When one meets the vivacious young SAPS helicopter pilot, Captain Tillanie Neethling, you soon find her infectious energy and passion for life filling the room.
On 22 April 2017 the energetic 29-year-old represented the SAPS in the women’s high jump event at the Athletics South Africa National Senior Championships in Potchefstroom. She did the SAPS proud with a great 1,80 m jump, which placed her second in her category. She was one of only three athletes who represented the SAPS at the Championships.
Hard work, dedication and a focused mind ensure Tillanie’s success. Apart from looking forward to the 2018 Common Wealth Games, she dreams of participating in World Championships, as well as the Olympic Games. The words of one of her teachers have become Tillanie’s motto: “Life is too short to be little”.
Career wise, this remarkable lady always knew that she wanted to fly for the SAPS, especially because her father was also a policeman. At the tender age of 18, she started her flying career at Henley Air in Germiston, where she obtained both her Helicopter Private Pilot’s Licence (H-PPL) and her Helicopter Commercial Pilot’s Licence (H-CPL). Soon after she had reached the SAPS’s required 800 hours of flying, she joined the organisation in July 2012.
Tillanie’s passion for the police becomes evident when she talks about being part of the ‘police family’, the adrenaline rush and the gratification of successfully tracking criminals.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
