Tag Archives: Soroti Flying School
How fisherman’s son defied odds to fly UN planes, become flying instructor
Joseph Otialuk, 34, was among the 31 pilots who graduated from the East African Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA) in Soroti on Friday last week. Otialuk is the firstborn in a family of 12 children from Mugarama village in Labor sub-county in Serere district. His father, Peter Mwanika, is a fisherman and his mother, Peretua Anyago, is a housewife. Otialuk’s interest in piloting started in 1999 when the then army commander Gen Jeje Odongo, landed a helicopter in Pingire sub county. Otialuk had only known fishing before enrolling in school, having accompanied his father on fishing trips since he was eight. When he shared his dream of becoming a pilot with his father, it was dismissed as something only attainable by those from wealthy families. >click to read< 21:52
