Pilots without KCSE certificates

By Isaiah Lucheli

As secondary school students who sat KCSE last year wait to receive their results Wednesday morning, 12 of their colleagues have a different reason to celebrate.

History was made on Tuesday in the local aviation industry after the 12 Pioneer School students became the first ones to receive the Private Pilot Licences before the release of their KCSE results.

Kenya School of Flying has teamed up with Pioneer School to provide aviation training to the students. The students begin holiday classes while in Form Two and Three after which they break from training to prepare for KCSE and then continue with the programme after exams.

However, this year, the 12 students’ determination saw them acquire the PPL before the release of the exam results, a feat that has been attributed to discipline, commitment and hardwork by industry stakeholders.

The 12 students who received the pilot’s licence on Tuesday. [Photo: Govedi Asutsa /Standard]

In an occasion graced by the Transport PS Cyrus Njiru, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Director Genaral Hillary Kioko, the Oryl Airpark vice-chairman and several pilots, the 12 were awarded licences and displayed to their parents, colleagues and guests their expertise by spectacular air formations in four planes.

No mean achievement

Ririani, who is also the proprietor of the Kenya School of Flying, explained that it took the students’ hardwork, discipline and determination and sacrifice and support from the parents to achieve this feat.

"The 12 students were part of 40 others but they are the ones who had completed their training early. The other batch would continue with their training after the release of KCSE exam results," he said.

He explained that the students who had been conferred with the licences did not have national identity cards and were yet to receive their KCSE results, a feat he described as a major achievement in the field.

"Since 2004, we had failed to get it right, and students could only complete their lessons after the release of KCSE results. This is a big achievement as it clearly shows the students can balance between their classwork and the aviation training," he said.

Among the 12 was Lemmy Ndegwa Gitahi, who says he was elated and attributed his achievement to hardwork and discipline. He says he had to sacrifice a lot and kept on juggling between the secondary school and aviation classes. Gitahi explained that he had developed the desire to be a pilot way back in 1997 when he was six years during a Wilson Airport tour.

Desire to fly

"I was with my parents and as we were admiring the aircraft on display, I got lost and my parents desperately looked for me for over one hour. When they found me, I was in the cockpit of an aircraft. From that time I have had the desire to fly," he explained.

Another student, Douglas Njuguna, said he had developed an interest in aeroplanes following the many stories that his parents told him on how the machines operated and how they withstood turbulence.

"I got so interested in flying and I thank God I have been able to realise my dream early. I would like to pursue further training in the field," he said.

KCAA’s Kioko explained that the organisation had been maintaining standards in the training of the pilots and explained the students had passed in all required tests to get the licence.