By William Madouk
Mr. Buay Stephen Hoth Ker overcame hurdles to get a slot at the prestigious Ethiopian Aviation University and graduated as a pilot—a dream that he had been building on since childhood.
Born in Khartoum, Sudan, he started his primary schooling at CCK Khartoum. After independence, he had to come back to South Sudan. Hoth sat for P8 at Atlabara and high school at CCK and Mat International School, respectively.
“I came to Ethiopia to start my aviation journey, but I was underage; the requirement was 18 years old,” explained Hoth.
According to him, he had to continue pursuing a Diploma in Business Administration as he waited for his age to tick 18.
Mr. Hoth had to join the Ethiopian Aviation University and graduated as the first-ever South Sudanese to graduate in aviation at Addis Ababa on Saturday, beside his DR. Congo, Togo, Tanzanian, Ethiopian, and Madagascar colleagues.
“I have been interested in aviation since I was a child. I am a student pilot who aspires to become a professional pilot. That sounds a bit better,” Hoth said in his speech at the graduation event.
“I decided to make this a career when I was in high school, and here I am today. A CPL (Certificate in Commercial Pilot License) holder,” he added.
Hoth now possesses a CPL with an instrument rating and multi-engine rating; for instance, Mr. Hoth can fly Boeing B737 NG2, Cessna 172 3, DA-40 NG4, and DA-42 NG planes.
He called on those who aspire to be pilots to work hard, citing that “the cockpit is a terrible learning environment, so do as much as you can on the ground.”
According to Hoth, for instance, you can learn the positions of all of the controls or commit common procedures to muscle memory while sitting on the ramp.
“If confused, ask. Again, sometimes this is best done on the ground, when you’re not busy trying to fly the aeroplane,” he noted.
He underlined that ancestors, fathers, mothers, and heroes died for this country, and as such, youth should take the lead by taking this country forward.
“It is up to us, as youth and coming generations, to change and work together with our leaders in government and communities to make South Sudan a better place.
“Lastly, keep educating yourself, focus on your studies, and find learning opportunities. Don’t follow people’s negative thoughts and beliefs or the culture; instead, inspire others to follow you and be a role model to your society,” he expressed.
Meanwhile Dr. Ter Tongyik Majok, South Sudan’s representative to African Union Security Council, speaking on behalf of the deputy head of mission of the South Sudan Embassy in Ethiopia, appreciated the varsity management for imparting wonderful skills and training.
He challenged the government of South Sudan to build strong collaboration with the university to train more young South Sudanese.