Women In Aviation: Female Pilot Achievers

In the world of Aviation if you think just because your a man you can have your way as an aviator. Think again! Unlike before aviation is fast growing with women Pilots or Aviatrices. You would have to work twice as hard inorder to break the ground breaking records our women of today are setting.
As of 2010, just over 7% of certified civilian pilots (both private and commercial) in the United States were women.
Let's see the Pioneer Pilots, of the past, present and future.

Above is Captain Berverly Burns !st woman to captain a Boeing 747
-Raymonde de Laroche, the world's first licensed female pilot on March 8, 1910; Belgian,
-Helene Dutrieu, the first woman to fly a passenger, first woman to win an air race (1910), and first woman to pilot a seaplane (1912); French,
-Marie Marvingt the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel and the
North Sea in a balloon (October 26, 1909) and first woman to fly as a bomber pilot in combat missions (1915); Russian,
-Eugenie Shakhovskaya was the first female military pilot; American,
-Harriet Quimby, the USA's first licensed female pilot in 1911, and the first woman to cross the English Channel by airplane; American
-Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932);
-Bessie Coleman, the first African American female to become a licensed airplane pilot (1921);
-German, Marga von Etzdorf, first woman to fly for an airline (1927);
-Opal Kunz, one of the few women to train US Navy fighter pilots during World War II in the Civilian Pilot Training Program; and the British
-Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia (1930).
-Valérie André, a French neurosurgeon and member of the French army, became the first woman to fly a helicopter in combat, while serving in Indochina (1945).
-Jean Batten, a New Zealander, made a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world, including, in 1936, the first-ever solo flight from England to New Zealand.
-Sabiha Gökçen, born in 1913, Turkey, became the world's first female fighter pilot at the age of 23. She is also turkey's first female pilot.
In 1979, a Jamaican, Maria Ziadie-Haddad, became one of the first women in the Western Hemisphere to become a commercial jet airline pilot when she was hired by Air Jamaica 1968 Ltd as a B727 Second Office
In Japan, the first female captain for commercial passenger flights was Ari Fuji, who began flying as captain for
JAL Express in July 2010. Fuji was rejected from admission to Japanese pilot training school on the grounds of being too small (155 cm; standard was previously 163 cm, currently 158 cm as of spring 2010), so she got her pilot's license in the United States. There are currently a few other female pilots in Japan, though, as of 2010, no others in a captain role.
Hanadi Zakaria al-Hindi is the first
Saudi woman to become a commercial airline pilot
The Israeli Air Force's flight academy is open to female pilots. 24 female pilots have completed the course as of 2011.

In Nigeria, Captain Chinyere kalu is the 1st female pilot in Nigeria, currently heads the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology NCAT.

Adebule imoleye is the youngest licenced commericial airline pilot at 23,

Blessing Liman Nigerian Airforce first female fighter pilot, 25yrs old.

Kimberly Anyadike a born and based in the US is a Nigerian, she is known as the first African American teen to fly across the United States. She flew from
Compton, California to Newport News, Virginia in 2009. It took her 13 days to complete the flight The miles flown were 2,342miles. The plane used was a Cessna C-172. She was accompanied by safety pilot Ronnell Norman, a certified commercial pilot and Major Levi H. Thornhill, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot who at age 87, is a member of the elite
Tuskegee Airmen who flew during world war II.
One of my personal favourite woman achiever who i would proudly say i'm in contact with is Karlene Petitte although i have not meet her in person, yet, but she is one of the leading women in aviation in the USA she is type rated on a B727, B747, B747-400, B757, B767, and A330. Visit her blog karlenepetitt.blogspot.com for more about kerlene petitte her remarkable achievements and incredible donations towards aviation especially women, and drop your comments.
Never Underestimate a woman!!!

Picture Of The Day: Space Shuttle Cockpit

OMGod! The sight of this flight deck gives me a headache. Well this is the reason why i wanted becoming a pilot in the first place. It looks beautiful right? Its truly Amazing and a true work of Cockpit design Art!
That up there my friends is the flight deck of the space shuttle. ENDEAVOUR!

