Allen Flies Overseas

See ya!

2009-04-04T14:33:00.001-07:00

Back in the states for good as of Feb 15th 2009! I'll be living in Denver! I wont update this blog anymore but will leave it up.

Later Gator :}

A post on career progression.

2009-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

I posted a reply to a thread on jetcareers.com to a question about career progress. I decided to share it with you all. (the thousands of you! ha!).....

Here is my past 10 years summarized...

MiddleSchool and High School, I weigh about 280lbs at my heaviest weight, in 9th grade, thinking about skiing, not flying. Some kid in my junior H.S. class is a pilot, but I am not interested and dont even listen to him when he wants to talk to me about it. I rememebr saying "no I'm going to be a Heli-Ski guide".

Talked my H.S. superintendent that I need to take off 4 weeks before and after x-mas break (for a total about about 6 weeks off) to go out to N.M. and study snow avalanches at Taos for my Senior Physics project. Somehow, I convinced him and spent a month out there teaching skiing. Got an A on my paper a few months later.

I know I need to be in shape if I want to be a mountain guide so I start working hard on it.

On graduation day, I weigh about 220lbs.

Summer 2002-fall 2002 University of Akron.

Winter 2002/2003 Ski Instructor Snowbird, Utah. After a season of skiing i weigh in at 195lbs. Decided my idea of being a career mountain guide/heli-ski guide wasn't smart..saw old instructors who had been doing it for years...they didnt look well. wanted to find something with was hands on, not in a office, but required lots of skill and hard work......

Summer 2003 Bought private pilot package from local club before taking first flight. Flew butt off for a year, got private at club in Ohio, commerical, multi and instrument at skymates in texas, CFI and CFII back in Ohio at part 141 FBO.

Summer 04 First flying job, back up to 250lbs! but a lot of it was muscle...still very fat....was at the Arnold Convention (weight lifting) in Columbus when I get a call for the job... flew C206 jumpers in Cape Cod for 3 months, Flew a ton! company imploded,

then 4 days later scored job in C206 flying jumpers in Colorado, again, flew my BUTT OFF, was their only pilot and was flying sunup till sunset, 5-6 days a week. several months later, at 950 hours, scored PIC gig in DHC-6 Twin Otter flying jumpers in Tecumseh Mi.

(I was a skydiver, and saw an ad in a jumper forum. I didnt think I had the experiance but I decided to call and tell them I was interested in next summer, after I had more hours....on the phone the owner said "well how many do you have now..."950" ....hrmmm can you be here in one week?" Later, I found out that the drop zone owners where I used to jump knew I was looking and had already called this guy to tell him about me.bada boom bada bing, job scored).

Fall/winter 05 Kent State.

Summer 05 - back at MI job flying jumpers in Twin Otter. down to about 230lbs.

December 2006 Graduated Kent State with B.S. Aeronautics. 230lbs.

Jan 2007 Ameriflight Ground school, flew BE99 in SLC.

*****Total Debt at this point = 80K (18K of credit card, 36K flight loan, 31 education loan) Total minimum loan payment around 700/month thanks to high interest CC.*******

October 2007, 220lbs. Going bankrupt at AMF so quit after 8 months and took job as Captain on BE350 for charter/management gig near NYC. Making well above average for position. Paid off all credit cards in 6 months. Working out hard and eating as best as I can.

July 2008, weigh in at 205lbs, owner sold king air 350, i saw the writing on the wall well beforehand and had next job lined up. ****Total debt at this point around 63K******

July 2008, King Air captain in Africa and Saudi Arabia flying scientific research/weather mod flights. Making extremely good money,

Jan 28...still in Saudi******current debt at 35K******

Finally figured out the nutrition side of the equation, after 10 years of trying, and am now at 178lbs!. About 10lbs away from seeing my abs. Should be debt free in 4 months.

Places I have lived....

