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- Refilwe Moreetsi chats to us about her journey towards becoming an airline pilot.
- The 35-year-old mother of two is a senior first officer with SAA, and shares her experiences from when she first set foot on a plane to realising her dream.
- Her career has afforded her awe-inspiring opportunities, including transporting Cyril Ramaphosa when he was the deputy president, and travelling to conflict zones on dangerous missions.
Refilwe Moreetsi was seven years old when she first set foot on a plane. It was during a family trip to Durban, she fondly recalls as we chat on the phone.
"Upon landing in Durban, we got the opportunity to go into the flight deck; my dad took us up there. I think from that day onwards, I was hooked."
Born and raised in Tzaneen in Limpopo, Refilwe is the youngest of four children. Her father had a passion for travel and loved sharing that with his family.
"One of his priorities in my life was always to just try and save up so we can go somewhere," she tells me.
"Growing up in that type of family that loves travelling and exploring new things, different from the norm, I think that also made me kind of who I am in terms of going after the things I've gone after."
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After that flight to Durban in 1994, Refilwe's mind was made up - she was going to be an airline pilot. And although her parents gave her incredible support, her real challenges began outside of the family.
"Everybody just kind of, you know, [shrugged it off as] pipe dreams, and [and as something that's] not attainable, especially for somebody that looks like me - black and female."
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Refilwe lost her father when she was 15 years old. He was the man who first introduced her to flying - her number one support structure.
"He was actually very supportive. He didn't just say, 'Yes, you can become a pilot.' He took me to air shows and just showed me, 'This is what you can do.'"
"He took me to one of the air shows in Hoedspruit, and funny enough, I actually worked there years later," she remembers lovingly.
After her father died, her mother continued supporting hr journey to the skies, no matter what.
An academic, Refilwe eased her way into university, turning down a full bursary to study mining engineering at the University of Pretoria, and enrolling for Wits' aeronautical engineering programme.
However, she could not shake the feeling that she needed to be up in the air, so one week before driving to Johannesburg to start, she opted out with the full backing of her mother.
She swore to do research and everything she could to get into a flight programme.
As she recalls telling her mother about her plans, Refilwe recites her life adage, which was inspired by that moment: "You should always ask. The worst answer you can get is 'no.'"
It was a risk, but it paid off.
Refilwe enrolled at the SA Airforce, where she did her flight training.
"I learnt later on that in the air force you go through basic training. It's about two years of training before you can actually fly."
Her training was done on the Pilatus PC 7 "Astra", an aerobatic aircraft.
She recalls her first time taking to the skies in one of these with her instructor at the helm.
"What was exciting is my instructor took me up and she turned the aircraft upside down, it's called flying inverted, and it was a clear day, not a single cloud in the sky, and I was looking at Table Mountain upside down. I will never forget that day."
Her time in the air force led to her eventually flying the Oryx helicopter - the largest helicopter in the military. This brought many once in a lifetime experiences her way. At the helm of this aircraft, she participated in flood relief, firefighting and search and rescue missions. The Oryx is also used to transport the president, deputy president and other VIPs.
"At the time when I was in the air force, I had flown [President] Cyril Ramaphosa when he was [deputy] president, and I've flown [Jacob] Zuma," Refilwe reveals. "Normally, what they do, their jet would land somewhere, but then they would need to go out to a village or to a school or to a community. We fly them from the airport to that area. The first time it was so surreal, I'm literally flying number one of the country, and then you get to meet them, and you're like, 'Oh wow, this is my life.' And then you land and wait for them to finish with whatever they're doing and then they come back.
"I've flown Cyril Ramaphosa a few times and he's actually quite friendly and he greets you, so that was nice to experience that."
More dangerous missions included spending time in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), working with the United Nations when her aircraft was shot at. "Luckily, they never got our aircraft, but we were shot at. And other times we had to go to places where there is conflict and had to pick up people."
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After leaving the air force, Refilwe eventually earned her Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL).
Today she is a senior first officer with South African Airways, flying the Airbus A320.
The 35-year-old mom of two says juggling her work and family life is a balancing act, but listening to her speak, it seems to be one she has mastered.
"It almost looks like you're always away but actually, you're not. I'm just comparing it with my husband, who works a nine to five, I'm actually home more often than he is.
"It all depends on the day and obviously, what's happening in the industry. But some weeks are busy, some weeks are relaxed, but overall, the time off that you get is a little better than nine to five."
Another bonus for Refilwe is that she never takes work home with her.
"Once you land the aircraft, you sign off, you go home, you're done. So it's very easy to have a family life that's not attached to your work life."
Still, with all her success, Refilwe faces backlash from those who believe she does not belong on the flight deck.
"You get told, and not in a subtle way. You get people who ask you what are you doing here, you belong in the kitchen at home or raising kids."
"And, by the way, I'm flying now and raising my kids at the same time anyway," she retorts with a giggle.
"Basically, in our industry [women] end up having to work twice as hard, and I see that even from my training in the air force. I've seen that even after I left."
Despite the negativity that has been showered upon her for being a black female pilot, Refilwe also notes the positives, telling me that young, black females reach out to her often on social media for advice.
Her life journey has come full circle - from being that 7-year-old on a plane, looking upon the flight deck with wonder and joy, to becoming the inspiration for other aspiring pilots.
"The nice thing is now, landing from a flight, you get some people who come to the flight deck to say hi or take pictures and stuff, and they'll be amazed that it's a woman flying the aircraft. When it's a child, you can see that they're so inspired by this."
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