Keep believing in yourself and don’t lose focus.

This was the advice of aviation captain, Claudia Walding, to young women entering aviation.

“It is not an easy journey, however by being tenacious and sticking with what you want out of life, you will get there. The rewards at the end are worth the hard work and you won’t be looking back,” Captain Walding said.

She has been a pilot for 15 years, and is now a captain for Solomon Airlines, operating the A320 internationally, based in Brisbane, Australia.

Captain Walding, 36, is encouraging young Fijian women to take interest in the aviation industry.

“There are already several Fijian women who are Captains for Fiji Airways and Fiji Link that have paved the way for future female Pilots.”

Captain Walding grew up in Fiji most of her time. Her family had been constantly relocating because her father was also a pilot.

“Although I have moved to Australia and lived there for the past 10 years, I still call Fiji my home,” she said.

“Growing up, my family and I lived in many different countries due to my father’s occupation,” Captain Walding said.

“I spent seven years of my early childhood living in Tonga, which I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Her family moved to Nadi in 1999, where she finished her last year at Nadi Airport Primary School and later enrolled at Saint Thomas High School in Lautoka for a couple of years.

“The commuting between Nadi and Lautoka was long, so I spent the remainder of my high school years at Swami Vivekananda College completing Form Seven,” she said.

“I took up the sport of tennis in my early teens and managed to make it to the international scene representing Fiji in the girls under-18.”

In her final year living in Fiji, she attended Advanced Aviation Training (Flying School) where she started her aviation training, before completing it in New Zealand.

Feedback: jone.salusalu@fijisun.com.fj