Epitomising the seemingly limitless dream for many that is aviation, Ronniel has carved a path in the industry that has held his fascination since his earliest days. Hard work and determination are his drivers.
As young children, Ronniel and his friends would watch in awe as aircraft came and went from the nearby Air Force base. Aviation films became their genre of choice. For his friends, that is where the dream ended. Ronniel however, notes that, “For me the dream never stopped. It grew and became part of me, wanting to become my way of life.”
And that it did. In 2013 he began training as an air traffic controller with the Zambia Air Services Training Institute. In 2016, he was employed as an ATC and began his ground school studies for his PPL and eventually his Commercial License. Remaining persistent in his determination to achieve his dream, Ronniel completed his PPL check ride this year.
“As a pilot and Air Traffic Controller, I should always be striving to learn and push myself because it will keep me humble and avoid complacency.”
Ronniel is resolute in his goal but admits that there are struggles that come with entering the aviation industry. “The high cost of aviation training is a struggle,” he notes. “Any person can become complacent and the only way to combat complacency is to challenge oneself.” He continues by admitting that he has had to make many sacrifices due not only to the costs involved in training but also due to the demanding nature of the job.
His advice to aspiring aviators is that you will never finish if you don’t start. “If you make the first step – even if it’s small – you will have accomplished the first task in your dream job… By the end, those small steps will turn into many steps completed.” He notes that he has friends who started flying at a young age and others who started much later in life. “We all have different privileges in life so if you want to reach your goal, run at your own pace not at someone else’s.”
“There are many obstacles in every profession. If you want to get somewhere, you’ll have to deal with them and don’t back down.”
What the future holds
The global pandemic and general downturn in aviation has had an impact on many within the industry. Ronniel notes that he’s lucky to still have his job, though his training in South Africa has been hampered as he had to leave the country. He says that his sights have always been set on flying but that he may need to start thinking beyond that. “For my entire life I’ve only been focused on aircraft but perhaps I should also think of something else… I love the backcountry life so investing in farming may not be a bad idea for me,” he muses as he mulls over possible careers outside of aviation.
While backup plans remain important, Ronniel’s dreams include one day flying his favourite aircraft – the Douglas DC-3 and completing aerobatics training in the future. He’s a keen aerobatics fan himself having never missed a single year of the Red Bull World Championship Air Race. As a child, he would stare out the window of his chemistry class and watch the Y12 formations pass by while his teacher scolded him and said that flying would never take him anywhere in life. Let that serve as a lesson in determination and persistence.
A big thank you to Ronniel for taking part in this interview. We look forward to watching his aviation dream unfold and wish him all the unending success he deserves!