Like several other Nigerian women who have broken barriers, Captain Ibironke Rotimi-Olajide made history when she became the first African female pilot to fly the Embraer 195-E2 aircraft. She is also the first female commander on the E 195 aircraft in Africa.
In recognition of her achievements, Rotimi-Olajide was honoured with the prestigious Women in Aviation award in 2021.
The Lagos-born pilot, who was raised by medical doctor-parents, transitioned from being an aircraft engineer to a pilot to fulfil her dream. So far, she has flown more than 5,000 hours in her career as a pilot.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, she gives an account of her career as a pilot, the challenges of being a wife and mother; working in a male-dominated profession and the pressures that come with it.
How are you and how has life been with you?
Very well, I have not been flying much lately because some of the aircraft I fly are on ground,due for maintenance. So I just use this period to study and do other things but I reckon that in a month’s time l will be flying a lot.
How do you cope with the pressure of being a mother, wife and a pilot, given the challenges of the job?
Well, I try to balance it to the best of my ability. I have two children – a boy and a girl.I thank God that my mum is here and that has really helped me, especially this period that I was upgraded to a captain. When I was a first officer, there were still lots of work to be done, but during those periods, when I was going on training and nobody was around, then it was only my son. I’d just take him with the nanny, drop them at my sister’s house when I was going on a four-day training. I just think ahead.Now, I spend time with them. Most times, I come back home. If I am away, like when there is a layover (sleeping outside my home) or if I am working overnight, my mum helps out and my husband too.
Is your husband also a pilot?
No, but he is also in the industry. He is a helicopter engineer. He does not work in the country, so he is away for six weeks and when he comes back to Lagos, he is around for six weeks.And God has been so faithful and wonderful. Most times when I’m away for a long period, he is usually available. There was a time I was away for training, he was available here, my mum was not around, and he was on ground all through that period.
How do you feel being the youngest African pilot to fly the Embraer 195-E2?
Well, if you’re talking about age, I fall within the younger age group. But there are also younger females that are in the industry, so I wouldn’t say I am the youngest. I feel extremely honoured to be recognised as the first female pilot on the Embraer 195-E2 aircraft in Africa. I thank God for that. All along, it’s been a combination of hard work, perseverance and rigorous training, so that has brought me and also built me to make me who I am today.
You started your career in the aviation industry as an aircraft engineer, and later trained as a pilot. How did you achieve that?
Yes, I started my career as an engineer; I started on the Boeing 737 aircraft in 2008 and for five years, I was with Aero Contractors. They gave me the opportunity to start my career as the youngest engineer. We were two females that were employed at that time, but in all, I was the youngest. I had just finished from the College of Aviation that same year, 2008, and then a few months later, I found myself at Aero Contractors, where I was trained on the Boeing 737 aircraft as an engineer. But I had to go for another course, so they just brought the instructor in because we were quite a number of people that attended the training at Aero Training School in Lagos.
What have been your challenges so far working as a pilot?
We know that traditionally, the aviation industry has been perceived to be for only males because, right from time, it was referred to as a male-dominated industry. There have been challenges here and there starting from the training. It is not an easy job; a lot of people think that pilots just jump on the aircraft. Flying an aircraft goes beyond that. You need to know how much time one spends preparing for a flight from Lagos to Abuja for instance. Personally, I call myself a proactive pilot. I prepare myself before going for a flight. Like now, I have my programme; I already know that tomorrow, my first point of call is Abuja, and I will be doing four or six landings, we have a roster ahead of time.So, first thing, before I leave my house, let’s say 6:30am, departure to Abuja; Number one, waking up early is already challenging.I am waking up in the morning at 4:20 am because I need to get ready to get to work. Sometimes I might be required to fly overnight and return early in the morning.These are some of the challenges but I have staff around to do certain things and I take some of them off my mind, knowing that somebody is handling them.
What advice would you give to other career women?
Generally, it is tough, especially when the woman finds herself in a male dominated industry. It is extremely tough there. It is also tough in any industry where females are not allowed to thrive. Now coming to career women, one has to set out to achieve goals because whatever career you find yourself in, you are there to achieve goals within a given period. There is this acronym I read about and it made a lot of sense to me. It says that people have to be SMART about their goals. And someone asks, ‘What do you mean by smart?’First, one has to be specific, for instance in this aviation industry if a female wants to become a pilot, she has to be specific.I want to become a pilot and then you start shopping for a flying school because you have really made up your mind on what you want to do and the school you want to go to. That particular goal that you have chosen or career objectives is measured. This is how much I have to be paying. For me to get to that commercial pilot flying school, where do I start from, will my parents pay, get a family member to sponsor me, or to be sponsored by a state government or an oil company or an airline? You consider that one, which also applies to other areas, not just the aviation industry. One can use it to apply to other fields.