Woman paves the way as SA’s first drone pilot
A JOBURG woman has earned her wings as the first drone pilot in South Africa – a feat for the country because many parts of the world are still developing drone flying licence regulations.
Nicole Swart, 23, who grew up in Port Elizabeth, said she was honoured to be paving a way for women in her profession after she was awarded the first drone flying licence at the weekend.
“Through what I have experienced, it’s still tough for women in this industry. All I can advise women in my profession is to not be intimidated and always push through to the frontline.”
The South African Civil Aviation Authority issued Swart with a remotely piloted aircraft systems, or drone licence on Friday, which was handed over by the director of Civil Aviation, Poppy Khoza.
This comes after drones were officially integrated into the South African civil aviation airspace this month.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters introduced new drone regulations on July 1 that, among others, prohibited remotely piloted aircrafts from being operated without a letter of approval which was valid for three months.
Swart is also a holder of the highest pilot licence – the Airline Transport Pilot licence – which was awarded to her just before her 23rd birthday.
She said she wanted to keep up with the technological advancements in the piloting industry because “eventually, aircrafts will not be manned by humans but controlled remotely”.
In a statement by the aviation authority, Khoza said the honour bestowed on Swart advocated two important issues.
“It augurs well in getting the youth to join the aviation industry, as well as transforming the industry. It is also critical that women and historically disadvantaged individuals consider careers in aviation as the current statistics relating to previously disadvantaged persons are still at miniscule levels with pilots, in particular, constituting eight percent of total licensed personnel,” she said.
She said it was encouraging to observe women like Swart “breaking barriers in an untransformed and male-dominated environment”.
Drones are aircrafts that can be flown without a pilot on board. They can be controlled remotely by an individual on the ground or from another aircraft.