Lovishen Ramsamy: First Mauritian Cadet Pilot of Emirates Aviation University, Dubai

Mauritius is full of talents and Mauritians around the world continue to shine and make their country proud. Lovishen Ramsamy is one of those who has strived to fulfil his dream and happily earns a living from his passion. Currently living in Lisbon, the young commercial pilot is undergoing advanced training in flying at G-Air Training Centre whilst accumulating flying hours. Native of Curepipe, Lovishen is the eldest of a family of three children. Since young, he always wanted to become a commercial pilot. His passion has been growing ever since. Perhaps, he says, due to his frequent overseas travels with his parents. Son of Sen Ramsamy, Director of the Mauritius Tourism Authority, Lovishen travelled for the first time with his parents when he was only 4 months old. “My first flight was to Washington D.C. in USA. My family have always encouraged me to pursue my dream. As a child, I used to read a lot about the history of aviation and also build aircraft models to play with. Flying is a passion for me,” says the graduate of Scientific Baccalaureate of Lycée La Bourdonnais. With his frequent overseas trips, which stimulated the passion in him, Lovishen was also inspired by one of the most famous pilots in history. “Captain Sully Sullenberger, the famous pilot who landed a wide-bodied aircraft full of passengers on the Hudson River in New York City, is one of my role models. I am always inspired by his dexterity at work and his poise in crisis situations.” While he was living in Dubai, where he studied for a year at the Lycee International George Pompidou, Lovishen used to frequently visit the Emirates Aviation College (EAC) which was near his residence, just to collect information and gain inspiration. However, as he explains, the chances at EAC were very remote as admission to its pilot course was at that time restricted only to Emiratis. “Although I had already secured admission in several institutions, namely in USA, UK and South Africa, yet you cannot imagine my joy when a family friend in Dubai called my dad to inform us that Emirates Aviation College had finally accepted to enrol foreign students in the very year I completed my baccalaureate. Out of more than 100 applications from all over the world, they accepted only 10 foreign nationals after a series of tough entry exams and oral tests. I was among the selected few and the first Mauritian to join Emirates Aviation College, now upgraded to an Aviation University status,” he reveals. After written and oral exams in Dubai in 2012, Lovishen was selected to proceed to Lisbon for further aptitude and medical tests. Those were followed by interviews by another panel of experts at G-Air Training Centre. “I was only 18 years old at that time whilst most of the other candidates were much older and some already had experience in flying but were in search of an Emirates Aviation qualification. In spite of the stress, I remained very confident and positive and I passed all the tests,” he explains. It is after three years of intensive theoretical studies in Dubai and practicals in Lisbon that Lovishen graduated as a Cadet Pilot in April 2015. “In fact, Emirates Aviation launched the Cadet Pilot Training Program in partnership with Boeing in USA and G-Air Training Centre in Lisbon. I felt deeply honoured to have received my certificate from the hands of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Emirates Airline and a world famous figure in the field of modern aviation,” he happily says. Lovishen is indeed very proud of his achievement. “I feel very proud to be the first Mauritian to have joined Emirates Aviation University and to have successfully passed all the exams at a very young age. I just hope that other Mauritians will also join as there are lots of scope in this line of business.” He however believes that our national carrier should trust young Mauritians who have worked hard and at their own expense to become pilots. “It is rather sad and demotivating to see Air Mauritius recruiting school leavers and then train them at exorbitant costs whilst qualified pilots are already available locally at no additional cost. I remain hopeful that merit will one day prevail and local talents in aviation will be given due consideration. As a young pilot, I firmly believe that Air Mauritius would be well advised to change its mindset and systems and face the new realities of the world of aviation. I remain confident that our national carrier can become a more powerful instrument for a second economic miracle in the years ahead and thus stand out as the pride of our nation again.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8045","attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter wp-image-14101 ","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"589","height":"443","alt":"Graduation Picture"}}]] Challenging Job Lovishen confides that his very first flight as cadet pilot was indeed an unforgettable and enriching experience as it had both good and not so good sides. “It was a unique and definitely a memorable experience. As much as I was thrilled with the emotions of a dream becoming true, I was also surprised by an incident which was totally beyond my control. There was an instrument failure during the flight whilst several aircraft were flying around us. My instructor was very sharp to react to the situation and she observed all the required procedures to land safely. A pilot may have thousands of flying hours but the first flight is memorable, especially the first solo flight.” Currently assisting new students in their pilot study programs, Lovishen is proud to say that he has already acquired more than 600 flying hours and around 100 flight simulator hours. He has worked on various events and flights since his beginnings but one of the major events for him so far has been his participation in a special Search and Rescue Operation in Lisbon. “I was selected by G-Air Training Centre to accompany an A340 Captain from the national carrier of Portugal, Transportes Aereos Portugueses (TAP) in an attempt to save the lives of five youngsters at sea. We had to work in close collaboration with the Portuguese Air Force and Navy. We had to remain extremely alert and time was of essence. That was quite an experience for me,” he shares. How does he describe a pilot’s job? “Challenging,” says Lovishen. Given my young age, I still have a lot to learn. Currently, I am rather learning a lot about the job and life of a pilot through interviews and anecdotes by experienced pilots. In fact, I have gathered plenty of information from the interview of Captain Dominique Paturau, a retired Mauritian pilot, who I highly respect. I still have a long way to go and thousands of miles to fly. I would love to reply to this interesting question when I will be 60 years old.” Lovishen Ramsamy’s principal ambition in his profession is to reach the captain’s seat in an Airbus A380. Lovishen seizes the opportunity to “wish all our people in Mauritius, a Happy New Year 2016, filled with joy, peace and love.”