Accra: The Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has shared a remarkable story of how her father, the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, used an unconventional method to teach her how to fly. During an interview on GHOne's Starr Chat, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings revealed that her father began imparting driving and flying skills to her when she was just 13 years old.
According to Ghana Web, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings recounted her first flying experience, which was a circuit flight undertaken alongside her father. "I flew my first plane at age 13. It was a circuit. He (her father) was braver than I was," she stated, describing the scenario where her father entrusted her with the controls of the aircraft. Her father's confidence in her abilities was evident when he stepped out of the plane and encouraged her to fly solo.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings further detailed a dramatic incident during one of their flights, where her father faked a heart attack to test her readiness to handle emergencies. "What he did before was, as we were on final, he said he had a heart attack, so I had to land the plane," she explained. Realizing the situation was a test, she successfully landed the aircraft, proving her capability to handle the unexpected.
The Korle Klottey legislator also shared her feelings of apprehension when her father encouraged her to take off on her own after landing the plane. Despite her fears, she rose to the challenge and flew solo, a testament to her father's unique yet effective teaching methods. "I looked at him, I was scared actually because I thought 'I don't know' and he said 'You are ready, go'. So, I did, I went, and of course I was praying the whole way," she recalled.