How to become an airline pilot in Nigeria.

Personally i have always wanted to be a pilot since my 1st cockpit experience. I remember vividly when i was 5yrs i was really little.  I was at the airport (Murtala Mohammed Airport 2) the current new local. We were at the then Nigerian Airways office and i remember begging my dad that i wanted getting into one of the airplanes, he finally got a lady i remember her in a uniform like a flight attendant she took me around the airplane explaining the basics. I didn't know what she talking about and as a kid i was quite playful and restless. I remember the last place we entered was the cockpit. As i stepped in "my gosh" i was greeted by multiple buttons, dials and gauges, it seemed endless due to the nature of the cockpit. Given my knowledge now know it was a classic but i can't remember exactly what type of airplane it was. She put me on the captain's seat and for the first time i was relaxed and was listening.
The second cockpit experience i had, was a school excursion, a brief visit to the same airport, i was 7 or 8yrs then and we were taken around the airport i remember seeing air-force jets, control tower, helicopters, airplanes of different sizes. We were entertained with kiddies drinks and cookies in a Nigerian Airways plane that was undergoing maintenance in one of the company Hangers, we entered the cockpit in groups and i saw my teacher seating on the right seat playing with the control column. I'm sure he had no idea what he was doing. Lolz! We got back to class and my teacher had the same look i had the 1st time i entered a cockpit, he kept on telling and asking us at the same questions. "Did you'll see the buttons in that thing?" He said, "i wonder how they press it all at once." Hehehehe.
Since then i made up my mind to become a pilot i guess earlier i was too little to make up my mind on what i wanted to become.
Well I'm not a pilot yet but I'm close, i have since pursued the line of aviation ever since, i have met people who say i get emotional when i talk about planes, well can't help it, I'm in-love.*wink*. I have read aviation related books, stories, watched movies and documentaries, i have even taken the time to read pilot operating manuals/handbook for Boeing 737 Classics, Boeing 737NG and my favorite aircraft, The Boeing 777. Some people think I'm already a pilot (i wish) because of how much i know and how well informed i am about aviation.
 Let me share what i know, about how, as a Nigerian you can become a pilot. Just so you all know this information is based on my personal opinion and research.
Well being a pilot is fun and to be honest is not the kind of job you just wake up and say, yes i wanna fly planes. Well i think you have to be more determined than that, and really work towards it. If you honestly need or want something you have got to go for it no matter the barrier or obstacles at the end of the day its all about reaching that mark. Inspire yourself by reading stories like that of Adebule Imoleayo the youngest commercial female pilot in Nigeria flying for Aerocontractors or Captain Olumide Ayoola flying for KLM UK one of the most recognised international airlines in the world. They persevered and almost gave-up hope on flying because of how difficult it was but today they have stories to tell.

                                                            Arik air B737NG

Step 1
Being a pilot is not difficult, all you need is five o' level credits in science related courses including Maths, English, physics and 2 other courses. I would advice a good knowledge geography.
If you have a degree it also helps and also a big plus and boost to your career, you are definitely eligible to apply for flight school. Lastly a valid class one student medical certificate.
Step 2
Apply to a flight school. There are two of them in Nigeria:
Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria. NCAT, and
International Aviation College, Ilorin IAC.
You might be called up for an interview or exam and you would be required to know the basic principles of flight, or how an airplane flies, brush-up your maths and physics. Very important.
Step 3
Admission: when given admission the rest is up to you, read! read! read and work hard to maintain a good grade. Don't get carried away. Coming out top of your class increases your chances of getting a job with an airline quicker.
Well that's all it takes.

