The golden age of flying

She spent 20 years of her life flying anything from tourists to the Seychelles to sniffer dogs into Baghdad and now, she is nailing the beauty industry.

The Dolphin Coast’s Kimberley Flury is an elegant, blonde lady with impeccable nails and a chic french touch who can keep you entertained for days with her stories of life in aviation.

“I have never bought into the Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm life behind a desk with a plant on it. That is prison,” said Flury, who was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Hillbrow, Johannesburg when she was 19 to work at Sandton Sun in 1984.

“Service and people are my passion. I loved the hotel, but aviation was my dream.”

She applied continuously, until one day the golden telegraph arrived with an offer to work as an air hostess.

What she planned to do for two years became 20 years.

“I had an absolute ball! I have seen every shade of sunrise and sunset and the most incredible moonlit nights. For me, life in the air is absolute freedom.”

Despite having had a few close calls like a full blown bomb scare resulting in an emergency landing at night or having engine failure on a two engine plane, Fury said she never feared dying.

“I never believed it was my destiny to die in aviation. I have flown for some scary people and lived in dangerous spots like Brazzaville in the Congo. This ever changing lifestyle was a massive eye-opener and made me humble and appreciative of what we have.

“We once landed in Baghdad in about 48 degrees only to find out that the cleaning staff had not arrived. We moaned and whined about having to clean the plane in the heat, after a long trip. Later that day, we heard the bus carrying the staff had been bombed and they had all been killed. That kind of stuff is an extreme wake-up call.”

She went into the private charter business and later managed a private jet, flying occasionally, but mainly working on the ground.

“I enjoyed bouncing between being a trolley dolly and a tarmac tot. I loved the adrenaline rush of getting the groundwork done for a flight. Life underneath the floors in an airport is mind blowing – there is a whole village underneath passengers’ feet. The organisation that goes into getting a plane parked, fueled, stocked and in the air on time is incredible.”

“I just lived for the rush of an airport. I still go to the airport when I feel depressed.”

The other thing that makes her happy are pretty nails, which is why she loves her new life as the owner of Nail It and recently opened her third branch at the new Ballito Junction.

>>  Expect to find the latest trends in Health, Wellness and Beauty in Ballito.

>> Meet the top players in the North Coast property industry. See our Property People feature.

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