Next to her day job as a 777 Captain, Cyndhi Berwyn is one of a team of volunteer pilots who fly the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital with the aim of helping to tackle avoidable blindness and improve eye care around the world.
Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen
7 July 2020
When I was really young, I used to dream I could fly like a bird. I started in sailplanes as a teenager and paid my way through college by teaching flying. When the US Air Force opened their doors to female pilots, I joined.
Next to being a B-777 Captain for FedEx Express, during my holidays and time off I fly the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, which is an MD-10-30 (a converted DC-10). The aircraft flies around 20 trips a year, staying a couple of weeks on the ground for each programme, and the pilots catch up with it. Assignments are known a year in advance as there’s a lot of flight planning and prep work involved. Unlike airline pilots who follow set routes, we go to new places every time. I’ve flown to Ethiopia, Zambia, Cameroon, Chile, Peru, Panama, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mongolia.
“I love that we are truly making a difference”
Being unfamiliar with the airport and terrain, plus having to find your way around mountains and taxiways makes each flight very exciting.
Flying the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is no different from flying any other large aeroplane, but we treat it like gold as it truly is a ‘one of a kind’ aircraft. It’s self-sustaining and fully outfitted as a teaching hospital, with a large conference room, simulator room, operating room, recovery room and a full broadcasting station. Although it’s a flying hospital, they don’t operate in flight as eye surgery is too delicate. In fact, the hospital area is sealed off during flight. The aircraft is a platform to transport the hospital to regions which are heavily affected by blindness, such as Africa, Asia and South America. There, surgery is done in the aircraft, and our medical staff go into local hospitals to teach their skills and train local doctors how to apply techniques.
What I love most about my job is that we’re truly making a difference. We are working hard to prevent treatable blindness – Orbis is an NGO with a high impact on humanity. I’m just the pilot, but after delivering the aircraft I like to stay for a few days and help out with the programme as it’s such an uplifting experience. I’ve found my passion in aviation, and I’m so glad I get to fly for a living as well as when volunteering.
After college, I was accepted as one of the first few women in the USAF where I flew and instructed in the T-37, T-38 and KC-10. In 1986 I joined FedEx where I flew the B727, DC-10, A300, MD-10/11 and B777.
Volunteer pilots for the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital are all experienced MD-10 pilots who were initially trained while flying MD-10s for FedEx, which donated the aircraft to Orbis and developed the conversion of the MD-10 from the DC-10. While Orbis pilots each have over 3,000 hours in this type of aircraft, they maintain their annual currency with simulator check rides.
That’s like asking who my favourite child is! I can’t pick one. One of the many flights I really enjoyed was flying an MD-11 FedEx support aeroplane full of supplies into Kathmandu following the Nepal earthquake in 2015. I like challenges, and with Kathmandu Airport being located in a valley that’s surrounded by high mountains, this flight was a challenge on a different level.
Singapore is a beautiful airport. I also love Hawaii, which feels like home as I learned to fly there, and Sydney because the people are so friendly and it’s a great destination – fun hikes and good food.
I haven’t really had the time as I’m quite busy, but I’d love to get back into GA again. Most of my friends are involved in flying and in the past I’ve flown everything from sailplanes to seaplanes and from helicopters to hot air balloons. All these aircraft are great, but taking a little Piper Cub up for a spin is also really neat!
You’re only as good as your last flight. Therefore, don’t get lazy, always be prepared, give it your best every single time and make sure you’re ready for the unexpected.
Next to her day job as a 777 Captain, Cyndhi Berwyn is one of a team of volunteer pilots who fly the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital with the aim of helping to tackle avoidable blindness and improve eye care around the world.
| Started: | Springtime 2012 |
|---|---|
| Now flying: | MD-10-30 |
| Favourite: | “I like them all! Right now, I’m happy with the B-777 I fly for work.” |
| Hours at job start: | Approx. 10,000 |
| Hours now: | Approx. 15,500 |
