As the plane is ready for take-off, with full view of the runaway in front of her, she applies full power and pulls the control and it starts its climb to the skies.
Although it’s just simulator training, everything looks real. Even the Batu Berendam airport in Malacca which Lim is flying from looks exactly the same as the real thing as she circles the area from 1,524 metres.
After circulating Batu Berendam airspace for 20 minutes, she lands the Piper Warrior smoothly, just like in the real world. Lim, together with two other female trainee pilots, Sima Ghanouni Moghaddam from Iran and Nuzhat Tabassum Islam from Bangladesh, are among the few females in this male-dominated flying course to fulfill their dream of becoming an airline pilot one day.
The three, once they graduate from the Malaysian Flying Academy in Batu Berendam, will be the academy’s 48th, 49th and 50th certified pilots ready to fly with airlines around the world.
LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
In the aviation world, the number of female pilots is still very low. Although it has been 40 years since the first female pilot started work for a commercial airline, they are still considered rare. Around the world, only 4,000 of the 130,000 airline pilots are women, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.
However, the Malaysian Flying Academy, which is based in Malacca, intends to change that with its success in producing female pilots. The number of female pilots graduating from this flying school has been increasing over the past years.
For Lim, who comes from Puchong, Selangor, flying is a source of pleasure and satisfaction. Despite having a degree in graphic design, her ultimate career of choice is to become a commercial airline pilot. “I believe women are equal to men in the aviation world and they can fly airplanes as good as men,” she says.
It’s no longer a career just for the men as more and more women, especially in the west, have been flying commercial airlines. Lim’s idol is Captain Norashikin Onn, the first female commercial pilot in Malaysia, now flying for Air Asia.
“She has proven that local women can do it, and I would like to be like her,” she says.
Lim’s interest in flying started while she was studying graphic design, but she has always been fascinated by the idea of flying. “I took a private pilot license before enrolling in MFA and my parents fully supported my decision,” she shares.
For Nuzhat Tabassum Islam from Bangladesh, graduating with a Commercial Pilot Licence with Instrument Rating (CPL/IR) is a dream she’s had since secondary school. She was inspired to fly by her school teacher, who used to be in the air force and would share stories about how amazing it was.
The CPL/IR is designed to train a person to become a full-fledged pilot with commercial airlines. “The stories I heard inspired me to fly. I wanted to join the air force but due to certain reasons I could not apply. So I then thought about joining the commercial aviation sector,” says Nuzhat.
Besides, her uncle, a pilot for Biman, the Bangladeshi Airline, had given her several opportunities to be in the cockpit. “That experience inspired me too,” says the 20-year-old. Her fluency in English has helped a lot in her studies at the MFA.
Meanwhile, graduating soon with a CPL/IR is Iranian cadet Sima Ghanouni Moghaddam who holds a diploma in Science, as well as degrees in Biology and German.
The 31-year-old from Tehran previously worked as a sales officer in a company producing electric vehicles but her ambition was always to fly. “It’s always been my dream to take to the skies in the pilot seat of a Boeing or Airbus,” says Sima.
But what’s more important to her right now is to gain as many flying hours as possible. To date, she has done nearly 80 hours of flying. Her idol is Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Sima says she’s ready to work in any part of the world once she obtains her pilot’s license. “I left Iran nine years ago and there should be no problem adapting to a new environment.”
“It’s time more young women realize that the job responsibilities on an aircraft are not defined by gender and that they can become anything they aspire to be,” says MFA principal, Captain Stephen Michael Terry.
“Many young girls are not aware that it is a career option for them and we want to change that perception and help them with the many opportunities in the industry,” he adds.
THE MALAYSIAN FLYING ACADEMY
Established in 1983, the Malaysian Flying Academy is a prominent figure in the aviation industry here. As a pioneer, it grooms young cadets for their pilot uniform, equipping them with all the necessary skills and qualifications.
For the past three decades, MFA has paved the way for enthusiastic cadets by developing their career with major airlines all over the world. Thus, the alumni consist of pilots from all corners of the globe. MFA is internationally recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization and fully accredited by the Department of Civil Aviation, Malaysia.
The academy has 16 single-engine Piper Warrior/Cadet aircraft, four Piper Seneca III twin engine aircraft, and three Piper Seminole twin engine aircraft with one more coming next month.
There are also two flight simulators which have the view of all airports in Malaysia as well as major world airports like Changi, Hong Kong, London and Amsterdam. Over the past three decades, MFA has successfully trained and continues to train cadet pilots for major airlines such as Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, Jetstar Airways and Air Mauritius, as well as air regiments from Polis DiRaja Malaysia.
The course duration is 18 months and one can enroll with five SPM credits.
Story and photo: http://www.nst.com.my
(From left) Nuzhat, Sima and Lim will soon be living their dream.
