Abimobla Jayeola (Tailblazer)

She hails from Ekiti State in Western Nigeria. She comes from a family of five and a background that holds educational achievement and academic pursuit as important values. This influenced her to pursue a career path in academics and research, obtaining a Bachelors’ degree in Environmental Management and Toxicology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and a Masters in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

“Capt. Abi,” as she is fondly called, drew inspiration for life in the cockpit from reading articles on aviation and aerodynamics. She began fantasizing about flying aircrafts and imagined herself soaring at extreme heights while helping people and goods move from one point to another. Fresh out of graduate school, Abimbola completed an ab-initio training at Bristow Academy Titusville, Florida in 2008. In 2009, she did her type conversion on the Sikorsky 76 at Flight Safety International, West Palm Beach , Florida and graduated as the first Nigerian female pilot from Bristow Academy. She officially joined Bristow Helicopters Nigeria as a first officer in the same year.

In 2014, Abi was promoted to the rank of Captain, becoming the first female helicopter Captain in Nigeria. In over a decade’s worth of experience, Abi has been able to successfully navigate the challenges of a male – dominated profession. From career strides of managing different helicopter models, to working with her employer’s clients, these challenges have made her a better, smarter pilot always striving for excellence and setting new goals. Abi’s interests include agriculture, business, art and culture. She is married and lives in Lagos, Nigeria.