Qikiqtani Inuit Association is doing short stories about Inuit and their amazing talents and accomplishments.

Meet Mike Innuksuk an airline pilot from Igloolik

Before Mike began flying career he started as a baggage handler at the Igloolik airport. Then became a ticket agent. He started to get to know the pilots that flew through to Igloolik. He would ask how and where they went to flying school to get their licence. He checked out several flight schools and decided on the one in Moncton now known as MFC Training.

He left for flight training in the fall of 1991 for training then came back spring of 1993 and was hired to fly the Twin Otter. Then went on to fly the King Air, the Hawker Sidley 748. In the fall of 1999 he took on a new challenge and flew the Boeing 727 until summer of 2001. Mike decided to go back up north and flew the HS 748 until it was phased out and is currently flying the ATR 42 and the ATR 72, mainly out of Iqaluit to outlying communities.