BY DONALD HOOK

AN AIR NIUGINI trainee has been rewarded for academic excellence while undergoing pilot training in Australia. 

Rhoda Ilave (21) switched from studying medicine to join PNG’s national airline as a cadet pilot.

During her training she achieved excellent results in commercial and air transport pilot licence exams, scoring 100 percent in two subjects and more than 80 percent in the other five.

Rhoda was one of three female trainees to receive the prestigious Sir Donald Anderson award this year, sponsored by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority in association with the Australian Women Pilots’ Association.

Her award, honoring a former head of Australian civil aviation, included a cheque for $2,000.

Rhoda’s father from Ihu in the Gulf of Papua and her Malaysian-born mother attended a ceremony at the North Queensland Aero Club in Cairns at which Rhoda received her award from CASA director, John McCormick [right].

She has now begun her flying career in earnest as a pilot on line duties with Air Niugini. She joins her brother Steven who was a trainee in an earlier group.

Air Niugini invests some K10 million a year in training young pilots, engineers and other professionals.