At some stage in their lives, most people fantasise about flying. Some get to realise that dream. But the road is significantly harder if you are a woman in a developing country. Harder still if you don’t come from a well-heeled or well-connected family.
But in a fairy tale come true scene, 21 year old, Phinanong Luesasinh has become Lao PDR’s first locally trained woman pilot. Of the 120 applicants for pilot training with humanitarian aviation organisation PACTEC she rose to be one of the top six trainees and on 20 December 2006 became a proud owner of a commercial pilot’s licence.
‘At first my parents – who run a food stall at a central market – didn’t want to allow me to undertake pilot training as they thought it was too dangerous for a girl but even though it is challenging, I wanted to follow my dream and show the Lao people that women can do anything – that they can do technical work and be pilots.’
April Lanigan is the senior flight instructor working for Partners in Aviation and Communications Technology (PACTEC) in Lao PDR providing instruction for the first six pilots to be trained in Laos since 1975. April a smiling woman with serious intentions is obviously proud of Phinanong’s success. She is right to take it personally.
At the end of their two year programme the newly certificated pilots will fly with Lao Skyway, a private airline flying domestic routes within Laos. This can be extremely challenging flying, particularly in the face of the growing unpredictability of the weather. To the north mountainous terrain can become quickly cloaked with turbulent clouds, thunderstorms and fog. Cross winds can rip though valleys. The flying instructor has her work cut out preparing the pilots for such events. Phinanong, tiny in stature but big on competence, has learnt not only how to deal with flying contingencies but mechanical as well. Being able to fix a plane ‘on the fly’, is part of what is takes to be a pilot.
When she first arrived, April also found the cultural climate challenging. ‘While there are many women in aviation in Laos, there are no women in senior positions. Officials could not accept that I was in charge of flying operations.’
PACTEC, a humanitarian NGO registered in Switzerland provides expertise in aviation, technical communication and learning technologies to non-governmental and humanitarian organisations and government agencies worldwide. They also make dreams come true.
Text by Melody Kemp
You can download the full story here: Pilot03