SANParks’ first black chief pilot soars
VETERAN chopper pilot Ndabenhle David Simelane, who has made history as the first black chief pilot for SANParks Air Service, says the appointment is a dream come true.
The 40-year-old from Swaziland said his passion for flying was sparked when he had his first helicopter ride.
“I was 19 when I got my first helicopter ride with a friend, Werner Alberts. He subsequently designed our heliport called Ultimate Heliport. It was a flight from Grand Central Airport to Pretoria. I just knew that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Little did I know how expensive it would be to realise such a dream.
“We embarked on looking for funding to train me for three and a half years. We were finally answered by the Transport Education Training Authority in 2004 and I started my training with a company called Alpine Aviation. The rest, as they say, is history,” he said.
Simelane has been a helicopter pilot for more than 16 years and has flown all over the world, including Madagascar and South Sudan.
The promotion will see him moving from the rank of a pilot to SANParks chief Pilot and person responsible for operations as per the South African Civil Aviation Authority's regulations.
“Being able to fly for SANParks Air Services is a dream come true, let alone leading a team of passionate experts in a hostile environment. Being made chief pilot means the world to me because my leaders and team trust me to take our division to new heights and have bought into my vision. It's nothing short of humbling,” he said.
“My first pilot job was as a vehicle tracking pilot for Netstar. I was gifted at my trade and that is where the name Black Hawk was first given to me by my colleagues. To be part of a team that is instrumental in saving the largest free ranging population of rhinos in the world is a blessing.
“Gratitude had made me look at the world very differently since starting here. Perseverance with gratitude unlocks the coldest of hearts.”
SANParks chief executive Lize McCourt said it comes as no surprise that Simelane aka “the Black-Black Hawk” was progressing through the ranks.
“He is a skilled professional pilot with solid management and leadership skills with approachability and strength of character to boot,” McCourt said.