Enriching experience of a lady pilot
KOTA KINABALU: Captain Sofia William is one of the lucky few who could visit various places in Sabah, including areas that are difficult to access.
In the recent flood which badly affected districts like Pitas and left many villages isolated due to reasons such as damaged roads, landslides and having their bridges washed away, Sofia had the privilege to lend her expertise flying the helicopter to ferry food supplies to some of the affected villagers.
“The heavy rains and floods in January 2021 had affected many parts of Sabah. We received word that Kampung Lokdangaan in Pitas had no road access and was severely affected by the floods,” recalled Sofia when speaking to the Borneo Post.
She said the LLHA (LayangLayang Helicopter Alumni) together with a local nongovernmental organisation (NGO) responded with a shortnoticed donation drive, to get food aid and supplies.
“The helicopter airlift mission was again sponsored by the Layang Layang Group.”
Together with Captain Khailaiselvan, they undertook over 10 trips to ferry the supplies to 110 families.
It was a tiring adventure, yet Sofia said her experience to Pitas was enriching.
“Despite their dire situation, the villagers were awesome. They were cheerful and helpful. I am touched by their good spirits; their welcoming attitude; and their show of appreciation.
She added that during their brief stopover, the villagers humbly brought them a tour of their surrounding which was serene, peaceful, soothing to soul and mind; and plenty of greens.
“Their seaside environment and views are spectacular,” she said.
Sofia also said that the village she visited did not have electricity supply.
She went on to enumerate that she had visited Pitas before, in 2016, when she joined a 15member Raleigh team on a 170km road trip for a community project.
“It was during that time that I found out that Pitas was and probably still is, one of Sabah’s poorest districts. During that trip, we helped salvage a mangrove swamp; and built a jetty for the community,” she said.
She added that in the past few years, they had already informally started community works.
“While still student pilots at LLHA, we travelled by road to a children orphanage, Don Bosco Children Home, Bundu Tuhan, Kundasang, as well as Tambunan Orphanage, Tambunan, to donate F&B (food and beverage), and spent quality time with the children,” she said.
Sofia also said that she enjoyed her job as it allows her to venture into Sabah’s villages and especially those places which are either partially or totally inaccessible by roads to reach out to communities.
“During my time as a student pilot at Layang Layang Helicopter Academy, I found that the group had started some charity and volunteer works. I expressed my interest in joining this effort and we never looked back. By 2021, we have completed another flying and road mission to the interior of Sabah,” she said.
Among their many charitable efforts was last year, during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the pandemic.
“When our nation was struck with the coronavirus in March 2020, the ensuing months had been challenging for all. At LLHA Alumni, we rallied behind our team to care and help those who were unable to get food because of the lockdown. Our goal was to reach critical areas which had been severely impacted by the pandemic.
“Last year, we flew to Kg Longkogungan and Kg Kalanggaan, at the Penampang district. These two villages have no road access and villagers have to hike for eight hours one way to reach the nearest town.
“The MCO has further affected villagers’ movements,” she said.
To help the villagers, LLHA Alumni raised funds from friends, relatives and NGOs to distribute necessities via helicopters.
Five pilots from LLHA Alumni Captain Shahdon Poong, Captain Amirul Asyraf, Captain Matthew Ian, Captain Nazeem Eleazar, and Captain Sofia coordinated the effort to distribute food and aid to more than 80 families.