Online Reporter
THE jumbo Airbus A380 is the biggest passenger plane in the world.
It is also the only full length double decker plane.
The plane has a typical seating capacity of 544 passengers but it is certified to carry even 854 passengers.
Singapore Airlines was the first airline to fly passengers on an A380 on April 27, 2005.
Nine years later, Captain Matambanadzo Chakorera became the first Zimbabwean captain on the A380 at Emirates.
He is a legend of the local aviation sector.
Ten years ago, Captain Chakorera spoke told The Herald about the A380 and a whole lot of other things.
“It’s amazing. It flies very well. Wherever you go, its presence causes heads to turn. It encompasses technology, comfort and provides the pilot with a whole wealth of information,” he said.
The A380 was designed for the 21st century aviation industry and its unique size allows airlines to maximise their revenue potential through an optimised, segmented cabin – boosting their contribution to profit by up to 65 per cent per flight.
“I trained at a private flying school on the outskirts of Harare located at Charles Prince Airport called Guthrie Aviation.
“On completion of my CPL (commercial pilot’s licence) jobs were hard to come by so I taught ground school for a couple of months until I landed my first job with a company called Bush Pilots.
“That was short lived because the company closed before I even got my first pay check. A few months later in December 1997, I got a job with Southern Cross Aviation based in Victoria Falls,” he said.
Capt Chakorera, flew as a bush pilot for two years covering Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe, before joining the national airliner Air Zimbabwe as a second officer in 1999.
“That position was dissolved before I completed my training which paved the way for my position as a First Officer on the B737,” Capt Chakorera said
“I did that for four years then was promoted to Captain. I served as a Captain on the B737 for two years.”
He joined Emirates as a First Officer on the A330 and served for five years then became Captain on the A330/340.
“Just under a year ago I moved onto the A380.”
Captain Chakorera was born in Zambia.
His family moved back to Zimbabwe when he was four-years-old.
“In the mid-80s my father took on a job to work in Algeria, so I spent my school holidays in Algiers. The family however, returned to Zimbabwe in 1999,” he said.
The father of three, two girls and a boy, says his family is proud that he works for one of the world’s best airlines in the world.
While work and family commitments have limited his visits to Zimbabwe, the country holds a special place in Capt Chakorera’s heart.
“On joining Emirates I used to visit Zimbabwe regularly because it was easier then, just me and my wife.
“Now with kids it requires more co-ordination with school holidays and also we were a bit homesick, but these days once or twice a year,” Capt Chakorera said.
He also has fond memories of Zimbabwe.
“I think my days as a bush pilot stand out because of the places I got to see and experience in Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park and Kariba.
“I remember tourists would marvel at how clear the sky was and the array of stars, the beauty of the sunsets in the national parks. I now understand what they meant,” he says.
