At 62, she heads one of the world's most daring aerobatics team - the Flying Bulls Aerobatics Team.
Radka Machova, a mother of two boys, will
lead the four-member team at Aero India. The Czech lady says aerobatics is zero-risk, and she enjoys it as "being in the air leaves behind all problems on the ground". Excerpts from an interview:
What inspired you to head an aerobatics team?
To be a member of a formation aerobatics team is a dream for many, not only aerobatics pilots. I was very proud to be invited by our manager Martin Nepovim in the autumn of 2001, when he asked me: Do you want to fly with us as leader? I could only say 'YES!'
What inspired you to become a pilot?
I liked aviation. As a small girl, I built flying models, collected articles and pictures of airplanes. At 15, I had the first parachute jump-skydive and after graduation, I went to the University of Transport, Economy and Operation of Air Transport. There, I obtained a private pilot license with aerobatics qualification.
Being a woman, were you confident of heading an aerobatics unit?
Why shouldn't one be a woman pilot? It is not very important who is flying, but how one is flying. It is not important to be a woman or man.
What do you and your co-pilots love most about flying?
Flying is freedom. You are in the air and all your problems stay on the ground. You have to concentrate only on the flight and you feel like a bird.
What challenges are you expecting in India?
We are visiting India for the first time. We have no experience of the weather, which is very important for flying. I hope there will be no problems.
Have you ever thought about how risky it is to do aerobatics?
Aerobatics is all about control of the airplane. An aerobatics pilot has to be minutely trained, know limitations of personality and the aircraft, in which case the aerobatics team can fly without risk.
How does your family take it?
My family of husband and two sons knows there is no place for any mistake. Maybe from time to time, they are afraid about it.