Licences & Ratings.
Private pilots licence PPL,
Commercial pilots licence CPL,
Certified Flight Instructors Licence CFI, and
Air Transport Pilots License ATPL, Others are Instrument Rating, Night Rating and Multi-engine Ratings
Private pilot licence: This is the least certificate you can get as a pilot but it has got restrictions on the types of aircrafts you can fly, time and even airspace you can fly in, it has even got restrictions on the amount of people you can carry. A PPLis a pre-quisite on getting a CPL.
In other to fly big jets, carry passengers and work for pay you need a Commercial pilots licence, during the course of training for your cpl you would undergo Instrument Rating and Night Ratings.
Instrument Rating IR i.e learning about the instruments in the airplane and how to use them esp during low visibility. You might have to rely on instrument just incase you can't view the runway due to weather conditions.
Night Rating NR: as the name implies it just about night flying, learning to fly at night.
Certified Flight Instructors Licence CFI: this is optional and is only required if you want to become Mr Lecturer lolz. All the instructors in flight schools anywhere in the world need this certificate in order to teach others how to fly. You need to have a CPL before you can get an Instructors Licence.
Air Transport Pilots Licence ATPL: is the PhD. of pilots licences. You don't need a CFI licence to get a ATPL with your is a CPL and 1500hrs of flying time you can get an ATPL.

The biggest challenge most people face when it comes to getting into flight school is finance. The cost of training to get a pilots licence is expensive i.e a CPL in Nigeria is about 7.5Million - 10Million Naira. Yup that's plenty right! Well for the most part at the end of the day its worth it and for some of us its priceless and we don't mind. But let's face it not a lot of people can afford that amount of money. I think to the best of my knowledge a few Nigerian airlines have cadet sponsorship programs. I know Arik air, Aerocontractors Nigeria, Bristow helicopters, and a few others have such programs. They pick selected and qualified individuals and train and pay for their tuition after which they come back and fly for the parent airlines. The Federal and state governments are not left out. We have state and federal government sponsoring students and aiding them achieve their dream of literally soaring through the skies. Like i know of Kaduna state sponsoring all its indigenes in flight school, some months back Kano pledged to send 50students to flight school. My cousin was fortunate to be a beneficiary of the Kaduna state sponsorship (proudly K.D).
 
Employment
There are Pilots jobs everywhere not just in Nigeria but all over the world and once you qualify and meet the criteria for employment you can apply. It might not be immediate but its there especially for the ladies, female pilots. Like i said earlier you just have to do your homework and keep an eye out for recruitment info and not lose focus. The total number of pilots in Nigeria i doubt is up to 3,000. Some weeks back there was talks about the dearth of pilots in Nigeria, and current pilots being old and the need for replacement with younger generation of pilots.
If you enjoy traveling, operating gadgets, not scared of heights, an adrenaline junky,  love meeting people well you would enjoying flying and seeing the world in a different perspective. If you are going in for the money you gonna be disappointed and frustrated cause being a pilot can be stressful and is highly demanding, that's to say good things in life don't come easy or cheap. For those of you considering being pilots hope this helps and i wish you'll the best.
Any questions pls drop your comments.

Beauty Of Aviation

Here are picture reasons why pilots love being pilots.

NAMA Spends N15billion on Naviaids.

Nigeria is moving up in the world of Aviation as various aviation agencies in Nigeria have been doing some serious upgrades, in airports, airlines, aviation policies, shuffling of aviation management and board of directors for aviation parastatals and even the airspace in general. Clamping down on loop-holes and securing safer skies for passengers and airlines. 

Various aviation organisation have commended FAAN and NCAA on the directives on installing AFRIS devices on domestic airlines and even saying that the regulation bodies were being generous in giving the six months ultimatum in installing the device.

According to BusinessDay Nigerian Newspaper: The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has embarked on upgrade of various navigational aids (Navaids), spending a whopping N15billion.

NAMA is an Air Navigation service provider with mandate to manage the Nigerian Airspace to a level consistent with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Safety and Recommended Practices (ICAO-SARP).

The Agency, which is saddled with the responsibility of  providing safe and functional air navigation services that will meet international standards apart from  increase Air Traffic Management  (ATM) capacity in order to manage the increasing air traffic volume and simultaneously reduce delays, says it operates its air navigation services with modern technology.