Nigeria Records Higest Airlift of Passengers This Year

By the end of December this year passenger movement on international routes would have risen to six million; the highest increase recorded in Nigeria’s air transport history.

By end of November the figure was already more than five million and it is estimated that over one million Nigerians would return from overseas during the Yuletide.

In 2011, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recorded over 12 million passenger movements and 234,235 aircraft movements and out of the over 12 million passengers only four million were international passengers.

So the figure has increased by 50 per cent but there are indications that passenger movement in the domestic routes would be less than what was obtained last year because there was a slump immediately after the crash of Dana Air flight 0992, which killed 163 people.

Passengers on domestic destinations deserted the airports and it was in September that there was discernible increase in passenger movement but by then fares had become exorbitant because few airlines were operating so those who could not afford the high fares chose alternative means to get to their destinations.

The busiest airport was the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, which from January to October last year recorded 3,257,738 passengers on domestic flights and 2,237, 991 international flight passengers within the same period, the number of passenger movement to international destinations has doubled this year.

Many in the industry attributed the increase to high mobility of Nigerians who travel out of the country to do business, attend conferences and others who travel to study and go to hospitals overseas.

Only few travel for leisure, but many Nigerians travel out of the country every day “for many other reasons but not for holidays. Few go for holidays,”
Industry consultant and former chairman of the Federal Government’s Technical and Administrative Review Panel in the Aviation Industry, Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd) said that domestic airline operation has become unprofitable now due to the fact that operational cost has gone up astronomically.

“Cost of jet fuel (Jet A1) which used to be N35.00 per litre is now N240.00. This has led to increase in fares which directly affect passengers’ inflow into the airport. In a country where minimum wage is N18, 000 it is difficult for many Nigerians to travel by and I can say that the number of Nigerians that travel by air is not more than 5.5 per cent of the nation’s population.”
But he described Nigeria as the bread basket of international travel in West Africa and beyond, remarking that many international carriers that operate into the country record profitable airlift from Nigeria, but ironically Nigerian airlines record successive failures.

“We did not protect our local operations because we granted so many entry points but Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) allows one entry, so if you allow more entries it should be reciprocated,” Obakpolor said, adding that Nigeria is not benefiting from its huge passenger market.

Test Pilots

If you are the Captain of let's say Emirates B777 or A380 and you rake in up to $80,000-$100,000 a year. One would say yes you have reached the height of your piloting career. Its a dream come true. For some pilots they just scratch the surface. There are a group of special aviators that go an extra mile in the world of aviation, "TEST PILOTS"
Test piloting is a branch of aviation that requires a special and authentic skill, a vast and wealthy knowledge for aviation or airplanes. Generally we know test pilots as those who write the aircraft manual for airplanes. Well its true that's just a fraction of their job specification, but it goes a whole lot deeper than that.
Test Pilots are not your average commercial airline pilots, they are very well above average pilots. Test pilots may work for military organizations or private, (mostly aerospace) companies. Testing military aircraft, in particular, is regarded as the most challenging and risky flying.
Unlike commercial airline pilots, test pilots are required to have a degree in an aviation related course like, aeronautical Engineering or aeronautic sciences, Aerospace Engineering or science, flight science etc. Accompanied with an advanced degree. Test pilots should be able 2 understand and have an in-dept knowledge about airplanes.

A test pilot must be able to:

-Understand a test plan;
-Stick to a test plan, flying a plane in a highly specific way;
-Carefully document the results of each test;
-Have an excellent feel for the aircraft, and sense exactly how it is behaving oddly if it is doing so;
-Solve problems quickly if anything goes wrong with the aircraft during a test;
-Cope with many different things going wrong at once.
-Test pilots must have an excellent knowledge of aeronautical engineering, in order to understand how they are tested and why.
Test pilots must be above average pilots with excellent analytical skills and the ability to fly accurately whilst following a flight plan.

Let's take a look at a summary of my favourite test pilot. Captain Mark Feuerstein. His achievements usually gets my head spinning everytime.