2002 Ohio, Utah
2003 Ohio, Utah, Ohio (twice)
2004 Ohio, Texas
2005 Ohio, Massachusetts, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio (Twice)
2006 Ohio Michigan
2007 California (5 weeks), Utah, Pennslyvania
2008 Pennsylvania, Mali (africa), Abha. Saudi Arabia
2009 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia then Abha, Saudi Arabia

...all in all, not to bad of a run so far as the career goes, but personal life has suffered.

Current plan is to stay overseas till my debt is paid off and I save a little up. That should be mid summer time 2009.

I really am not sure where I will go after this. Saudi is not a long term option, but the economy is definitely affecting my career goals after this job.

So far I have made all decisions based on advancing the career. Friends? Girlfriend? Family? I left them all, repeatedly, to chase the career.

I have been doing a lot of soul searching, and am not sure I will continue with the career. I have been entertaining all sorts of ideas, from going back after my mountain guide/heli-ski career, to sticking with aviation, to becoming a firefighter.

But, honestly, those feelings may just be my way of coping with the reality that my entire life has been my career....for years and years and years...maybe once I find a more permanent solution..ah crap, I already know there is no permanent solution in aviation...

I'm hoping my next job will be a keeper. I want to hang my hat somewhere, set up shop, make little people...and get a dang dog!

I am taking the AFOQT in a few weeks, and if I get into an ANG or AFRES UPT slot, that will answer a lot of questions about the future.

My brother is a Metro captain for AMF in SLC, I am hoping he can get hired over here in Saudi, pay off his debt, and then perhaps we will move on from here together (we both want to start a business together).

Another thought....

I have absolutely nothing tying me down anywhere...no house, no apartment, no girlfriend, no wife, no kids, no dog,... and I lost my last good friend a few months ago.

I want ALL those things, but this is one time in my life where I am free of them, and I might as well take advantage of it.

to that end...

I am also thinking that if I last here till this November, I will quit then, be debt free with big savings account, and just head East on a big pilgrimage... see the world, travel by foot, car, thumb, airplane, boat, etc and just see everything that I can. Then, make it home to Utah by Jan and ski all winter long....after that...who knows.

100lbs and other goodies.

2009-01-26T01:22:00.000-08:00

Terry, our VP of meteorology, taking a picture of the meeting place for the Hash run. Notice the wild camels in the background.

These are members of the Hash group (called the Third Herd Hash Harriers) who did something wrong at the last meeting (like forgetting to sign in, or leaving trash behind). They get to wear a toilet seat and then have water dumped on them.We were seeding at night, and I was trying to get a picture of the heavy rain speeding past the ice lights. It was a difficult shot (as you can see!).
Look near the bottom and you can see the camel trail, first constructed by hand hundreds of years ago.
Down into the canyon we hike! If your a climber you might be salivating, but the rock is sandstone.....
Near Riyadh, these rocks have been molded by water. With the local climate, it is hard to believe.
A runners Dog. He did quite well on the steep and rocky terrain.
I've named this guy Bob. Here, after getting it translated I found out he is saying "one inch closer and I'll spit in your face".

It is only 3 weeks till I return to America! I can't say that Saudi has grown on me, but I do feel more in touch with the realities here. The benefits of taking this position have proven to reach far beyond professional development, or financial gain. Gaining a more in depth global perspective, especially considering current events in the region, has been an eye opening experience. My perusing of Wikipedia about the history of the Middle East and Africa has hardly made me an authority on the subject, but meeting the people here has--if nothing else--given me a profound sense of thankfulness.

A good example of that is the Indian worker who cleans my apartment building. His name is Abdul and he is basically an indentured servant. In exchange for a measly sum, he comes to Saudi for years and years to support his family back home. He has neither the means nor the authority to leave but once every 6 or so years, and then only for a few weeks. I can't imagine how bad things must be back home, for him to give up so much.

Another example is the Sushi chef in downtown Riyadh. I forget his name, but he too is here for many many years away from his family. He cannot leave until he fulfills his several year long obligation (that he incurred for the airfare to Saudi). The money he is paid is barely enough to support his family back home and he is trapped in an endless cycle of service obligations. You see, his employment agency might agree to send him home in say, 5 years, but for that airfare, he would incur another service agreement of several years.

