At Mish Aviation, We Tailor Training To Meet Professional Needs, Says Mshelia
CAPT. IBRAHIM MSHELIA, Chief Executive Officer, Mish Aviation School, Accra, Ghana, is also CEO of West Link Airlines. In this exclusive interview with AVIATION MONITOR, he speaks on aviation training in West Africa and the status of his noble Aviation Training Organization.
Q: TO WHAT EXTENT WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE INCREASING LEVEL OF POVERTY IN WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES HAS AFFECTED PATRONAGE OF AVIATION TRAINING SCHOOLS IN THE SUB-REGION?
A: Pilot training globally is a capital intensive programme. Our patronage has always been from sponsorship by either airlines, aviation related organizations, governments or high net-worth individuals. There has been a decline in application due to the economic hardship. However, we still have a reasonable amount of inquiries. At Mish Aviation, we tailor the training to meet professional and individual needs. So, you can virtually run your course at your pace. In addition, we operate a policy which helps individuals with peculiar circumstances to achieve the desired results.
Q: WOULD YOU SAY THAT AVIATION TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS IN WEST AFRICA ARE COLLABORATING ENOUGH AMONG THEMSELVES?
A: As for collaboration, there are just three institutions offering full commercial Pilot Training besides the military academies. I can confirm that the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT) Zaria is very accommodating and cooperative with Mish Aviation. We also communicate effectively with the International Aviation College (IAC) in Ilorin. We have had to deal with each other in terms of some calibration equipment and it was very cordial. So, I would say the cooperation is very cordial.
Q: WITH THE DWINDLING PERFORMANCE OF INDIGENOUS AIRLINES IN NIGERIA PARTICULARLY, AND THE INCREASING WEAKNESSES DRIVEN BY ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER FACTORS, DO YOU SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE ASPIRING TO BECOME AVIATION PROFESSIONALS?
A: The dwindling fortunes are temporary and are due to wrong policies and implementation. These are problems that come with people and the people can change or their tenure ends and others who care will do the needful. It’s challenging now but I do agree that this will affect the future of professionals. There are surmountable delays with it but they can be addressed.
Q: DID MISH AVIATION SCHOOL HAVE TARGETS AT THE BEGINNING OF 2024 IN TERMS OF STUDENTS ADMISSION NUMBERS? WOULD YOU SAY THE TARGET HAS BEEN MET?
A: We had suspended operations temporarily and are restarting now but we have always tailored our training to a set number. The number of inquiries and interests have increased tremendously because at Mish Aviation, we have precedence of graduating Full time Commercial Pilots License candidates under two years. The challenge of sponsorship is what has become more difficult but we are finding solutions to work with candidates. That’s why we are experts. We know how best to utilize their lean resources against time and achieve the results in the end.
Q: DOES YOUR INSTITUTION HAVE ANY FORM OF PARTNERSHIP WITH FOREIGN TRAINING CONCERNS? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE SINCE YOU MADE SUCH ARRANGEMENT?
A: Our institution has been solely on its own from inception 2011. However, we cooperate with other institutions. There is an ongoing process to partner a New AI company engaging in building MRO, Data centre, Parts warehousing and ab-initio aircraft maintenance engineering training in the region. We shall together, increase our intake numbers for pilots and introduce ab-initio air fame and power plant training for engineers. This shall be publicized soon. We also engage in collaborative partnerships with whoever we choose for whatever we want and vice versa.
Q: HOW WOULD YOU REACT TO THE CONTINUOUS EMERGENCE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY AIRCRAFT ACROSS THE WORLD AS REGARDS TRAINING OF AVIATION PROFESSIONALS?
A: Aviation evolution is constant and each innovation has its advantages and disadvantages. There are various programmes that come along with new equipment and innovations. The transition to modern equipment has been seamless with training and retraining.
At Mish aviation, our simulator is convertible from Single to Multi Engine, analog instruments to digital, and we also have over 240,000 aviation data base for airports globally where we can simulate every new approaches and departures, and so on. We still train them on the basic analog so they have a feel of raw data without automation. This is a training that helps them to understand and master the new technology in case of failures.AM
