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How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

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Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#21

Post by 12_throw_away »

scrlk wrote: post #5

The OP of that thread later went on to do a contract with Kam Air of Afghanistan, which is another good read: https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/662364-kam-air-expat... A highlight: > YA-KME for example, has a strange little thing where you’ll get an ECAM Red ENG 3 FIRE after you detent into CLB. For f*ck sake, don’t discharge the bottles, there’s no fire. It’ll shut up after 3 or 4 seconds. Again, reason unknow…

Found this part interesting:

> somehow Kam Air can keep all of their APUs operating but European carriers I've flown with will go the entire Summer season hopping about the Greek Islands with it INOP

If anyone knows: is it normal to allow dispatch without the APU? I kind of assumed it would be a required redundancy, especially on an airbus where the computers and electronics are what keeps the thing in the air ...

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#22

Post by theyknowitsxmas »

ignoramous wrote: post #20
theyknowitsxmas wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get out while you're still not extorted for your passport. Classic Arab employer mirage of promises.

> Classic Arab employer Doubt Arabs in Tunisia or Iraq do this? You probably meant the Kafala ("visa sponsorship"), usually abused by businesses (illegally so, in Bahrain and the UAE) employing blue-collar workers in ~4 GCC ("Arab") states.

Do you think those laws apply to foreigners? Locals only, temp foreign workers go in the can for reporting it… inshallah.

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#23

Post by 12_throw_away »

potato3732842 wrote: post #10
scrlk wrote: post #5

The OP of that thread later went on to do a contract with Kam Air of Afghanistan, which is another good read: https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/662364-kam-air-expat... A highlight: > YA-KME for example, has a strange little thing where you’ll get an ECAM Red ENG 3 FIRE after you detent into CLB. For f*ck sake, don’t discharge the bottles, there’s no fire. It’ll shut up after 3 or 4 seconds. Again, reason unknow…

I'm sure the usual suspects are pounding away at their keyboards with condemnation but after reading that but I think that's a pretty gloving review, all things considered.

Agreed, unlike the Yemenia one, this one sounds like it's mostly professionals doing the best they can under difficult circumstances.

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#24

Post by jenny91 »

12_throw_away wrote: post #21
scrlk wrote: post #5

The OP of that thread later went on to do a contract with Kam Air of Afghanistan, which is another good read: https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/662364-kam-air-expat... A highlight: > YA-KME for example, has a strange little thing where you’ll get an ECAM Red ENG 3 FIRE after you detent into CLB. For f*ck sake, don’t discharge the bottles, there’s no fire. It’ll shut up after 3 or 4 seconds. Again, reason unknow…

Found this part interesting: > somehow Kam Air can keep all of their APUs operating but European carriers I've flown with will go the entire Summer season hopping about the Greek Islands with it INOP If anyone knows: is it normal to allow dispatch without the APU? I kind of assumed it would be a required redundancy, especially on an airbus where the computers and electronics are what keeps the thing in the air ...

The APU is not on during flight, so not a safety thing. It's just for providing power (and bleed air) on the ground (if there's no other power source). E.g. can't start up at airports without external power with the APU INOP.

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#25

Post by 2Gkashmiri »

jajko wrote: post #11
2Gkashmiri wrote: post #6

Its interesting. I live in "kashmir", India side and the place is on a similar no-go by both UK and US governments travel advisory. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/... Us has a level 4 do not travel. The point is, we are around 10 million souls living in this place and we call it home. It may not be for Americans and British but its our home.…

Last time I was backpacking in India and wanted to go to Kashmir (2008), violence just flared up badly after long period of peace and was outright told not to head up north from Amritsar. I've read few articles how tourists in Srinagar (our goal) were all gathered by army in barracks and flown away. Makes sense from Indian army point of view. I wouldn't expect its easy to even get there, especially if westerner, we s…

When was the last time a commercial airline was attacked in Kashmir?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_union_ter...