Capt. Mark Feuerstein is currently chief pilot of 747 programs for The Boeing Company. In this position, Feuerstein is responsible for engineering flight-test activities related to all Boeing 747 airplane models. He is also involved in design activities of the new Boeing 747-8I and 747-8F. He was appointed to this role in October 2007. Feuerstein joined The Boeing Company in 1997. His previous assignments include chief pilot for new airplane product development, assistant chief pilot 747, assistant chief pilot 787, and deputy military and special projects pilot. He has more than 7,000 hours of flight time in over 100 types of airplanes, and holds an FAA type rating in the 707, 737, 747, 747-400, 757, 767, 777, A-320 and A-330 airplanes.

Feuerstein received his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1981. In 1987, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as an engineering test pilot. In 1994, he received his Masters of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He is also an associate fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is the Boeing Commercial Airplanes pilot representative to SAE International's Flight Deck and Handling Qualities Standards for Transport Aircraft committee (S-7).
Mark served as assistant chief pilot for both the 747 and 787 airplane programs, and as the deputy Military and Special Projects pilot where his responsibilities included flight-testing of Boeing’s commercial derivative military airplanes, including the KC/RC-135, E-6 and E-767.
Talk about an impressive CV.

AIB Signs Contract with Canadian Firm to Build FDR/CVR Laboratory in Lagos

The Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, of the Aviation Ministry signed a contract with a Canadian firm CAE/Flight Scape  to set up FDR/CVR (Flight Data Recorder/Cockpit voice Recorder) laboratory in Lagos, for purposes of analyzing recorded tapes of crashed planes and also help with a prompt downloading of tape information.
The usual practice is Flight Data Recorder, FDR, and Cockpit Voice Recorded, CVR, of accident aircraft are taken overseas for analysis and interpretation, to facilitate investigation and report of probable cause of air accidents. Which terribly delays Investigative reports.

"The Bureau is recognized by ICAO as the most qualified/competent Air Accident investigation body in the sub region (Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation) and could render its expertise when needed and will be better placed within the sub-region

Meanwhile,

The Yakubu Gowon Airport in Plateau Stae, is being transformed into a cargo airport.
Yakubu Dati, the general manager (corporate communications) of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said that Federal Government was determined to make the country the hub of aviation in Africa.
He said the transformation is because of the rich agricultural potential of Plateau, adding that the airport would aid efforts to transport agricultural produce to other parts of the country and beyond.

“Aviation is the fastest and safest means of transportation and government is also working toward making it the cheapest”
I hope soooo....

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.

Exclusive Interview of Chinyere Kalu, Nigeria's First Female Pilot.

Captain Chinyere Kalu is a pilot and presently the Rector of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria. In this interview with a select group of journalists she bares her mind of her over 33 years flying career.

                                                      beach baron Tb9 parked at NCAT hanger

What motivated you to become a pilot?
It was a long time ago, about 33 years ago. The motivating factor is just an adventurous spirit, to venture out to see what is out there. I felt flying will be challenging and I didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing at the time, I wanted something unique, something special, something challenging, something that I feel will be fulfilling. So that is what led me into flying. I also thought it will be a good opportunity to travel all over the world and get paid for it.

What was the reaction of your parent to that decision?
Surprisingly, there was no opposition. My aunt who was my mentor was the first person to travel to the United Kingdom from my village. She was a kind of a celebrity of her time. So when I mentioned the idea of flying, having been the first person in my village to go to UK, she did nursing, she was a trail blazer so to speak. And having been that exposed she just felt, this is your opportunity don’t even look back.

What about your father?
Well I didn’t grow up with my father. I had a lot of female influence around me when I was growing up. My mum had separated from my father long ago and I didn’t grow up under his influence.

How has the journey been so far?
It has not been easy for a number of reasons. I have suffered a lot; in fact I have been a threat to a number of people, chief executives prior to my time. They felt so threatened to the point that they felt if they leave me to excel, that probably I was going to take their job from them. So there was a lot of victimisation but the bottom line is that God who brought me from the dung hill has made it possible for me to be on this seat at this time and I just thank him. That is the conclusion of it all. It has not been easy, there was a period of time in my life I was sent packing for 14 months no salary, nothing. And that was not the first time nor was it the second but God has been faithful and that is the bottom line. It has not been easy because I didn’t have a lot of support, I didn’t have a lot of godfathers and I was there suffering but God has been faithful.

