Glo-powered CNN African Voices shares story of 3 sky gladiators
By Ladesope Ladelokun, Lagos
In continuation of its tradition of showcasing talented Africans who are carving out a niche in different fields of endeavour, Globacom-sponsored CNN African Voices will this weekend bring to viewers the exciting story of two pilots and a paraglider.
The first guest on the programme is Kenya’s hot air balloon pilot, David Eris Nguruga, who from childhood nursed the dream of flying airplanes. The desire has blossomed into a 12-year romance with hot air balloons and he takes viewers through his interesting journey to stardom, including how he grew from being a crew member to a pilot.
“I had developed a liking for flying airplanes when I was a kid. I remember, we were having lunch and this fighter jet came out. I stepped on my food just to see this plane. I was like whoa. I said I want to be in one. So, I think I developed that from my childhood, but never thought that I could do it,” he says.
Next on the show is Tumi Carter Katisi, a commercial pilot from Pimville, Soweto, South Africa. She developed a love for flying in her tenth year in school when she was assigned to shadow a professional in the workplace.
Because of her childhood dream to be a doctor, she chose to carry out the assignment in a hospital. However, she was not successful in this endeavour as none of the hospitals she approached gave her the green light. She then decided to visit her aunt who works with South African Airways.
After that first visit, Katisi went back to the airport at every opportunity she had and this helped her build a relationship with pilots who shared their secrets with her and allowed her to be part of their simulator time. Her passion for flying got a boost when her community helped pay her fees up to last year when she got her commercial licence.
She now uses her experience to train other young South African females who may wish to toe her path.
Also to be featured on African Voices this weekend is Hans Joachim, a paraglider from Mauritius, who engages in the recreational art of flying foot-launched glider aircraft. He enjoys the adventure because of its lack of rigid primary structure. He sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing from which he has ruled the Mauritius skies, flying like a bird for years.
“The development of our ability to identify these rising, warmer and therefore lighter air bubbles allows us to paraglide across the island – from North to South and from East to West,” he joked.