These are the crime stats and even while our stats are skewed by jammu, overall its still a much safer place.

Think of it this way. 26/11 happened in Mumbai. Who would've thought ? That hasnt stopped people from visting Mumbai or rest of mainland India ?

I get it. The perception of threat is worse than an actual threat.

So.... you know if since 2008 as you said, any tourist was caught up in the issue ? I dont remember.

The only reason is tourists are not coming. I am a consultant working with the industry and EVERYONE has cancelled. Hotels have closed operations

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#26

Post by sterlind »

jenny91 wrote: post #24
12_throw_away wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Found this part interesting: > somehow Kam Air can keep all of their APUs operating but European carriers I've flown with will go the entire Summer season hopping about the Greek Islands with it INOP If anyone knows: is it normal to allow dispatch without the APU? I kind of assumed it would be a required redundancy, especially on an airbus where the computers and electronics are what keeps the thing in the air ...

The APU is not on during flight, so not a safety thing. It's just for providing power (and bleed air) on the ground (if there's no other power source). E.g. can't start up at airports without external power with the APU INOP.

if you don't have a RAT you need the APU for emergency power if your engines fail in flight.

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#27

Post by psunavy03 »

ignoramous wrote: post #20
theyknowitsxmas wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get out while you're still not extorted for your passport. Classic Arab employer mirage of promises.

> Classic Arab employer Doubt Arabs in Tunisia or Iraq do this? You probably meant the Kafala ("visa sponsorship"), usually abused by businesses (illegally so, in Bahrain and the UAE) employing blue-collar workers in ~4 GCC ("Arab") states.

There's a huge difference in potential blowback between mistreating some poor bastard from Pakistan who signed on as unskilled labor and a trained airline pilot from a Western country.

Edit: And how in God's name are you going to extort the passport from someone whose literal job is to fly an airplane to other countries, where they not only need it to do their job, but can just land somewhere and be like "peace out, I quit, I'm not flying this thing back."

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#28

Post by rwyinuse »

scrlk wrote: post #5

The OP of that thread later went on to do a contract with Kam Air of Afghanistan, which is another good read: https://www.pprune.org/terms-endearment/662364-kam-air-expat... A highlight: > YA-KME for example, has a strange little thing where you’ll get an ECAM Red ENG 3 FIRE after you detent into CLB. For f*ck sake, don’t discharge the bottles, there’s no fire. It’ll shut up after 3 or 4 seconds. Again, reason unknow…

Another great read, thanks for linking!

I remember reading report from another captain, flying for Kam Air or some other Afghan airline about a decade ago. I recall his hotel got attacked by Taliban suicide bombers, but other than that the contract went fine. I guess things are calmer now out there.

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#29

Post by addaon »

sterlind wrote: post #26
jenny91 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The APU is not on during flight, so not a safety thing. It's just for providing power (and bleed air) on the ground (if there's no other power source). E.g. can't start up at airports without external power with the APU INOP.

if you don't have a RAT you need the APU for emergency power if your engines fail in flight.

APUs have a common mode failure with main engines: lack of fuel. Are there designs out there which require emergency power after engine failure and don’t have a RAT?

Re: How I ended up flying for Yemen's national airline – and survived

#30

Post by aivisol »

jenny91 wrote: post #24
12_throw_away wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Found this part interesting: > somehow Kam Air can keep all of their APUs operating but European carriers I've flown with will go the entire Summer season hopping about the Greek Islands with it INOP If anyone knows: is it normal to allow dispatch without the APU? I kind of assumed it would be a required redundancy, especially on an airbus where the computers and electronics are what keeps the thing in the air ...

The APU is not on during flight, so not a safety thing. It's just for providing power (and bleed air) on the ground (if there's no other power source). E.g. can't start up at airports without external power with the APU INOP.

If I remember correctly it came very useful during US Airways Flight 1549 accident?
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