Supo Atobatele, general manager, public affairs of the Agency, said facilities like the Radar, Instrument Landing System (ILS), Very High Omnidirectional Radio Range (VOR) and the Very High Frequency (VHF) radio system are all digital and their installations at airports across the country over the years had enhanced the safety of the nation’s airspace.

“These equipment are all working at an optimal level while training of staff has been intensified to sustain the safety drive,"

The agency added that as part of the ongoing transformation of the industry, the Federal Government had paid almost 95 percent of the cost to the foreign contractor handling the Automation Information System, adding however, that “a high-tech industry in Nigeria cannot be operating with obsolete equipment considering the huge capital investment of over N15 billion by the Federal Government on various  air navigation safety critical equipment.”

NAMA recently completed the World Geodetic Survey (WGS-84) of Bebi airstrip, joining other major airports already prepared for satellite-based navigation system.

NAMA said it developed this capacity through competence transfer achieved by the WGS-84/Performance Based Navigation (PBN) project of 24 Nigerian Airports.

“With this development, NAMA now prides itself as having in-house experts in WGS-84 Survey, PBN Procedure Design and Cartography. NAMA has also acquired through same project, state-of- art digital survey equipment and GIS LAB.

“The Agency is very ready to collaborate with any organisation that requires this service within and outside Nigeria, with assurance of delivery in accordance with international standards to ensure Safety of Air Navigation”, Nnamdi Udoh,  managing director of the Agency, said while endorsing the report on the airstrip. 

Proudly Naija!!!

British Airways Partners With Nigeria

British Airways promised to partner with the Nigeria in ensuring the success of the transformation agenda in the nation’s aviation sector.

Mr Keith Williams, Chief Executive Officer of British Airways had a closed door meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo. BA has been operating in Nigeria for the past 76 years. British airways made its debut flight to Lagos in 1936 through its predecessor, Imperial Airways, one of the pioneering airlines in Africa.

The flight, an extension of a service from Kano to Khartoum, connected to the weekly Imperial Airways flight from Khartoum to Croydon in London. Imperial Airways was succeeded by BOAC, and at the end of World War II it opened the London-Lagos services via Casablanca, Dakar and Accra, with the flight taking 29 hours.

Commercial jet service will, however, start on the route on April 1, 1964, using a Vickers VC-10, flying London Heathrow-Kano-Lagos. These services were taken over by British Caledonian Airways in 1971, which later merged with British Airways.

"The future of Nigeria and the transformation programme has grown the economy and British Airways is an airline that supports the growth of that economy through air travels.

“So, as the Nigerian economy grows, British Airways will grow with Nigeria. If you look at British Airways, it has served Nigeria now for 76 years and we get a great partnership with Nigeria which has been a long one and an important one and it will always continue to be an important one between the two countries and the British Airways supports that. Nigeria has huge domestic and international markets for the growth of aviation industry and BA will explore the market for the general good of Nigeria and the airline."

Williams commended the Federal Government on the way and manner the Aviation sector was being managed in Nigeria. Nigeria needs to build its domestic and regional aviation industry.

He also described the ongoing merger activities between world leading airlines as a welcome development for the global growth of the aviation industry.

“The aviation industry, if I look at the global aviation industry, the global aviation is in a period of change and what we are seeing around the world is the growth of cooperation, and that is in the case with British Airways, which merged with Iberia, tying up with an American and the Japanese airlines.

“So, there are lots of merger activities happening to support global growth in the airline industry, and clearly, Nigeria is a huge important country with a huge population and it got important trade flows and the airlines need to support those important trade flows whether that is through Nigeria airlines or international airlines.”

He further assured that BA would continue to meet its socio-economic obligations to Nigeria in furtherance to its corporate responsibilities in the country.

