Africa’s first female Dreamliner pilot soars
非洲首位梦想客机女飞行员
At the age of five, when most children barely understand their first language, Koki Mutungi already knew what she wanted to be — a pilot.
许多五岁小孩还在咿呀学语的时候，柯基·穆图基就立下自己的志愿——当一名飞行员。
Her dream to find a career in the cockpit was forged out of the close relationship she had with her father who was a pilot working with the Kenya Airways.
她的这个飞行员职业梦想是受在肯尼亚航空公司当飞行员父亲的启发。
And whereas many women in the airline industry today hold such positions as gate agents and flight attendants, Ms Mutungi has firmly established a career in an area where men still dominate.
虽然如今在航空公司工作的女性大多从事地勤和空服，而柯基却想在男性主导的驾驶舱里立足。
In 1993, Ms Mutungi joined the Kenya Airways becoming the first female pilot. And for the next six years, she was the only female pilot in the airline.
1993年，柯基进入肯尼亚航空，成为该公司史上第一位女飞行员。在此后六年内，她仍是唯一的女飞行员。
Today, the Boeing girl, as she is popularly known by her colleagues, is the only female pilot in Africa licensed to fly Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
现在，她的同事叫她“波音女孩”（Boeing girl）。柯基是非洲历史上唯一一位驾驶波音787梦想客机的女飞行员。
“For me, this is a dream come true in a big way. My dad was a pilot and we were very close so he always let us into the cockpit.
“我的梦想真正地实现了。我爸爸很疼爱我们，总是带我们坐进驾驶舱里。”
LATEST DESIGN
最新客机
The interest developed and now I am proud of the decision I made,” she said moments after delivering KQ’s fourth Dreamliner at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last week.
当第四架梦想号客机在乔莫·肯雅塔国际机场交付时，柯基说，“我为我小时候做的决定感到自豪。”
The 15-hour flight from Boeing Corporation assembly in Charleston, South Carolina, US, was attended by an all-female crew, led by captain Koki.
这驾在美国南卡罗来纳州的查尔斯顿市组装波音飞机经历了15个小时的航程。该机的机组人员全部为女性，包括她们的机长柯基。
“It is a big machine and that is why I love it. Its capacity is about 234 passengers. Its efficiency is unmatched. I’ve enjoyed flying it more than any other aircraft,” Ms Mutungi told Smart Company.
柯基说：“飞机很大，这也是我喜爱的原因。它能够搭载234名乘客，飞的超快。我很享受飞行的感觉。”
Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, wide body modern aircraft featuring the latest aerodynamics, design and technology.
波音787梦想客机是一架最新的长距宽体飞机，体现了最先进的航空动力学研究成果、设计和技术。
It measures about 57 metres long, has a wingspan of 60 metres and 17 metres height while on the tarmac. It can attain 945 kilometres per hour cruise speed at 40,000 feet (approximately 12.2 kilometres).
这款机型长57米，高17米，翼展长达60米。在近12.2千米的高空中，巡航速度能达到845千米/小时。
The aircraft has become a darling of leading global airlines particularly due to its efficiency in fuel consumption.
由于其快速低耗的特点，波音787 梦想客机正在成为全球航空公司的宠儿。
STRIKE A BALANCE
打破平衡
Ms Mutungi’s career started at the age of 18 when she joined the Kenya School of Flying based at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, immediately after completing high school. She went for further studies in the US before returning home to take a job at the Kenya Airways.
柯基的飞行生涯始于其18岁。那一年，她进入设在内罗毕威尔逊机场的肯尼亚飞行学校。之后，她远赴美国求学。学成回国后，她进入肯尼亚航空工作。
It has been two decades of flying since then but she says it feels as if she has just started. The nature of her work means she doesn’t always get to spend a lot of time with her eight-year-old son.
一晃二十年过去了，但她仍感觉像刚刚开始飞行一样。工作的性质使她不能经常和八岁的儿子呆在一起。
“It is hard balancing work and family especially in a career such as this where you are out of the country many times. But after doing something for so many years, you tend to strike a balance. This has happened and now all of us are happy,” she says.
