The sky is her playground
Onthatile is a young woman who just qualified as a pilot and she hopes to inspire many more women with her story.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this, I kept thinking to myself as I took it all in.
“Afterwards I sat alone in the aircraft and cried.
“Going solo is one of the biggest moments in your aviation career because you can never do it again, you will never get that feeling again, nor will you ever forget that feeling.”
These are the words of Onthatile Lethabo Moboa, a young and passionate pilot, expressing her passion and excitement for flying.
Onthatile, from Brakpan, received her private pilot’s licence (PPL) last Thursday at Elite Aviation Academy at Rand Airport.
She shared the most memorable, unpleasant and tear-jerking moments of her aviation journey with the GCN.
She joined the industry after high school to pursue a career in aviation.
Her love of flying started at a young age after she had the opportunity to travel overseas.
Some of her family members were also involved in aviation.
Two of her aunts, Iris Maboa and Busi Maboa, worked as cabin crew members, which paved the way to her career in aviation.
“I wanted to be a flight attendant as that is what my aunts were doing, but Iris told me I should look at something greater and think bigger,” said Onthatile.
Onthatile considered studying aircraft engineering in order to achieve “something greater”, but it was her parents’ suggestion of getting a PPL that really made her heart thump and solidify her decision.
Her parents, Catherine and Lucky, were extremely supportive and were with her every step of her journey.
Onthatile explained that she owes all her success to them.
They offered her endless love and support and stuck with her through the difficult times and celebrated the good times.
“My family sees it as such an amazing achievement being a pilot, especially for people of colour and for me as a woman; it’s rare as it’s something different,” she said.
Onthatile’s journey hasn’t always been a smooth one.
She has faced a number of challenges that have helped her grow and view the world differently.
Onthatile discovered that being a young female in a male-dominated industry was a challenge as she often felt undermined.
She felt as if she wasn’t always treated as an equal and she was not taken seriously, so she worked hard to prove herself in the aviation industry.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”, “Would you not be better as a flight attendant?” and “Can I trust you when I fly with you?” are just some of the questions Onthatile has frequently encountered.
She fought through a lot of inner conflict and frustration during her studies as she often felt as if she was not taken seriously as a pilot because she was a young female of colour.
Despite the challenges, Onthatile completed her PPL with 57 hours of flying and did her first solo flight after 15 hours of flying.
She explained to qualify for a PPL a minimum of 45 hours of flying is required, but the average flying hours people get their PPL at is between 60 to 70 hours.
Onthatile explained that it is mandatory to do at least 30 hours of flying accompanied by an instructor and 15 hours of solo flying, this includes five hours flying cross-country (out of the province).
She laughed as she recalled her mother dancing after she returned from her first solo cross-country flight.
Funding for her studies was one of the biggest challenges she had to face while completing her PPL.
“Aviation is not an industry that gets a lot of funding opportunities like bursaries and scholarships, which means that the majority of students have to fund themselves,” she said.
She explained that being self-funded was a slight disadvantage; there was a six-month period in her studies where she had run out of money to fund her flying and her studies became dormant.
Onthatile became worried and scared as not flying for six months could impact her progress greatly, so she thought of ways to make money in order to carry on with her studies.
She added that this is a common problem that many of the students face, as a PPL is extremely expensive to study for and many students run out of funds.
However, she would not have had it any other way as she knew it developed her character and sparked internal growth that humbled her.
There were occasions where Onthatile had just missed her goals and stumbled through a few of her exams, but this did not discourage her, instead it motivated her to get back up and push herself.
She is currently working at a flying shop to raise funds to study further and to pay for her flying.
She needs to build hours and write a new set of exams in order to achieve her third stripe, which will better her licence.
A PPL means she can only fly herself and non-paying passengers around, so she is also working towards getting her commercial pilot’s licence so she can advance in her career.
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In the future she plans on doing a frozen airline transport pilot’s licence (ATPL).
This is when a pilot has completed the exam for this particular licence, but it is “frozen” or put on hold so the pilot can complete the 1 500 flying hours needed to receive the official ATPL.
After she has accomplished this goal, Onthatile will apply to various airlines in the hope of becoming a commercial pilot.
In order to do this, she requires funding and is looking for a bursary or sponsorship to continue her studies.
Anyone who is able to assist can call her on 074 530 3899 or send an email to maboa12lethabo@gmail.com.
Onthatile has noticed that there is an opportunity for young females in the aviation industry.
“Whenever I went to events or open days all the instructors were male, it’s very rare to come across female pilots,” she said.
“I think females need to take up more space in the aviation industry.
“Women need to be more confident and self-assured.”
Onthatile has the following advice for women who want to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry.
“You need to be brave, courageous and never feel undermined or let people undermine you and your capabilities,” she said.
“Know your abilities and just persevere.’’
Working towards a PPL was emotional, challenging, exhilarating, adventurous and fun for Onthatile.
She experienced a lot of personal growth and feels as if this journey has matured her emotionally and mentally.
She discovered what she is capable of through stepping outside her comfort zone.
It was a journey that changed her life and a period of extreme character development.
She said that she came out of her studies not only qualified, but also a lot wiser.
She has developed a new understanding of herself and the aviation world and she hopes to grow more in the near future.
Onthatile hopes her story will inspire many more women to go out into the world, take up space and flourish in careers they love.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Ashley Kiley (Journalist) ashleyk@caxton.co.za.
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