Page 4 - MidWeek Windward - Sep 21, 2022

4 SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
Kāne‘ohe Mother, Daughter Soar To New Heights As Pilots
Kāne‘ohe residents Capt. Kamelia Zarka and her daughter, first officer Ma- ria Zarka, have achieved a soaring accomplishment in the field of aviation this month.
deck of a Boeing 717 air- craft as they led a series of neighbor island flights.
true for me. I always knew Maria would be a fantastic pilot — she’s always been brilliant and professional — but sitting next to her as she flew the plane with such skill and ease still blew me away,” Kamelia states.
They are two Hawaiian Airlines pilots who reached a historic milestone on Sept. 1, when they became the first mother-daughter pilot team in the carrier’s 93- year history. They flew the skies over the Pacific Ocean together, sharing the flight
Hawaiian Airlines exter- nal communications rep- resentative Marissa Ville- gas explains that the pair also personally welcomed guests, took selfies with colleagues and urged young girls passing by them to strive for their dreams.
Villegas notes that Kame- lia joined Hawaiian Airlines as a flight attendant in 1992 and became a pilot in 1999, which led her to be the first Tongan woman to captain a commercial airline.
“Flying for Hawaiian Airlines with my daugh- ter, side-by-side in the cockpit, was a dream come
Meanwhile, Maria — who flew with Republic Airlines in New Jersey for two years — was hired by Hawaiian Airlines in April 2022.
“Everybody always tells me how amazing it is to fly with my mom and today I got to experience that. She’s an amazing pilot and learn- ing from her is learning from one of the best. Now I call her ‘Capt. Mom’ ,” Maria states.
(Left top and bottom, and above) Kāne‘ohe residents Capt. Kamelia Zarka and her daughter, first officer Maria Zarka, share the flight deck of a Boeing 717 on Sept. 1. PHOTOS COURTESY BRYAN SHIROTA
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Maria also proudly shares that the family has its roots on the Windward side of O‘ahu, as she and her sibling went to the local schools.
“I attended He‘eia Ele- mentary, King Intermediate, and Kalāheo High School. We have lived in Kāne‘ohe since 2004,” Maria adds.
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