| Disclaimer: This "Report" is a guide written out of personal experiences, observations and hearsay over a period of 10 days for the sole purpose of attempting to inform other pilots contemplating employment in the TCI. A sincere effort has been made to maintain accuracy and tell the truth as experienced, but no warranties or guarantees as to the accuracy or veracity of information contained herein are implicitly or expressly given or implied, nor will any claims be entertained for accounting for such accuracy or veracity. |
Click on
image to load larger picture
North-east
coast of Provo: strip of photos - taken from apartment balcony - covers from north-west
(left) to north-east (right). "Beaches" resort is 1/4 from right side, and
extremities of the beach itself curving around are just visible across the water at either
end. (The Banana Boat restaurant is located somewhere at the left side.)
| The Turks & Caicos
Islands (UK Colony) PLS001 - November 2001 |
Main islands | Languages | Currency | Comments | Airfields | Civil Aviation | Served by | Security | Local airlines | Cost of living | Communications | Internet | Accommodations/Transport/Meals | Laundry | Other | Conclusion | Local highlights | Feedback
Grand Turk (Capital), South Caicos, Providenciales.
Grand
Turk - GDT - MBJT & MBGTEnglish. Others spoken locally are Creole, Spanish, French.
Of four services advertised on a roadside sign by the Catholic Church in Provo for Sunday, one mass was in English, two were in Creole and one was in Spanish.
US$. I never saw any other currency being used.
The Turks and Caicos are coral islands, like Barbados, and are about 100 miles off the north coast of Haiti.
The TCI people are suspicious of outsiders, but they are also suspicious/jealous of their own fellow nationals from the other Turks & Caicos islands.
There is a large Dominican Republic (Spanish) and Haitian (French) population, and there are many illegals.
Main airfield is Providenciales. While all local airlines are based in Provo, some crews are based in Grand Turk. There are several more smaller unattended airfields in the island group, both paved and unpaved.
The Turks & Caicos Civil Aviation Department is based in government's capital of Grand Turk, including the DCA, Deputy DCA, Flight Standards Inspector, etc.
Air Traffic Control Towers are maintained in Grand Turk, Providenciales and South Caicos. Approach plates are issued for Grand Turk, Providenciales, South Caicos and and North Caicos (various VOR/DME, NDB/DME, NDB plates are also available in DOD and Jeppesen formats).
My experience with the CAD was straightforward and friendly, with straight talk about every aspect of enquiry.
Civil Aviation Department
American Airlines (MIA, NYC), Air Canada starting end of 2001 (YYZ), Miami Air, SkyService, BahamasAir, Air Jamaica Express, other small carriers. There is a constant stream of aircraft through the islands from singles to business jets in size, mostly to Provo. It appears Provo can handle up to the A320 in size, possibly larger.
The Turks & Caicos have long been known and used as a fuel stop for ferry flights. Fuel is available at Provo, Grand Turk and South Caicos, but if you will be depending on this service you should check ahead of time and make sure the fuel you need is available. At the time of writing, I can say Provo that had both Jet A1 and Avgas available.
Please note: While they do serve coffee, sodas and snacks, neither Air Canada nor American have a formal meal service on flights less than 4 hours (flying through a normal meal time makes no difference). So be sure to bring a sandwich and a bottle of soda or water when you plan to fly in or out if your check-in to arrival times will be over a mealtime.
Main islands | Languages | Currency | Comments | Airfields | Civil Aviation | Served by | Security | Local airlines | Cost of living | Communications | Internet | Accommodations/Transport/Meals | Laundry | Other | Conclusion | Local highlights | Feedback
On leaving the TCI as a passenger I was required to show my ticket to enter the counter area, there was a hand search of all of my checked baggage in the counter line-up, a standard security check to enter the Departure Lounge, and then a hand search of my carry-on baggage before boarding the aircraft.
(Working Pilots accessing the ramp from the Provo Terminal Building, even for local flights, are required to go through a metal detector and have bags hand-checked by a security guard.)