AERO COMMENCES FLIGHT OPERATIONS BETWEEN CALABAR AND ABUJA

Effective December 1, 2012,
Aero will commence flight operations between Calabar and Abuja.
The flight, which will be operated with a Boeing 737-500 series will Depart Calabar for Abuja at 09:50am and arrive 11:00am with flight number AJ175, while Abuja to Calabar flight departs at 11:35am and arrives 12:45pm with flight number AJ176.
Announcing these services, Captain Akin George, Aero Managing Director said: “The decision was taken in the interest and comfort of the airline’s loyal customers to give them more choices and flexibility in planning their business and leisure trips and also reduce the stress of travelling during this festive season”.
Over the years, Aero has become the first airline of choice offering excellent value for money and making travels easier and convenient.
Aero has grown to be one of the most reliable and reputable carrier in Africa, operating over 50 flights a day and covering more than 15 domestic and regional destinations.

Boeing increases 787 production rate to five per month:

Just some months back Boeing increased the rate of production of the Boeing 777 aka Triple-7 to about 7 a month. Now Boeing employees last week rolled out the first 787 Dreamliner built at the new rate of five-airplanes-per-month. The airplane is the 83rd 787 to be built. Boeing earlier this year increased the rate from 2.5 to 3.5 aircraft per month and is on track to achieve a planned 10-per-month rate by late 2013. The programme production rate accounts for aircraft built at Boeing South Carolina and Everett, including the temporary surge line that was activated earlier this year in Everett. To date, 35 787s have been delivered to eight airlines and the programme has more than 800 unfilled orders with 58 customers worldwide.
As just one example illustrative of the efforts happening across the production system, a team developed a small piece of protective equipment to cover the electronic actuators that help move the horizontal stabilizer. The plastic covering is now used across the program to protect the actuators during the production process. In addition, this small change has resulted in quicker production completion times.
"The work our teams are doing to continuously improve is making this program more efficient," added Loftis. "Their commitment to doing the job with high quality and making improvements to the system is outstanding."
Among the new tools being deployed to improve productivity in the Final Assembly areas are Orbital Drilling machines. The machines are used to drill holes to attach the wings to the center fuselage section of the airplane. The drilling technique is unique in that the cutter rotates in a circular motion to carve out the hole, rather than a conventional drill that cuts straight into the material. Benefits of the machines include improved precision and time savings for mechanics. A third benefit is improved safety as the machines require lower thrust and torque.
To date, 35 787s have been delivered to eight airlines and the program has more than 800 unfilled orders with 58 customers worldwide.

FAAN Gives Ultimatum to clear boneyards in Nigeria

The Nigerian Federal Aviation Authority (FAAN) has issued a 1 month ultimatum to the country's aircraft owners and operators, to remove all  abandoned aircraft that litter Nigeria's 8 major airports or risk legal proceedings as the country moves to cast off the stereotypical image of African aviationl, the obligatory aircraft bone-yard filled with rusting 707 hulks (and the occasional Antonov tossed in for good measure).

The move to clean up Nigeria's airfields come as the country relaunched its National Aviation Master Plan in April, which calls for Nigerian aviation to be " a world class secure, safe and comfortable air-transport sector viable for economic growth in Nigeria.

Whilst it may seem simple in principle, the entire process of removing the abandoned hulks involves numerous legal obstacles in addition to belligerence on the aircraft owners' behalves. In fact there has been several attempts in the past by FAAN to remove aircraft but it was met by a large opposition of aircraft owners who drag the case to court.

A recent statement from FAAN’s general manager Mr Yakubu Dati, explained that the exercise had become necessary because the aircraft have continued to constitute serious safety hazards. "Their abandonment has also become an eyesore at Nigerian airports, as some of them are abandoned for upwards of ten years. We are constrained to embark on this removal exercise because owners of these abandoned aircraft have deliberately refused to remove them despite all efforts by the Authority to make them do so," Dati said.

He said some of the owners of abandoned aircraft had taken FAAN to court over the issue and got court injunctions that made it difficult for the Authority to carry out the exercise before now. "Some of these cases have now been concluded hence the commencement of the removal exercise, at least for the abandoned aircraft cases of which have been concluded,"

Here below are various pictures found of Nigeria's ubiquitous airport bone-yards over the last 10 years. Some aircraft are still there, some have been scrapped. All credit goes the original photographers.