By SAM PHIRI –
WHEN it comes to matters of proficiency and professionalism in the civil aviation industry, Capt Alick Sakala, is simply heights above his peers.
A household name in the industry, he has an impressive array of attributes, as highlighted by his rich Curriculum Vitae (CV); much to the envy of many.
Capt Sakala’s dedication to duty, attention to detail and insatiable appetite to achieve excellence has been his fulcrum of his life and work.
While the last time he held  the yoke of an aircraft with his feet on the yaw paddles was in 2007, this erudite man says given a chance to step back into the cockpit, he would without fail captain an aircraft just as though he were on a maiden flight.
Meek and simple, sitting at his home outside in a cooling shed of greenery around, one would easily be deceived into thinking that his achievements  cannot be easily condensed into a mere CV.
Many eyes unless told might not even know that this is the man whose name remains in the aviation history books of Zambia as one of those whose airborne proficient exploits were part of the reason for the successful establishment of the only Zambia national airline – Zambia Airways.
Capt Sakala’s name is on the historical list of the few indigenous Zambian pilots to captain an aircraft as huge as the DC-10 and training many on how to fly it.
Though hard to believe, especially by those who best understand the aerobatics and techniques this is aero-genius whose name is also among the very few in the world who managed to carry out a DC-10 Two Engine ferry from Gatwick to Rome and managed to land safely in 2005!
According to aviators, this is one of the most risky undertakings that only call for the skill and Capt Sakala happen to be one such person.
Now, one would dispel that he never dreamt of becoming a pilot in his life but everything happened by fluke!
According to him, the genesis of his flying career was a matter of just pleasing a roommate. But now he can swank of having being one of Zambia’s first commercial pilots and trainer.
Born on July 11, 1949, in Lusaka, from James Sakala, a medical assistant, Capt Sakala stepped his foot into the world of literacy in 1954 at Burma Road Primary school.
With great inspiration from the father who apparently had an array of excellence in his career that won him accolades, Capt Sakala believed that it is only out of doing the best that one can reach great heights.
“Unlike nowadays where children will preoccupy their minds with future ambitions at an expense of their studies, during my school days, my father emphasised to me that I should never think outside school but only concentrate on school. At that time, I never thought of what I was going to become when I finished school because my preoccupation was doing best at school and nothing else,” he rekindles his unique formula to success.
Capt Sakala confesses that he never thought of becoming a pilot in his life because even after completion of his Form five (now Grade 12) and subsequently getting selected to go to the University of Zambia (UNZA), he chose to study Education majoring in Mathematics.
During his first year at UNZA, Capt Sakala ventured into music as an extra curriculum activity where he sang with the likes of legendary Smoky Haangala.
“I really enjoyed my musical aspect of life such that it became part of me,” he says.
Now Music and Mathematics; how does aviation fit into the equation? It was way back in 1968 when Valentine Musakanya went to government to ask for the introduction of a flying club at UNZA.
This was the year that changed Capt Sakala’s direction of life after his roommate Matthew Chitima suggested to him to attempt interviews for those who were interested to join the flying club.
Apparently, Capt Sakala was at that time not interested and told his roommate that he would not leave his music rehearsal, for a flying interview.
Upon getting enough pressure from his roommate, Capt Sakala curved in and went for the interviews which attracted 300 candidates of which only 20 were selected by the panel.
Apparently, as destiny would have it, Capt Sakalawas among the selected 20 people with his roommate who pushed him to attempt failing the interviews.
Now, what would be described as a pleasant challenge surfaced; Capt Sakala and some of his colleagues were again selected to go for ab-nitio Flying training in Perth, Scotland at an expense of his degree course in mathematics.
“This was a crossroad for me and I had to choose between the two; flying or continuing with my studies in mathematics at UNZA. But after a short interesting experience in flying, I settled for aviation training, a decision that shocked my parents and my lecturers but I just had to go,” he says.
The pathway to Scotland was established in Capt Sakala’s life with nothing seemingly holding him back from pursuing his newly chosen career.
With his principle of always putting in the best in everything he does, he excelled so well in Scotland. With the experience gained, it was easy for him to find a place in the Zambia Airway’s cockpit as a co-pilot for HS 748, then B 737 and later B 707 from 1972 to 1978.
The following year, 1979, he became one of the first Zambian pilots to capt an aircraft.
According to his credentials of 1979 to 1995, he was then too qualified to captain aircrafts ranging from HS 748, B 737, B 707, and DC-10-30.
During this prolific experience, Capt Sakala proved himself beyond mere captaining of aircrafts but training captains too! – An occupation he held from 1983 to 2007.
During his training experience, he conducted Simulator Training, Bas Training, and Line Training and later rose to Type Rating Examiner (TRE) and Instrument Rating Examiner (IRE).
With such experience packed in the ‘black box’ of his brains, it was easy for Capt Sakala to attract international aviators for his unmatched  services.
In 1995, he joined Das Air Cargo as Chief Training Captain until 1997 before he was appointed TRE and IRE Uganda CAA- the skills he obtained after training in Gatwick, UK. He also attended an Air Safety Consolidating Course with Air Portugal.
This is Capt Sakala, an authenticated voice in the aviation industry with unmatched experience in the exploits of the skies.
He now rightfully serves as president of the Zambia Professional Pilots Association (ZPPA).
With a record of 17,685 of total hours flown in his life, Capt Sakala cannot be more than happy when plans of establishing a national airline are brought to the fore.
He says government should not even struggle when it comes to establishing the airline as professionals were readily available to help in the formation process.
Capt Sakala suggests that the government should start targeting the Far East.
He says it is sad for a good and lucrative business for the nation to die when professionals were there to help it come back to life and see it succeed.
According to Capt Sakala, statistics show that the number of passengers who preferred flying is growing at a very fast rate thus making demand for air transport high.
Capt Sakala says the revamping of the national airline should be a professional undertaking with less political interference in it.
“Let the government with the help of experts do the job,” he says.
Capt Sakala says the country has experienced pilots and engineers to kick start the project though it would be prudent to establish an aviation school before setting up a National Airline.
The government is currently contemplating on revamping the defunct National Airline. An interesting question would be; would it bare the same name (Zambia Airways) with a corporate colour of white and national flag stripes on the fuselage of the plane or not?