I was subsequently subjected to security screening three times in Miami International, including collecting my intransit checked baggage after Customs and putting it through an Xray scan before it was transferred to the Toronto flight.
Flies several Beech 1990s and a Cessna 404 aircraft on schedule, have a few smaller aircraft. Also biggest ground handler on Provo.
Highly professional appearance.
Government has recently moved local travel business from SkyKing to Interisland Air due to an upsurge in local nationalistic feelings.
Flies two Cessna 401s, just introduced one Twin Otter (-300 series), and have arranged for an Islander to arrive in the very near future.
Disorganised, attempting to move from solely charter to scheduled, and not doing a good job of it. They have built a new hangar, and have nearly finished building offices alongside it which will also serve as an FBO with Customs and Immigration services.
Under constant and intense scrutiny by local DCA office. All the necessary procedures and paperwork are not in place, nor do I have the impression that there is any clear idea or plan of what they want to do - or should do - next.
About 3 December the Twin Otter had a minor accident and ran into a ditch. Initial info is that the hydraulics failed (affects brakes, n/w steering and flaps).
Owner is Lyndon Gardiner, his brother Donny Gardiner is Cessna 401 Training Captain/Check Airman.
Seems to have scaled back operations substantially from what used to exist previously. I saw an Aztec-sized aircraft and an Islander in use, and they also do some ground handling at Provo.
Turks and Caicos Airways
Very small charter carrier. Aztec & Cessna 402.
Main islands | Languages | Currency | Comments | Airfields | Civil Aviation | Served by | Security | Local airlines | Cost of living | Communications | Internet | Accommodations/Transport/Meals | Laundry | Other | Conclusion | Local highlights | Feedback
Expenses:
Extremely high for non-nationals. No local personal income tax. Work permit is about $1,300/year, pilot licencing (dispensation & certification) is about $85 (not including the cost of aircraft time - the DCA requires a local Instrument Ride to complete the process).
Income:
I was told that SkyKing used to pay about $4,500 to BE1900 Captains (this was reduced to $3,100 recently). IA pays $2,500 to Twin Otter Captains, and $1,600 to CE401 Captains. I did not hear what salary was planned for intended Twin Otter FOs.
I also understand that IA was proposing to charge their Cessna pilots $8,000 for the Twin Otter rating, plus $400 for each manual in the Ground School.
As they have done elsewhere in the Caribbean, Cable & Wireless do enjoy and exercise their monopoly in the TCI to the fullest possible extent.
Expect to pay a deposit of $400 on a land-based telephone, plus $110 installation, plus "units" for local telephone calls (including internet access). Long distance calls are cheaper if you buy and use phone cards.
Most people use cell phones for local calls - which are cheaper, but still quite expensive. Long distance access on a cellphone account is by pre-payment only.
Cable & Wireless do not sell cellphones that have computer hookup capability. They also tell customers who bring their own cellphones from foreign that they cannot hook up many cellphone types - in my observation the same types that are known to be hooked up by Cable & Wireless in other islands.
Cable & Wireless therefore promotes unnecessary sales and excessive service charges. Expect to be ripped off "royally".
I experienced total charges of over $1.00 per minute for internet access ($60 an hour, at ***24K*** speed) on their "Easy Access" plan. This service is advertised in the free Welcome magazine, and when I asked someone to make enquiries they spoke to the CEO and it was soon clear that even he is apparently unaware this sick plan exists.
Cable & Wireless will not sell an internet DialUp account unless it is attached to a land line (unlike everywhere else outside the Cable & Wireless world). I was also told there is no such thing as an Unlimited DialUp account - the longest plan is 100 hours per month on a 56K speed modem, and is about $300 (which translates to about $3 per hour).
