By Cornelius Kalyango, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan
My name is Cornelius Kalyango, and I am from Uganda in East Africa. Uganda is renowned as the Pearl of Africa, mainly because of its greenness, the beautiful weather all year round, and the friendliness of the people.
In September 2023, I moved to Canada and joined an aviation school in Winnipeg to pursue my dream of becoming a pilot. The journey to date has been as interesting and fascinating as it has been challenging, and the goal of this story is to share these experiences of emigration with a solid purpose as lead light.
Growing up as a young boy in Uganda and indeed in many parts of rural and semi urban Uganda, young children, fascinated by any of the helicopters or airplanes flying above them, would call out to that being the president. We believed that it was only the president who could fly in an aircraft. Africa has less than two percent of the global air traffic. The good news is that it is growing, with limited infrastructure and facilities, but rising interest and opportunities.
Starting anew in another country, even if it’s for a period, comes with lots of change in the various aspects of life, and I experienced this with the food, weather, mode of transport, the people, and a new culture, among others.
The first couple of weeks were transitioning. My digestive system had to adjust from continental African food to a motley assortment of new Canadian dishes. I stayed with a Canadian family of East Asian origin and surprisingly I didn’t take too much time adjusting. The meals became palatable and good enough for me. The concept of always sitting at a dining table was new, and while we had one at home, it was generally unused. Dessert in Africa is for the formal engagements and a rarity in homes.
I flew into Canada using Emirates airline. The flight from Entebbe to Dubai, which is five and a half hours, was uneventful. Fourteen hours from Dubai to Montreal was exhausting but interesting, yet I was anxious while I connected into Winnipeg. This was my first intercontinental flight.
Our road transport system in Uganda is dominated by what we call taxis. This is a 14-passenger van that is quick to dash into and off the road to pick up and offload commuters. Unlike Canada’s bus stop system, even in the cities buses in Uganda are for the longer journeys, mostly plying the up-country routes.
Starting school brought me face to face with various people, including instructors, fellow students, staff at the school, and others. We are social animals in Uganda, so meeting up with new people from different backgrounds who were welcoming was impressive, and as it is with new beginnings in new surroundings, necessary for settling down. I have made new friends, and life in Canada has become enjoyable.
The weather has been a menace and therefore a challenge. In Uganda, we have moderate temperatures throughout the year. There are two rainy seasons and two dry seasons but with moderate cold and heat. Of course, the winter in Canada was my first experience, and while the stiff fingers are periodically problematic, my main pickle has been the effect it has had interrupting the aviation practice instruction. Bad weather on multiple days during winter has been the reason for the cancellation of many of my flight lessons, slowing down the process of my training. I have now lived the winter; I have experienced it and now I know it.
My life as a student pilot has been enriched as I have already met a number of professionals in the field. I have had the privilege to fly to the northern communities of Manitoba and there has been learning for me, seeing how first-class pilots fly in IFR conditions, maneuvering around bad weather. This has helped me to better understand more deeply aspects of navigating and managing flying in bad weather.
On one of these flights, I had an engagement with Captain Evan Aasen that was quite profound. Asking him questions and sharing in his knowledge had lasting impressions.
The last six months as a foreign student pilot in Canada have been interesting. The learning has been continuous, both in and out of aviation class. The flight training at the Winnipeg Aviation School has and is going to be a fundamental component of my journey to the attainment of my private pilot license, commercial pilot license, and other ratings.
I believe that there will be an opportunity for me to pay back to this growing global industry that incidentally is full of dedicated men and women of honour, serving in the air and spending a lot of time out and away from home. I’m looking forward to joining it.
