I was the youngest, weakest in my class, now I’m on top —Daniel Adeyilaka, Nigeria’s youngest pilot

ADVERTISEMENT

RONKE SANYA looks at how young Daniel Adeyileka, aiming for the moon, despite the odd of once being the last in his class, is now a first officer and, according to Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the youngest pilot in Nigeria.
Daniel Adeyileka is an example of one who is determined to make it to the top, despite all odds.
Born to the Adeyileka family on February 6, 1995 in Newcastle, England, he had his primary and secondary school education in Scotland and spent most of his life in various countries including United Kingdom, Indonesia and Scotland.
He had his elementary education in Rose Bank Primary School, Nairn, Scotland, and then moved to Grantown Grammar School, also in Scotland, where he completed his secondary school.
 In 2008, he came back to Nigeria for his A-levels, enrolled into Avicenna International School, Ikeja, Government Reserved Area (GRA) and graduated in 2009. He equally obtained his A-Levels in Greenville School, GRA and immediately proceeded to the flying school in the US
When he proceeded to Delta Flight School in Texas, Dallas, to obtain his Private Pilot License (PPL) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education, it was not a bed of roses.
Speaking on his experience, he said: “I did my flight training in Texas for nine months. I knew I went there for a reason and not to joke. I needed all the concentration. I went to school from Monday to Sunday. My Private Pilot License (PPL) was for one and a half months and my International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) was for three years.”
Speaking on how his age was a barrier at a point, Adeyileka said: “I was the youngest in my class and got along with everybody but there was a time I could not write certain exams due to my age because there were restrictions. I was asked to wait until I turned 18 years before I could do my commercial, so I was just reading all through those periods.”
Adeyileka who was faced with several other challenges apart from his age, added that: “The challenge basically was when I was sent to Amsterdam for my Type Rating, it was really the toughest period because it was not an easy task. I actually thought I was going to fail because I was the weakest in the class at the beginning but I came top of the class at the end. I kept telling myself, I can do it. God really saw me through. The exercise lasted for one month.”
Adeyileka, 19, is the son of the acting director general of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). His records supersede that of Favour Odozor, 20-year-old Nigerian, who emerged as the youngest with the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) in both Nigeria and South Africa, in April, last year.
In the cockpit, Adeyileka is presently a first officer but on a salary level of a second officer. He is type rated on Boeing 737 600 series to 900 series aircraft and was rated in July, this year by the NCAA as the youngest pilot in Nigeria.