So, its been a while since my last post, how about an update of the 3 goals.

1. AFOQT - I am really cracking down on this now. I have been studying consistnatly and have narrowed down my weak spots to 2 or 3 areas. I feel confident that I will be ready for the test when I return home.

2. Financial - Still chugging along here. I haven't paid down my loan anymore than the minimum payments, instead choosing to save the cash. No job is stable in this economy, so I want to make sure I have options if the bottom falls out. After another paycheck or two, I will start dumping payments every 2 weeks into the loans. It looks like I will be at a positive net worth by June, just a month or so longer than originally predicted (I have incurred costs for my 3 week vacation, and some ski equipment bought).

3. Fitness - I am KICKING ASS. A few days ago I hit a big milestone when I dipped under 180lbs to weigh in at 179lbs. This 100lbs lighter than my heaviest weight of 280 reached many years ago, and 30lbs lighter than I was 7 months ago. I am about 10lbs (6 weeks) away from seeing my abs!

Overall things are progressing nicely, and I feel confident that this venture oversees will be a success. Austin (my brother) will hopefully be able to get hired and join me in Saudi sometime in March or April. If he is successful, I will stay with him here for 4-8 months. If he wants to stay past next December, he is on his own! Hopefully he can get hired.

A letter to my parents

2008-12-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

Sent an email to my parents today and I thought that I would post it.

I saw you on skype but you didn't answer when I sent you a text message. Don't sweat the small stuff. Does it really matter that you burnt cookies? A lot can be said for how the decision to take this job might have/will turn out, but so far I am benefiting in ways I did not anticipate. Between poverty in Africa and oppression/closed minded thinking in Saudi, I find myself much more thankful for my situation. Next time you burn cookies just remember I love you mom :}

The longer that I stay over here, the more I become aware of the differences and similarities between other cultures and the US. Today I was reading the Arab newspaper...what mind trip.
Between their stories on terrorism, editorials/viewpoints on U.S. actions (and US news reports that seem to always be false according to them), and articles about Arabs that study abroad, I am constantly shocked and saddened by how behind their way of thinking is.

Some examples...one of the quotes of an Saudi girl studying abroad "when we approached the immigration counter in Holland, the officer told my escort that he could not submit my passport himself and that I had to hold it while going through customs-- I felt so free and liberated to be given this responsibility" Wow. Thumbs up there girl, you get to hold your own passport...how could you possibly conquer such a mountain for women's rights!.
Another story was about a girl whose father beat her and slit her throat. The reason? She enrolled in college against his will.

Worldwide humanitarian organizations run up against red tape and walls put up by the US when trying to confront Saudi on its arcane laws--because we need their oil we force the international community to look the other way.

The more I stay over here the more I both love the US and feel so lucky to be born there, and simultaneously grow respect for those who point out our shortcomings and hypocrisy. We are great, and probably the best, but we are far far far away from perfect.

I think I am going through some kind of beginning life crisis. In the past few weeks I have considered everything from graduate school (topics range from MBA in Entrepreneurship to a MA in Classics or Philosophy) to becoming a fireman, to training in helicopters, to taking that job in the channel islands between France and the UK (they emailed me yet again! ...The exchange rate has shot up on the weakened dollar and is now 1.55:1. So instead of a 52K job it is now a 64K/year job. I imagine I could go over there and keep the money in a UK bank until the exchange rate was favorable. Still not near the money that I'm making here.).

Austin said that these thoughts are just a product of the stage I am in of this career...and he may be right. I long for the day when my career is not my life. Still though, I am trying to heed the advice of the older pilots and I'm not sure that in the long run, that a typical airline or corporate aviation career track will allow me to have the things that are important to me, namely geographical stability, geographical specificity (living near the mountains/good skiing), both of which will allow for another important facet of happiness---long term relationships, community, etc. I've been over all sorts of scenarios...none of which are perfect even on paper let alone how the plan is likely to turn out if actually followed.

The owner of the company flew over here from Fargo and spoke to us. They are planning on hiring a few pilots, so I think I can get Austin on. It would be so much better over here if Austin were flying with me. [for those readers who don't know me, Austin is my brother and is also a pilot].

