Resumo de Pakistani Women Flying High

Pakistani Women Flying High

Despite the ruckus about gender discrimination in Pakistan, there are some women for whom sky is the limit to make the world feel proud. She is a trailblazer, a pioneer who overcame obstacles, and paves the way to make it easier for those wishing to follow in Pakistan in the aviation Industry.
Passion and obsession. This was a two-word answer given by Captain Ayesha Rabia Naveed, Pakistan?s first commercial airline pilot and now Pakistan?s first lady to command an airliner. While it was passion that fuelled her interest in flying, it was the obsession to ?boldly go where no (wo)man has gone before? that fired her perseverance to stay the course in the face of hurdles created by governmental as well as societal attitudes.

This is why she can be seen standing tall, proud and satisfied when she made yet another entry into the record books on January 26, 2006, when she took off Pakistan International Airlines, (PIA?s) flight PK632 with an all female crew. Her pioneering struggle has now made it so much easier for other ladies to follow a career path that had been perceived to be a solely male domain for so long.
She is the one who had the vision to set her sights on the sky, inspired by a father who, despite being a surgeon, was an active member of the Multan Flying Club. As a young girl she used to see him fly and dream of doing the same herself someday. Since encouragement was in abundant supply in an enlightened family like her?s, Ayesha took to the air at the age of 17 from Walton.
However, she was not just content on getting her private pilot?s license. The joy and thrill spurred her on to further her skills and in 1977 she gained her commercial pilot?s license and instruments rating, and by 1979 had received her assistant flying instructor license.
In 1980, Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) advertised for pilots. She applied and was selected. This was the beginning of her pioneering journey. How difficult, or even at times heartbreaking, it would prove to be she could never have imagined.
Four batches were made of the pilots selected and Ayesha was placed in the fourth one. While the three batches were soon accommodated by the time it was the turn of the fourth batch, PIA ran out of aircrafts to put them on. Hence, began Ayesha?s training for the hurdle?s race. The appointment of the fourth batch was put in abeyance until such time when the national flag carrier acquired more aircraft.
The frustrations of the waiting period made Ayesha venture into another pioneering field ? that of air traffic controlling. The newly formed Civil Aviation Authority had decided to induct female air traffic controllers and Ayesha applied, was selected, trained, and started serving at the Lahore Airport.

Things, however, were changing at PIA, and some new pilots were making a lateral entry into the airlines. The appointments were extended to include the fourth batch, and thus Ayesha began her training.

PIA, however, wasn?t alone in experiencing change ? the entire country was experiencing unpleasant winds of change. For Ayesha, this proved to be a crosswind that resulted in the crash landing of her hopes as she was informed by then government of President Ziaul Haq that society was yet ready for female pilots, so the airline was forced to withdraw her and another candidate, Maleeha, from the training.
While Maleeha went back to her former organization where she was flying the calibration aircraft, Ayesha opted to stay in PIA, and served in the marketing department. This is where she tested her own reserves of patience and perseverance. She never gave up hope; kept all her licenses current and appeared before medical boards.
In April 2005, logging more than 6,000 flying hours, after which she was called in for her command training on the F-27s. October 21, 2005 was the day that saw her dream of captaining a commercial airliner come true. She took command of the aircraft flying on the Karachi-Turbat-Gwadar-Karachi sector and took off into the history books as a pioneering role model of someone who didn?t let adversity faze her.
It was great day not just for her personally and for her parents, siblings, husband and two children who had seen her cope with the difficult demands of the job, but for all women because she had proved it yet again that if gender bias is removed, in the workplace as well as within the social environment, there is no bar to the women doing whatever they set their minds to do. The stresses they are subjected to have more to do with the perceptions of what is deemed appropriate for them. Her family?s support played a big role in her success, because for the thrill and excitement, at the end of the day, it is a physically draining and mentally taxing job.
Looking back however, for all the missed hours with the family, Ayesha proudly looks back to see eight other ladies working as pilots in her airlines, while there are about 35 other aspirants who are waiting with their commercial pilot?s licenses in hand, all with their sights set on the skies ? just like Ayesha did as a youngster when she would see her father taking off into the horizon.

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