PERSONALITY PROFILE
Into the blue sky
59
“Notwithstanding a lifetime of work in the
plumbing industry that includes various
jobs and business interests, Kyle’s legacy
will inevitably pivot around what he has
done unselfishly for the entire plumbing
industry.”
His first ‘retirement’ from the industry came in 1988
when he left the industry to pursue an alternative career
as a commercial pilot – his other passion in life – and
qualified to fly turbine and jet aircraft and to train other
pilots. As much as he loved flying, he says his passion
became dimmed by endlessly living out of a suitcase.
So, in 1997, back to the corporate plumbing industry
he went, rejoining Cobra in the specification department
as the national specifications manager: commercial and
industrial, technical products. During this time, he spent
most Saturdays training pilots at a local flying school
and loved the combination of instruction and flying.
In the same vein as his plumbing industry career, he
became a regular contributor to the piloting profession,
writing technical articles and others on safety and other
aspects of flying.
In 2006, and for a period of ten years, he started his
own business in the plumbing industry assisting people
with the design of plumbing systems for buildings,
parallel to which he established his own and very
successful flying school at which he put many pilots
through their qualifications.
“In 2016 I was approached by the owner and operator
of CalAfrica to do training of CalAfrica staff. I found that
it wasn’t just technical training that was required but a
need for more strategic insight to grow this business.
I was subsequently offered the position of general
manager in August 2016, and in the three years since
then the company has grown very nicely, in what has
been a depressed and challenging market. Success in
this industry is dictated by having sound knowledge,
networking and being involved in the industry through
Iopsa and other bodies.”
“In my new appointment as General Manager of
CalAfrica I soon realised that absolute focus was needed
to achieve my predetermined goals and strategies
to grow the company, so I exited the flight academy
business, which, by the way, continues to operate very
well under the management of its new owners.”
A legacy not yet finished
Chris Kyle as a flying instructor.
“We gained accreditation to offer CPD (Continuing
Professional Development) points for members of the
SA Institute of Architects, to bring to reality the fact that
Notwithstanding a lifetime of work in the plumbing
industry that includes various jobs and business
interests, Kyle’s legacy will inevitably pivot around what
he has done unselfishly for the entire plumbing industry.
Lorraine Mooi, co-founder of Just Plumbing Girls.
September 2019 Volume 25 I Number 7
www.plumbingafrica.co.za