Laura McDermid
In aviation, there are moments that define a career — the first solo flight, the first type rating, the first time you take the controls of a high-performance aircraft. For Philile (pronounced Pee-lee-leh), there have been many such moments, but perhaps the most defining has been her ability to turn setbacks into stepping stones and rewrite her own story.
Philile’s journey with National Airways Corporation (NAC) began in October 2018, but her love affair with the skies was seeded much earlier — back in Grade 9 — at a time when South African Airways was actively encouraging young people to consider a career in aviation. “From that moment, I knew that all I wanted to be was a pilot,” she recalls.
After matriculating in 2004, Philile followed her parents’ advice and completed a BCom degree at Rhodes University, later earning her Honours in Information Systems at Wits. Despite a promising career in corporate IT, she knew her heart belonged elsewhere. A pivotal conversation with her boss at UTi, where she worked as an executive assistant to the CEO, cemented the truth: she had to pursue her passion for flying.
Securing funding was no small feat, but through determination, she pieced it together — UTi committed to pay half due to her exemplary track record of a social entrepreneurship programme whilst at UTi, whilst the balance was offered by TETA (Transport Education and Training Authority) following an arduous six month wait.
She trained at Superior Flight Services at Grand Central Airport, where she was eventually absorbed into the SA Express Cadet Programme. “My first solo in a C172 was exhilarating — the realisation that it was just me in control… it was a pivotal moment in truly understanding the meaning of accountability.”
When Philile’s seniority number came up, she was given the chance to do her type rating on the Bombardier CRJ — a high-performance jet – a monumental leap from the single- and twin-engine aircraft of flight school. “I was intimidated,” she admits. “It was such a powerful, complex machine compared to anything I’d flown before.”
She studied relentlessly, and had done well; however cracks began to appear during her line training when the inconsistencies in her landings became apparent. In an unforgiving environment such as airline operations where there is no margin for error, she failed the final check ride.
“That moment stayed with me,” she says. “I carried the weight of that failure with me for a long time.”
The turning point came in 2018, when NAC was looking for a co-pilot on their Embraer 120. Philile interviewed for the role but felt compelled to confess her CRJ failure. Jannie de Klerk, now NAC’s Executive Director, didn’t flinch. “He told me it was simply too big a jump at that stage — and that it was okay. They were still willing to take me on.”
That reassurance became her second chance to rewrite her story.
From the Embraer, she moved to the Beechcraft 1900, flying in challenging environments such as Afghanistan. Later, she transitioned to medevac operations on the Lear 35, working under pressure to move patients and medical teams across borders. When the Chief Pilot for NAC’s Part 135 operations resigned, she was asked to step in — first as Deputy, then as Chief Pilot, now leading 27 pilots across two fleets, those on international contracts and the two medevac Learjets based at Lanseria.
The shift from cockpit to office was not without its struggles. “I felt like I was betraying my dream. My identity had always been wrapped up in being a pilot,” she says. But as she reflected, she realised her dream had evolved. She still maintains her flying currency, but now values having weekends free, being able to say yes to social plans, and building a personal life that doesn’t depend on a roster.
After returning from a tour in Chad in August 2024, Philile was burnt out and took a leave of absence. “I was seriously considering going back into airline flying full-time,” she recalls. “Then I got a call from JP Fourie, CEO at NAC, who asked me to join him on a visit to Henley Business School. I assumed I’d be giving a talk on aviation — but instead, we were greeted by the dean and Captain Laurie Graham, former SAA Senior Check Captain, Airbus and Boeing commander, and leadership strategist. They presented me with an unexpected opportunity: to study for an Executive MBA Global.”
She laughs, still looking slightly incredulous. “I was conflicted. I’d never seriously considered doing an MBA, but opportunities like this come along once in a lifetime. I realised I’d need a very compelling reason to turn it down.”
Philile began her MBA in October 2024. What she didn’t anticipate was that saying yes to the course would also lead to meeting someone she connected with deeply. “It’s still early days, but serious,” she says with a smile. “And when he asks me to dinner on a Wednesday, I don’t have to say, ‘Sorry, I’ve got a 5 a.m. sign-on tomorrow.’”
Her MBA, funded by a scholarship from Henley, and with much support from NAC in travel expenses and time, has already taken her to campuses in the UK, Finland, and Miami, with Cape Town next on the list. The unwritten agreement is that she’ll bring the value of her learning back to NAC and the aviation industry — something she’s passionate about.
Asked about her greatest challenges, Philile is candid. “Being a woman in aviation — or in any organisation — is tough. We’re often undermined, told we’re too soft. But empathy, used with discernment, is a strength, not a weakness.” She’s also wrestled with her own self-limiting beliefs. “I’ve had to redefine what success means for me and accept that I am enough.”
For Philile, success is no longer about hours in the logbook alone. It’s about impact, balance, and knowing when to taxi onto a new runway in life. “Women have been doing incredible things for thousands of years,” she says. “We are strong and powerful — and we don’t need external validation to prove it.”
Today, Philile’s career stands as a beacon for everyone who has ever faced obstacles and discrimination. With skill, courage and unwavering determination, it is possible to rise above one’s own self-limiting beliefs and to inspire others to persevere in the pursuit of attaining their dreams.