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Barefoot Pilot’s solo flight from Canberra to Kowanyama

31 August 2023
Community Kowanyama
Jobs, Land and Economy
A young Indigenous woman, Tyeisha Clarke, is standing in bare feet on the wing of a light aeroplane, after exiting the cockpit. She is pictured with her father John. The Kowanyama community are standing behind a secure fence away from the airstrip.

Barefoot Pilot Tyeisha Clarke has completed her first solo flight from Canberra on Ngunnawal Country to her hometown of Kowanyama in Queensland.

Barefoot Pilot Tyeisha Clarke has completed her first solo flight from Canberra on Ngunnawal Country to her hometown of Kowanyama in Queensland.



The Kowanyama community showed up for Tyeisha, dancing, cheering and clapping as she landed after her long journey - flying 2318 kilometres, or 1252 nautical miles. 

‘I’ve had a lot of family members, community members, as well as older people come to me and say they are very proud, as well as they want to do what I am doing, and it gives them more confidence,’ said Tyeisha.

She was excited to fly closer to her hometown but also nervous and emotional knowing that her family and community would get to see her flying for the first time.

Tyeisha was in awe flying over the different landscapes and seeing the river channels from the sky.

In preparation for the flight, Tyeisha undertook her physical and theoretical training with aviation company Learn2Fly as part of 18fifty3’s Barefoot Academy - an entrepreneurial educational support initiative dedicated to empowering Indigenous primary school children with knowledge about diverse industries.

 

Tyeisha is proud of her achievements in her training and preparation to fly and will continue training to become a qualified pilot - the first pilot from the Kowanyama community.

In the meantime, she will continue working as an administration officer at RISE Ventures in Kowanyama delivering the Community Development Program (CDP).

Find out more

The Community Development Program (CDP) aims to support job seekers in remote Australia to build skills, address barriers to employment and contribute to their communities through activities and training. 

The Barefoot Academy is an entrepreneurial educational support initiative dedicated to empowering Indigenous primary school children with knowledge about diverse industries.