Kashmir Girl Become First Pilot: Ayesha Aziz, 17 years old teenager from Kashmir to become ... first commercial Pilot !!! Ayesha Aziz, a 17-year-old girl hailing from Khawaja Bagh in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district was lucky enough to achieve this feat at a very young age. Ayesha became the youngest Kashmiri girl to be awarded the student pilot license by premier Bombay Flying Club. From school days she dreamt of flying an airplane, “As a child I used to think whether one day I will be able to do that or not,” she says. Ayesha besides being a member of Indian Women Pilots’ Association also has the Flight Radio Telephone Operator’s License (FRTOL) to her name. Now aiming for commercial pilot license Ayesha is striving hard to clear the commercial pilot license (CPL) examination. “I am working hard to crack it. This year hopefully I will be 18 years old as well that will clear all the criteria needed to earn that license,” she says. As a child she would love to see airplanes in the sky. “I was always inclined towards aviation. I am glad that I am a pilot now. My dream is gradually turning into a reality,” she says. At an age of 14, Ayesha set out to realize her dream of becoming a pilot, she says, “I was in 8th standard.” It was then she began pursuing her goal of joining that school. She thinks after getting her commercial pilot license, she will opt for higher education in Aviation and Aeronautics engineering. Ayesha says, Sunita Williams has remained her inspiration for all these years, During her days in Mumbai Flying Club, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) visited her school to select meritorious students for space training program. She says that she was fortunate that she were in the list of toppers when they (NASA) took students for such a prestigious program. “Three students were selected then and I was one among them,” she says. Ayesha completed two months of advanced training in NASA. “It was a wonderful experience there in the US. Most of the activities in Space Academy Huntsville in Space Shuttle Mission, multi-axis training, micro-gravity, manned maneuvering unit, Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) and Area 51 activities were exciting and unforgettable,” she says. Many activities in NASA were actually made for the students who are aspiring astronauts, “Best part of the experience was when astronauts at NASA shared their experiences with us,” she says. Of his earlier experiences as a pilot, she operated a C-172R aircraft for almost ten hours. “That experience was exciting, I could never believe that I could fly even before I could drive, considering my early age,” she says. She opines that no doubt aviation is mostly dominated by men. “But for a girl who want to pursue her career in aviation sector. It is not impossible. Girls like me made it possible only when my instincts went for it,” she says.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:34:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015