My cousin was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m living our dream together

A man overcame a personal tragedy to keep his dreams alive.

Mansoor Wamala, 21, from Liverpool city centre, is currently training to be a pilot. He was inspired to take up the profession during a flight as a child.

Speaking to the ECHO, Mansoor said: “The pilot noticed me and said, do you want to have a look inside the cockpit? That was what got me going, to be honest. I asked my mum, ‘who are those people in there?’ She said, ‘they’re pilots.’”

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From there, Mansoor and his cousin Abdul Mayanja shared a hobby and wanted to become pilots. Mansoor, who is originally from London, said: “When I was a kid, my cousin and I used to watch history channels on YouTube, the Red Arrows, just because it interested me. He was about four years older. He joined the RAF cadets. He was getting opportunities for flying experience.

“I enrolled at 16 and stayed there until I was 18. I was introduced to engineering and flight concepts. I was taken to air bases.”

However, tragedy struck in 2017. Abdul was giving friends a lift on August 25 when a female passenger fell ill, causing them to stop in Well Street, Stratford, London.

While Abdul and his friend were sitting on the wall, they were approached by Sean Obazee and Braeden Henry, who asked, “What’s your end?”

Abdul was then shot in the back with a shotgun. He later died in hospital. Obazee and Henry were jailed for a minimum of 30 and 31 years respectively for murder.

The incident was devastating for Mansoor, but he vowed to continue his dream. He said: “My cousin inspired me. He was one of the youngest Typhoon pilots in the RAF. He was 19 when he was shot down and killed.

“It shocked me. It hurt me so much. I was like, I’m never going to give up. To fill the pain in my heart, I have to fulfill both of our dreams of becoming pilots.”

Mansoor continued to work and completed a scholarship that gave him 13 hours of flying time. He said: “This was the first time I had been given control of a plane. From that, it gave me more confidence that I could do it.”

However, finding more opportunities was difficult. Mansoor found it difficult to afford the fees for more programmes and felt there was a lack of people from working class, ethnic minority backgrounds like himself entering the profession.

He said: “I come from a single-parent family. We didn’t have the right financial circumstances at home. But I thought, I’m not going to let that hold me back.

“I did my research and found another company called Air League. I wasn’t accepted the first time I applied in 2021. It was heartbreaking, but I thought I’d try again. The following year I joined the University of Liverpool. They offer flights alongside the course.

“I had to pay a £5,000 fee along with my actual tuition fees. So I spoke to my aunt who works at the council in Newham. They provide something called The Youth Empowerment Fund.

“They gave me £2,500 and the rest I had to lend to my family. I started the course and worked at the Liverpool Flying School, based in Speke.

“I am now in my final year of my aerospace engineering degree. I have completed 20 hours of flight time through the university program and an additional five hours through the Air League program.”

As a trainee pilot, Mansoor has only flown smaller aircraft, but is planning to become a commercial pilot once he has completed the necessary amount of training. Mansoor is also enjoying living in Liverpool. He said: “I love the accent. I can’t get enough of it.

“I love the people here. They are so welcoming. Every Scouser I met at university, on nights out, in my accommodation, the receptionists, the people in the hospitals, in the shops – everyone was lovely. I felt at home very quickly. Plus the community here, which you see at Africa Oye, at Halloween and at student nights.

“I got the chance to go to Anfield and watch Liverpool play as well. I feel like I’ve become a man living in Liverpool.”

Mansoor is also a talented basketball player, which he says helped him in his training as a pilot. He said: “I would like to thank one of the basketball teams, called Hustlers United. I was able to release my stress and calm down.

“It’s helped me grow as a person. It’s something very close to my heart. It helps every other aspect of my life. Being sharper in class – that’s very important if you want to be a pilot.”

Mansoor is keen to encourage others from similar backgrounds to become pilots, and feels more motivated than ever. He said: “I feel like these setbacks helped build resilience in me and put a fire in my belly to achieve it. Sometimes when you have everything put on a plate, you don’t appreciate the value of it. I also gained a sense of purpose as to why I am doing this.”

“You realize there’s a huge gap in the market for people from black backgrounds, from poor backgrounds. I want to inspire others.”

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