BAHRAINI Bayan Al Turabi is flying high as the first international cadet pilot to graduate from the Emirates Flight Training Academy, in Dubai.
The 21-year-old credits her elder sister, Fatima, a certified pilot, for giving her the confidence to explore a career in aviation.
Fatima today flies Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners at Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, which the airline operates on its most prestigious routes including London.
Growing up in Bahrain, Bayan lived in a house located between the airport and the sea, and that’s when her love story with travel and aviation began.
Her family encouraged her and her siblings to aspire for, and achieve, whatever they set their hearts on, telling them nothing was impossible.
“From a very young age, I had an extreme urge of wanting to explore the world,” Bayan told the GDN.
“Since I had never met a female pilot growing up, considering a career in aviation was never an option for me.”
Looking back to more than a decade ago when Fatima became a cadet training to be a pilot, Bayan says she was too young to realise the significance of what that meant.
It all changed when Bayan was on a plane flown by Fatima, describing the flight to London as one of the best experiences of her life.
“Hearing her voice through the PA presented a new potential for me to combine my passion for travel, with an established career in flying. Seeing her earn her stripes along the way inspired and encouraged me to follow in her footsteps,” says Bayan.
“I remember putting on the uniform for the first time, I felt so proud and so happy, I felt like a real pilot,” she beams.
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In class, she met a diverse group of trainee pilots who Bayan says helped each other through thick and thin.
“I’ve definitely made some lifelong friendships with my cadet colleagues, extending beyond the walls of the academy.”
On training at the academy, Bayan says: “Our instructors told us they are not training us to be pilots, they’re training us to be captains and I think that’s such an important thing to take away. It’s the fact that being a captain comes with responsibility.”
Located in Dubai South, the academy was launched by Emirates airline in 2017 to qualify UAE nationals and international students to become pilots.
Bayan believes what makes the academy different from others is that cadets are training not only on single-engine piston aircraft, but also on jet aircraft, which is something not found in most pilot training academies.
“In addition to the six fully-motioned simulators, which provide you with a realistic experience of flying an actual plane, the instructors also give us tremendous support as they guide us through our training, shape our skills, and prepare us as up-and-coming captains in the long run.”
By sharing her ‘dream come true’ story, Bayan hopes to inspire young women.
“I hope that by sharing my story, I can encourage more young women to consider aviation as a career, or at least let them know that they can reach for their own dreams and blue skies, if they set their hearts and minds on it.”
Academy vice-president Capt Abdulla Al Hammadi has this to say about Bayan:
“The academy is proud that our first international student to graduate is a very competent young female aviator.
“Bayan is smart, ambitious and diligent. I believe she has a promising future and lots of potential to contribute to the aviation industry.
“The reality is that the world is facing a worldwide shortage of pilots, and it is our goal to contribute to the global aviation industry by grooming future generations of accomplished and ambitious pilots.”
avinash@gdn.com.bh
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