SAWIA S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N W O M E N I N AV I AT I O N & A E R O S PA C E I N D U S T RY
I N F O R M . C O N N E C T . M O T I VAT E . I N S P I R E
AVIATRIX PROFILES 15 AUGUST 2012
COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOTS SENIOR FIRST OFFICER: FATIMA JAKOET
FATIMA JAKOET, SENIOR FIRST OFFICER @ SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS PHOTOGRAPH: Nick Aldridge www.nickaldridge.co.za
COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOTS FATIMA JAKOET
SENIOR FIRST OFFICER, SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS, FOUNDER OF SAKHIKAMVA FOUNDATION & AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER OF ALPA-SA FATIMA JAKOET is currently a Senior First Officer at South African Airways. Her career in aviation started in 2001 when she was selected on the South African Airways Cadet Pilot Programme. In 2002, as part of her internship she joined Airlink as co-pilot on the Jetstream 41 until May 2005 when she was appointed at South African Airways. She is also a graduate MBA (2009) from the University of Stellenbosch and holds both a National Diploma in Analytical Chemistry and BTech Chemistry from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Prior to joining the world of aviation Fatima was on both the National Health Laboratories and SAPS Forensic Teams as specialist in toxicology and narcotics respectively. Fatima is the Founder of the Sakhikamva Foundation an aviation awareness and skills development organisation established in 2010.
TOP WOMEN IN BUSINESS INTERVIEW: Q & A WITH FATIMA JAKOET WHAT IS YOUR RANK? I am a First Officer at South African Airways HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PILOT? I was selected on the SAA Cadet Pilot Programme in the 2001 and joined Airlink at the end of 2002 as part of third phase (the internship) of the programme, before I joined SAA in 2005. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE A PILOT? Please read my blog page entitled My Journey http://jakoet.com/2009/08/11/my-journey/ - it will give you an idea of my career path and how I reached my dream. WHAT TRAINING DID YOU UNDERGO? After a rigorous selection process, I was selected as one of sixteen cadets. The training process was quite intense and within 2 years we completed our Commercial Pilot licence with a
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frozen Airline Transport License. The Airline Transport Pilot License was then completed (unfrozen) after a set amount of hours as required by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. I completed a three year internship at Airlink before joining SAA. WHAT WAS THE RATIO OF MEN TO WOMEN WHILE YOU WERE UNDERGOING YOUR TRAINING? We were 4 females and 12 males. 11 of us graduated. Nine of us are still employed at SAA. WHAT WERE THE ATTITUDES OF YOUR FELLOW CADETS (IS THAT THE RIGHT WORD?) AND YOUR SUPERIORS TO A WOMAN PILOT? The training had its level of competitiveness but bonded very well as a group, especially in Adelaide. We were there to support each other through the tough times and celebrated our achievements. Never were we discouraged by our peers or instructors because of our gender or race group. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MAJOR CHALLENGES THAT YOU HAVE HAD TO OVERCOME? In my experience as a forensic scientist I developed a coping mechanism to survive in a male dominated industry. So that wasn’t much of a challenge when I entered aviation which is 95% male dominated. One of the greatest challenges however, was changing people’s perception. As Muslim woman my challenges were amplified when I entered the airline industry shortly after the 911. The incident changed how the world views Muslims. As a result there was a great deal of nervous tension the air especially at the controls of an aeroplane! It has fizzled out though. It is however important not to take it such isolated incidents personally. One of the passengers wrote a congratulatory message to me on an airsick bag. That is the kind of gestures I treasure. ARE ANY OF THOSE CHALLENGES SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE YOU ARE A WOMAN? We are fortunate to have such a liberal Constitution. So the barriers of entry for women have been demolished and women like Captain Jane Trembath have pioneered the way for women in aviation. The challenge that you as a woman face is more on a personal level. IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT BEING A PILOT THAT IS MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOU ARE A WOMAN THAN A MAN? An airline is as good as it safety record. The public has to have confidence in the airline they fly. Airlines invest a huge amount of money in training and will do anything in their power to appoint the right person to be at the controls of their multi-million dollar machines and to keep their safety record intact. So as pilot you can be confident that you have been selected for your skill, character and talent. Flying has very little to do with your gender it is about ability. You have to find your strength with yourself - your confidence, passion and determination. DO YOU HAVE OR WANT A FAMILY? IS IT DIFFICULT BALANCING THE OBLIGATIONS OF A FAMILY LIFE WITH YOUR CAREER? Schedules are flexible in the sense that you can plan a couple of weeks in advance and with the right partner and a good support system, it is not to difficult to overcome the challenges that you are faced with and make a success of both your career and family life. