The sky is the limit for Elsa
"I don't think your gender or skin colour matters. If you have a passion for flying, nothing will stop you from flying. It would be nice to see more women in the industry though," says Elsa Martin, FlyNamibia's first female captain.Elsa worked as a navigation officer until the age of 30 before moving to Namibia in 2007. She then worked as a pilot for Wilderness Air before flying for Desert Air and finally between 2012 and 2021 for Air Namibia. After the national airline was liquidated, she found her feet at Scenic Air before she got a job at FlyNamibia in May last year.
Elsa says she only discovered her love for flying after school, but says her passion is still just as great. "I flew for the first time in my life when I was already out of school and it was that first time that I decided I wanted to fly too. By the grace of God, I was able to get where I am today. When I flew for the first time, the bug bit me and after that I couldn't think of anything else," she says.
She encourages others who share her passion to fearlessly pursue their dreams. "Flying is a passion! If you have that, then you are willing to go through anything to get where you want to be," she says.
Elsa shares one of her firsts that has a special place in her heart. "The first time I flew along the ocean from Sossusvlei to Swakopmund! I flew in the bush for a long time and it was an incredible experience and learning school."
According to her, a pilot's job is more than just breathtaking views. "Unfortunately, it's not always just the beautiful sunrises or peaceful sunsets that make flying so romantic. There are lots of early mornings, late nights, weekends away from home, lots of bad weather and turbulence, long days and unpredictable delays that we deal with on a daily basis. But again it comes back to the passion for flying. Anything is possible with God with us," she says. - [email protected]