I'm still watching a lot of movies, and I started a study regime for the AFOQT. So far, the plan is working out, and I still feel I made the right choice in turning down the other job offers.

I haven't done any x-mas shopping or anything at all, so I hope no one there got me anything besides you helping to pay some of my SlingPlayer. I have an X-mas/birthday gift for you and dad, but shipping it is too risky, so you will just have to wait till Feb when I get back.

Check out my blog for my new post.

www.captainallen.blogspot.com

Merry X-mas

Allen

Ho Ho Ho!

2008-12-16T02:49:00.000-08:00

This dude was herding his camels across the desert.
More of that dudes camels. I haven't seen two hump camels here...I think you have to go to Egypt for those?
Setting sun in the desert.
The sand is difficult to walk on. Some of it is wind blown and crusty and easily supports your weight, then on your next step you fall into very fine soft loose sand. It was quite a workout!
Out far in the distance you can see a city. Its the industrial city and I think it is south of Riyadh. Although by this time I was pretty mixed up in direction.
Marcus (Australian) and Brook (US), who fly with my at Weathermod.
Its always much farther than you think! As soon as you get to the "top"...ha, there is another ridge.
Pretty cool shot.
Me thinking what a sandbox! "where was this when I was 5 years old". If only it were white, fluffy, and cold.
The saudis that live in the city come out to the desert on the weekends. Those that can afford to build a place do so, but most haul huge trailers with big tents, generators, tvs, fridge, etc behind their huge honkin suburbans.
Terrorist camp.... Ha, not really funny but we laughed.
The picture above was taken in flight, and below is ground level of the same building. It looks mirror like in the day time, but at night it just looks like a regular building. The light at the top changes colors every few min to red, blue, yellow, green, etc. I think its called the Kingdom Tower.
As if this place didn't have enough problems, they decided go with hitler shoes. Just a random piece of trash laying around (there is a lot of it, even if there is a trashcan nearby, they will just toss their trash on the ground).
Another, rather crappy shot of the tower with the blue light this time.
The moon, and two planets. Pretty neat once in a lifetime event! It was pretty hard to get this shot without a tripod. My camera doesnt do well with high ISO settings...
This is part of the opertions center. From here the meteorologists monitor the weather and direct the cloud seeding and research flights.

Wow, I cannot believe it is already Christmas time! It certainly doesn't feel like it. It gets a little chilly at night (sweater weather) but is far from the Christmas weather that I am used to!

I am about 1 week away from my 3 month mark and it certainly has gone quickly. Riyadh has turned out to be much better than Abha, with expat get-togethers and lots of nice restaurants (and sushi bars!) to help me try and forget where I am. I am still spending most of my time sleeping, working out, watching movies, and surfing the net but I have done a few cool things in Riyadh....

Desert hiking. There is a international running/trekking group called Hash Harriers. One of the organizers here in Riyadh is a husband of a German diplomat and he just signed up for another few years service here! Ack! Apparently they like it here. Anyway, the hike was pretty neat. (see pictures above) The sand is incredibly fine and gets everywhere! My running shoes were packed full of it. I took the shoes off but the guide said that scorpions burrow just below the surface of sand. I put them back on right away!

Also I took some pictures of the Kingdom Tower and the Freedom Tower (ironic name for this place, should be called the Oppression Tower). The colors in the crescent change from blue to white, green, purple, red, and yellow. There is an observation deck at the top, sometime I might try and go up there. (see pics above)

So, how about my goals? You may recall I had 3 goals; 1 Fitness, 2 Financial, 3 AFOQT.

Lets start with 2 Financial. You really never make as much money as you think you will! Still, I'm not doing too shabby. When I arrived in Saudi my net worth was approximately negative 64,500 dollars. As of last pay period date (Dec 6th) my net worth was negative 48,500. Today's date is Tuesday December 16th and this Saturday I will be worth negative 44,500.
18 months ago my debt was over 80 thousand dollars, so it feels pretty good to have it down to almost 1/2 of what I used to owe.
Estimating all this is difficult due to bonuses and changes in pay depending on where I am living, but I estimate my net worth on Feb 15th when I return home to be around negative 30K. Much more palpable!