So, if you need to use the internet in the TCI, beware of Cable & Wireless' "Easy Access" plan. It is twenty times the price at half the speed - in other words, effectively forty times the price (40 x) of a local DialUp account. You have been warned. |
| Accommodations/Transportation/Meals: |
For employment purposes the two-floor Airport Inn could be your first temporary overnight stop, runs around US$75 per day and is of acceptable standard (but below Holiday Inn level). On the back of the bathroom doors they proudly display a letter from some obscure travel organisation in the UK that awards them a 1-Star Rating.
Checkout time is noon, although they did make allowances when we were out flying and could not get back in time. The Front Desk is manned from about 7:30am to about 9:00pm.
The cafe/bar downstairs serves reasonable food with loud music, and are open from mid-morning to late at night. The airport is a five-minute walk around the corner of the road, and the back windows of the rooms literally look out and down onto the runway.
All rooms are first floor, air conditioned, telephone, Cable TV with remote, some rooms have mini-kitchen (two-burner stove, sink and fridge in compact unit).
The entire bottom floor is commercial - barber, hairdresser, boutique, small cafe/restaurant, etc. No room service.
For a small apartment expect to pay at least $800 to $1,200 per month depending on 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom, $5,000 for a used car purchased locally.
I was told that foreign drivers licences are adequate for short stays - (unlike most Caribbean countries a local permit or licence does not have to be purchased to start driving legally). Worth checking officially anyway - in case of accident.
Roads are extremely bad and cars do not last long (worse than Antigua). Most cars are dented, and driving skills leave a great deal to be desired. There are frequent accidents. About one of three drivers leave their beams on high all the time while driving at night (there are not many street lights).
It was suggested to me that I could buy or have an agent buy a car for me in Florida and ship it in. If the agent could find the model I ordered fairly quickly for about $1,500 I could land it and put it on the road within two weeks of ordering for a total of around $3,000 - which included the added shipping, duties (25-35%), insurance and licensing.
Absolute cheapest local meal seemed about $5 (no drink) and average meal at a local restaurant between $20 and $40 (with one soft drink). Airport meal (at Gilley's) runs about $15 with soft drink. Gilley's charges $1.50 for a self-serve coffee or tea in a foam cup.
There is Cable TV in Provo, and the channels include CBC (Canada), BBC News, CNN English and Spanish, and a comedy channel. There are a couple of Spanish-only channels.
It appears that foodstuff is about average Caribbean cost, and there are several supermarkets in Provo, the largest being IGA.
There are no KFC, Macdonald's or any other American fast food outlets, but there are roadside shacks and restaurants ranging from fried wings to full meals.
Local restaurant food seems to be devoid of vegetables (chips, coleslaw are the most common additions to meat or fish) and, if you insist on having vegetables, restaurants then provide an absolute minimum of salad and/or perhaps a heaped tablespoonful of carrots with fried onions.
So, healthy eaters beware!
There are a few Dry Cleaning establishments. The one I saw being used by another pilot charged $3 per shirt and $4 per pants.
I used a local laundry (Pablo's) that charged me $11 for two normal wash loads - I supplied the detergent - and both were put in as one load in the (large commercial capacity) dryer. This included their doing the wash for me - I returned four hours later and collected it.
Main islands | Languages | Currency | Comments | Airfields | Civil Aviation | Served by | Security | Local airlines | Cost of living | Communications | Internet | Accommodations/Transport/Meals | Laundry | Other | Conclusion | Local highlights | Feedback
| Other infrastructure: |
Water in central Provo is mainly from a desalination plant. Houses away from the population centers also use cisterns and pumps. All the bathroom fixtures I saw were low-use, water-saving devices. Water pressure is quite low (just barely enough for a proper shower), which I can only assume is another water-saving measure.
Most people drink bottled water, and there is a local water bottler (I thought the quality was not bad at all) as well as the imported water brands.
Electricity is American plug, 110 volts 60 cycles, and occasionally goes off for very short periods.
There are local electronics stores and branches of at least one St. Maarten electronics store. Prices are higher than St. Maarten and the US. AA and AAA batteries are quite expensive (2 standard no-name AAA batteries were $5).
