LADY FRERE FEMALE PILOT SOARS TO SUCCESS
A YOUNG woman from Cacadu (formerly Lady Frere) is traversing the skies as one of the brightest shining female pilots in South Africa.
Sivenathi Mfenyana started considering becoming a pilot when she was 13, a decision she confirmed at the age of 16 when she started working towards her goal.
The freedom of the open sky is the biggest attraction, with Mfenyana saying, “Every flight is different. I enjoy growing with each one of them.”
Currently based in Johannesburg, she did her initial training in Cape Town and concluded the course in Johannesburg.
She obtained her private licence last year and is currently doing her commercial licence.
She said her first experience of flying had been “amazing, but a bit nerve-wracking. I think a lack of confidence was my biggest obstacle but once I was in the air, the nerves eased down”.
Completing her first solo flight had been “the best feeling”.
“It felt as if my dreams were starting to turn into reality,” Mfenyana said.
Flight training was expensive, with a private licence costing about R100 000 and a commercial licence between R300000 and R500 000.
These costs include paying for the use of an aircraft and an instructor, fuel and landing fees, as well as lectures and exams.
Mfenyana encouraged youths who were interested in aviation to do well in physical science and maths in high school in order to get funding from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) or airlines with cadet programmes.
They should be in good health as medical examinations were conducted. The most important qualities of a pilot were calmness, decisiveness, confidence and the ability to handle criticism, she said.