As a little boy, Mike Sisimolu would excitedly run to the local airstrip whenever a plane arrived near the village where he grew up in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
For their safety, kids were told they could look but not touch, which just motivated young Mike to dream of a career where he could one day work up close with aircraft.
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| Mike Sisimolu has become the first Student to Complete MAF Flight Training Centers Course for PNG Pilots . Photo by 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘵𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴 - MAF Australia |
After achieving that dream by becoming an aircraft maintenance engineer, Mike is now ready to soar even higher after completing his pilot training with MAF’s Flight Training Centre in Mareeba, Australia.
“Back home, the only access was by aeroplane and these guys, MAF, used to have small aeroplanes that did most of the servicing,” he said. “My grandfather used to own a shop so he would charter an aeroplane from the next town. The airstrip is 10km away and we would often run down when we heard the engines, we knew the aeroplane was coming so we would run from the house to the airstrip. So, it sort of started there. The aeroplane was something very protected, kids were not allowed to touch it, the best we could do was chase it on the side of the fence, climb up just to see how it takes off and how it touches the ground."
“That challenged me, why is it so hard, why can’t they even let me touch the aeroplane. This led me to try to be a pilot and also because, where I come from, no one has ever been a pilot so I would be the first from that area. It was a challenge for me to try something that no one has ever done.”
Also check out on : How to train as Pilot with MAF
Source : MAF Australia
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