Angela Pitt
Bachelor of Psychology 2004

Sub Lieutenant, Angela Pitt always dreamed of being a pilot. It was a dream that waxed and waned but eventually stuck…and now she’s flying high, literally. She is one of only a handful of female pilots to ever be sworn into the Royal Australian Navy. After 22 weeks training at HMAS Creswell in Nowra she recently headed off to Tamworth to complete six months of flight training to prepare her to get behind the controls of a Sea Hawk helicopter.

“It was scary, exciting and challenging,” says Angela, who attended Kiama High School before enrolling at UOW. “It was an intense couple of months but worth it in every way. “They really take you out of your comfort zone. For the first few weeks I had zero contact with the outside world – no phone, no e-mail. I just had to immerse myself in a very strict training regime which involved drills, marching, fitness tests, seamanship training out on the ocean, camping, naval history and plenty more.”

Angela, who graduated from a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) in December 2004, is glad she completed her degree before her life took such an amazing turn.

“I am grateful for my time at UOW and I really enjoyed studying Psychology. It has helped me to better understand people, which is really important when you are living in conditions that can be really trying. A lot of people just can’t handle military training and my degree has helped me to understand why. It’s tough because you’re so often away from your family and friends and there are times where you’re sitting in a life raft in the middle of the ocean where you can’t see the shore and are surrounded by sick, cold, hungry, borderline-hypothermic crew and you really question what you’re doing!”

Angela believes the highlights far outweigh those harder days. In Tamworth Angela underwent basic flight training on fixed wing aircraft, and endured combat survival training in Queensland, which involved being ‘downed in hostile territory’.

“They basically drop you somewhere and have you chased by dogs. I spent a day and a night in a life raft on the ocean and was involved in jungle/desert/water phases that simulated all the different things we might face in a real life combat situation. And there was very little food which was interesting.”

Now Angela has returned to Nowra, ready for the ‘real deal’ – helicopter flying.

“I want to fly helicopters because they’re so versatile…you can land pretty much anywhere and you don’t need a runway. They may not fly at the speed of jets but you need just as much, if not more, coordination. If it doesn’t hover, don’t bother!”

Angela is the fourth generation of her family to join the Australian Defence Force, continuing a grand tradition of service. Her great-grandfather served in the Army during WWI, her grandfather is a WWII veteran and her father was an infantry soldier serving in Vietnam.

Sub Lieutenant Pitt realises that hers is the kind of career that is full of twists and turns and she is well aware of where she may end up.

“The reality is that one day I could be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. You try not to think about it too much but in the end that’s what we’re all being trained for - war.”

Last reviewed: 23 January, 2007