Alpha One Aviation

A Moment with Dipuo Elizabeth Mapatle

Please give us a brief background history about yourself?

I was born and raised in the East Rand in Daveyton. I matriculated from Benoni High in 2001 and went to study for my Travel and Tourism Qualification, after graduating I then started working at Woolworths as a till operator, then went to work for Formula 1 Hotel then onto working for Avis Rent a Car. I started flying at Comair in 2010 as a Cabin Crew member and I happily did that for 6 years and after that started pursuing my dream of becoming a pilot. I completed my private pilot’s Licence in 2019 and I went on to complete my night rating which is a "licence to fly at night" in 2020. As my love for flying grew even more, I then went on to study towards my Remote Pilots Licence/Drone Pilot and I successfully completed it in 2021. I'm currently studying towards my Commercial Pilots License while also currently flying as cabin crew for Lift.

What inspired you to join the aviation industry?

My love or inspiration for Aviation started as a little girl when my dad used to take me and my siblings to the then Jan Smuts Airport to go watch aeroplanes take off and land, I guess that's where the seed was planted for me.

What are some of the challenges you face on a daily?

Funding is a challenge, as soon as I finish with my Commercial License, I need to start finding
money to do ratings depending on the company that hires me.
Funding for other careers is easily available but not student pilots. Trying to balance work
and studying is sometimes challenging as both are demanding.

What would you change in Aviation?

If I could change something it would be to make resources/funding more available to student pilots, a lot of student pilots don’t make it on the other side of private pilot or if they do make it beyond their commercial pilots’ licence, the stumbling block is the money for ratings.

What advice would you give to young females who want to go into aviation?

My advice to young females is to disregard some of the negative comments that you are likely to hear from some who don't think women are capable of flying. Don’t take it personally or seriously. Just go for what you want, do your research, and align yourself with like-minded people.

Meet The Team

Khanyisile Khanyi, Accountable Manager: ATO

Favourite Holiday Destination:
My favourite holiday destination is Mombasa, Kenya

5 People you’d like to invite to dinner (Dead or Alive):
I would like to invite for dinner, mom, dad, sister, brother, and my best friend.

Quote/Words you live by:
“Be grateful for everything you have and the only time you should look back in life is to see how far you have come. Keep moving and never give up.