Tjapukai "Tjap" Shaw had a standard nine-to-five job in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), working as an Indigenous liaison officer until he was asked to "have a shot" at an aircraft simulator.
Today, the Wiradjuri and Muruwari man is at the controls of a very real C-130J Hercules aircraft and wants to inspire other Indigenous people to do the same.
Flight Lieutenant Shaw has had an unconventional journey to becoming a pilot, after he initially left Dubbo in western New South Wales to work as a barber in Brisbane.
He joined the RAAF in 2018 as part of its inaugural Indigenous Liaison Officer course.
Based at the Richmond base in NSW, he became one of the first full-time Indigenous liaison officers, connecting RAAF members with culture and community.
"A lot of guys who I worked with hadn't had a lot of exposure to Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander communities, and probably had a little bit of a false idea of what they were and what they were like," Flight Lieutenant Shaw said.
"So it was amazing to be able to share that experience and have a cultural exchange between the Aboriginal community and Air Force and vice versa, and generate a positive impact on both sides of the community."
Soaring to new heights
It was not until a conversation with Wing Commander Adrian Willey, a RAAF flying instructor on the C-130J Hercules, that his flying aspirations were 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.
He ran through some sequences in the C-130J simulator with Flight Lieutenant Shaw, who took to flying "really quickly".
"He listened, he was focused, and was really precise," Wing Commander Willey said.
"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 in November last year earned his wings, graduating from the 272 Phase 2 ADF Intermediate Pilots' Course.
Diversity among the ranks
According to the 2021 Census, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.7 per cent of serving Australian Defence Force personnel.
"It's such a big organisation filled with people from all around the world, and I think diversity just grows a different way of thinking about problems and different solutions," Flight Lieutenant Shaw said.
"Especially in the environment we're in at the moment, we've got a really good opportunity to engage and build relationships with countries with massively diverse cultural backgrounds."
Flight Lieutenant Shaw now hopes other Indigenous kids can see themselves in his uniform.
"It's something you never really see Aboriginal people doing, and I think it's a really weird mental barrier you put up around yourself when you don't see a lot of that representation," he said.
"I'd definitely like to continue to be a bit of a face, just so kids will be able to look up and see another grassroots blackfella giving it a crack and succeeding."
"It's a good message I think."
Still based in Richmond, Flight Lieutenant Shaw transports cargo and people in the C-130J Hercules he is tasked to fly, and assists with humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
His advice to Indigenous men and women considering a career in the ADF is to just have a go.
"I reflect back on some of the decisions I made and why I made them, and there was sort of a bit of a mental thinking switch to just give things a crack, just have a go, and not be embarrassed or worried about the potential for failure," Flight Lieutenant Shaw said.
"It took me a long time to get over that sort of thinking and I'm just now so open and willing to give things a go.
"Even if it doesn't work out, I don't really care."