When Flight Lieutenant Tjapukai ‘Tjap’ Shaw joined the Air Force, he never thought he would be a pilot, but that became a reality this month when he earned his wings, graduating from 272 Phase 2 ADF Intermediate Pilots’ Course.
A Wiradjuri and Muruwari man from Dubbo, Flight Lieutenant Shaw joined the Air Force in 2018 as part of the inaugural Indigenous Liaison Officer (ILO) course, and posted to RAAF Base Richmond.
Throughout his time as an ILO, Flight Lieutenant Shaw has shaped the role and connected Air Force members with Indigenous culture and communities.
However, it wasn’t until a conversation with Wing Commander Adrian Willey, then a flying instructor at 37 Squadron on the C-130J Hercules, that Flight Lieutenant Shaw’s flying aspiration was sparked.
“Within five minutes of speaking to Tjap, I knew that he was really enthusiastic and interested in giving pilot training a shot,” Wing Commander Willey said.
“We ran through some sequences in the C-130J simulator and he took to flying really quickly.
“He listened, he was focused, and was really precise.
“It was after that simulator session I figured he had the potential to become a pilot.”
Flight Lieutenant Shaw began flying training in July 2022, and said while the experience was not without its highs and lows, his support network was always just a phone call away.
“When I’ve been at that low point, these guys have been able to talk me out of that trough and get me back motivated to keep kicking on,” Flight Lieutenant Shaw said.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have them.
“There’s not a lot of representation and examples of Indigenous people that have been through these same hurdles and mental barriers, which can create a feeling of imposter syndrome.
“But ultimately my support network came back and said, ‘you’ve gone through this testing, you’ve gotten this far, you are the right person for this job’.”
Flight Lieutenant Shaw’s advice to Indigenous men and women considering a career in the ADF is to think about what it is they want to do and just have a crack.
“The system and the testing told me I could do these jobs. So don’t let your own mind limit yourself on what you think you can do,” he said.
Flight Lieutenant Shaw has posted to 37 Squadron, RAAF Base Richmond, to fly the C-130J Hercules and said he was excited to go back and continue his work engaging with the community.