Next up lets talk about number 3, the AFOQT. This one looks bad, but honestly I just don't want to peak too early. I haven't done more than a few hours of studying for this test. I started in earnest, but I was afraid of getting burned out and then ending up taking a huge break before I came home. Today, Dec 20th, I am starting a study schedule of 2 hours of studying per day. I am going to continue this until Feb 14th and am going to ACE that dang test when I get home!

And onto number 1, Fitness. I am doing awesome! My progress over the last few years has been in the right direction, but filled with hitting walls, mediocre progress, and always missing one or more of the required elements. Although I'm sure that having plenty of free time has helped over the last 2 and a half months, most of my success is due to getting serious about consistent calorie control. I've been using Fitday.com to ensure I wasn't overeating. The amount of exercise and intensity has actually reduced, but I'm getting much better results. It simply doesn't matter how much or how hard you exercise if you are eating more calories than you burn....you won't loose weight.
I started at around 205lbs when I arrived over here and this morning I weighed 187. 18lbs lost so far. My goal is 175 by feb 15th, and I am on track to make it. Even the new pants that I bought before I arrived (my old ones were too big from weight loss over the last year) no longer fit and need a belt. Feels good.
At my heaviest I weighed 280lbs, so in total I have lost 93lbs. Good Lord!!
So far, I still can't see my abs. I am thinking that I might not even see them at 175. Its really hard to predict though, because I have never seen them before and I am not sure how big they are, and so I can't really predict what the rest of my body should look like when I'm getting close. I can feel them and can tell that I have an 8 pack under there... I think I will be close at 175, but probably still a little too fat. We'll see.

Saudi is still purgatory, but Feb 15th will be here before I know it. I hope you all have a great Christmas!

Allen

Cliffs, Baboons, and More!

2008-11-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I am moving up to Riyadh from Abha with the rest of the crew. I decided to do some sight seeing. I've been here for a month and a half and I am just thankful that I have this opportunity when the rest of the aviation world is struggling. I am paying down my flight loan debt at a rapid pace and I'm really starting to get into the grove over here. Riyadh should be even better

Riyadh has a huge expat community. Saudi Arabia pretty much outsources everything and there are lots of europeans and canadian workers here (especially for healthcare positions).

I've been in country for about a month and a half and just finalized my plans to return on Feb 15 for a 6 week break!

Here are the pics...enjoy!

My diet.

Ya know...this picture pretty much summarizes Saudi Arabia. Rofl. The sign says "Emergency Gate Do Not Obstruct"

Look at those teeth!
"Yea, I'm the man around here." I named this guy Godfather. He keeps an eye on my thoughout our stay.
The dad just bopped the little one on the head. Mom isn't too pleased. I'm not sure what the little one did but I think it had something to do with wanting to leave Saudi and go back to a Zoo.
Awwwwwwwwww.
The silver one keeps staring at me. Seriously...he would walk up to my window and just stare, then go back to the wall and keep looking. I think he was mad that I looked at his 3 wives without their abayas on! Ha!

Anyway, I was in the right passenger seat taking pictures to the left (my back was to my door). I had a 1 banana left and it was sitting on the dash. So I'm snapping away and my door opens. I hear my door open and turn around....this gray monkey opened my dang door and was staring me in the face! It scared the living crap out of me!
He wanted that last banana and he was going to get it!

We locked the doors after that.
Get away from my banana!
Ski lifts ski lifts! Ah hell, its just a cable car :{.
Not bad. I could use a mountain bike about now! This is looking down into one of their national parks. If you flew straight out from here you would hit the Red Sea in about 40 miles.
The houses are mostly cinderblock construction. They all have huge 20ft+ walls around them so that the women can walk around their house without covering up. They are definitely very colorful! There is even a rainbow colored road that I will try and get pictures of. This is on approach to Kamish Air Force Base.
Driving in Saudi is probably the most dangerous part of being here. People think nothing of passing on blind corners at 75+ mph. It's hard to swerve when your choices are turn right into the cliff or left into thin air.
See the next explanation....
This is pretty cool. Right where the cloud meets the ground, there is a huge drop off. Thousands of feet down. As air moves towards this obstruction it has no where to go but up. The rising air cools to its dew point and voila! Clouds!

