By THORN MULLI
When two American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, invented what was world’s first successful airplane, little did they know that their efforts would forever change the transport industry.
Thanks to their invention, the world is today a global village with the possibility of criss-crossing continents in a matter of hours. With growing demand for air travel, the demand for trained pilots can only grow. If you have ever wanted to become a pilot, be prepared for vigorous training requiring intense concentration.
Here, there is no room for error. You also must be at least 17 years with a mean grade of C+ with passes in Mathematics, English, Geography and any Science subject to begin training as a pilot. One must also take a medical exam from an approved aviation authority examiner. In the medical exam, they will check your heart rate, hearing and eyesight (wearing spectacles does not disqualify one as you will be issued with aviation spectacles.
If you are colour blind, however, you will be automatically disqualified). A class II medical certificate has to be issued to you on passing the medical check-up. It is with this certificate that you will apply for your Students Pilot Licence (SPL) with which you will be carrying in your training flights.
Illegal
Application for this is done by the student at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Licencing department. The few flying schools available are mostly located at the Wilson Airport. Here, the pilot to be, faces their first test which is training for five to six months for the Private Pilot Licence requiring a minimum of 55 flying hours to achieve. Importantly, it is illegal to work with a PPL as the holder is still a ‘’TYRO ‘- Pilot or an inexperienced pilot. The next stage in your training is what is known as a Commercial Pilot Licence that runs averagely for a year. In this stage, one will be hour building up to 200 hours. When completed successfully, the student endures one final stage; the Instrument Rating (MULTI/ I.R). This is where you are trained on how to fly a multi-engine aircraft and simulator training done. As your experience grows with at least 1,500 flying hours, you are then eligible to take the written test for the highest pilot licence qualification where the Airline Transport Pilot Licence is awarded.
There is also the possibility of training outside Kenya with the United States of America and South Africa being popular choices. This is mostly due to the fair weather in these countries. As such, it will take maximum 54 weeks to complete the course as you can fly day and night compared to Kenya where the weather is unpredictable and thus it can take up to two years and half for one to complete this training.
There is a catch, however, for those who choose to train abroad. they not only have to be extra careful and ensure the school they train in is qualified but upon return, have to convert their training to Kenyan standards. This is a costly undertaking that costs at least a million shillings. Though cheaper in Kenya compared to abroad, flying school remains costly nonetheless.
One could, however, be recruited by the Kenya Air Force Flying Training School (FTS) as an aircrew after meeting the basic entry requirements set for cadet officers by the Ministry of State For Defence.
