A 21-year-old African boy named Kalenga Kamwendo has made history as the youngest commercial pilot in Zambia.
He set this record in 2015 at just 19 years old, and within two years, he had already clocked over 1,000 hours of flying time. Kalenga now works with Proflight Zambia as a commercial pilot, where he is part of a team of 36 pilots flying across the country.
His journey into aviation was not something he always planned. At first, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an engineer. But over time, his fascination with planes and flying grew stronger.
Kalenga began to research aviation seriously, and soon enough, it became clear that flying was all he wanted to do.
After completing secondary school in 2012, Kalenga enrolled directly into the 43 Air School. A year later, he earned his commercial pilot’s licence, having flown 200 hours and received his rating to fly Caravan aircraft.
He remembers how his parents stood by him through it all. They not only supported his dream but also helped him challenge a widespread belief that Zambians could not become pilots.
That idea pushed him even harder to succeed. Looking back, he admitted he never imagined being the youngest commercial pilot in the country would be something to celebrate, but as he said, “You’d be surprised how lucky you get when you work hard.
Kalenga still remembers his first day on the job. He had to wake up at 4 a.m. for a flight to Kasama, and he did not even have the full uniform yet.
He was nervous, but it did not take long for the joy of flying to take over. Whether it was seeing passengers smile or simply being in the air, every moment reminded him why he chose this path.
Now, he dreams even bigger. In the next five to ten years, Kalenga hopes to become a captain. Beyond flying, he wants to start a foundation to support underprivileged youth and help them see that no matter how steep the climb, success is possible.
To other young people, Kalenga has a message: it’s not about being the youngest or the first — it’s about becoming the best version of yourself. When you stay true to that, everything else will follow.
