall and is now flying DHC-6 FO and TMA in Male. If you have some float time on twotters, you may get called if they are looking for guys.
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parsnipity
- Rank 0
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Re: TMA Maldives
If you have a DHC6 PPC they will scoop you up as an FO. I got offered a job there last month with only about 400 hours on type. However I declined due to the lack of pay.
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rookiepilot
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Re: TMA Maldives
Viking, unlike bombardier, strikes me as a very smart company.
They have chosen to build a fantastic aircraft both without viable (twin engine) competition and enduring demand. That makes for great margins.
Loads of narrow body jets out there.....
They have chosen to build a fantastic aircraft both without viable (twin engine) competition and enduring demand. That makes for great margins.
Loads of narrow body jets out there.....
Re: TMA Maldives
I dunno. Have you seen this?
https://txtav.com/en/newsroom/2017/11/t ... skycourier
Sure there's no plans to put it on floats. Cessna wasn't planning to put the Caravan on floats either when it designed it for FedEx. Cessna has launched this new aircraft with 50 orders and 50 options to a single well endowed customer which are only two dozen short from the entire 400 Series production--and it hasn't even flown yet. Unless you specifically need the STOL performance of the Twin Otter, there's little reason to choose it over the Cessna product.
Bombardier was smart in the day, too. Its line of CRJs nearly singlehandedly wiped out sub-50 seat regional airliners like the 1900, EMB-120, Metro, Jetstream, Dornier 328, and SAAB 340 in spite of competition from the BAe 146/Avro RJ, the 328JET, the MD-95, and Embraer ERJ.
The 400 Series serves a very niche market and one where it has competition from the legacy DHC-6s which refuse to die as well as other planes like the Let-410 and 420 around the world. I wouldn't put my money on Viking.
https://txtav.com/en/newsroom/2017/11/t ... skycourier
Sure there's no plans to put it on floats. Cessna wasn't planning to put the Caravan on floats either when it designed it for FedEx. Cessna has launched this new aircraft with 50 orders and 50 options to a single well endowed customer which are only two dozen short from the entire 400 Series production--and it hasn't even flown yet. Unless you specifically need the STOL performance of the Twin Otter, there's little reason to choose it over the Cessna product.
Bombardier was smart in the day, too. Its line of CRJs nearly singlehandedly wiped out sub-50 seat regional airliners like the 1900, EMB-120, Metro, Jetstream, Dornier 328, and SAAB 340 in spite of competition from the BAe 146/Avro RJ, the 328JET, the MD-95, and Embraer ERJ.
The 400 Series serves a very niche market and one where it has competition from the legacy DHC-6s which refuse to die as well as other planes like the Let-410 and 420 around the world. I wouldn't put my money on Viking.
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rookiepilot
- Rank 11
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Re: TMA Maldives
That's cool. Hadn't seen the new offering.
The caravan is a great airplane, no question.
There is nothing wrong with the CRJ, either.
Bombardier.....simply has shown: It cannot make money, building and selling its products, .....so far anyway.
The caravan is a great airplane, no question.
There is nothing wrong with the CRJ, either.
Bombardier.....simply has shown: It cannot make money, building and selling its products, .....so far anyway.
Re: TMA Maldives
Cessna can, and should build a "twin Caravan", the market needs it. That said, the market for the Twin Otter is a niche, which I doubt any other plane will ever fill. I'd be surprised if TMA could be coaxed into another type, they are highly experienced with Twin Otters, and the Twin Otter serves their need perfectly.
Their operation, particularly close quarters docking is something you have to see to believe! The fly sunrise to sunset (roughly 6 to 6, as near the equator they don't get much seasonal time change). You know the sun is about to rise, as you can hear eight or ten Twin Otters all taxiing in the lagoon, waiting to takeoff. I don't recall ever looking at the lagoon and not seeing several Twin Otters coming and going. I understand that TMA fly as many as 4000 pax a day in and out of Male airport lagoon. Male itself does not have enough hotel accommodation for all those people, so it nearly always off the big jet, and into a Twin Otter to the resort the same day. That schedule affords predicable maintenance opportunity at night, it was common to hear engine runs in the middle of the night from the hotel. When I left there a few years ago, I had just STC'd their first air conditioned Twin Otter. Testing that was a delight, as it was 38C and very humid each day!
The Maldavians are particularly interested in arresting climate change, as any increase in sea level will severely jeopardize their territory, I don't think much of it is more than a few feet above sea level.
Their operation, particularly close quarters docking is something you have to see to believe! The fly sunrise to sunset (roughly 6 to 6, as near the equator they don't get much seasonal time change). You know the sun is about to rise, as you can hear eight or ten Twin Otters all taxiing in the lagoon, waiting to takeoff. I don't recall ever looking at the lagoon and not seeing several Twin Otters coming and going. I understand that TMA fly as many as 4000 pax a day in and out of Male airport lagoon. Male itself does not have enough hotel accommodation for all those people, so it nearly always off the big jet, and into a Twin Otter to the resort the same day. That schedule affords predicable maintenance opportunity at night, it was common to hear engine runs in the middle of the night from the hotel. When I left there a few years ago, I had just STC'd their first air conditioned Twin Otter. Testing that was a delight, as it was 38C and very humid each day!
The Maldavians are particularly interested in arresting climate change, as any increase in sea level will severely jeopardize their territory, I don't think much of it is more than a few feet above sea level.
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TheRealMcCoy
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Re: TMA Maldives
The work they do in the Maldives requires the STOL performance of the Twin Otter. The Cessna Caravan was tried but can not take the routine rough water and confined water operations. I do not think the Cessna SkyCourier has similar STOL performance of the Twin Otter so it will not be a contender.
