World Pilots' Day 2020

26 April is World Pilots' Day. This year, the day will be no much of aviation activities because, those that were meant for the sky are now grounded for obvious reason (COVID 19). 

Among other professions I’m a private pilot. I worked over 40 hours a week to become a pilot during my first degree. My days were made up of studying and working. The goal at the end was to obtain a University degree and fly for lifetime.

The future of aviation lies in the hands of the youth and is my desire to see many of them taking up a career in aviation. Youth must be given opportunities to become pilots. Probably flight training need to be cheaper and we need to create more aviation awareness programs. There is a need for more scholarships for aviation students to ensure the involvement of youth who are less privileged.We as Pilots should help new and aspiring aviators to succeed and encourage them to take up the pilot as a career.

Flying makes you smarter and the knowledge gain as a pilot can be imposed everyday life. It helps to become an expert in planning, staying organized, and a good decision-maker. Aviation is demanding and one have to be up to date with new procedures and regulations. Each day in aviation is a learning day, even after flying an aircraft for a couple of hours there will always be something new about it. 

Aviation is such a unique community, one filled with storytelling and tales of hardship and intense heart-wrenching desire. There is much expectation in performance, required to be on top of your game at all times and fight the battle to succeed in the face of failure, but is doable. The opportunity to become pilots can be given but one has to work hard to earn the golden epaulettes on their shoulders. Completing a PPL you get a medal that you can wear with honor and pride for a lifetime

                        "The hard won medal"

By:

Onesmus K Joseph - ACIS/BAP/CFIP/PPL

MPHIL Candidate - KNUST (Kumasi; Ghana) 

Governance Professional

josephonesmus@yahoo.com

It is significant for me to observe the day by reflecting on the earliest days in aviation. It is my hope that, we use this day to inspire youth to take up careers in aviation industry. Here under, is an article written in 2017 by Mr. Rhingo Mutambo (CPRP) in the Office of the Prime Minister.

published in :The Office of the Prime Minister’s electronic newsletter, July-August 2017, Vol. 1 | Issue No. 2

Onesmus, now a qualified Sole Pilot!!!

Mr. Onesmus Joseph is an Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister. He holds a Bachelor of Technology Degree obtained from the Namibian University of Science and Technology. His father is a former Contract Mine Labourer from Ohadiwa, a sub-village of Onamutai village, Oshana region. His University degree and employment as an accountant, notwithstanding, Mr. Onesmus Joseph had always wanted to become a Pilot one day.

The passion to become a Pilot started since he was a young boy and the desire grew more intense when he started serving as a Police Officer, but due to lack of information on how to go about it then, he ended up taking another career path. “I always wanted to be a Helicopter Pilot as it looks like a big live bird and the thing is just beautiful. I am basically striving to obtain my Commercial Pilot License (CPL) which will enable me to join the local Airline and fly to the United Emirates as a Captain of the flight. I can’t wait to fly Airbus 330,” he explains.

His passion for “this beautiful thing” propelled him to push the envelope until 2007 when he became a candidate for Police Pilot but he could not score much in the Psychometric test. Instead of getting discouraged, this motivated and made him more curious to gain more insight into the aviation industry.

Joseph says obtaining his Private Pilot License (PPL), and most especially to be able to fly a plane alone and come back to a safe landing is still one of his biggest lifetime achievements. He says the aviation course was expensive and demanding but sleepless nights of studying and planning finally paid off.

“During the coronation of my PPL I couldn’t believe it, by he said relating it to my background, but in the end, God is for all creatures. My young sister threw a party for me here in Windhoek, but I still have to celebrate my achievement in style obviously at the village with my parents, families, and friends,” he said.

He says being taken for air experience for the first time in the hot afternoon, was so terrifying. “I can still remember asking my instructor if we were going to crash, as we experienced heavy turbulence making the light aircraft to feel like falling out from the sky, but I still held on to my dream of being a sole Pilot,” he recalls.