Private jet pilot

Abtenau woman fulfills her dream of flying

On average, only around five percent of all pilots in Austria are female - in the company where Nina Rosenkranz flies, two out of eight pilots are women.(Bild: zVg)

As a private jet pilot, Nina Rosenkranz has made her childhood dream come true: although the 32-year-old from Abtenau could fly giant jets, she prefers to fly around Europe as a manager. In addition to flying, however, the pilot has a lot of other things to manage.

Who doesn't dream of flying as a child? Only a few manage to fulfill this dream. Nina Rosenkranz has made it come true. In 2011, the Abtenau native graduated from the Sport-Gymnasium (BORG) in Salzburg. She obtained her private pilot's license immediately after leaving school.

In order to be a professional pilot, she still needed a lot of practice: "I completed the 200 flying hours required for this through sightseeing flights and with parachutists." A thoroughly expensive training course, but it paid off - even if the path to a permanent job was not an easy one.

Nina Rosenkranz is one of two women among the eight pilots who fly for the local company.(Bild: zVg)

Rosenkranz: "I worked for a company in Salzburg and then in Malta. Unfortunately, it was a difficult time back then, so I trained as a police officer." The now 32-year-old didn't stay with the officers: "After coronavirus, a job opened up with an Austrian company in 2022."

Since then, she has been flying managers all over Europe. She often goes to Germany, but Portugal and Norway are also on the agenda. Sometimes it's just a day trip, but there are also business trips lasting several days. "On average, I fly three to four days a week every year," says the pilot.

Is she also allowed to fly scheduled flights? Rosenkranz: "Yes, I would be allowed to fly in an A-380. But you'd have to do courses and simulations for every type of aircraft. I find it so much more exciting in the corporate sector." As a private jet pilot, there is also a lot of office work - from planning to take-off permits to refuelling, a lot has to be organized. And as varied as it all is: "My childhood dream was still to fly," smiles Nina.