Ayesha Aziz

#23/100 in #100extraordinarywomen

Ayesha Aziz was all of 16 when she got licensed as a pilot. The girl, who dreamt of flying planes when she grew up, got her wish fulfilled and how! She is also the first Kashmiri women pilot ever. At 20, the young achiever feels proud to have become the country's youngest pilot! Ayesha always wanted to do something challenging and unconventional. She says, “More than being India’s youngest pilot, I am happy for having accomplished my childhood goal.”

Based out of Mumbai, the fondness for the flights and airports grew in Ayesha when on her visits to her native Kashmir, twice or thrice every year a year since she was a child. “While I would enjoy take-off and landing of the plane, my brother would be scared and always sleep during the flight.” She and two other students were selected by a NASA panel for space training programme in the United States. Ayesha said: "It was amazing to be at NASA… an experience which cannot be described in words. I greatly admire Sunita Williams and read about her life. Luck favoured me as I met her there." The young inspiration also got the chance to meet John McBride but her happiness knew no bounds when she got an opportunity to interact with her “second greatest inspiration” Sunita Williams in person. "I met her when she came to Worli in 2013 or 2014. I shared my experiences with her. I told her about the activities I participated in NASA like scuba diving, moon walk and bunny walk which an astronaut should know," she said. During her two-month stay in Alabama, Ayesha completed advanced training at Nasa's Space Academy, Huntsville, in Space Shuttle Mission, micro-gravity, manned maneuvering unit, multi-axis training and Extra Vehicular Activity.

Ayesha joined the flying school after she completed her Class X. She took her ground classes and cleared the five viva sessions. Immediately after turning 16 in October, she got her student pilot licence in November 2013. But due to some monetary issues, her training for commercial pilot licence got delayed. She currently flies single engine Cessna 152 and Cessna 172. Besides holding a Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence (FRTOL), the Kashmiri girl is a member of the Indian Women Pilots' Association (IWPA). At the Bombay Flying Club, Ayesha is one of the only 4 girls studying B.Sc. third year in Aviation. But this doesn't pull her down and once she completes 80 hours of the total 200 hours of flying, Ayesha will finally gain her commercial pilot licence.

Ayesha's mother Khalida Aziz hails from north Kashmir's Baramulla district and her father Abdul Aziz Lunkandwala is a Mumbai-based industrialist. Her encouraging family is the reason behind her success. Ayesha says, “When I told my father I wanted to be a pilot, he pushed me into it immediately after completing my Class X.” She says it’s great to have understanding parents. "My dream is to fly a plane to Mecca first. And then, fly a plane to Kashmir. I will do it since I have the blessings of my parents. My parents are happy and proud with whatever I am doing," Ayesha said. Ayesha has also done several photo shoots for a magazine and an advertisement commercial for Whisper. She is happy to be multi-tasking.

Women like Ayesha Aziz are showing what it is to chase their dreams with ardent fervour and not bow down to the pressures that usually force women to abandon theirs.

Source: Google search and Wikipedia.