With a further 1,000 hours under his belt, he could apply to become a captain.
21-year-old First Officer Kalenga Kamwendo, who has amassed an impressive 1,000 flight hours and making history as Zambia’s youngest commercial pilot. Flying commercially can be a highly rewarding career choice – one that allows them to explore new places and meet people from all sorts of cultural backgrounds while also allowing them to bring home a salary every month. With this additional 1,000 hours under his belt, we suspect he won’t be too far behind from taking his career aspirations to the next level and becoming a captain himself.
Working as an airline pilot can feel like you’re living a dream. From the great view and amazing aerial experiences to the inflated income, the job has it all! And although two pilots are needed – one captain, who is in charge, and one supporting first officer – it doesn’t necessarily mean that one airline pilot will be doing twice the work of a commercial pilot. Depending on how big your aircraft is and how long your flights are, you could get paid more for less flying time!
Becoming an airline pilot can be a highly rewarding experience, especially for those looking for more than just the traditional in-office job. Becoming a commercial pilot can open the door to the world of charter flights, rescue operations, firefighting, aerial photography and crop dusting -talk about variety! Whilst each flight experience is unique and different depending on the type of operation taking place, airline pilots have to be cognizant of their workload ensuring they don’t exceed the maximum number of hours flown (generally 60 per week) as that’d mean getting grounded. With something as precarious as aircraft control it’s no wonder airline pilots demand higher salaries; the amount received directly correlates with experience which is why it’s so important to get in your hours!
Kalenga Kamwendo certainly made record-breaking news in 2016 by clocking an impressive 1,000 hours of flying with Proflight Zambia in under two years. The early morning flight from Lusaka to Mfuwe, on which he achieved the milestone, brought him close to the 1,500 hour mark that would see him obtain a Senior Officer license and, eventually, his wings as a captain. His record-breaking story has certainly paved the way for more aspiring aviators.