Can we say paraglide? I need to get my equipment over here!
Scientific probes underneath the wing of the King Air 200.

Next blog post after I move to Riyadh. Later!

Camping, Saudi Style

2008-11-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

Another pilot and I were invited to accompany the General of the Saudi Air Force base to a get together. Saudis are very big on family and community. One of the other Air Force brass has built a place for he and his family and friends to congregate, eat, and talk.

The place is literally carved out of a small rocky mini mountain. We were traveling on the highway in between steep rock walls when our lead car pulled over. We werent sure what was going on until we saw a cavern blasted out of the rock that allowed a road to be built up through the mountain. After passing through it, we drove up to the top where he had bulldozed a huge flat area. On one side of the parking lot was the male building and on the other the female. The builds had two rooms and an outdoor deck. One room was for eating and the other for the aftermeal get together. The food was cooked on an open fire (looked like our barb-be-cue pits built with brick). We ate..

and ate...

and ate.

Salmon, Halibut, homemade bread cooked over the fire, lamb stew, fruit, etc etc. It was a feast!

It was pretty interesting watching them cook the bread. They had this large plate shaped iron skillet with a long handle. They would put the dough on the plate and hold it over the coales. After it had cooked some (and stuck to the plate) they would turn it over and expose the bread itself to the hot coals. It tasted like our pancakes. Yummmy.

Im sorry about no pictures but I didnt think to bring the camera! They invited us back for more, so next time I will be sure to get pics.

___

We went flying yesterday and I took some pretty cool pictures of the terrain. I will post asap! ;]

Some Pictures

2008-10-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

I've been in Saudi Arabia for almost a month. Most company personal (all but myself and one other pilot) have moved across the country to the capitol city Riyadh. They are going to rotate a crew down here to Abha every month and I got first shift. I spend my days studying for the AFOQT, working out, and watching British cable TV. Not bad. ;]

The earliest deadline of the ANG units that I want to apply for is March 15th. In order to make that deadline I'm planning on returning home in Feb to take the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. So I have about 3.5 months before I come home for a visit.

The other goals are all on schedule.

Got some pics for ya'll...

In Saudi we mostly do "top seeding". Instead of flying around the bases of storms, we penetrate at around the -10C level (approx 20,000'). We look for good water content and updrafts and if we find it, we fire electable flares into the cloud. Its quite a ride and tons of fun!
The Saudis just leave their trash. They think nothing of it. This scene is common alllll over. They just expect someone else to clean it up.This is the terrain on the way from Abha to Riyadh. It looks like the moon surface. There are also mountains that we pass over. It's not like the US where there is an airport every other mile. Out here, if you had to put it down somewhere...you would be in a heap of troulble.
Hotel in Riyadh. Very nice inside. The guy on the right works for WMI but I forget his name.
Refueling.

Don't ever say I didnt do any work over here! Ha.
Don't even think about it. :}

This is near the entrance to the Cloud Physics and Seeding Research Center in Riyadh. Thats me on the left and fellow pilot Brook on the right.

There are also camel spiers over here! I will try and get a picture of them but they are very quick....

One week so far in Saudi Arabia

2008-10-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have been in Saudi Arabia for 7 days. It's actually not too terrible and certainly more livable than Africa. The compound that I live in has multiple walls, barbed wire, security cameras, guard shacks near the corners, and multiple armed checkpoints to pass through before entering. It's pretty secure. Inside, there is a fully equipped gym, gymnasium, several pools (one Olympic size), restaurants, small grocery store, satellite tv, billiards, squash, etc. I have a two room apartment with kitchenette w/ full size fridge, tv couches, full size bed, high speed internet, etc.

