My dream is to fly
It’s 11:27 in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, and a small crowd of people mills anxiously on the dusty, dirt road next to a paved tarmac. A small, dark speck slowly emerges from the distance, and the sound of its engine growl louder and louder as it nears. The plane, a LET-410UVP-E20 moves closer and closer, and the crowd collectively holds its breath as the plane’s back wheels bounce gently off the tarmac. The plane turns and heads towards the airport and the crowd of men, women and children, moves forward to welcome the passengers. Little do they know that this plane carrying humanitarian aid workers was flown by two women — two women from different parts of the world but who share a common love of flying.
The number of female pilots in the world is very low, hovering around 5 percent. If only 5 percent of the world’s pilots are women, how many of them are humanitarian pilots?
Get to know two of them! They work with us.
Helet, a South African national, and Tejaswini, an Indian national, are pilots for United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights in the Central African Republic (CAR). If generally coming across a woman in the cockpit is rare, how rare is it to meet two of them together, working in a country that currently ranks second in the world in terms of risk of violence against civilians and aid workers? Helet and Tejaswini certainly stand out from the crowd for the professional footprint they have each cultivated.
This story is an inspiration to all women and men who seek a career in aviation and want to reach the most vulnerable people in crisis contexts.
When asked whether she feels a great deal of responsibility as one of a handful of female humanitarian pilots, Helet responds: “Why would it be? There’s no difference.” And Tejaswini continues: “It’s all about the way you carry yourself, your perseverance and capabilities: if you show you can handle it, you can get any position where others are.”
Helet has worked for Air-Tec, a South African aviation service provider to WFP, for 12 years. Helet knew from a very early age that she wanted to be a pilot. Though her family experienced financial difficulties, they supported her to pursue her dream and sent her to a flying school when she was 19. She studied hard and eventually became an instructor and later was employed by Air-Tec. When Helet started her aviation career more than a decade ago, she was the only woman for her first four years. Times have changed and Air-Tec now employs four women pilots, an encouraging sign for the aviation industry.
The First Officer, sitting next to her in the cockpit of a LET-410UVP-E20, is Tejaswini, who, deploying with her company to work for UNHAS almost two years ago, lived and worked in South Africa, where she got her pilot license. When Tejaswini was 13, she remembers accompanying her mother to the airport to drop off a family member. There, she saw a flight crew member who walked confidently sporting the pilot uniform. This presence attracted an admiring crowd of travellers. She began to dream of the adventures and sights the flight crew member must see and was intrigued. Tejaswini would eventually express her interest in flight to her mother — one of her most fervent supporters. Her mother introduced her to a colleague who previously was a pilot in South Africa. Tejaswini later moved to South Africa to study aviation and become a pilot.
Helet and Tejaswini must face in their working lives some cultural barriers. “Most cultures don’t accept to see women assuming leadership roles — in certain cultures; this doesn’t work. But we manage well, and UNHAS has good practices in place to help us to do our job.” Says Helet. Another critical challenge they encounter is being far away from home for a continued and long period of time. “I think just a few women would go for this job. Most women would rather accept a job in a home-based commercial airline. It is tough, and our working environment is extremely complex. There are many challenges and risks associated with operating in mostly hostile locations with exposure to extreme insecurity. However, it is also exciting and unique, and people always recognize us for the courage and passion for serving vulnerable communities despite being in a risky situation.”
Uncertainty is only constant in their work environment. It comes with its unique set of challenges and adaptation. Funny true story: Helet always carries with her food, water, and a toothbrush when she flies. “Flying in Africa’s extreme conditions could be unpredictable. But we always overcome difficulties and start the engine the next day, and we do it all over again.”
Helet has built quite a few awesome memories throughout her career working with UNHAS. She has been “based in all kinds of very interesting places for UNHAS. Flying over the Congo River from Brazzaville to Bangui, I had a peek inside the crater of the volcano in Goma, I’ve seen the dust storms in the desert of Chad. I’ve been in Bangui with the start of the Coup at the end of 2012 start of 2013.” Helet is also a good friend of Sandra, our UNHAS Chief Air Transport Officer managing the challenging CAR operation, a pioneer female staffs to enter the world of humanitarian aviation. They first met in Goma a few years ago and they are now reunited working together in Bangui. For Tejaswini, flying by Helet’s side is an amazing experience. “This is the first time I fly with another woman. Our connection in the cockpit is extraordinary, and we have established a very close relationship.”
When asked: “What advice would you give to young girls who are interested in becoming pilots?” they suggest to “never give up in your dreams — we both had struggles — struggle to find a job, also for being women in this sector — but we always keep our heads up. If we could do it, you can also do it!”