柯基说,“对于一个经常出国的人来说，很难平衡工作与家庭。但是，你可以去习惯并接受这种不平衡。这已然发生，而我们都很幸福。”
Her greatest wish is to see her son develop an interest in aviation and hopefully become a pilot too.
她最大的愿望是儿子也能成为热爱航空事业并也有希望成为一名飞行员。
“I would love him to do this but it will be his choice to make. He has not shown any strong interests so far but he is familiar with the whole concept of flying. It would be nice if he shared the same dream and keep continuity in the family,” she said.
她说：“我很乐意儿子能干这一行，但决定权还是掌握在他手中。目前，他还没有显示对飞行感兴趣。但他却熟悉所有的飞行知识。如果他能继承我的衣钵并传承家庭传统，那就太好了。”
FEMALE PILOTS
女飞行员
Ms Mutungi has made a name in a career that is largely dominated by men and she hopes other African women can rise up and exploit their potential beyond the perceived limitations of gender.
柯基在男性主导的飞行员世界已是大名鼎鼎。她也希望非洲女性能够发掘自身的潜力，破除对女性固有偏见。
“A lot of African women are doing a lot of extraordinary things across the continent. I think women have recognised the potential they have and there is a deliberate effort to show what we are capable of doing,” she said.
“非洲女性也作出了许多了不起的事情。我觉得他们已经意识到自身的潜力，并做出了努力来展示我们女性的能力。”
Determination, self-belief and hard work are ingredients of success, she says, adding that the belief that “particular jobs can only be done by people of a certain gender” is out of touch with reality.
她表示，决心、自信和努力工作是成功的三大要素。“有些工作只能由一种性别的人干”这句话是错误的。
Ms Mutungi humility belies her great achievements. The 39-year-old, who looks much younger than her age, is down to earth, polite, soft-spoken, and addresses her juniors with a lot of respect.
39岁柯基看起来要比实际年龄年轻的多。她为人谦虚礼貌，说话温和，尊重下属。
She is the airline’s designated pilot for the Nairobi-Paris route using one of the Dreamliners which KQ has acquired. The other Dreamliner aircraft fly to Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Bangkok-Hong Kong routes.
她是肯尼亚航空内罗毕至巴黎梦想客机的御用飞行员。另外一架梦想客机的航线是飞往约翰内斯堡、金沙萨、曼谷—香港。
FLEET SIZE
未来计划
Her job at KQ has become a major selling point for the airline which has the highest number of female pilots in Africa. Today, the airline has 530 pilots, 39 of whom are female.
柯基现在已然成为肯尼亚航空公司的卖点。肯尼亚航空公司是拥有最多女性飞行员的一家非洲航空公司。该航空公司拥有530名飞行员，其中有女性飞行员有39架。
“This is a historical moment for Kenya Airways as we have proved to the world and our aviation peers of our deliberate commitment to human resource development by providing an equal opportunity to our sisters,” said Kenya Airways finance director Alex Mbugua.
肯尼亚航空财务总监亚历克斯·姆布古阿说，“对于肯尼亚航空来说，这是一个历史性的时刻。我们向全世界和航空业界同仁证明，我们向女性提供平等的就业机会。”
“I look forward to a day in the near future when this aircraft will be managed 100 per cent by ladies crew now that we already have two first officers undergoing certification.”
“我希望将来飞机将全部由女性管理，嘏现在，我们已经拥有两名持证女高管了。”
The airline is expecting to receive two more Boeing 787 Dreamliners next month.
下个月，肯尼亚航空将接收更多的波音787梦想航班。
As part of the airline’s long-term fleet and route development strategy over the next 10 years, it is implementing a plan geared at growing fleet size, modernising aircraft and simplifying it by cutting the number of aircraft types from seven to four.
在肯尼亚航空的未来十年，长期机组和航线发展战略中，其中一点就是着眼于提高机组编队规模，更新飞机，并将飞机机型从七个减至四个。
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