After the interview, we were offered to be given a ride by Phil, the head hunter I had who helped me get in contact with the school. We drove on the long, straight road from Al Ain to Dubai, which was well lit the entire way. In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (the "state" where Al Ain is located) had date palm trees lining the center of the highway all the way to the boarder of the Dubai Emirate. Traffic isn't an issue on that road until you get to Dubai. Speed limits are 120 km/h, but a local told me they don't bother you unless you're going over 160. We saw 1 cop the whole time. I heard that they have cameras on the roads that will catch you speeding. All of the natives are fairly wealthy and you can tell when they are on the road because they go flying by you. They really don't care if they get caught speeding...the fines aren't too steep.
Once we arrived in Dubai, we drove around different areas of town, which is pretty spread out. It takes a lot longer to get around than you would think. We were dropped off at a souk (market) that sold mostly tourist stuff. There are others around that sell fresh foods, gold, clothing, etc. The area we were in was called Madinat, and was designed to look like an old style arab town. It was relatively close to the Burj Al Arab hotel (the 7 star hotel shapes like an open sail). There was a smaller hotel and many restaurants that surrounded a waterway which ran through the center, reminding me of Venice. Small motor boats were available for a short ride.
After dinner and exploring the souk, we grabbed a taxi and went on our way to the airport for our 2 AM departure to Amsterdam...then home to Atlanta. 16 hours of flying...woo hoo!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Interviewing and the first day in Al Ain
After getting a few hours of sleep, I woke up at 9 AM local time, just in time for breakfast. The interviewing company, Horizon International Flight Academy, put me up in hotel, flew me out to visit, paid for my meals, and arranged transportation to and from the airport. After breakfast, we walked around the Hilton...where we were staying. The weather was very nice for January, about 70 degrees. I was surprised how green and lush it was, and was curious if it stayed that green in the summer when it gets upwards of 130. The mountain range close to town made it more scenic than I was expecting. The red, jagged rocks extended upwards against the cloudless sky. The hotel staff was very friendly and willing to do just about anything for you.
At 12:30, the driver met me at the hotel to drive me to the local airport, where the flight school and my potential future job awaited. Again, after countless roundabouts, and me having no idea which direction we were going, we finally starting going out of town...I knew we were almost there. Red colored sand dunes became more numerous, and so did the 4x4 vehicles driving around on them having a good time. We finally arrived at the flight school...a pale orange building that was set out by itself. I later found out that the school has two buildings. One for the helicopter training, and the other for airplane training. I sat in the lobby area for no more than a few minutes when I was met by one of the gentlemen who would later interview me. He got me a coffee...again, strong, and in a smaller cup, and we bagan the interview. I was under the assumption that since the school was in the middle east, that the locals would be running it. I was wrong. I was interviewed by two gentlemen. One of which was from Austria, and the other was American. They just asked me basic questions about my flight experience, but mostly was designed to be a formal face to face talk. I was the one who had most of the questions. They made it feel as if I was a shoe in for the position. I was invited back the next morning for a flight at 8 AM and that I would be picked up at 7.
The next day started at 5:45. Before my alarm went off, the call to prayer echoed through the town. I knew I would hear it eventually as it continued for about 5 minutes. After breakfast and the taxi ride to the airport, we weren't able to fly since the haze limited the visibility a little too much. I spoke with some of the other instructors, who were all pretty cool, and mostly from the UK. They told me that the town was very laid back and it is a good place to make some money since the rest of the global economy was in the toilet. They didn't appear to work too hard...just my style! They were very well respected both by the other staff and the students. The haze finally lifted and we were able to get up in the air. The fleet was prestine. The airplanes were almost brand new, all had glass cockpits, and were very clean. They looked as if they were washed and waxed every other day. Probably the best fleet of planes I've ever seen. We taxied down to the other end of the 13,000 foot runway, which seemed to have taken forever, and finally got off of the ground. We flew out north east of town near the mountain range. There wasn't much to see except bare, red mountains, some streets, and guess what, some roundabouts! After completing basic flight maneuvers, maneuvers a private pilot could complete with ease, we headed back to the airport. On the way back, I glanced down to the ground and saw some camels. I wasn't sure if they were wild or if they were accompanied by locals.
