Ghana Skies Welcome Patricia Mawuli, First Female Pilot

Patricia Mawuli is not only the first female pilot from the West African country of Ghana, she is also one of its youngest. She was only 21 years old when she got her pilot’s license from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). This is the only organization in the country that provides training for the National Pilots License for the Private Ultralight Pilot License or Certificate.

Now, the young high flier is 23 years old and teaching other young females to learn to fly the skies, since she got her license last July 31, 2009.

How it all began

Mawuli was 19 years old when she first saw a plane flying overhead. She was busy gathering wood just outside her uncle’s home. At first, the loud noise scared her and she actually thought that the airplanes were after her. However, this brief encounter with airplanes sparked an interest and curiosity got the best of her. She learned where the airplanes landed and offered to work around the area just so she could be near and learn more about the planes. Her first job around planes? Gathering wood to clear the area around the airfield.

No flying opportunities for girls

When asked if she could learn how to fly the planes, she was told that no such training was available for women. Mawuli recollects telling them she could prove them wrong since women could do things and could even sometimes do things much better than men. Mawuli’s persistency in finding a teacher paid off when she met Jonathan Porter, who was working as an airfield pilot and engineer. He offered to train her and that is how Mawuli finally got her pilot’s license. She now flies ultralight planes carrying medical supplies and even educational pamphlets to remote villages in Ghana.

AvTech Academy

The young female pilot wasn’t satisfied with just flying the planes. She wanted to help other women learn to fly as well. Two years ago, Mawuli helped start the Aviation and Technology Academy Ghana or AvTech Academy. This center caters to women who want to learn all about aviation. Aside from helping them become pilots, the Academy also helps young women become aircraft engineers, teaching them how to build and maintain the aircraft. Mawuli helps fund the Academy with the salary she earns from being a professional pilot. This way, she can help poor women from the rural areas in the Lake Volta region just like herself, who have a dream to fly the skies.

This is an exciting and very viable opportunity for women in Ghana. According to Mawuli, the majority of the aircraft in the world are ultralights and private planes, since airliners make up only two percent of the total number of aircraft in the world. By its second year, AvTech has three women enrolled. For the coming semester, there will be four.