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Many commercial pilots have to overcome major hurdles, take risks and make lots of sacrifices to get to their dream job. This couldn’t be more true for Silva McLeod, Tonga’s first female airline pilot.
Growing up on a small island in Tonga, Silva’s dream was to one day fly a plane. But she never thought it would be possible and wrote it off as a “fantasy”.
After finishing school, Silva met Ken, an Australian man who was working in Tonga to build a much-needed hospital and fuel depot. They fell in love, got married and moved together back to Melbourne. That trip was the first time Silva ever boarded a plane, and she couldn’t help noticing that the pilots were both white men who spoke only English. Most of the passengers were Tongan and could not understand the safety briefing.
Around a decade later, Ken was diagnosed with cancer. He said to Silva, “Do you still want to fly? Life is too short, if you have a dream, go for it.” He gifted Silva an introductory flying lesson for her 31st birthday and from that moment, she was hooked.
It would take several more years – at great expense – for Silva to achieve her commercial pilot licence. Even then, landing a job at an airline wasn’t exactly easy either. Eventually, Silva became a DHC-6 Twin Otter captain with Royal Tongan Airlines. She describes the moment on her first flight as captain, being able to make an announcement to the passengers in her native tongue, as one of “elation”. This was the first time a woman had ever addressed passengers from the cockpit of an aircraft in Tongan.
Silva went on to fly for Aeropelican, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and ultimately Virgin Australia, where she was a First Officer on the Boeing 737 and Boeing 777.
In episode 101 of AFF on Air, Matt talks to Silva McLeod about the inspiring journey that took her from a small island in the Pacific to the cockpit of an international airline – flying over the Pacific.
You can read more about Silva’s story in her new book, Island Girl to Airline Pilot.
Listen now to AFF on AIR Episode 101: “Tonga’s First Female Airline Pilot”
You can also view the episode notes.
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