I decided to put together a cover letter and resume for the Turtle Airways job posting as my current float job will soon be coming to an end. Part of the response was to "please send a recent full-body picture, including age and weight..." Just wondering if anyone else received such requests?

IIRC, one of their main planes is a 206 on floats - carrying tourists; therefore weight is a major consideration. If they can cut down on the lbs in the left seat, then they can carry more..

That doesn't explain the need for a full body picture.....sounds fishy to me, like some dirtbags are looking for a gratuitous chuckle at your expense....assuming you are a female as your username implies.

I will send them a few of the full frontal photos of myself I took in the mirror.

It sounds good but take it from me it is not an easy go.
People are right that weight is an issue. The boss was upset when
the chief pilot hired a Canadian that was 6 foot guy 200 lbs.
I remember doing laps in the bay because there was too much weight
on board and we had to off-load some bags of meat.
It is a sad time there and will never be the same. Oh yeh, there is a coup
there now. The military took over the government.

They have a coup in Fiji all the time. 1987, 2000, 2006 and 2009. That's just how they roll.

While i was there a pizza business owner was slashed dead in his driveway for the payroll with a cane knife.
This was in front of his 12 year old daughter. I am just saying it can be dangerous there and having no police or government officials makes it hard to get anything done.

Thanks for the responses guys. Maybe female bush pilots are assumed to be on the hefty side...but weight would certainly not be an issue. Does anyone know if they provide any sort of housing? (I was also asked whether or not I would be bringing a partner...)

Did they ask these questions before they knew you were a girl?

The pay is not good... probably 40,000 Fiji dollars or so... and you have to pay for your own housing. Another downside of Turtle Airways is that they only fly to Turtle Island. Might get a little boring after awhile.

Well my name on my resume would easily give away that I'm female.

Salary is very low - $18 000 US/year

Would this be considered 'Parker Pen' -ing your resume?


Assuming that you are not Ms. Swanepoel!

I'd bet that'd get you hired right quick!

I worked there 20 years ago and I got paid that then..PLUS $300.00 p/m food allowance ,Laundry allowance,Maid allowance,Purchace orders paid by Turtle for dam near anything you needed to buy,2 tickets paid anywhere you wanted to go on your holidays,within same price as Fiji-Canada,intrest free loans to buy a moterbike or whatever,a NICE place to live,with 2-3 bedrooms for visitors(you get lots when you live in a place like Fiji)and on weekends you could book into most island resorts for free.Unless it's drastically changed,it all adds up to alot more than $18,000.
I lived a great life and met some great people who I still see today.It was one of the best times of my life and I don't regret doing it at all.
Just do it....the life that you will lead everyday,would not be affordible to you otherwise,and if it's money that's important....you can always make that when you come home after a few years of flying around the Fiji Islands,South Pacific.

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redneck. check your pms

hey fougner,too bad it's not the same..I guess I hit the good time.BUT,did you have a good time,cause that's the point of the whole gig there.Should this lady not accept a position there then.???

doesn't anyone remember the owner as being a pervert?

All the perks are gone. It's just the wage now and that's it.

You're paid in Fiji dollars which they say is the equivelent of $18,000 USD per year = $1500 per month. But try and actually convert those Fiji dollars at the bank and it may be closer to $1300 or $1200 a month.

That's less than a rampie makes. This not an entry level position. They are looking for 1500 tt and 1000hrs PIC floats, plus DHC-2 time and C206 time and ocean experience and I belive the ad says Manager of Maintenance as well so added responsibilities.

A person has to fly three solid seasons as PIC to get that kind of PIC float time and possibly that's after flying two years right seat in a twin. Maybe 2 years on the docks before that. Plus two years of schooling/training. Not sure what qualifies as maintenance manager experience but thats another asset you have to account for.

So lets see. that's 9 years of experience and training to make at the very most $1500USD per month. Money isn't everything but wow.

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