“We’ve trained two high school pupils as an introduction to the Lincoln Aviator. We sponsored their flying so they don’t have to pay for it themselves,” Ken Phillips told TimesLIVE.
Ndumiso Mthiyane, 17, is from Pietermaritzburg College and Sindiswa Mnikathi, 17, from the rural Siyazama Senior Secondary school in eMpendle village.
Normally, the introductory programme costs R9,000 per pupil — a package that includes two days of aviation activities and three nights of accommodation.
Phillips said the programme had chosen top performing pupils from the schools.
“It’s not only about the more affluent schools that can [already] afford to take their students to training but we need to also uplift schools like the Siyazama high school where children come from poor backgrounds and parents can’t afford the high cost of flying.”
Phillips sought funding for the pupils, an opportunity Umgungundlovu district mayor Mzi Zuma grabbed with both hands.
Zuma, an alumni of Siyazama secondary school, is covering Mnikathi’s training fees.
Phillips said the programme intended to open the eyes of participants to the possibilities in aviation and ascertain whether they could withstand the rigours of the industry without having to embark on a costly career path.
“Some pilots find they have a fear of unusual altitudes, it scares people and you have to overcome all that. Not everybody can be a pilot, even if they have a passion for it. Some people bail out of flying because they find they can’t handle the stress,” he said.
“It’s an expensive mistake if you find out down the road that it's not the route you want to take, hence you need an affordable, initial introduction to flying. Lincoln Aviator takes a lot of the risks out of flying right at the beginning because we take it from school level. It’s never been done before.”
Mnikathi said flying was a lifelong dream she thought was unattainable. “As a child I’d climb to the top of the roof and look down from there. I’d imagine that I’m floating in the air so this is a dream come true for me,” she said.
“If I get an opportunity to continue in this programme towards becoming a pilot I will grab it because it is my first love.”
Mthiyane said he wants to obtain a private pilots licence (PPL).
“It’s the first step towards becoming a professional pilot. You need to complete that licence and move on to the licence called CPL which allows you to get paid, then ratings ... So if I can balance doing my PPL with my matric I would be very happy,” he said.
“I’ve made up my mind and there is nothing else I want to do. What Mr Phillips has done, getting people like us who probably would never have been exposed to aviation, is really helping the communities. Him reaching out to surrounding communities, and not just going to the exclusive areas pretty much gives a fair chance to everyone ... amazing.”
Phillips is looking to branch out to the rest of the province.
“Next up, we will be looking to market it in schools as an excursion experience but with an exciting difference — a school excursion where you can actually touch and learn to fly an aeroplane. Nobody else offers that and it’s a missing link between students at school thinking and wanting to fly and a thing that actually gives them that mechanism to take that first step in their flight training.
“Our long term prospect is to establish ourselves not only here in our district but also in KwaZulu-Natal.”
TimesLIVE
School pupils take to the skies in project opening doors for a new generation of pilots
Image: SANDILE NDLOVU
Launching an aviation academy at the weekend was the realisation of a lifelong dream for a KwaZulu-Natal couple using their passion for flying to forge a new generation of pilots.
Pietermaritzburg-based entrepreneurs Ken Phillips and his wife Monica, owners of Lincoln Cottages, launched their passion project Lincoln Aviation on Saturday.
Ken has a commercial pilots licence but focused on his career as a land surveyor, which was more lucrative.
The couple never lost their passion for flying and are now sharing it with others through this project.
They hope to encourage a new generation of pilots from different backgrounds by exposing them to the aviation industry from a young age with first-hand experience to gauge their interest in flying.
Image: SANDILE NDLOVU
“We’ve trained two high school pupils as an introduction to the Lincoln Aviator. We sponsored their flying so they don’t have to pay for it themselves,” Ken Phillips told TimesLIVE.
Ndumiso Mthiyane, 17, is from Pietermaritzburg College and Sindiswa Mnikathi, 17, from the rural Siyazama Senior Secondary school in eMpendle village.
Normally, the introductory programme costs R9,000 per pupil — a package that includes two days of aviation activities and three nights of accommodation.
Phillips said the programme had chosen top performing pupils from the schools.
“It’s not only about the more affluent schools that can [already] afford to take their students to training but we need to also uplift schools like the Siyazama high school where children come from poor backgrounds and parents can’t afford the high cost of flying.”
Phillips sought funding for the pupils, an opportunity Umgungundlovu district mayor Mzi Zuma grabbed with both hands.
Zuma, an alumni of Siyazama secondary school, is covering Mnikathi’s training fees.
Phillips said the programme intended to open the eyes of participants to the possibilities in aviation and ascertain whether they could withstand the rigours of the industry without having to embark on a costly career path.
“Some pilots find they have a fear of unusual altitudes, it scares people and you have to overcome all that. Not everybody can be a pilot, even if they have a passion for it. Some people bail out of flying because they find they can’t handle the stress,” he said.
“It’s an expensive mistake if you find out down the road that it's not the route you want to take, hence you need an affordable, initial introduction to flying. Lincoln Aviator takes a lot of the risks out of flying right at the beginning because we take it from school level. It’s never been done before.”
Mnikathi said flying was a lifelong dream she thought was unattainable. “As a child I’d climb to the top of the roof and look down from there. I’d imagine that I’m floating in the air so this is a dream come true for me,” she said.
“If I get an opportunity to continue in this programme towards becoming a pilot I will grab it because it is my first love.”
Mthiyane said he wants to obtain a private pilots licence (PPL).
“It’s the first step towards becoming a professional pilot. You need to complete that licence and move on to the licence called CPL which allows you to get paid, then ratings ... So if I can balance doing my PPL with my matric I would be very happy,” he said.
“I’ve made up my mind and there is nothing else I want to do. What Mr Phillips has done, getting people like us who probably would never have been exposed to aviation, is really helping the communities. Him reaching out to surrounding communities, and not just going to the exclusive areas pretty much gives a fair chance to everyone ... amazing.”
Phillips is looking to branch out to the rest of the province.
“Next up, we will be looking to market it in schools as an excursion experience but with an exciting difference — a school excursion where you can actually touch and learn to fly an aeroplane. Nobody else offers that and it’s a missing link between students at school thinking and wanting to fly and a thing that actually gives them that mechanism to take that first step in their flight training.
“Our long term prospect is to establish ourselves not only here in our district but also in KwaZulu-Natal.”
TimesLIVE
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