Shw mae Carl Albillot! The Welsh who rent small planes in the jungle for a stay
Carl Albillot
What companies are you?
I am in the business of the helicopter and fixed wing hire and our company is called Air Intan. I am the CEO means that I manage contracts and also the daily logistics meetings. All helicopters are tracked by satellite so I can see them all on the screens of the office.
This is definitely out of the ordinary. What does that mean exactly?
The helicopters are in jungle areas where mining companies and oil or gas are to explore. What they have to do is get the guys on the field with the equipment and we let them down. They cut a tree down, and drop us down with a slingshot cord. With environmental controls in the jungle, you can not cut down many trees to a clearing, so we must have highly trained drivers who can glide and drop people into the jungle. Slings are 200 or 250 feet in length.
Is this a dangerous maneuver?
Very, so our drivers should have a minimum of 5000 flying hours to their assets along with extensive training sling rope. Some of our drivers are local, and we have the drivers of New Zealand, Australia, America and France. It is man's curve death. 200 feet does not give you time to maneuver on the ground and that we operate in the thick jungle, you have nowhere to turn as there are no flat areas around.
What are the fixed-wing aircraft used for?
They are used for sugarcane and the low altitude above sea spray. This is where they spray insecticides and nutrients on crops. Other plans are used to map where they use laser cameras and fly over areas in search of gold mines or coal. We also mapping with magnetic sensors when we fly very low, and the sensors look if a high concentration of minerals in the soil.
How many cost to rent one of your planes?
The cheapest is $ 1500 per hour and $ 3,000 an hour for larger helicopters. Our helicopters are all turbine helicopters.
How many staff members do you have now?
We have 100 and 25 of them are expatriates, mostly pilots and engineers.
Do you have any plans to return to Wales?
Well, I am here since 1990 and I love it here, so I'll be here for a few more years.
You have seen much of this country?
The only place I have been is not East Timor. I went all over Sulawesi, Papua, Sumatra and more. Sulawesi is my favorite -. There are spectacular views it
living in Indonesia has changed over the years?
There have been getting better. When we arrived, nobody had a television because there was nothing on it! We could not find bread, cheese, but now you can get almost anything. It has improved significantly.
What do you like to escape the city?
I get to Pelabuhan Ratu on weekends for fishing boats. It's fun to do all year, but it is better when it rains because the water washes over the rivers and the fish come with it.
sounds fun. All other interesting hobby?
I used to play football for Wanderers Football Club from 1993 to 2009 for the International League Jakarta. We are still five a side and we are going on tour in Singapore and the Philippines in November. If anyone is interested in joining, just email me and I will let you know the dates and more information.
I also like horse paris! A group of friends and I get together on Saturday and we bet against each other. Each person chooses a horse and the winner gets four points, second place gets two and third place gets. The guy with the most money picks up items. We're betting a meeting Rp.500,000 per head. Whoever has the lowest score is the donkey and the donkey must bear hat with ears that I lived!
To contact Carl, email him at carlalbi@intanair.com