A FEMALE Arab pilot who survived a crash landing to achieve her ambition says she owes her career to a scholarship instituted by a former Bahrain resident.
Dina Dawood was the first recipient of the Yvonne Trueman Scholarship, set up by the Arabian Section of the 99’s International Women Pilots Association.
She applied for support after waiting eight years to get a flying job, only to realise her licence had expired and she needed help to renew it.
Ms Dawood obtained it through the scholarship and got her second stripe with Al Masrieh Airlines, which signed her up as a first officer on its Airbus 320 aircraft.
The scholarship is named in honour of 99’s International Women Pilots Association former area governor and aims to help women advance in the aviation world by paying for their training.
“From my point of view women are still struggling to take their chances in aviation careers and education, but we can’t deny that progress has happened and now at least we can find women in the aviation jobs,” Ms Dawood told the GDN.
“Being a young female Arab working for an airline based in your own country or city presents its challenges due to many variables, such as culture and deep-rooted traditions.
“Women are struggling for a chance and it is not as easy as it is for men.
“Although the ratio of female pilots is slowly increasing, we could accelerate this by regularly promoting flying as a career option for young girls.
“The technical skills of flying an aircraft are just one aspect of the job.
“There is a lot of multitasking, and the softer skills of people management, communication and organisation, which are, arguably, more traditionally female strengths.”
The 33-year-old Egyptian first took to the skies as an air hostess with dreams of travelling the world.
She held the job for two years before heading to the US in pursuit of her pilot’s licence.
However, it was not all plain sailing and in 2008 she was in a near-death crash in California – and faced a grilling from investigators who suspected she might be a 9/11-inspired terrorist.
She was on a routine two-hour flight with her training school owner and a licensed pilot when the plane came down in the middle of a street.
“It was like a true action movie,” she recalled.
“The plane was crashing against power cables, where we got stuck.
“I saw sparks coming out of the cables, assumed the brace position and said my prayers.
“For the first time, I looked death in the eyes.”
She suffered spinal injuries in the accident, which required two months of rehabilitation – during which she continued her theory studies and took written exams.
“That was not all,” she said.
“The real issue was it was only 10 days until the 9/11 memorial.
“I and two other Arab pilots were interrogated as possible terrorists and I was under threat of being deported any time to my country.
“I was probably interrogated by every American authority until I was finally released.
“However, I am glad that my first training school teacher – after I was discharged from the hospital – insisted that we fly a plane to prove I had not developed a fear of flying.
“Indeed, I was not afraid to fly and officials lauded my bravery.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
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