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM OF BECOMING A PILOT? It beats working for a living! No two days are ever the same and that is what makes it exciting. It is a career in which you are constantly learning not only about aviation but also about your abilities and limitations. Travelling the world has changed my life perspective but certainly first prize for me is when I fly over my old house in Wellington in the descend into Cape Town and still can’t believe that I once was a little girl screaming at the aeroplane above me and wonder if there is another girl experiencing the same exhilarating moment when I fly over. DO YOU HAVE ANY MESSAGE FOR OTHER WOMEN OUT THERE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS CAREER PATH? Aviation requires you to have passion of which you will need plenty of at times when you are
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Bird in flight
First she became a forensic crime scene investigator, then a pilot, and now she is also an MBA graduate. SIERAAJ AHMED finds out why for Fatima Jakoet the sky was not the limit.
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pictureS: supplied
s A little girl growing up in Wellington, near Cape Town, Fatima Jakoet dreamed big: she wanted to be a doctor, a spy, a pilot, a supermodel … and though she may not have ticked all those boxes, she has certainly already attained a few landmark goals. Jakoet (36) is not only a 2009 MBA graduate, but she has also been a pilot for South African Airways for the past five years. And in the days before she took to the skies, she spent six years working as a forensic scientist and crime scene investigator. She smiles as she relates how her unusual career path unfolded. “I wanted to study medicine, but I wasn’t accepted, so I studied
MBA graduate Fatima Jakoet
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chemistry. I worked in the field of forensic science for a few years, but my childhood dream of being a pilot was always in the back of my mind.” While confiscating drugs at a crime scene at Cape Town International Airport, she found herself mesmerised at the sight of a Boeing 747-400 close up, and told a colleague, “Someday I’m going to be in control of that big machine.” Two years later, in 2001, Jakoet was one of 16 people accepted into a cadet pilot programme and spent 16 months in training in Australia, before joining South African Airlink as a first officer (co-pilot). Today she’s an SAA senior first officer flying domestic routes – and she recently added another feather into her already impressive cap by completing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at the USB. “I have always been greatly inspired by a saying attributed to Islam’s prophet, Muhammad: ‘Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave’,” Jakoet says of her latest milestone. “When I started flying, I knew I wanted to give back to the community in a more ‘big picture’ way, and I thought an MBA would be the perfect grooming tool to sharpen my skills, teach me new ones, and prepare me to interact with people on a different level.”
AGENDA No 2 | 2010 | www.usb.ac.za
IMAGE SOURCE: http://www.usb.ac.za/Media/News/bird-in-flight-english.pdf
facing challenges. When everything feels like it’s not going according to your expectations, it is your passion that allows you to persevere to attain your goal. I love Henry Ford’s saying: “When everything feels like it’s going against you, remember that an aeroplane takes off against the wind.” Remember that the only limitations in life are those that you impose upon yourself. Believe in yourself as only you can make your dream a reality. DO YOU EVER ENCOUNTER ANY NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT “WOMEN PILOTS” FROM THE PUBLIC OR PASSENGERS? The general perception and feedback is overwhelmingly positive. SOURCE: Fatima Jakoet.
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FATIMA IN THE NEWS
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SOURCE: http://www.treasuremag.co.za Treasure Magazine, the leading and only Islamic lifestyle Magazine in South Africa.
