Newly minted pilot makes Igloolik proud
Nujaliah Iyerak obtains pilot’s licence and will fly for Keewatin Air
Nujaliah Iyerak is making Igloolik proud after celebrating his graduation from flight school on Sept. 25. He’s seen here in his new Keewatin Air pilot’s uniform with his wife Blandina Irqqarqsaq soon after graduation. (Photo courtesy of Exchange Income Corporation)
A man from Igloolik saw his dreams come true last month when he graduated flight school.
“I still can’t believe it,” Nujaliah Iyerak said of the achievement.
Iyerak celebrated his graduation with his wife and mom at a ceremony in Rankin Inlet on Sept. 25.
“[Mom] was happy. I told her not to cry so that I wouldn’t,” he said.
Iyerak graduated as part of the Atik Mason Indigenous Pathways program, funded by Exchange Income Corp., which operates northern airlines such as Canadian North, Keewatin Air and Calm Air. Now that he has his pilot’s licence, he has been hired by Keewatin Air.
Training starts in Rankin Inlet, but continues in Moncton, N.B., where students complete their education. In Iyerak’s case, when he was ready to head south, he was able to bring his wife with him. Iyerak’s tuition was paid for, as well as room and board for him and his wife.
Pilot training is modular and paced differently depending on student requirements. A student could take as little as one year or as much as five years to complete the program, said David White, executive vice-president of aviation at Exchange Income Corp.
White attended Iyerak’s graduation ceremony in Rankin Inlet, calling it a “special moment.”
“The pure pride that was beaming from [his family]. And rightfully so, he has set out on a journey and now completed a very significant chapter,” he said.
“I didn’t know people could smile that much.”
Iyerak embarked on his journey to obtain a pilot’s licence about a year ago and completed the program at a “very, very high pace,” said Lisa McGivery, manager of Exchange Income Corp. programs.
He will do a bit more training to determine which kind of plane he is going to fly — cargo or medevac — for Keewatin Air.
For now, Iyerak said, he is interested in flying medevac out of Igloolik … and basking in the glory of his achievement.
“Everyone has been so happy for me. People in [Igloolik] still congratulate me,” he said, adding schools have asked him to speak to their students.
Iyerak, congrats, my grandson is over at Moncton right now taking a tail of the course, so happy for you and the rest. You’re not only a pilot but a role model to many children in you community. Ajugii…Gutip ilagilitit.
Congratulations!
Congratulations on a great accomplishment. Shows what is possible when one follows their dreams and does the work. A great role model. Blue skies ahead.
Good for him! Let there be more Inuit pilots! After all these years, why aren’t Inuit flying most of the planes in as well as to and from their own territory? It’s only a next step up from driving a car and then a big truck. Peter Pitseolak was said to have been the first Inuk to fly a plane, in the 1950s, and decades ago Markoosie Patsauq was flying out of Resolute Bay for Atlas Aviation.
Great to see!! congrataulations.