I can’t imagine I hadn’t heard of this airline earlier than, however there’s an organization based mostly in Indonesia that has a whole bunch of ex-pat pilots, and it would simply be essentially the most harmful job in aviation…
Susi Air, the airline with rookie pilots flying to distant locations
I stumbled upon an enchanting YouTube collection about Susi Air, an airline based mostly in West Java, Indonesia. The airline operates a fleet of almost 50 props, with all the things from the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, to the Pilatus PC-6 Porter. Okay, nice… why is that fascinating?
Nicely, for one, the corporate operates what can solely be described as among the world’s most difficult aviation missions. The airline operates flights in all types of mountainous areas, and lands on tiny makeshift air strips on the aspect of mountains.
Susi Air transports each passengers and important provides, together with to some distant tribes that in any other case have little or no contact with the surface world.
The airline reportedly nearly completely has ex-pat pilots. A overwhelming majority of the pilots are model new to the business, and try to construct their hours, to allow them to work for one of many massive carriers, and advance their careers. That is an airline for journey seekers, or pilots who’ve merely exhausted all different choices for locating their first job.
Beneath are just a few movies from the collection concerning the lives of Susi Air pilots. In the event you’re into aviation, I can’t advocate this sufficient. In the event you’re simply going to observe one episode, I’d advocate trying out the second under, as a result of it actually provides you a way of the sorts of missions these guys fly. How uncommon to be a sole pilot flying a aircraft to a tribe that has a historical past of cannibalism, the place you’re met by weapons.
Working at Susi Air is legitimately harmful
Pilots with restricted expertise working among the most difficult flights conceivable? What might presumably go mistaken? Nicely, quite a bit, sadly.
The provider’s security document appears to have improved a bit in current instances, however simply to provide you a way of how tough it was, within the roughly seven months September 2011 and April 2012, the airline had three deadly accidents, leading to hull losses.
Extra lately, in February 2023, the airline even handled an prolonged hostage disaster. A pilot from New Zealand was taken hostage within the Papua province of Indonesia. Papuan separatist fighters kidnapped the pilot, and set the plane on hearth.
The captors reportedly refused to launch him except Indonesia would acknowledge and free Papua “from Indonesian colonialism.” He remained in captivity for over 18 months, and was solely launched in September 2024. How did I by no means hear of that?!?
Nevertheless, some individuals appear actually pleased there, just like the under video, about why it’s best to turn into a Susi Air pilot…
Backside line
Susi Air is an Indonesian provider working quite a lot of flights round Indonesia, with small plane. The airline very a lot operates within the Indonesian equal of the “Wild West,” touchdown on tiny air strips on the perimeters of mountains, to ship important items to tribes.
The juxtaposition right here is that you’ve got among the least skilled pilots working among the most difficult flights, provided that Susi Air primarily has ex-pat pilots who want to construct up hours. Whereas the provider’s security document appears to have improved lately (minus a hostage disaster), that is nonetheless fairly a profession.
Anybody else discover this Susi Air operation to be fascinating?
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