How have you been able to combine family with your career?
When I was bringing up my children my work wasn’t this busy and so I had time to bring up the children. And I have a wonderful husband; he is very supportive. Sometimes he will ask, when are you coming home and I will say not so soon or I am coming right back. He understands and he doesn’t mind if I don’t cook his meals, if I don’t come home early but he is a workaholic as well. So even if I get home at 12 midnight he is still very much awake and I will end up going to bed before him. So he works late but the truth of the matter is that he is very loving, very understanding and very supportive. If he had not been so supportive of me through it all I don’t know how I would have managed.

What is your most memorable flying experience?
One of the memorable moments of my life in flying was when I went on my first solo. First solo is the first time a student pilot will take off with the aircraft and land all by himself or herself without the instructions and the presence of a flight instructor. That I did I think on the 6th of June, 1978. I can remember it clearly. At that time the set of instructors that we had were semi-military and they could be so harsh and unfriendly. So my instructor said to me “well you go if you like kill yourself”. For me as a pilot and as an instructor I will never tell that to my students at this point. I will say I believe in you, all you need to do is to show me that you can go up and come down on your own. Go ahead I am praying for you and I know you will succeed.
I did go up and when I went up instead of being afraid, rigid and timid, I felt so relaxed. I could remember I was singing, flying, just praising God and thanking God. I was not frigid, I was just there doing my own thing.
The other incident I had was on 6th of October 2006 when I had a plane crash. We had gone up with some two girls, twin sisters with another boy on a flight. At that time I think the exercise they were to do was climbing. It hasn’t been long they started flying when it happened. So we did the normal checks, all the parameters were okay, everything was working fine and then we took off. And because I had taught them some of the exercises so they were doing it themselves and then it got to a point and one of the student said Ma, it seems as if our aircraft is losing power. So I checked and looked at the parameters and they were okay but from the sound of the engine and the engine indicator (thermometer RPM indicator), I could see that actually we were losing power.
So when that happened I took over control from her, obviously I should take over. I am the pilot in command and did all the other checks to see if we didn’t do something right or put something wrongly. I did all that and the power was not being sustained, so I realised that this is for real. So I was composed, I was calm then I decided that we should head towards the air field that is coming back to our airport here. I started coming back to the field and I was able to make it to the field. That was an incident some years back and when we landed we realised that water had entered the engine. We drained and saw half bottle of water from the engine, so it was the water that entered the engine that was making the aircraft to rough run and not to perform well.
When that was happening, the twin sisters asked, Ma does it mean this is it? I said well it could be but pray, call on your God. And the faithful God remain faithful to us and nothing happened. When we landed I told them to rush out immediately, we all rushed out because with that impact there could be fire. When this was happening I had called the tower to give them our situation report and what was happening per time, so tower was busy calling us but we had rushed out for safety. When we waited for a while and noticed there was no fire, we came back to answer tower and told them our exact location, eventually they came for us.

In view of your experiences, will you advise more girls to take to flying?
Well looking at your face I could conclude that in fact once you allow your daughter to toe this line she will become a heroine. Yes, nobody is going to victimise her, she will be greatly encouraged. I have taken all the beating and bashing and all that so no other woman flight instructor will go through. In fact, at a point, I was retrenched because I was expecting my first baby. They said as a pilot you cannot fly but we went over that and so many other gory experiences. But I thank God I am still here after 33 years.
Recently I went to Abuja for a programme by the University of Science and Engineering in Abuja, I was invited to give motivational talks to young girls and I was just encouraging them. I am ageing and I need replacement, I need younger people to come and replace me. They should come because I think women make better flight instructors. They are patient, they will teach, advice, encourage.
How many students do you have?
We have quite a number. We have a set of students in Minna, we have a campus there that the Niger State government collaborated with us to open to conduct ground instructions for flight training. So we have 28 (SP 28), in SP26 we have about 17 students, in SP27 we have about 20 students and then we have some students in SP25 and by January we will take in another set of students. So you can say we have about 70 flying students.

