Sogoromo retires after 41 years in the aviation industry

By CLARISSA MOI
CONTRIBUTING to nation-building was what kept 60-year-old Moses Sogoromo working with Air Niugini over a career spanning 41 years.
Sogoromo, from Saure village in Maprik, East Sepik, is a pioneer licensed aircraft maintenance engineer who retired on April 30.
He was part of the first batch of students to take up aircraft engineering, a pre-employment technical training (Pett) course, at the Port Moresby Technical College in 1979.
It was a first of its kind programme introduced by the Education Department.
Sogoromo was selected to take up aircraft engineering training at the Port Moresby Technical College after completing senior high at the Aiyura National High School in Eastern Highlands.
He completed his training and was recruited by Air Niugini as an apprentice at the end of 1979, he was 19 at the time.
“The trade alone is quite captivating and is really challenging, but once you get into knowing it, it drives you to come to work every day, fix the aeroplanes and see them taking off,” he said.
“Also knowing that this nation is depending on airplanes, you need to move passengers, cargo and all these things.
“That drives you to come back to work the next day and make sure that every day, something must move, and that is contributing to nation building.
“When you see aeroplanes sitting on the ground, it doesn’t feel right and you want to get to work and get it out of the way so the aeroplane is back, making money for the company and country.
“That was what motivated me to keep working, especially in the aircraft industry and the maintenance part of it.”
Being in the trade for four decades, Sogoromo witnessed changes in the industry and noted that there was a lack in training programmes for the younger engineers and this needed improvement.
“I know (that) now we have a situation with Covid-19 (restrictions and impacts) that stops the flow of our young engineers to be sent abroad for further training,” he said.
“But I’d like to see them get exposed to the training that Air Niugini can provide; engineering/aircraft maintenance wise, to build their character and knowledge.”
Sogoromo said training was important because as the world changes, aeroplanes also change hence, the younger engineers needed to be trained to be kept on par with the rest of the world.
“I’m sure Air Niugini has plans there but we have a situation that does not allow that (Covid-19) and maybe when everything gets back to normal, we’ll see the younger ones go out.”
Sogoromo also noted that the industry had grown so much over the years as well as the development of PNG engineers.
“I am proud to say that after having worked under expatriates and going through such obstacles, I can say that we have broken that barrier,” he said.
“Those of us who came out from Port Moresby Technical College’s aircraft training broke that barrier that yes, we nationals were capable and could fix aeroplanes too.
“It gave that room so that our young Papua New Guineans coming out of schools could see that and start applying to take up apprenticeship training.
“When we started, we were a bit scared because when fixing cars and ships, you can come out of it if anything goes wrong.
“You can’t do that with aeroplanes.
“You have to fix it now.
“Otherwise, between now and when it gets into the air, it must be serviceable until it gets back.”
Sogoromo said he was pleased to see more Papua New Guineans being recruited over the years to make up the majority of the work force.
He noted that Air Niugini had created a cadet programme when the Port Moresby Technical College no longer offered aircraft engineering programme.
“The 1984 batch was the last into Port Moresby Technical College in aircraft schooling,” he said.
“After that, Air Niugini created a cadetship programme where we go out and interview the young ones and those successful, we put them through the programme.”
Sogoromo also noted that there was a partnership with the Australian aviation to train young engineers and now with New Zealand.
He said with the increase in the number of aircraft engineers given the trainings provided, Air Niugini had now moved from only conducting line maintenance to conducting heavy maintenance work as well.
Previously, heavy maintenance was done overseas.
“Now we can do heavy maintenance on our own and also line maintenance.”
From 1995 up to his retirement, Sogoromo had been a maintenance foreman, supervisor and then to superintendent.
One of his highlights was when he was part of an all national crew to organise the charter for the pop star Michael Jackson during his world tour in 1996.
Sogoromo and wife Haribetha, who is also from Saure, have six children, (one passed away few years ago) and two grandchildren.
He plans to go back to his home town Wewak and enjoy his retirement.