Meet Zambia's youngest pilot Kalenga Kamwendo, At only 21 years of age, he has already clocked in 1,000 hours of flying. He's Young, African and Making Things Happen. We had a few questions for him and this is what he had to say:
Tell us more about yourself?
My name is Kalenga Kamwendo, I was born in Kitwe, Zambia on the 26th August, 1994. I work for Proflight Zambia as a Commercial pilot. I love dancing, playing sport, watching sport, football and swimming in particular. I read books as well and I love to play video games.
I come from a family of five. My father is an engineer, my mother is a recently retired nurse. I have an older brother and a young sister, my siblings and I are a noisy bunch.
I come from a family of five. My father is an engineer, my mother is a recently retired nurse. I have an older brother and a young sister, my siblings and I are a noisy bunch.
It's not about being the youngest anything, it's about being the best version of yourself that you can be, everything else will follow, trust me.
What inspired you to become a pilot?
I had originally planned to become an engineer like my father but I had always had a keen eye for aviation. I started researching and eventually it got to a point where there was nothing I would rather do than flying, also, I love a challenge. Well, the Zambian aviation industry isn't the biggest and so there are limited jobs and so I struggled to find a job but you'd be surprised how lucky you get when you work hard.
How has the journey been so far?
The journey has been amazing and everyone sharing my story is really something I could never have imagined.
Any message for youth out there?
To my fellow youths, not only those who want to become pilots, it's not about being the youngest anything, it's about being the best version of yourself that you can be, everything else will follow, trust me.
What's your life mantra?
Photo Credit: Kalenga Kamwendo | Facebook