Nethy Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua | People | Fri, March 20 2015, 6:49 AM
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/03/20/a-papuan-pilot-under-blue-skies.html
Octaviyanti Blandina Ronsumbre may not look like she’s from Eastern Indonesia. But the 26-year-old comes from Biak on Papua’s north coast — and she’s the first woman from Papua to earn her wings as an aviator.
Affable and outgoing, Vivin, as she is called, beamed with pleasure as she was interviewed in a hotel in Abepura, Jayapura.
“If you asked me whether I always wanted to be a pilot, my answer is that I became an aviator because I failed in my application for the post of flight attendant,” Vivin said.
She is the youngest of the three children of Yakobus Ronsumbre from Biak and Susilowati. Vivin’s parents met when Yakobus was assigned by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to Susilowati’s hometown of Surabaya, East Java.
Growing up, Vivin always dressed up as a flight attendant for carnivals, she says. However, by senior high school, she took to wearing a pilot’s uniform. Her eldest brother, Yonnas, is a pilot for Garuda Indonesia.
However, she was rejected when she applied to be a flight attendant, Vivin said. “Garuda Indonesia requires a body height of 160 centimeters, while I was only 158 centimeters.”
“I went home in tears, not knowing what other jobs would suit me,” Vivin said.
However, Yonnas encouraged her to try her luck — in the cockpit.
“At first I doubted if I could be a pilot, but my brother kept supporting and motivating me. I applied for the position and finally
succeeded,” Vivin said. “I wouldn’t be flying had I ignored the suggestion of my brother.”
The high price of pilot training didn’t dampen the determination of Vivin — or her parents. “It costs Rp 560 million to be a pilot, but my firm will prompted my whole family to strive to make it happen,” Vivin said.
She trained at Nusa Flying International School at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta from 2010 to 2011. Training wasn’t easy, Vivin said — especially when it came to landings.
“I could fly the plane but found it hard to land, which almost forced me to give up. My brother again gave me motivation and roused my spirit until I finally made it. I realized that with strong will and determination, nothing is impossible,” she assured.
