ABOVE THE CLOUDS – CAHTELINE LEONI IS LIVING HER DREAM
Catheline Leoni, born on June 12, 1987 in Grenoble, France, has had a fascinating journey through the aviation world. Growing up in Tours, near an air force base, she developed a passion for aircraft at an early age.
Catheline had a natural talent for learning languages and training the dogs she grew up with, but she always struggled with math. Her original dream of becoming a pilot was initially not fulfilled due to her rejection from the Air Force due to her non-scientific background, but her path led her to a remarkable career.
After graduating from high school with a focus on German, English and Russian, she studied aviation law and management at the “Institut de Formation Universitaire et de Recherche du Transport Aérien” in Aix-en-Provence. She earned her bachelor’s degree in law and completed her master’s degree in international law and foreign languages. She also learned the basics of aviation and worked as a check-in agent.
On To Ireland
In 2009 she decided to go to Ireland to improve her English. While she was working on a farm and completely immersed in the Mullingar countryside, a plane circled overhead.
She was fascinated, which didn’t go unnoticed by the owner of the farm: “Do you like airplanes? he asked. “I think I always have, but I’ve never had the opportunity to really fly.” replied Catheline. “I know the pilot. “I’ll introduce you tonight,” he said. Her head began to spin and her heart fluttered with anticipation like the red plane above her.
Long story short… she spent a year in Ireland working for Apple and became a private pilot.
Back in France, she continued with her original plan to get her master’s degree, but this time with the goal of becoming a helicopter pilot. To support her studies, she looked for a job where she was allowed to fly as a passenger in the Ministry of the Interior’s helicopters: that opened her eyes.
“I can’t work in an office for the rest of my life. I have to fly!“
THE FRENCH ARMY
Encouraged by helicopter pilots, she successfully applied to the French army, passed all the tests and began her officer training at Saint Cyr in January 2013 to become a helicopter pilot and to fulfill their dream.
At the same time, she made contacts at the air show in La Ferte Alais in June 2012 and met Mark Oremland, the New Zealand owner of a 1943 Douglas DC-3. Together they started a global odyssey from England to New Zealand to recreate Jean Batten’s pioneering journey in 21 stops and Catheline took on various roles such as flight attendant, reporter and mechanic’s assistant. It became the adventure of a lifetime and a passionate love for the DC-3 was born.
MILITARY HELICOPTER TRAINING
In 2015 she continued her military helicopter training in Le Luc en Provence, qualified on the Fennec and gained flying experience in the Pyrenees. She also worked as a liaison officer for foreign delegations and received recognition from Army Headquarters. The experiences were priceless – but she wanted to fly even more!
On to Oregon
After her military service in 2017, Catheline ventured to Hillsboro Aero Academy in Oregon, where she rediscovered her roots in powered aircraft. Eventually Catheline returned to her first love, airplanes. She completed all of her licenses and ratings, from private pilot license to multi-engine instructor. Phil Haupt, who was in charge of theory training at the flight school at the time, saw her potential and hired Catheline as a theory teacher so that she could teach at the school herself. This helped her gain confidence and become a better pilot. The two remain close friends to this day.
On to Alaska
In 2020, Alaska, a new adventure called, and she was hired by a flight school in Palmer. However, due to COVID-19, things took an unexpected turn: Amid uncertainty, fate led her back to the DC-3 through the charter company Desert Air. Catheline volunteered and eventually convinced the team to hire her and train her as a co-pilot. So she fulfilled her biggest dream of flying with the DC-3 again in the most beautiful landscapes and in the service of remote population groups and doing something meaningful at the same time.
DC-3 Type rating
In the following years she went through various flight stations, acquired her ATP and DC-3 type rating and ventured further in 2022: She qualified for the Basel BT-67. The journey to the Boeing 767 was challenging, but Catheline overcame challenges and found fulfillment.
Atlas Air Boeing 767
Since 2023 she has also been working for Atlas Air and flying in an aircraft that is bigger than she could ever imagine: the Boeing 767. The next items on her wish list are the Boeing 747 and an upgrade to captain on the DC 3.