How many of them are women?
I really don’t know. I know in Minna we have about three girls for other ones we have girls in the class, maybe a total of 10 or there about.

What is the cost of training a pilot?
The cost is N7.5 million for the whole period and that is inclusive of feeding and accommodation and in reality, that is below the cost price because when you talk of international college of aviation in Ilorin, they charge N10 million excluding feeding and accommodation and then the fuel they use are produced locally compared to ours that we buy from outside the country and we pay about N125, 000 per drum of fuel.

One of your students (Governor Suntai of Taraba State) recently had a plane crash.
(Cuts in) I wouldn’t want to answer that. I will want to say that we have had students like Capt. Adoka Rein, he was my own personal student and he is flying and is still flying. He was MD NAMA and now he is flying with Arik Air and a host of them. Yes, we train students, it is the same standard we are maintaining but anything can happen any time, it is not because of the school. We maintain our standard, NCAA is a regulatory body that checks our standard, so we maintain very high standard and Nigerian pilots trained in this college are some of the best in the world.

How often do you fly?
Well, in the past it wasn’t as often but now much more regularly. As I go to Abuja for one programme or the other, I seize the opportunity to fly so that I remain current.

You don’t go to Abuja by road?
I do sometimes but when I am pressed for time or I have a lot to do, I fly.

SOUTH SUDAN: Kenyan Fokker 50 crash lands in Aweil; no casualties.

 

News wires are reported the crash landing of a Kenyan Skyward International Fokker 50 (MSN: 20175 | 5Y-CAN) in Aweil, the capital of Northern Bhar al Ghazal state, South Sudan. The flight was carrying members of the International Office of Migration (IOM) returning from a conference in Khartoum, Sudan. Of the 57 passengers onboard, some were said to have sustained injuries.

“The airstrip … is safe for landing, but a plane is a metal and you don’t know what can happen,” Mr Madut, the deputy governor Northern Bhar al Ghazal state told a local radio station. “The pilot did a good job; he managed to save the lives of 57 people who were on board, coming from Sudan.”

Pictures taken by eyewitnesses at the scene showed the aircraft lying flat on the ground.One of the wheels was twisted to point into the sky and a broken off trunk lay by the side of the wreckage on dry grass. A passenger who disembarked unhurt from the plane said he was alerted to the sound of grumbling. And in a short while, he said, the aircraft was lying in the bush. Big Ups to the Fokker Pilot who saved all those lives (applauding)

FG Plans National Carrier With 30 New Aircrafts.

We are aware the Federal Government plans to float a new national carrier with at least 30 brand new aircraft, but i doubt we can see the reality of that this year.
The Director of Operations, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) Mr. Henry Omeogu, in a statement while speaking with newsmen during his visit to the Port Harcourt International Airport. Omeogu explained that "though the new national carrier would be private sector-driven, fairly used or old aircraft would not be allowed to be among the fleet of its airplanes." He said the move was part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan for the aviation sector, adding that the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, was determined to turn around the industry. Explaining that the Federal Government was interested in raising the standard in the aviation sector to a world-class level, Omeogu disclosed that the government had begun the renovation of 11 airports across the country. “We are going to have about 30 brand new aircraft and they (aircraft) will be our national carrier. The effort will be private-sector driven. We will insist that others who would want to be part this should come with brand new aircraft,”
The FAAN director gave an assurance that by 2014, the Federal Government would have achieved nearly 100 per cent of its plans to transform the aviation sector. There has been improved security within and around airports across the country which was part of the arrangement for a new aviation industry, over 50 policemen had already been moved from Abuja to the Port Harcourt International Airport. “The President has signed performance contracts with all the sectors, and at the end of the day, any person that cannot key into the new vision of the Federal Government will naturally leave the system,” Omeogu explained that the ongoing transformation of the country’s aviation sector would provide many employment opportunities for the citizens as the materials needed for the renovation of some of the airports in the country were available, while the contractors had been paid to avoid any delay in the completion of the projects.