Unless you are independently wealthy OR your salary exceeds $10,000 per month OR you can get your employer to provide a car and pay salary exclusive of all major expenses (as well as help organise "belonger" conditions for those you still have to pay yourself - locals do not require a deposit for land-based telephones, for example), you cannot afford to work in the TCI and I suggest there is a better than 75% chance that when you leave you will have spent substantially more than you earned.
If you insist in going there on contract for reasons other than financial, you might think of asking your employer for a two-week trial period to experience the local conditions for yourself.
We were provided with a "semi-furnished" apartment (for which we were later to start paying rent) which contained beds, bureaus, stove, refrigerator, table, chairs, electricity, water and a Cable TV signal. We were expected to go out and pay for everything else for ourselves: Pots, kettle, bowls, dishes, glasses, cutlery, microwave, TV, telephone, even shower curtain, etc., etc., etc..
| Local highlights I experienced: |
Check
out the Banana Boat (on the north side of Provo, near Beaches) for nightly tame
entertainment (one/two/three-man band, karioke, etc.) and excellent food (great ribs,
excellent baked half-chicken - and lobster tails whose huge sizes are no longer evident in
the over-fished eastern Caribbean!!)
For exercise buffs the beach on the north-eastern side of Provo is a two-hour fast walk - in each direction - and despite several hotels the beach was never crowded when I was there (allowing that it is the slow season). I also visited very good beaches on the west side of Grand Turk. From the air I can see that the TCI have many, many more long and excellent beaches, but I just never had time to see any of them up close.
The best supermarket I saw was IGA, where the large strips of USDA lean rib meat was actually cheaper than chicken breast. They have almost everything you would need to live there.
| Your "Adventure" Reporter: |
TCI
"Adventure" reporter Capt. Jim Lynch
jlynch@candoo.com
Comments #1:
I had no exposure to Gardner (Interisland Air) really as I worked for Charles Air Services (now SkyKing). I have to admit that I have nothing but good things to say about Charles Air. He kept his aircraft in meticulous condition and he looked after his staff. He is fair, hard working and he expects the same from his employees.
Provo (during my stay, which incidentally was some 13 years ago) was a great place to build time. Heck, who wouldn't rather be working in the Caribbean than flying in Northern Canada, especially in Jan/Feb!!??
I was just recently in Provo (Sept 9/01) and the island has grown considerably as has the cost of living. Having said that, I'm sure that reasonable accommodations can still be found (this is an assumption).
In closing, I do know of guys that used to work for TCNA (some 13 years ago) that were never paid their last 2 weeks work. The pilots gave their notice that they intended to leave and when the date came they were just shown the door. Sad but true.
My advice to anyone considering going to fly in the Turks, focus on SkyKing and forget the rest!
I would say that your 'Report' was quite accurate with exception of the conclusion. I would honestly have to say that $10K /month is on the high side. Ok, it depends on what sort of lifestyle you want to maintain but I am certain that you could get by on half that and live quite comfortably.
Perhaps for you this could be different because you spend a lot of time using the telephone/internet and as you indicated, the prices being charged by Cable and Wireless are criminal! We were thinking of getting a satelite (TV & internet capability) if we moved back, but we were told that we couldn't do that.
As for personal belongings, you could import you own things without paying duty. This is cheaper if you can get a decent price on a freight forwarder out of Miami and you transport your things from Canada to the dock in Florida. The beaches are amazing, unmatched anywhere I have ever been.
For anyone interested in going there to work I would strongly advise them to read some of the islands forums as there a lot of unbiased comments made there. It may be easier to form an opinion or develop a better overall picture of the place and the people.
Main islands | Languages | Currency | Comments | Airfields | Civil Aviation | Served by | Security | Local airlines | Cost of living | Communications | Internet | Accommodations/Transport/Meals | Laundry | Other | Conclusion | Local highlights | Feedback