Sounds pretty good eh? Well....

Outside the compound...lets just say this is not fun place for a westerner. Remember this is the country that celebrated in the streets after 911. We go outside the compound for groceries and to go to work and not much else.
This leads to cabin fever. The other pilots that have been here a while obviously have it. After a while you just get sick of it. I'm not there yet but after a few months....

Some of the other western contractors travel in armored cars with armed guards and with heavy gun (50cal) escort cars at each end of the convoy. Then again there are Americans that have lived here for several years who drive around in something that looks like a geo. Its hard to tell what is safe and what isn't. The only comfort I have are the statistics. There hasn't been an incident here in 4 years. Then again...its about due. We are geographically in the middle of the threat with Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Kuwait, etc surrounding us. The only reason this country is reasonabily safe is that the government wants our money for their oil.

I have set three goals for myself during my stay here.

1. Pay off as much debt as possible (I have a little over 60K at present)
2. Study for the Air Force Officer Qualifiying Test and ace it when I get back home
3. Finish my 10 year fitness goal of seeing my abs. I am 15-20lbs away.

I have also started a business with my brother Austin. www.healthandfitnesstruth.com

Between work and the above interests, I ought to be able to keep very busy..hopefully the time will go fast.

Right now we are in Abha Saudi Arabia. The cloud seeding season is ending here and in roughly 3 weeks we will be moving the operation to Riydah. I'm told that there is very little flying when we move to that location...as in like 10 flights per pilot in 4-5 months. The compound isnt as nice but the expat social scene is better. We'll see.

Allen

PS.. Taking pictures of the soilder guarding our compound with a 50cal or at the military airport that we fly out of is illegal. So I cant post any of those. I will try and remember to bring my camera along on our next flight so that I can get some inflight pictures. I do have some pictures of the countryside that I will post soon I promise!

Saudi Arabia

2008-09-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

So, in a few days I will be off for an indefinite stay in Saudi Arabia (no more than 12 months though). There is a lot of instability in the region and I don't feel to good about that....but money talks and I need to dig out of my debt!

Stay tuned for more in depth blah blah.

Allen

Return to Motherland

2008-08-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm back in the U.S. for at least a few weeks. Blog on hold for a bit.

Allen

Pics

2008-08-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Score!

Colonel Suleym is in the Malian Air Force. He will be flying co-pilot on some of the missions. He also happens to be the Presidents son? I think. Not sure.
Thirsty? These types of statues are everywhere.

This is the local hangout. Sitting under the wing of an abandonded DC9. All smiles ;] The local method of laying concrete. We needed a slab to park one of the airplanes on. They got about 1/2 way done before one of us noticed it was only an inch thick. They had it tore up in 1/2 a day and will re-do it.

Are these Geikos? I don't know but they are pretty cool and you can find them everywhere! Mosquito nets not only keep out mosquitos but also these lizards that are all over the walls.
This is the plane that I am flying, the King Air 200. It has 2 Hygrosopic flare mounts, one on each wing trailing edge, and 3 ejectable mounts under the belly.

This is Alex, the Tupac cover artist ;].

Africa

2008-08-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

So I have been in Africa for about one week. Most of this time I was in Bamako but just yeterday I flew to Mopti on my first seeding flight and will be based in Mopti for 3 weeks. The flight was interesting and I think I will like this type of flying very much. Flying in and around storms is much more interesting than sitting in cruise with rich people in the back!

Bamako. Heh. Wow.

Bamako is very poor, dirty, and quite frankly depressing. Its not at all the Africa that I had imagined. I'm not saying im dissapointed, it was just different. Mopti however is much more rural and fits well into what I thought Africa would be. The traffic is crazy. There doesnt appear to be any rules just guidelines. In the streets are many many motorcycles plus cars and children. The kids stand in the streets and ask for money or for you to buy things from them (any thing from a phone card to bannanas). Its crazy! I will try and get a video of it.