FATIMA IN THE NEWS
SOURCE: http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/stellenbosch-University/matieland_engels-final/2011072501/#0
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PHOTOGRAPH SOURCE: www.sakhikamva.org
SAKHIKAMVA FOUNDATION
BUILDING A FUTURE WITH YOUNG AVIATORS The Sakhikamva Foundation’s believes that the future of aviation lies with the young people of South Africa and our mission is to ensure that we create the aviation awareness, identify and develop the talent that exists amongst the youth of South Africa in order to ensure a that a solid foundation is built to feed the aviation pipeline. The Foundation has partnered with key role players in the aviation industry as well as educational institutions to ensure that we execute our mission with success and to the envisaged standard.
PROGRAMMES SPREAD YOUR WINGS: The project is centered around Air Shows in order to attract and expose learners from rural areas and to introduce them to the career opportunities in aviation. The event is advertised at schools, via social media and various community radio stations and newspapers. Activities include: A presentation of the careers in aviation (e.g. pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, aeronautical engineers, various career choices at Air Traffic Control and Navigation services); interaction with various professionals in the industry; distribution of Aviation Career guides of the industry; an opportunity to enter competitions and at the Air Show itself, a paper airplane competition is run in various categories. THE AVIATORS EXCURSION: This currently takes place in the Western Cape in year one and expands into the nine provinces over the next five years. The learners targeted are grade 3-7. The interaction includes the following: Introduction to the world of aviation military and commercial; a tour of the South African Air Force Museum; an information session at the Planetarium; an aircraft model building; an introduction to flight using a remote controlled aircraft. Programmes are adjusted according to the age groups. The 2011 target are 600 learners. AIRCRAFT MODEL BUILDING COURSE: The course is a 15-hour course for 16-20 learners. Each learner is provided with an aircraft model and the guidance to develop the skills to build their model. Each session includes: the technical information of various parts of the aircraft, theory of flight; an aircraft visit and an introductory flight in a simulator AVIATORS’ WORKSHOP: This is a 1-day workshop for grade 10-12 learners spend with professionals in the aviation environment. The programme includes a baseline assessment (mathematics and science) of the participants, a coaching session, tour to the Air Traffic and Navigation Services facility and a briefing and simulator session. ROBOTICS COURSE: This is a five-day course, from basic to advance levels. Learners between the ages of 7-14 are targeted for this course. The course is a great developmental tool for learners in the technology field as they learn to build robots from start to finish and program these finished products to execute certain commands utilizing computer software.
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If you are interested in any of our programmes, please contact us at: info@sakhikamva.org or visit our website out www.sakhikamva.org
PHOTOGRAPH SOURCE: www.foreignaffairs.com/ about-us/sponsors/south-african-airways
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS South African Airways (SAA) is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 38 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International Airport, using a fleet of 57 aircraft. The airline is headed by CEO Siza Mzimela and CFO Wolf Meyer [1]. The airline has stated that no white male cadets will be accepted anymore. [2]. South African Airways was founded in 1934 after the acquisition of Union Airways by the South African government. The airline was initially overseen and controlled by South African Railways and Harbours Administration. It suffered imposed sanctions by African countries during apartheid, which forced it to adopt long-range aircraft and other measures to counter these restrictions. During this time, it was also known by its Afrikaans name, Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens (SAL), which has been dropped. In 1997 a major overhaul programme, which involved a change of name, image and aircraft livery, as well as the introduction of online ticketing services, was carried out by the company’s board. The carrier has since joined airline alliance Star Alliance, and replaced its fleet with newer aircraft. In 2006, SAA split from Transnet, its parent company, to operate as an independent airline. SAA is the official airline of the Association of Tennis Professionals. SAA owns Mango, a low cost domestic airline, and has established links with Airlink and South African Express. SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Airways
SOUTHERN AFRICAN WOMEN IN AVIATION & AEROSPACE POSTAL ADDRESS # PO Box 6931, Greenstone, Johannesburg, 1616, South Africa WEBSITE http://www.sawia.org FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/SAWIA.org TWITTER https://twitter.com/#!/sawia_org ISSUU PUBLICATIONS http://issuu.com/sawia BLOG http://southernafricanwomeninaviation.blogspot.com GENERAL ENQUIRIES info@sawia.org MARKETING marketing@sawia.org
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