A Zimbabwean-born teenager based in Ethiopia has made history by becoming the youngest pilot in the country after he was awarded a commercial pilot licence at the age of 19.
Simbarashe Machigere was awarded the licence on May 5, 2019, by the East African Aviation School based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after flying solo at 29 hours of training.
Speaking to The Herald on Tuesday, Machigere said:
Training for a commercial pilot license was not an easy walk in the park. You needed to apply yourself intellectually, emotionally and physically. You really required undivided attention.
But I praise the Lord and also thank him for making me a Zimbabwean.
Being the youngest trainee in the East African Aviation School in Ethiopia, I have made history by flying solo at 29 hours of training. I couldn’t believe it but I made.
The youngster revealed that he intends to return home from the East African country and join a viable airline.
Simbarashe was born on July 3, 1999, in Bindura to Mr Saston Mapfaka Machigere, who is Minister-Counsellor at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Addis Ababa.
He did his primary education at Shashi Primary School and proceeded to do his High School at Greek Community School in Ethiopia.
Don’t know much about flying hangu but solo at 29 hours is #1 bad, you should fly solo at 10 hours
# commercial licence minimum is 200 hrs of flight training.
Reporter needs to revisit his story.
You’re not correct min of CPL it’s not 200hrs it’s 250hrs also the 10hrs you are saying is about what?
zvakangofanana neku driver nothing special abt this its only expensive reporter wadya bag apa
Kudos to the young man’s achievement but i must mention having flown before i soloed at 15 hours at 17 and got my licence before i turned 18.
Wonderful, and just imagine how much cross sector talent has been compromised by the government of Zimbabwe since 1980 not talking about its ailing fleet currently, and hardly beyond what it was at independence.
musatinetsa. kungoda kutiudza kuti baba vacho vari kuEmbassy