Page 40 - World Airnews Magazine November 2020

PERSONALITY

A SPRINTER PILOT

World Airnews correspondent Mike Wright got a chance to interview a former
SAA captain Joanne Jordan on her journey into aviation, being a female in a male
dominated industry, Covid-19 and her vision beyond. Here is her story

grew up in Springs (Johannesburg
ISouth Africa) and I was blessed with be-
ing a gifted sprinter in the 100 and 200m.

At 14 years old I was running the qualify-
ing times for Olympics already and surpass-

ing the times with every event that followed.

Running was all I ever wanted to do. All that
came to a crashing halt when I got an upper
respiratory virus and the doctor told me
straight, “You can kiss your running career

goodbye”. I never quite ran the same after
that and it was a huge blow for me and my
family to accept that my sprinting career

was over.
My brother always wanted to be the pilot
and I thought of taking on a career in hotel other Joannes already, so they nicknamed pecially some technical aspects. As ladies,
management someday. He begged me to me “JoJo’ and it’s stuck ever since. many of us don't “naturally" understand

come up with him for his first intro flight The Singapore Airlines manager saw the how a “carburettor” works at first hand like

and during that flight, the instructor gave way I treated passengers and promoted me the guys so it was a steep learning curve.

me a chance to fly. Once we landed, I ran on the spot to come work for them. All the Combine our love for flying with hard
out to my mom glowing and said, “This is while I kept on applying for the SAA pilot work, tenacity and grit, and this proved to
what I want to do”. She has supported me programme and finally one day, I received be our biggest asset. Once we “understood

since in every way possible. the call. I had been chosen for the selection it”, we did exceptionally well and excelled in

My brother in the meantime decided that process at SAA. all areas far and beyond. Being a female avi-

he’d rather take the hotel route and so our After 6500 applicants and three months ator is such a privilege as many don’t get the

roles were swapped. Things were always of testing, I finally made it into group 16, opportunity so none of us take it for granted

tight financially so after I matriculated from as one of 13 student cadet pilots for my - it is a small growing industry for women.

high school, one of the ways I could help national carrier. It was a miracle to finally I completed my training at 43 Air School

out was to get sponsorships as my family have a chance at becoming a pilot and in Port Alfred and was awarded the Best

couldn’t afford the university fees and flying flying for my country. Flying Trophy at our graduation ceremony.

was too expensive for me to do privately. There weren’t many female pilots in the Three of us were selected to do our
Thankfully I got several bursaries from industry at that time. Thankfully there were internship at Airlink flying the Jetstream

the Johannesburg universities, but I had no a few ladies at the air school, so we helped 41. It was only to be a two-year contract

idea what to study, as all I wanted to do is and supported one another. Generally as SAA weren’t hiring. So, I stayed on until

fly. I constantly applied for the SAA (South speaking, flying was tougher to grasp, es- they had room for their cadets. Airlink

African Airways) cadet then, for the first time in

pilot programme but they history, promoted cadets
weren’t accepting new to captaincy. It had never

cadets at that time so my been done before but

mom eventually advised they needed commanders
me to take a gap year to and at that stage, we had

figure things out and put the most experience on
the university route on the aircraft.

hold until the cut off for It was a great learning
their offers would expire. experience and some-

I found a job at Swis- thing I’ll forever be

sport International as a grateful for. It taught me
customer service agent at how to be a commander,
the airport doing check- manage myself, peo-
ins, arrivals, pushing ple, the company and
wheelchairs and what- a variety of situations.

ever else they needed to During my time at Airlink,
keep passengers happy I studied to become a
and informed once they flight instructor at Rand

depart and arrive. On my Airport which was a great

first day, there were seven way to learn how to teach
World Airnews | November / December 2020
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