Flight Movie: Official Trailer 2012

Personally I'm a Denzel Washington fan. And to see him wear my kind off uniform in my kind off office just sends my adrenaline haywire. The movie Flight currently showing in cinemas abroad, but yet to be in the Nigerian cinemas. Is a story of a captains remarkable flying. Its currently number 3 in the box office with making $14.5Million in its 1st weekend and a gross earning of about $45Million in 2weeks

NAMA upgrades to automated flight plans.

Engr Nnamdi Udoh, the Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA), says Nigeria will upgrade from the analogue method of preparing flight plans to automated system on Thursday.(which is today)
He said: ``From Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, Nigeria will join the rest of the global aviation community in this development, as it has become mandatory for all contracting states of ICAO to do so.’’
Udoh said that the new flight plan would afford air navigation service providers the opportunity to make maximum use of aircraft capabilities.
He listed other benefits of the new flight plan to include:-
- ability of the aircraft to conduct flights more closely to their preferred trajectories and facilitate the
  utilisation of advanced technologies, thereby increasing efficiency.
- optimised demand and capacity balancing through efficient exchange of information.
- enhance the airlines’ use of modern capabilities on board the aircraft, as well as enhance search and
  rescue operations when the need arises.
The forum was attended by airline operators, pilots, air traffic controllers, regulators and service providers. We are moving up in the world of aviation. kudos!

Hello Everyone!!! Check out This Helicopter

The worlds first hotel Hotelicopter features 18 luxuriously-appointed rooms for adrenaline junkies seeking a truly unique and memorable travel experience.
It is a helicopter hotel! It has 18 rooms with five-star facilities!
I dey madt! Just as much as i would love to fly everything i would never fly that, let alone sleep there. joooor o. It doesn't even look aerodynamically possible.

NCAA directs Nigerian Domestic airlines to install latest safety device within six months

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in Lagos yesterday finally issued the airlines operating in the country six months to install Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) in their aircraft  or face sanctions.  

This directive was announced by the Director-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren after presenting his paper at the ongoing Airbus Industry Workshop Training for indigenous airline operators.

He said that so far, all the country’s airline operators had indicated their interested in fixing the equipment onto their airplanes and disclosed that it cost NCAA about $30,000 (N4.8 Million) to acquire and install the equipment in its headquarters in Lagos.

Demuren said it would cost the airline more, but they could pay in installments to the manufacturer of the equipment after the initial payment of about $60, 000 (N9.5 Million) on each aircraft and then the airlines can make yearly payment till they finish paying. It is a fraction of the money they will use to buy an airplane.Well if you think this is expensive, go and try accident. lol!

  “We are giving them six months to install the gadgets in their airplanes. We need to give them some time. It is not a thing you can do in one day. After that, no aeroplane would operate in the public category carrying passengers for hire and reward will be allowed again in the country. I think it is good to promote safety in the industry,”

Any snag would be detected automatically. Every one of them wants it. It is the latest in the world. There have been complaints that pilots don’t record snags in their logbooks, but this automatically records everything. You can’t hide or change it. Everyone would have it; the airline and even the NCAA. We will know the problem and we would be able to fix it.

On the workshop, Demuren commended the aircraft manufacturer for conducting the training for Nigerian airline operators, saying that this would further boost safety in the Nigerian aviation industry.

Also speaking on the issue, Airbus International Safety Programme Director, Mr. Marc Ballion said that the AFIRS would automatically be fixed on all its aircraft from 2015.

He said with this installation, speculations arising from probable causes of aircraft accident would be over, stressing that before the airline could come out with the latest technology; it cost two years of intensive research.

He said that before the latest discovery, the company was improving in its safety record, maintaining that it would further boost safety in the sector.

“Again, we have to be predictive and pro-active in our approach to safety of airplanes and passengers in the sector. We don’t have to wait for an accident to occur before we take step. This device reveals all the components of aircraft and monitors the movement of aircraft,” Hmmmm... 

Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, issued the summon at a meeting with officials  of the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
Onyejeocha said the invitation became necessary because of the controversy surrounding the alleged discrimination against the airlines. The  airlines summoned include, Turkish Airline, Ethiopia Airline, Emirates Airline and Asky  Airline.