GA in the Middle East

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garyb

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garyb
Does GA flying exist in the Middle East? Specifically Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Muscat.
 
some. it's pretty restrictive. My first license was in Turkey flying pipeline inspection. That was around 1990 so my experience is pretty dated.

many places you'll want to get yourself a uniform of some kind, dork bars are a plus. You can't be recognized as a pilot without a uniform.
 
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There is a guy (one that I know of, maybe others) building an RV right now in Saudi Arabia.
 
airguy said:
There is a guy (one that I know of, maybe others) building an RV right now in Saudi Arabia.
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I'd want a high wing. that guy is going to roast in the Rv canopy
 
JHW said:
I'd want a high wing. that guy is going to roast in the Rv canopy
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yea thats probably true Alon ( Armageddon Aviator) Flys in Israel and says a high wing is much preferred due to the heat.
 
JHW said:
some. it's pretty restrictive. My first license was in Turkey flying pipeline inspection. That was around 1990 so my experience is pretty dated.

many places you'll want to get yourself a uniform of some kind, dork bars are a plus. You can't be recognized as a pilot without a uniform.
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Yuck. So you're saying there are no rentals or clubs there?

I have job offers in those three cities and wanted to know if flying was a possibility. I would really hate to wear a uniform just to go flying, unless of course, it make the locals worship me.
 
Never been there but this place is jamming. Nothing makes better skydivers then money to burn. Not grandpa GA, but it is playing in the sky.
 
I know you didn't mention Amman, but I was at Marka airport once, and was surprised to not only see an active glider club on the weekends, but the airfield actually has a catapult system built into the runway to launch them!
 
GA is present but looks different. I've spent time in Beirut, Amman, Kuwait, Istanbul while flying bizjets Beirut is (was) the only place with an FBO that looks like many of ours (hangar, little planes, gas truck, classrooms, etc.) The others just lead you to a parking place on the ramp and provide van service to an area in the terminal that is designated as GA.
 
My experience has been that GA in the middle east, like much of rest of the world, is incredibly restrictive, expensive and not practical as a means of transportation. Most GA pilots who find themselves in the middle east reserve their flying to visits back home in the US.
 
You can get a clue about GA activity around the world by going to the airliners.net photo database website. The search engine lets you narrow your search to specific countries and general descriptions of aircraft. For example, enter "United Arab Emirates" and "Single Engine Props" and you get several nice photos of skydiving airplanes, sightseeing Caravan seaplanes and pricey light singles at airshows. Under "Jordan" there are only two photos (an N-registered Caravan and a flex-wing microlight), and under "Saudi Arabia" there are none. Egypt, not much better.

There are a lot of GA photos from Iran, mostly of deteriorating airplanes, or the fleet of the Civil Aviation Training College. Comments from the photographers explain:
I.A.C (Imperial Aero Club) and later C.A.T.C had 2 Cessna 172Es , 3 Cessna 172Ms , and 10 Cessna 172Ns by 1980. US sanctions after the 1980 hostage crisis in Iran caused the C.A.T.C faced with lack of spare parts for the large fleet of its Beechcraft , Cessna and Piper fleets. today the remaining fleet of the C.A.T.C`s Cessna 172s consisted of one 172Ms and six 172Ns from 15 samples in 1980`s
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Comment to a photo of a partially-disassembled Cessna FR172 Reims Rocket:
The aircraft was bought by Mr. Mohammad Khalatbari in January 1975 as a second hand aircraft from a UK private user via "Hoor-Aseman" company. its ex register was G-BCRO. Islamic Revolution occured in 1979, the new regime of Iran captured all private aircrafts in Iran, because of their claims about socialism. the aircraft was granted to the C.A.T.C via office of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1980. the aircraft landed in Ghale Morghi airport in 2008 for last time, it was used in closed Payam airport C.A.T.C`s branch for training. its owner is returned Iran after 32 years and protested against C.A.T.C to retrieve his aircraft.
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By contrast, there are many pictures of a variety of nice private airplanes in Israel, indicating a relatively vibrant GA there.
 
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