By LESEDI SETLHODI-PAUL
Aviation is one of the industries that are difficult to break into. A glimpse of Leshole’s character on SABC educational soapie, Skeem Saam, showed most viewers the challenges of being a licensed pilot.
Taung DailyNews caught up with the multi-award winner in Aviation, Boitumelo Katisi (29) who hails from Dinokana, Zeerust, but later relocated to Pimville, Soweto. Katisi is a qualified Commercial Pilot and she is currently studying towards her Instructor’s rating.
“As a commercial pilot, one can work for the South African Airways (SAA) or anywhere in the world given the fact that you meet the requirements. This will need two more years after obtaining your Private Pilot License, which is a one year course and is likely to be equivalent to two years of university fees.
“The hours we put in training speak volumes. My passion for flying was ignited when I was in high school. I was dejected when I did not get a response for my request to shadow a professional in the medical or engineering field for a day,” she said.
However, Katisi said she was fortunate enough because her aunt was working at SAA. She said the administration side was not fascinating for her and she was happy when her aunt acquainted her with someone from the air site.
“I was happy because I had an opportunity to engage with pilots. Yes, the aircrafts and pilots in uniform will have you to reconsider. However, from that day, I knew that aeronautics was what I wanted to pursue.
“Given that, at some point I had thoughts of considering being a medical doctor or an engineer. But I did not because I had all requirements and remember, aviation schools are private institutions and getting a bursary is a mammoth task,” said Katisi.
She said being an aviator can be quite a reach for the deprived and not to mention that it is also one of the male-dominated industries. Katisi further said coming from a deprived background compared to others who were exposed to this before was also a challenge.
“Truly, the hurdles do not end with the money one spent for the course. The colour of your skin and gender also become an issue. I was grateful because my mother was so supportive throughout this journey.
“I was struggling financially, even though my academic records were too good. If anyone is keen on aeronautics, I’ll advise them to attend exhibitions so that they can be exposed to that before venturing into it,” said Katisi.
She added that aviation schools are too expensive and use ‘pay-as-you-go’ procedures. Katisi said an hour flight can cost R2000.
“This affected progress as my funds hastily depleted. Sometimes I will be forced to wait for a few months to get necessary fees before I get those lessons. I am ardent about aviation and willing to impart my knowledge and skills onto others who are interested in aeronautics.
“We are running a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) called Aviation Development in Africa with Joseph Lebitsa. The aim is to bring aviation awareness to children who are from disadvantageous backgrounds. We also have a guideline booklet (Basic Introduction to Aviation Careers), which addresses questions that one may have pertaining to aviation,” she said.
Katisi said there are so many career opportunities in aviation as one can become a meteorologist, flight engineer, an aviation lawyer or even a flight attendant among others.
The Guardian 