Besa Mumba who was born on the 9th of December 1996 is a Zambian pilot. She is well known as the youngest female commercial pilot in Zambia and Africa as a whole.
Overtime, Zambia’s aviation records kept tumbling and Kalenga Kamwendo became the country’s youngest pilot at the age of 20 but that record was broken by the then 19 year-old Besa Mumba, who became Zambia’s youngest commercial pilot. Mumba secured her dream job as a pilot flying with the nation’s scheduled airline, Proflight Zambia.
Education
Mumba was born on 9 December 1996 in Lusaka which is the capital and largest city of Zambia situated in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about 1,279 metres (4,196 ft).
She started schooling in 1999 at Sunshine Primary School then went on into high school education at St.Marys’s before going for flight training in South Africa.
Besa Mumba secured her dream job as a pilot; flying with the Nation’s scheduled airline at the age of 19 which made her well known over the globe as the country’s commercial youngest pilot.
In an interview, she commented that her venture into aviation was based on curiosity. This curiosity grew into fascination as she wanted to see how aircrafts worked.
Right after receiving grade 12 results in March 2013, Besa was accepted to attend the South African Flight Training Academy in Heidelberg, Gauteng. There, she started her Private Pilot Licence course in April 2013 and began flying the same month. The flight training course lasted two years.
Besa Mumba opted for an extra and complete training at SIMU Flight based at 18 Suni Avenue, Corporate Park South in Midrand. Simuflight is an Internationally Approved Training Organization,offering comprehensive integrated training at airline standards through simulator based flight training, Simuflight has become a first choice training destination for many individuals and operators.
Through the first quarter of 2015, she did a final training towards obtaining a Commercial Pilots Licence,which she earned.
Career
Besa Mumba was trained at the South African Flight Training Academy in Heidelberg where she acquired her Private pilot licence after two years in 2015. After an extra training at SIMU Flight in Pretoria, she obtained her Commercial pilot licence in July 2015.
Soon enough, she was employed by Proflight Zambia as a First Officer in July 2016 and she has alreadyflown more than 15 hours, on Zambian domestic routes to Kasama, Lower Zambezi, and Luangwa.
As a First and youngest Officer she flies alongside the Captain of the aircraft on the airline’s Caravanaircraft.
“Proflight Zambia was impressed with Besa’s determination and drive and we believe she has the will to succeed in what is a very competitive industry,” said Proflight’s Director of Government and Industry Affairs, Capt. Philip Lema. “We will support Besa all the way, and look forward to her growing her career with us.”
Commenting on her historic appointment, Mumba told Proflight Zambia, “I am extremely humbled they gave me a chance to live my dream and this shows they have confidence in me to have given me the opportunity.”
“If you have a dream, work hard you can get to where you want,” she added.
Besa’s story serves as a motivation to young persons all over the world especially Africa, furthermore Besa sees herself as a Captain in few years to come flying the big jets at Proflight Zambia.