This morning I met a 21 year old Africa from Timbucktu. He lives in Mopti now and sells jewelry to tourists. His name is Alex. He speaks english about as well as I speak french, and between the two languages we could converse reasonably well. He also speaks some arabic, italian, french, bambrain (not sure of the spelling but it is the local language) and some german. I spent the morning showing him music on my ipod. When we got to Run DMC he sang every lyric perfectly. Ha! He made tea for me which tasted weird but good. I think he put MSG salts in it though (I had read that they use purse MSG as sugar over here so I don't think it will become a staple of my diet.

I asked him about Lions and he said sometimes they come into the town but not often. I said, what do you do? ... Alex: "Run!"

I have taken many pictures but the internet connection is too slow to upload. When I get to a faster one I will post them.

Allen

EDCT and Chicago!

2008-08-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

EDCT stands for Expect Departure Clearance Time. Its pilot lingo for hurry up and wait. Thunderstorms in Chicago were causing headaches for ATC and they decided to limit arrivals. Unfortunately that meant we couldn't depart Fargo until around 5pm, almost 4 hours late! 3 hours of that was spent sitting in the RJ on the taxiway. That is a special kind of fun! We arrived at Ohare one hour after my Air France flight left! Arg!

On a side note, don't trust the vending machines in Fargo! The dang thing stole my dolla!

Anyway, I got a free 24 hour mini vacation in Chicago until the next Paris flight at 5:30 tonight.

Staying true to my conviction that you have to make the best of any situation, I decided to seek out Chicago's good stuff...the food! I ate at the Spaghetti Warehouse. Mmmm triple lasagna.

Will try again for Paris in a few hours.

or as an african bushman might say,
click! click! clock! click! clook!

Fargo, ND.

2008-07-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've been in Fargo, ND for company training since Monday night.

A tractor in an airport? Only in Fargo!

Anyway, If you could call me apprehensive on Sunday, you might say I'm much more at ease now. There are still plenty of ways to kill yourself while flying in and around thunderstorms, but they are from human factors errors, not from the job itself. In other words, if your doing the job correctly, you really don't have much to worry about. Situational awareness is key in a job like this, and I feel well prepared. I also feel like my experience as a Captain over the last few years will help me to say No occasionally when I need to ;].

My training over the last two days was orchestrated by a pilot and technician that happen to be married (I think they met at this company?). They go on missions overseas for the company but are taking a break for a while and staying in Fargo. They were in Mali for the company a while ago and you can see their blog here.
http://www.jodyanderin.blogspot.com/

Yea, I know its much better than mine ;]. There is lots of good info on their blog so check it out.

Today is Wednessday and I start my journey to Mali Africa tomorrow. I'll fly from Fargo to Chicago to Paris to Bamako. All told its a 26 hour trip Fargo-Bamako. Yay for that. ;]

Later gator

The move.

2008-07-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

I'm moving to Africa! This blog will be filled with stories and pictures from my travels so that friends and family can keep up with me.

Wait wait, let me explain.

On July 9, 2008 I learned, after 8 months of flying for a charter company, that I was being furloughed. The plane that I flew left the company but I had the option of going with it to a new management company. Later, I learned that I also had an offer to fly in Africa as well. After many many sleepless nights, I decided to turn down the job here in PA and move to Africa. I have always wanted to travel and live overseas, plus the money is....nice ;] The goal is to pay off all of my education and flight training debt in 6 months.

I will be moving to Bamako, the capital of Mali. The northern part of Mali is very unstable, with terrosit and tribal violence. Bamako, however, is relatively safe. Check it out here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamako

The job involves flying King Air aircraft with scientific instruments onboard into storm clouds to learn about them, and also to try and get it to rain by seeding the cloud with iodide particles. Pretty neat!
this video shoes my new company, in Mali doing what I will be doing. Fast forward to 2:30 and watch from there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGvHYQVDt44

Yesterday I spent getting the necessary vaccines including Yellow Fever. Today I packed up my things and will be moving them to my parents house in Ohio on Saturday. I will be traveling to Fargo ND next Monday for a few days of company training. Then, as soon as my visa arrives I am off to Mali (should be around august 1st)!

Stay tuned ;]

allen