Set in the breath-taking landscape of the Okavango Delta, Bush Pilots is the brand new and exclusive Dave original that follows plucky pilots as they battle treacherous weather, dangerous wildlife and a harsh wilderness.
Well, this was a TV series I just had to watch seeing as flying out of Maun was very much an option I considered when I left flight school with just 250 hours under my belt. But having watched the series, did I make the right choice going to Indonesia?
The series follows the lives of a number of pilots both employed and unemployed, mainly from the UK. If you look past cheesy and over-dramatic parts (and the countless coming up/previously on…) there’s a reasonably entertaining show here. I guess the producers needed to keep things in that style to engage a wider audience then just aviation enthusiasts. Of course those types will be all too keen to point out all the rookie mistakes being made from the comfort of their keyboard ;o)
The filming (mainly with GoPro HD cameras) is excellent and gives nice views of the landscape and airstrips the pilots have to negotiate on a daily basis. There’s also a nice balance between showing the flying and the lifestyle the pilots live day to day. I’m especially impressed that the producers highlighted just how difficult and expensive it is to get a job in aviation. I suspect most non-aviators have no idea just how long, difficult and expensive it is to be a pilot. Very few are in it for the money!
So, flying out of Maun vs. Indonesia. Well, from what I’ve seen in the series I think I made the right choice. The Caravan flying I used to do is pretty similar to Maun however the stuff I do now with the Pilatus Porter (survey flying aside) is much more “out there” with extra challenges that I didn’t see out in Maun (mainly terrain and short airstrips). However, I’d never say that the flying out of Maun looks easy; massive weather, plenty of big wildlife and poorly maintained airstrips are something we don’t get too much of out in Indonesia, so hats off to the guys and girls out there!
For more information about the show, checkout the UKTV Dave website here.
All we need now is a Rice Pilots TV show filmed out here in the wilds of Indonesia. However, I’m not so sure if my bosses would agree to that though…
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Flew into Maun before it was Maun. Just a pile of empty fuel drums and wheel tracks in the grass. Except for the afternoon thunderstorms and high density altitudes Botswana is not very challenging. Back then getting lost was the big one but no longer, thanks to GPS.
For challenging flying I suspect Indonesia is much more interesting. Your vids certainly make it seem so!
Andrew Smallwood
Thanks Andrew. GPS has certainly made flying a lot easier these days. Trying to locate a flatland airstrip cut into the jungle here would require some spot on DR navigation. If you were even a few hundred meters off track, you’d never see it!