May 2010 covers_Covers.qxd - World Airnews

ONE FOR
THE
RECORD
BOOKS?
Brother and sister
combo make a
unique flying pair...
THERE HAVE been many instances of
two brothers or even a brother and
sister both choosing flying as a career,
but seldom – if ever in Africa anyway
– have there been a brother and
sister who both started learning to fly at
the same flying school on the same day
and then, a year and a half later, again on
the same day, qualifying for their Commercial
Pilots’ Licences.
Meet Andre and Riëtte Strydom, the
brother and sister team from
Johannesburg who have done just that
writing perhaps a new chapter in the
annals of South African aviation. They
finished their CPL course at 43 Air School,
in Port Alfred, and qualified on the same
day recently, both immediately setting
their sights on obtaining their Airline
Transport Pilots’ Licences just as soon as
they can complete the written examinations
and build up sufficient flying hours
to do so.
But do they have the same goals in aviation?
Riëtte said, with a mischievous
twinkle in her eye, that her ideal job as a
pilot would be to “fly some rich person
around in a private jet.” Her brother has
set his sights on one day becoming an airline
captain commanding an Airbus A380.
Was there much competition or friction
between them during their flying training?
“Not in the least,” they answered in
unison when asked. Andre added: “For a
brother and sister, I think we get along
great. As the younger brother, I don’t
think of Riëtte as a sister, but rather as my
best friend.”
Riëtte’s interest in flying developed
54 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010.
Andre and Riëtte Strydom both qualfied as CPLs on the same day recently.
when she met several pilots with different
lifestyles through her mother’s business.
“We lived near Johannesburg International
Airport nearly all our lives and I remember
watching the planes approaching
to land. I was in awe of how such a big
thing could stay in the air. I am very proud
to be one of the comparatively few
women in a male-dominated industry to
have qualified as a Commercial Pilot.”
For Andre it was a dream come true. “It
has been my dream since I was a little boy.
I have been in love with the thought of flying
for as long as I can remember, but I
lost the dream somewhere along the way.
That was until my sister decided to start
flying – and I could not let her have all the
fun, could I?”
HIGHLIGHTS
Asked what was the highlight during their
time of training at 43 Air School, Riëtte
said that not only was it qualifying as a
Commercial Pilot, but also the friendships
she had made that would last a life time.
“The day I passed my CPL test, I realised
that my dream of having an office with a
view will finally become a reality.”
For Andre the highlight was also passing
his CPL test. “But this came with the
thought that I had to utilise all the skills I
had acquired over the last year and a half
in one day. I think, too, that another highlight
must have been waking up every
morning knowing that I’ll be doing what I
love every day.”
Asked about the “low points” in their
training Riëtte said: “Some days I really
thought it could not get any worse and
that I would give up. But my parents
bought us Harley Davidsons (motorbikes)
as an incentive to keep our chins up.”
Andre agreed that in flying you have
good days and bad days. “For me there
were very few bad days. Being somewhat
of a perfectionist, made these bad days
worse, as you always want to do everything
perfectly. Our parents telling us they
were enjoying their breakfast runs on
their bikes while we had to work and
study, did not help either.”
And 43 Air School? “The school has a
reputation for being one of the best in the
world. Naturally, if you want to be one of
the best, you have to learn from the best,”
they both agreed.
They were also in unison on another
point: “We are so blessed to have amazingly
supportive parents who have been
there every step along the way and without
whose sponsorship our dreams would
never have become a reality.” Q