The 2019 Annual Conference of the Aeronautical Society of South Africa (a division of the Royal Aeronautical Society) takes place on 16-18 October 2019 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria. Its theme is African Aerospace: Innovation & Passion.

For more information, visit www.aessa.org.za

Joining our international speakers, Billie Flynn, Lockheed Martin, F-35 Lightning II Test Pilot, and Ricardo Traven, Chief Test Pilot – Boeing Charleston.787 Dreamliner Program, are our two invited speakers, Major Nandi Zama, SANDF, and Captain Martin Louw, Comair.

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Major Nandi Zama is an esteemed military pilot in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) who is recognised as the first black woman in the history of South Africa to fly and command a Hercules C130 cargo plane. She is an invited speaker at the AeSSA’s 2019 Annual Conference, themed ‘African Aerospace: Innovation and Passion’.

Originally from Kwa-Zulu Natal (Kwa-Mashu), Major Zama joined the SANDF in 2004, completing her BSc at the SA Military Academy soon after. She received her pilot’s wings in 2006 and has since continued to loyally serve in the South African Air Force (SAAF), accumulating a total of 2 100 hours of active flight.

She is passionate about engaging with young professionals and school goers, particularly young girls, and encourages them to explore careers in aviation and STEM fields.

With an interest in aviation that began during her teenage years, Major Zama has since flown various aircraft, the most recent being the Hercules C130BZ which is the most tactical airlift in global military standards.  She acknowledges the role that Mathematics and Science played in her early years of the military and remains an advocate of these subjects whenever she engages with young people.

Her military aviation career has seen Major Zama fly across many nations, including conflict countries such as the DRC and South Sudan; and has seen her lead the C130 formation during the 2019 Presidential Inauguration.  She says, “Any occasion to fly the C130 is an extremely enjoyable experience. As a military aviator it is an honour to salute the commander in chief in this way. In this case, it was a C130BZ leading a formation of 6 Astra Pilatus PC VII.”

Major Zama adds, “Formation compositions differ from one parade or flypast to another so although this is the second inauguration flypast in which I have flown C130s in (the first was in 2014 for former President Zuma), it is the first with Astras and the first while I was in lead.” 

She is a certified Aviation Safety Officer, Flight Testing and Evaluation Pilot and Senior Staff Officer.

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Captain Martin Louw started his career with the SA Air Force in January 1973, as a pupil pilot.  He spent 22 years in the SAAF as a fighter pilot, flight instructor, staff officer and project officer for airborne weapons systems, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. 

In 1994 he resigned from the SAAF and joined Kentron as international marketer and later IST as project manager.  He joined Comair as a first officer in 1996 and has since served as Chief Training Captain and Fleet Captain on B727, Chief Pilot, Executive Manager Flight Operations and Director Operations from 2003 until May 2019. He still serves on the Comair Board as an executive director and has been seconded to Comair’s IT partner Nacelle as Managing Executive Airlines.

Captain Louw still flies actively as a captain on the B737, including the Max.