Letting his dreams take-off
A young pilot opens up to The Zone about the financial obstacles he is facing in obtaining a commercial pilot licence and how he depends on driving a cab in order to pay for his training fees.
Nahol Tatekulu Amutenya is a young, friendly and persistent character. He believes in overcoming all his challenges just so that he can realise his dream of becoming a licenced commercial pilot. He has over the years taken many knocks but has remained obstinate and fixated on his dream despite the odds that are against him.
The soft spoken licenced private pilot from the Windhoek Flight Training Centre (WFTC) calls himself an approachable and says he just wants to be happy. “I’m always driven by success and motivating other people as well as learn from other successful individuals,” said Amutenya. He grew up in Windhoek and says the city shaped his love for aviation from a young age. “We had a tree behind our house in Windhoek and during that time the Boeing 747 was very popular and I used to pretend that that the tree in the backyard was a Boeing plane that I flew, that kind of got me interested in the aviation industry,” said Amutenya. He says after matriculating, his first choice of study was aviation.
In 2013 his childhood dream became a reality after he enrolled at the Windhoek Flight Training Centre (WFTC) at Eros airport an effort that would make him a private pilot. “I completed my private flying licence in 2014 soon after I registered at WFTC in 2013 and my studies where funded by the Namibia Students Financial Aid Fund (NSFAF) at the time. NSFAF could only fund my studies for four years after that they couldn’t pay anymore even after I tried extending the contract I had with them,” said Amutenya. He said after his NSFAF contract expired in 2016, he was told that they couldn’t fund for his studies anymore. “I was not really disappointed but it was a difficult time because I wanted to continue with my studies but did not have the financial means to do so,” said Amutenya.
He says he soon realised that he did not have the finances to continue his studies so he decided to drive his father’s cab in order to pay for his training fees. “When my NSFAF loan expired I knew I could pay for some of my training lessons through the money I could make from my father’s taxi business,” said Amunyela. He says although the taxi business has been able to help him pay off some of his training fees the amount of money he still needs to pay was too much for him to settle on his own. “It is a sacrifice that I have made but paying for those fees is not easy because aviation fees are very expensive,” shared Amutenya.
He explains that flying is an amazing experience and is one of the best things he has ever done in his life. “I am very passionate about flying. Whenever you fly, you feel free and you are just amazed because every time you go up you experience something new. Everything looks beautiful from the skies and it is just breath taking. You also get to appreciate nature at its best,” shared Amutenya. He added that he will always cherish the moment he took his father on a scenic tour. “When I took my dad out flying one day I made him very proud and he usually speaks about that day whenever he talks about me to people. That really motivates me to work hard because my parents were not keen on me being a pilot because the studies are very expensive,” said Amutenya.
He says financial constraints have been affecting him badly because they have been a stumbling block because he cannot finish his studies until he pays off his tuition fees. “Financial constraints are affecting everyone in this industry and I really edge the government to assist us all and just fund for our studies,” said Amutenya. He says he had to stand up for himself by driving a taxi to make money for himself but many other people are not in the same position he is in. He must complete at least 100 hours of flying in order to complete his studies but he has only managed to do 30 hours of flying so far. Amutenya who is a fixed wing Pilot says he loves flying the Cessna 152 plane he is currently training with.
He encourages all parents to look for ways to fund their children’s education while they are still young. “Parents should at least start up study policies that can benefit their children in future. For those who want to become pilots, they should follow their dreams and never give up until they succeed,” advised Amutenya.
He says all he wants for the future is to complete his commercial pilot licence. “What I want to do is to complete my commercial pilot licence and to become a productive person in the aviation industry, If there are any Good Samaritans who can assist me with paying for my flying lessons, they are also more than welcome to do so.” said Amutenya.
Anyone interested in assisting Amutenya financially can reach him on his cell phone number 081 432 6010.
Shona Ngava
The soft spoken licenced private pilot from the Windhoek Flight Training Centre (WFTC) calls himself an approachable and says he just wants to be happy. “I’m always driven by success and motivating other people as well as learn from other successful individuals,” said Amutenya. He grew up in Windhoek and says the city shaped his love for aviation from a young age. “We had a tree behind our house in Windhoek and during that time the Boeing 747 was very popular and I used to pretend that that the tree in the backyard was a Boeing plane that I flew, that kind of got me interested in the aviation industry,” said Amutenya. He says after matriculating, his first choice of study was aviation.
In 2013 his childhood dream became a reality after he enrolled at the Windhoek Flight Training Centre (WFTC) at Eros airport an effort that would make him a private pilot. “I completed my private flying licence in 2014 soon after I registered at WFTC in 2013 and my studies where funded by the Namibia Students Financial Aid Fund (NSFAF) at the time. NSFAF could only fund my studies for four years after that they couldn’t pay anymore even after I tried extending the contract I had with them,” said Amutenya. He said after his NSFAF contract expired in 2016, he was told that they couldn’t fund for his studies anymore. “I was not really disappointed but it was a difficult time because I wanted to continue with my studies but did not have the financial means to do so,” said Amutenya.
He says he soon realised that he did not have the finances to continue his studies so he decided to drive his father’s cab in order to pay for his training fees. “When my NSFAF loan expired I knew I could pay for some of my training lessons through the money I could make from my father’s taxi business,” said Amunyela. He says although the taxi business has been able to help him pay off some of his training fees the amount of money he still needs to pay was too much for him to settle on his own. “It is a sacrifice that I have made but paying for those fees is not easy because aviation fees are very expensive,” shared Amutenya.
He explains that flying is an amazing experience and is one of the best things he has ever done in his life. “I am very passionate about flying. Whenever you fly, you feel free and you are just amazed because every time you go up you experience something new. Everything looks beautiful from the skies and it is just breath taking. You also get to appreciate nature at its best,” shared Amutenya. He added that he will always cherish the moment he took his father on a scenic tour. “When I took my dad out flying one day I made him very proud and he usually speaks about that day whenever he talks about me to people. That really motivates me to work hard because my parents were not keen on me being a pilot because the studies are very expensive,” said Amutenya.
He says financial constraints have been affecting him badly because they have been a stumbling block because he cannot finish his studies until he pays off his tuition fees. “Financial constraints are affecting everyone in this industry and I really edge the government to assist us all and just fund for our studies,” said Amutenya. He says he had to stand up for himself by driving a taxi to make money for himself but many other people are not in the same position he is in. He must complete at least 100 hours of flying in order to complete his studies but he has only managed to do 30 hours of flying so far. Amutenya who is a fixed wing Pilot says he loves flying the Cessna 152 plane he is currently training with.
He encourages all parents to look for ways to fund their children’s education while they are still young. “Parents should at least start up study policies that can benefit their children in future. For those who want to become pilots, they should follow their dreams and never give up until they succeed,” advised Amutenya.
He says all he wants for the future is to complete his commercial pilot licence. “What I want to do is to complete my commercial pilot licence and to become a productive person in the aviation industry, If there are any Good Samaritans who can assist me with paying for my flying lessons, they are also more than welcome to do so.” said Amutenya.
Anyone interested in assisting Amutenya financially can reach him on his cell phone number 081 432 6010.
Shona Ngava
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