Rosita Smeenk, a 26-year-old born in the Netherlands and raised in Tanzania, has accumulated extensive flying experience across Western Europe, South Africa, and East Africa. Her journey includes roles as a ferry pilot, skydive pilot, and now a conservation pilot. Her unwavering passion for aviation and commitment to positive impact shine through her remarkable career.

You were captivated by aviation from a young age, in a unique setting. Could you share your experience with us?

Absolutely! It happened in South Africa when I was just four or five years old. My dad was pursuing his Private Pilot License, and his instructor invited my little brother and me to join them. I vividly recall taking off and flying over the ocean during whale season. The whales were leaping out of the water, performing flips. And I thought, Wow, we are up here, who else gets to experience something like this. A natural wonder happening just below us. There is this feeling of excitement and this great unknown. I think every pilot has that moment, they know, there is no way back.

How did that early experience impact your subsequent career?

I always wanted to do something good with it and put flying to good use. I see it with a lot of people in the flying community. I love the freedom of flying, to explore new places, but from the very beginning I knew I want to take it one step further. That’s my final goal, to fly for conservation and humanitarian aid. To connect communities, connecting remote places by using the machine for what it’s made for.

Having grown up in Tanzania and traveled extensively, you’re now relocating to Chad. You’ve been part of various pilot communities. What makes this community so tightly knit?

What’s really profound about the aviation community is that it’s so universal. If you’ve got that passion, then it doesn’t matter who you are or what age you’re at, from the US to Asia. You share this same sense of adventure, this same sense of wanting to pull the most out of life. Everyone’s keen to open up and have a chat, talk about each other’s experience. This is so incredible, you learn so much from each other. You can learn from each other’s mistakes. No one is punished. And that really strengthens a community by being vulnerable and honest with each other.

Becoming a conservation pilot in Chad is quite unique. What motivates you to work in such remote areas?

Flying in areas that are hard to reach, remote places that you can only fly into with a tiny, little plane – I think that’s what gets my heart racing. That gets me really excited. In a few weeks I am going to be a conservation pilot in Chad. It’s really the best of both worlds.

Check out Rositas Journey on Instagram