UCT Law alum (LLB and LLM) with a passion for aviation 

Not many law graduates clock over 500 flying hours before turning 25, but Ah Young Kim has always taken a slightly unconventional route. She completed her LLB at UCT in 2023 and her LLM in 2024, all while steadily building a parallel journey in aviation.

Ah Young’s path to her master’s degree in Shipping Law began in an unexpected place: a final-year lecture in Commercial Transactions. The class covered the passing of risk and touched briefly on shipping terms such as ‘free on board’ and ‘bill of lading’. It was a short section in the curriculum, but it sparked something. ‘That lecture ignited my curiosity,’ she recalls. ‘It made me want to understand Shipping Law more deeply.’

Her original plan had been to pursue a master’s in Air Law, but with programme lead Distinguished Professor Salazar on sabbatical at the time, she shifted to Shipping Law instead. ‘In retrospect, I couldn’t have made a better choice,’ she says.

Ah Young's fascination with aviation started long before university. Growing up, she was captivated by airports, aircraft, and the experience of flying - long before she understood the mechanics behind it. She did not initially intend to become a pilot, but that changed in 2018 when her uncle mentioned a flight academy near their home. She booked an introductory flight, and from that moment she was hooked. Ah Young has been flying ever since, accumulating more than 500 flight hours by the time she graduated with her LLM in April this year. Since then, Ah Young has racked up another 200 hours – bringing her total flying time to 700 hours.

Remarkably, Ah Young completed her Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) while still in matric. During her LLB studies, she went on to earn her Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL). She continued building on her aviation qualifications alongside her academic work, and during her LLM, she achieved a Grade 3 Flight Instructor rating, which she now uses to instruct part-time while she prepares to upgrade to a Grade 2 Flight Instructor rating. 

Her flying milestones have kept pace with her academic ones. Most recently, she completed her Multi-Engine Rating (ME) and Instrument Rating (IR), both key steps in progressing towards commercial airline roles. Ah Young has also written three ATPL (Airport Transport Pilot’s Licence) exams since April and, after completing the next three ATPL exams, she will be positioned to fly commercial airlines - which she hopes to do as soon as possible on her upward trajectory to achieve her goal of becoming an Airline Captain.  

Balancing an intensive legal education with rigorous aviation training has meant discipline, focus, and a genuine love of both fields. For Ah Young, the connection between law and flying isn’t accidental: both require precision, consistency and the ability to stay calm in complex environments. And while her career may take her into the sky, she leaves UCT with a strong grounding in both the legal and aviation worlds.