South Africa’s First Black Woman Hot-air Balloon Pilot shakes up once-exclusive sport

Semakaleng Mathebula  is South Africa’s first Black hot air balloon pilot, and one of few women pilots in the field.

She fires up the burner, aims a giant blue-orange flame toward a multicoloured balloon and watches as it fills with hot air and begins to lift off the ground.

According to Reuters, The 27-year-old is South Africa’s first Black hot air balloon pilot, and one of few women participating in the niche sport, which traditionally has been the domain of the white and privileged

Mathebula got a scholarship to do her pilot training from the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Balloon and Airship Federation of South Africa (BAFSA), and earned her licence last year.

In an interview, Mathebula said, “My first encounter with ballooning was as a marketing assistant for a balloon tour operator in Magaliesburg. After witnessing the balloons in person at the South African Hot Air Balloon Championships, I fell in love with the sport and used my time there to learn all levels of the business,”

One of the challenges is that the industry is highly dependent on weather conditions.

“Balloon flying is highly weather dependent and often, even after weather checks and all indications that the morning will be suitable for flight, the reality on arrival at the launch site states something different and results in a flight cancellation.

“When mother nature does favour us, we have an amazing time floating on the clouds,” she said.

But pursuing that passion can also be a way to make a living. Balloon pilots with business savvy often turn what starts as a hobby into a side job that not only pays for the travel and expenses associated with ballooning, but can also build college funds for their kids, or act as a second income for their families.

And for those who hustle and have the good fortune of landing a corporate advertising contract (or two), it can become a full-time career.

But Mathebula will not be giving up her daily job as a customer resolution analyst just yet. She also said she is keen to be an ambassador for the international sport and hopes to bring in more youth and diversity.

“In future I hope to open business operations which will highlight and support hot air ballooning tour operators. That, accompanied by a position on the Bafsa committee and additional funding will help me unlock further opportunities for more people to engage with aviation and the industry at large.

She will compete for the first time in the South African Hot Air Balloon Championship in June

Source: Reuters and Sundayworld