Passionate dedication to aviation and an appetite for continuous improvement have made Karabo Nkosi an exemplary figure in aviation.
When Karabo left high school, he was presented with two choices: attend university or put that money toward completing his PPL. For a goal-driven man with a dream of taking to the skies, he chose to spend the next two years working toward his PPL.
Karabo found the graft to be challenging but enjoyable. “I knew this was all I wanted to do,” he notes. “My heart was set, regardless of how long it would take.” He persevered and obtained his PPL shortly after the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“Passion is the driver of persistence.”
His timing could not have been better as SA Express had recently reopened their cadet programme and Karabo was accepted as part of the second intake. Completing his Commercial License over the next year, he then joined SA Express. Over the next several years he spent his time flying to destinations throughout South Africa until, in 2018, he joined Mango.
The following year Karabo tested for and successfully obtained his ATPL and now operates the Boeing 737-800 out of Johannesburg. “I’m currently a Senior First Officer on the aircraft and absolutely loving it,” he expresses.
“Never give up the chase”
However, as all aviators will know, the industry has its many drawbacks. Asked about his life outside of aviation, Karabo notes, “I have found being a father to my son rather challenging as I have relocated twice in the last 5 years. This has been difficult but I’m back in Johannesburg and have found a great balance.”
As the lockdown began, Karabo decided to hone new skills and set out to develop an app. He created a new company in July of 2020, and he says that app development is teaching him far beyond what he had imagined.
With passion for aviation continuing to be his motivator, Karabo notes that aviation is still the most rewarding job. “The amount of passion we have as pilots is often the only commonality between us. It’s the driver of persistence,” he says. “Just never give up the chase.”