Upon landing, and waiting for a while, I was given a job offer and contract. It appears that we're moving to someplace that's a 9 hour time difference from the east coast of the US.
At 12:30, the driver met me at the hotel to drive me to the local airport, where the flight school and my potential future job awaited. Again, after countless roundabouts, and me having no idea which direction we were going, we finally starting going out of town...I knew we were almost there. Red colored sand dunes became more numerous, and so did the 4x4 vehicles driving around on them having a good time. We finally arrived at the flight school...a pale orange building that was set out by itself. I later found out that the school has two buildings. One for the helicopter training, and the other for airplane training. I sat in the lobby area for no more than a few minutes when I was met by one of the gentlemen who would later interview me. He got me a coffee...again, strong, and in a smaller cup, and we bagan the interview. I was under the assumption that since the school was in the middle east, that the locals would be running it. I was wrong. I was interviewed by two gentlemen. One of which was from Austria, and the other was American. They just asked me basic questions about my flight experience, but mostly was designed to be a formal face to face talk. I was the one who had most of the questions. They made it feel as if I was a shoe in for the position. I was invited back the next morning for a flight at 8 AM and that I would be picked up at 7.
The next day started at 5:45. Before my alarm went off, the call to prayer echoed through the town. I knew I would hear it eventually as it continued for about 5 minutes. After breakfast and the taxi ride to the airport, we weren't able to fly since the haze limited the visibility a little too much. I spoke with some of the other instructors, who were all pretty cool, and mostly from the UK. They told me that the town was very laid back and it is a good place to make some money since the rest of the global economy was in the toilet. They didn't appear to work too hard...just my style! They were very well respected both by the other staff and the students. The haze finally lifted and we were able to get up in the air. The fleet was prestine. The airplanes were almost brand new, all had glass cockpits, and were very clean. They looked as if they were washed and waxed every other day. Probably the best fleet of planes I've ever seen. We taxied down to the other end of the 13,000 foot runway, which seemed to have taken forever, and finally got off of the ground. We flew out north east of town near the mountain range. There wasn't much to see except bare, red mountains, some streets, and guess what, some roundabouts! After completing basic flight maneuvers, maneuvers a private pilot could complete with ease, we headed back to the airport. On the way back, I glanced down to the ground and saw some camels. I wasn't sure if they were wild or if they were accompanied by locals.
Upon landing, and waiting for a while, I was given a job offer and contract. It appears that we're moving to someplace that's a 9 hour time difference from the east coast of the US.
Flying to Dubai and driving to Al Ain
When most people think of the middle east, they think of war and terrorism. I recently was invited to visit a flight school for an employment opportunity in Al Ain, located about 80 miles south south east of Dubai on the border of Oman. Upon arrival into the Dubai airport at about 2 AM, I really didn't know what to think. Being completely jet lagged, hyped up on caffeine, completely exhausted, and very confused, the tall buildings of Dubai were visible on approach to landing as well as the drive out of town. After gathering our luggage, we finally found our transportation, who ended up being a native of the UAE, completely decked out in the native white dress. His clothing was so white that it appeared that he never spilled anything on it...either that, or bleached it daily. His english was broken, so having conversation really wasn't in the question, but nonetheless, a very nice guy. It was obvious that he had class. On the drive back, we stopped for gas and he offered to buy me a coffee. More caffeine? Sure! I was so tired that it didn't matter how much I drank, I could pass out at any minute. The local coffee is served in a smaller cup than in the US, and is much stronger. It was similar to espresso, but not quite as dark of a roast. The driver thought I was crazy for drinking it black. I told him that that's how I drink my coffee. Most people there drink it with cream and sugar. After filling up, we finally started coming into the town of Al Ain...also known locally by the expats as roundabout city. They weren't lying. I lost count on how many of them we went around just to get to the hotel. Eventually, we got there, at 3:30 AM, and was finally able to sleep in a bed. Very nice after sitting in a plane for 14 hours. My interview was scheduled for the following morning. I couldn't wait.
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